I’m not your average girl.
Welcome to one of the December 1st stops on the blog tour for The One and Only Crystal Druid by Annette Marie with XPresso Book Tours (schedule linked) Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, author interviews, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post. #Bibliophile #Bookshelf #BookClub #Bookish #Booksy #BookNerd #BookWorm #XpressoTours
Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.
About the Book
The One and Only Crystal Druid
The Guild Codex: Unveiled Book One
by Annette Marie
Published 24 September 2021
Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Page Count: 297
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
I’m not your average girl.
My best friend is my switchblade. My favorite hobby is using it on the cruel, the abusive, and anyone who gets on my bad side. I’m a convicted murderer with a chip on my shoulder and a dangerous lack of restraint.
And then there’s Zak.
His rap sheet makes mine look tame. The bounty on his head is worth more money than I’ll ever make, and the deadly fae that shadow his every step wield more power than I’ll ever know.
He’s the Crystal Druid, and his first mistake was setting foot on my turf.
His second was saving my life.
And his final mistake will be failing to realize that however dark, however ruthless, however broken he is…
I’m worse.
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK
From the author of the best-selling Guild Codex books comes a new series that delves into the dark, dangerous world of druids and fae alongside two ravaged souls who may be exactly what the other needs…if they don’t destroy each other first.
Unveiled can be read as a standalone series or in conjunction with other Guild Codex series. For the full reading order, visit Annette Marie’s website.
More series in the Guild Codex world:
The Guild Codex: Spellbound
The Guild Codex: Demonized
The Guild Codex: Warped
My Review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Consider liking my review on Goodreads
I was granted complimentary access to The One and Only Crystal Druid as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with XPresso Book Tours. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
Normally I start my reviews with a little one-paragraph teaser because I feel like it’s much more telling to see what a reviewer thinks is important for the synopsis/teaser and where reviewers think you need to cut off before spoiling the book rather than just going with the publisher’s blurb, but I’m not doing that this time. The official synopsis is pretty good. What grabbed me about this book wasn’t the synopsis, though. I love the amazing cover art, I’m really into blended urban/paranormal fantasy with druidic lore, and I have to support my fellow Canadians. (Go Canada!)
Annette Marie is clearly a strong writer who really knows her way around world-building and it’s clear that she has a loyal audience. I looked at other reviews after reading this one just to see what everyone else was thinking and I learned then, for the first time, that this is a spin-off series. That makes sense! I really felt like I was missing information on Zak at first and that’s probably because he was introduced in a different book, so readers should be aware of that.
Despite that, I liked Zak. The Cyrstal Druid is a very interesting character and I was left wanting more from him, which means I’m very glad to see that this is the start of a series and not a stand-alone spinoff. I was a little disappointed, though, that the titular Crystal Druid character isn’t the main and doesn’t have the leading/narrative POV. That honour goes to Saber Rose, friend of the switchblade (say switchblade ONE more time…) and we did not click.
To be clear, I did know that the protagonist was going to be a woman because the synopsis is written in her voice, but I was really hoping we were going to get an apprenticeship or passing of the torch sort of deal and our MC would be a strong female lead who actually was this titular Cyrstal Druid. Instead we got the reluctant, whiny sidekick and her switchblade. Can’t forget the switchblade.
I loved all of the animal details and especially the horses in this book. It’s clear that Annette loves horses just as much as I do and she’s very familiar with them. All of the horse descriptions and interactions are the words of someone who knows horses, and I loved it!
About the Author
Annette Marie is the best-selling author of The Guild Codex, an expansive collection of interwoven urban fantasy series ranging from thrilling adventure to hilarious hijinks to heartrending romance. Her other works include YA urban fantasy series Steel & Stone, its prequel trilogy Spell Weaver, and romantic fantasy trilogy Red Winter.
Her first love is fantasy, but fast-paced adventures and tantalizing forbidden romances are her guilty pleasures. She lives in the frozen winter wasteland of Alberta, Canada with her husband and their furry minion of darkness. When not writing, she can be found elbow-deep in one art project or another while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads
Giveaway Alert!
Tour-wide giveaway (INT): 3x $10 Amazon gift cards
a Rafflecopter giveawayDisclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nice cover
Thank you for sharing your review of this book, it sounds like a good read
Thanks for being on the tour! 🙂