The Alchemist and an Amaretto by Annette Marie

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The Alchemist and an Amaretto by Annette Marie
The Guild Codex: Spellbound #5, Guild Codex Universe #6
Narrator: Cris Dukehart
Length: 6 Hours, 55 Minutes
Published by Tantor Audio on January 28, 2020
Age Group & Genres: Fantasy, New Adult
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library

As a guild bartender, I can handle pretty much anything—mages, sorcerers, witches, the occasional demon. But show me anything family-related and I'd rather run for the hills. It doesn't even have to be my family.

So I have no idea why I thought spending the holidays with Aaron's mom and pop was a good idea.

Meeting his famous parents is already terrifying enough, but I've got a bigger problem. Students of his family's renowned mage academy are being attacked on the grounds--and somehow no one has seen a single assailant? Unexplained tracks litter the nearby woods, rumors of forbidden alchemy are circulating the campus...and Ezra has been acting strangely since we arrived.

Something deadly is brewing in the shadow of Sinclair Academy, and the longer we take to uncover it, the more dangerous it becomes. But no matter the risk, we'll protect the students.

And Aaron's parents too, I suppose. If we have to.

If there’s one thing The Alchemist and an Amaretto has taught me about my audiobook experiences, it’s that I’m picky as hell with my audiobooks.

I was personally not a fan of the narration (at first).

Being used to slower audiobooks all the time and with little experience, I felt like Cris Dukehart’s narration was like someone spinning in circles around me. Look, Hoopla doesn’t give me the option to speed up the ones that are slow so I’m spoiled now. Get to OverDrive’s level, Hoopla. It took a few hours listening to The Alchemist and an Amaretto for me to think, “actually this isn’t bad at all.” Getting used to the speaking speed like the noob I am, though, I liked the distinct character voices bringing the story to life from the pages.

The Alchemist and an Amaretto give us a sneak peek into the elite of the Guild Codex Universe.

In the fifth novel to The Guild Codex: Spellbound, Tori and her friends go to Sinclair Academy, owned by Aaron’s family and where everything begins for Aaron and Kai. There is so much drama surrounding this place, friends, and some of it gets spilled in the pages throughout the course of the book. We finally get to see Aaron’s and Kai’s past, where they began their friendship and eventually leave for the Crow and Hammer. We’ve always gotten snippets in previous books, but we get much more information here.

This book focuses more on Aaron and what kind of person he was before we meet him in Three Mages and a Margarita because we find out he’s still struggling despite leaving and his friends are the sole reason why he has become who he has become. Not only that, but we get to see Tori’s and Sin’s friendship develop as well, and how Tori has become an important person in their lives. I am definitely here for all of this.

We also get some more clues to Ezra, a continuation of the plot from Demon Magic and a Martini.

Ezra has quickly become one of my favorite characters and I just??? have questions??? He’s truly a Cinnamon Roll and I want to protect him but we all know I’m the one who needs protecting from this world. Annette Marie reveals another big secret that leaves fans of the series wanting to know more, and there are so many feels involved. I swear if a hair on his head gets touched I might just cry in a corner.

I can’t wait to find out what happens next, though, but I don’t know if I’ll be picking up the audiobook for the next book and putting my Kindle Unlimited to good use. I know that I really want to catch up with the rest of the series, though!