Unfortunately for me, this one didn't quite live up to expectation. Its plot staled. Fell flat. It never found the high-flying, suspense-climbing, drip-induced kick a story about a group of mismatched women who combat dangerous magic and mysterious assassins needed. For a while it felt like nothing of consequence had happened.

I liked the characters well enough, however. Dell, a gutterwitch with a habit of setting things on fire, had lived a tough life. She was a bit stubborn, crass, guarded. Drank in excess. Having bounced around in the grittier parts of town growing up, she simply wanted to earn enough money to pay her rent and send her mother (a drip addict) to a safe, quiet place in the country.

Delly and Winn's romance was cute, interesting given their disparity in social class, if a bit protracted. Their unresolved sexual tension got to be a little tiresome after a while. It dangled too long, which might have something more to do with the sluggishness of the plot than it did with them as a pairing.

Perhaps others will find lots to love in this book, but for me it failed to entice overmuch.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Ace for the ARC!

The writing in this one honestly was a little odd and at times, I found it difficult to read. Especially getting into the book, it felt quite like a drag to keep on reading. But the characters were interesting to read about and kept me going.

True rating: 3.5

I loved reading this book! I know it's not technically a series-but it is set in the same world as C.M. Waggoner's first book, Unnatural Magic, but a generation later. And I loved being in this world of magic and trolls again!

We follow Delly, who is pretty rough and tumble, who gets a pretty well paying job. The catch is that it's for an important lady, which means manners. Oh, and someone is trying to kill her. So that adds to the danger that Delly is facing.

I loved her relationship with Winn, who's the daughter of 2 of the main characters from Unnatural Magic. Winn is a lady, though not a traditional human lady. So there's a class difference between them. The way that Delly has been raised well, she had certain schemes, but I really enjoyed how their relationship progressed!

The way it ended, I really enjoyed it. There was always a question of why this was going on, and why this person in particular had done it. I really enjoyed how Delly maneuvered around the obstacles in her path, it made for a very satisfying ending!

This was another great book by C.M. Waggoner, and I can't wait to read more by her!

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
This book was so much fun! I had a great time reading it, and I found the characters compelling and fun to read about from the beginning all the way to the end! I loved the relationship between Delly and Winn, and I was rooting for them the whole time!

I clicked on four stars, but really it’s more of a 3.75, and there are a few reasons for that. First, I found some of the language a little bit difficult to follow. It definitely helped add to the characterization of Delly and her peers, but it was difficult for me to understand what they were trying to say. Also the use of “thee” on occasion but not always really threw me off. Along with that, I had some issues with the pacing. It seemed REALLY rushed at the beginning, and then after the first mystery was established, it seemed like they didn’t really do much at all until the very end, and that bothered me a little bit.
But at the end of the day, it was a delightful read, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read it before it came out! Once again, the whole “only requesting and reading books I really think I’ll love” has ended up in my favor, and I can’t wait to recommend this to friends.

Delightfully different and completely fun. A recommended first purchase for collections where fantasy is popular.

Delly has fallen on hard times, which really is no new thing for her. Delly is a fire witch who has a habit of setting things on fire when she finds herself in trouble. She has to pay her rent but is lacking in the required money and her landlord is threatening Delly with a spell that will give her a face full of pustules if she doesn't pay up. She also wants to help her dear old mom find a suitable place to live that is also safe. Luckily, she finds a new opportunity that will provide the funds to cover all of this if she only can survive it. This writing style and choice of words(and some completely made up words) bordered on the bizarre, however I mean that in the best way possible. I found this book absolutely delightful.

Disclaimer: This was given as an ARC by NetGalley.

This involves a historical sapphic bodyguard romance. I would pitch it as Harry Potter meets Aladdin. So if you've been looking for books to fill the void of HP written by someone else then this is perfect for you! It's got a lot of magic in it, and a talkative character that could give Lorelai Gilmore a run for her money.

Well! It’s another brilliant, action packed, well written story takes us back to Unnatural Magic’s world which was one of my favorite, underrated gems of the last year.

So as soon as I saw the author’s name and this hypnotizing cover, I clicked the request button so fast ( I think I might have broken my mouse! No, I’m not talking about my computer mouse: I’m mentioning my house mouse who serves as a muse when I’m writing horror scripts!) I got so excited to start the new book of the series!

The storyline is also original with her struggling heroine Delly who is con artist, a thief, carrying the burden of her addict mother, working hard to find a way out. Then her prays get answered and she sees a want add for bodyguard and she applies without thinking a second because the payment is satisfying and this job can open her doors to say goodbye to her old miserable life.

And dear Delly gets the job which includes protecting a young rich lady against the assassins. She thinks this job easy as pie. There is no real threat and that lady is just a drama Queen who overreacts about her situation and she couldn’t be so wrong! The threat is so real!

And of course falling for Winn who is one of the other bodyguards will make things so much complicated in her life!

Delly seemed like a complex, a little dislikable anti heroine at first. She was confused, a typical walking talking disaster. I’m so pleased to witness how she learns to face the challenges and be mature by taking more responsibilities in her life or facing the consequences of her actions.

I liked the first book more but I still enjoyed the world building, creative and original storyline and lovely queer characters already stole my heart. Especially character of Delly’s evolvement was entertaining to read.

So I’m rounding up my 3.5 stars to 4 supernatural, magical , query, high fantasy stars! I’m looking forward to return back this universe with new books of the series!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing/ Ace for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I was hoping to like this one, but I found the swearing offensive, and the odd language and words did not help me to understand an already confusing world. I did not care for the main character who was a tad annoying and not someone I could get behind. I wish the world was better explained because it was complex and difficult to understand. The writing style was crass which for me, is not enjoyable to read.

Overall I'm disappointed because it was not the straightforward magical neo-Victorian story that I wanted to read. I think simplifying the story and editing out the swear words would make this a better book,

A great page turner, I love all the crazy magic that happens just because people are crazy. Loved the characters.

What fun! This was a delightful, sapphic fantasy. The plot moves quickly and unexpectedly, and I fell in love with the characters (even the ones that were supposed to be despicable). Throw in an undead skeletal mouse, and this was just an overall good time.

This is another tough one for me to rate. The oddities in the language used might be less jarring to certain regions, but I found Delly's accent in telling the story to be very off-putting. You also start off not caring for Delly, but really you aren't supposed to enjoy her. The problem is that her being frustratingly dumb carries on a little too long. The world was very intriguing, but the rules only became explained after being referenced or when it suited the plot to suddenly have a rule explained. Nothing was world endingly offensive, Del was charming in a boarheaded sort of manner, but I also held out because I kept waiting for it to get better.

This utterly different from any historic fantasy fiction I've ever read. Trolls, witches and ghosts are commonplace in this realm, wherein low-born Delly, a con artist with a burdensome mother, gets a chance for a better life by becoming a bodyguard, with ofttimes hilarious results. How the other characters and the events in the course of her journey change her, and your view of her, is delightful.