The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C. M. Waggoner
The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry is an action packed and engaging book about the poor, slightly morally gray fire-witch Dellaria Wells, AKA Delly, and her adventures after she takes on a particularly interesting high paying job. Delly struggles with money and paying rent (because she didn’t take consumer economics), so she makes her living by doing odd jobs (and thefts). Delly is hired for a job after seeing an advertisement on the street requesting female persons of some magical or martial ability. Things become a bit more complicated when she starts to deal with cases of shapeshifting, necromancy, and a touch of romance with another one of the women on the job.
In addition to an exciting plot, I really enjoyed the style and tone of the book. The narrative voice is different from other fantasy novels I’ve read, with distinct voices and accents for the many characters and their respective social and economic classes. Delly herself is lower class, and speaks in a way that could be described as slightly cockney-ish, but with some added flourishes. She is very careful to be polite to those above her station, and she flatters those with money, always using their titles and honorifics. This comes in contrast to the mostly upper class ladies she interacts with, who have entirely different mindsets and worldviews than her.
Despite being set in a world without other modern technology, a setting that is unfortunately often patriarchal, the cast of this novel are all very powerful women, who have varied skill sets and personalities that don’t seem to be limited by their gender. The characters range from a sweet old woman who likes to fiddle with the dead, an upper-class young lady who is very good at chemistry and starting arguments, a shapeshifter, a very polite half-troll illusionist, to the grubby fire witch herself.
All in all I really enjoyed this book for its witty humor, well-developed characters, distinct narrative voice, and of course an interesting plot with some sprinklings of magic.
-Marina
Hey! This is a fantastic review! I usually don't read fantasy books, and I would often skip past these books, but I enjoyed you enthusiastic tone regarding the book and I think that it might be worth it. I think you did a really nice job of talking about what the author did to make this book as good as it is.
ReplyDeleteNice work!
This is a wonderful review! The characters and the plot all seem so interesting, and I was hooked from when you said, "morally grey fire witch". I'm putting this book on my to-read list right now!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting book to read! There seems to be a wide range of characters with unique personalities, and the aspect of magic fascinates me. I also like the witty approach you took to writing about a book of witty humor; I found your comment on consumer economics amusing. I'll certainly have to check this book out sometime. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Marina! Its nice to have a book with a character that isn't strictly "good" or "bad," so I'm very excited to hear that Delly is morally-grey. Nice review!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog Marina! Like Rishabh, I am usually not the biggest fan of fantasy. However, all of the powers and characters definitely caught my attention. I am a big fan of witty-humor, so I will definitely consider adding this to my reading list.
ReplyDeleteNice review, Marina! I like how you manage to intertwine your summary and review of the book. I'm not the biggest fan of fantasy novels, but can see that this one has the potential to appeal me with its unique "narrative voice."
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