A Fun Romp with Romance, a Mystery and an Optimistic Troll

Book review of The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner

Image created by author in Canva

Dellaria Wells is in dire need of funds to pay back her landlady before the hard promise (curse) she agreed to hits her with pustules to the face. She signs on to guard a Lady prior to her marriage to make some quick coin and potentially play a longer con. Things turn deadly and Delly finds herself grouping up with the rest of the protection crew to hunt down their adversary.

I loved the plot, the character arc, and the characters within it. The world building was unique, but the slang and way of speaking was a bit tricky to follow, which is why I gave it 4.5 stars.

The Plot

Dellaria Wells is a Fire Witch with a small problem: her mam (mother) and her landlady. After realizing she can’t pay her already behind rent and finding her mam doing a drug that was not good for her, she gets desperate and signs on for some protection duty.

The two-week gig will net her enough to pay her rent for at least half a year and do something for her mam. But it’s not long into their first day when the Lady is attacked by a giant mechanical spider and Delly realizes it’s not going to be as simple as it seems. What she thought would be an easy two weeks with a potential romance with Winn…