The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry (ARC Review)

A little whimsical, slightly sweet, and somewhat odd, The Ruthless Ladies Guide to Wizardry is a lovely little tea cake of a book. 

Part historical fantasy and part romance with a hint of mystery and action, this new novel by C. M. Waggoner follows ex-drunk alley cat Dellaria Wells as she gets a proper job guarding a wealthy well-to-do lady from being murdered before her wedding day.

A cast of peculiar characters and a quirky half-humorous narration style that’s half British slang and half total tomfoolery sets a particular tone for the book that many will love. Meanwhile, with women taking their rightful places as all the main characters in a world where queer courtship is ordinary, the setting of Ruthless Lady’s Guide is one many will be fond of slipping into. 

But the story seemed surface-level at best and hovered uncertainty between adult language and young adult tropes and themes. For all the exciting things taking place—steampunk zombie creatures, a magic drug ring with child mobsters, and homicidal wizards—the romance took the stage far too often…but didn’t shine. An old-fashioned love story is all fine and dandy when it’s interesting, but there was no conflict or tension involved, leaving readers doddling along after the doting pair waiting for the wedding bells. 

The plot of Ruthless Lady’s Guide had so much potential but lacked the mystery and subtlety to make it really something. And although I loved to see a full cast of female characters, they could have had a lot more depth and intrigue. Instead, the most fleshed-out character of all may have been the re-incarnated skeleton of a mouse. And the most interesting bit of the book was the last, which ends up being just a tease and leaves no room for explanations of the wackier things that occurred or characters’ motivations, returning instead, once again, to love. 

If you’re wondering why I haven’t talked about the magic yet, that’s because—for a book with wizardry in the title—this story had a sad amount of spell casting. The magic system is less of a focus and more of a background aspect, which is never fully explored or explained. Talk about false advertising. A Girl’s Guide to Getting a Rich Wife may have been more suitable.

A sweet puffed pastry empty of cream, I’d love to have heard the voice of Delly tell a story that had more substance. I rated The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry 2.5 out of 5.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ace Books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.  

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