Dellaria Wells - petty con artist, occasional thief, and partly educated fire
witch - is behind on her rent. To make ends meet, Delly talks her way into a
guard job in the city of Leiscourt, joining a team of unconventional women to
protect an aristocrat from unseen assassins. It looks like easy money and a
chance to romance her confident companion Winn - but when did anything in
Delly's life go to plan? With the help of a necromancer, a shapeshifting
schoolgirl and a reanimated mouse named Buttons, Delly and Winn find themselves
facing an adversary who wields a twisted magic and has friends in the highest of
places. Delly Wells is the best kind of protagonist. Selfish, skittish, anxious
and overwhelmed, smart, opportunistic, a good heart under all the bluster, and
yes, ruthless. Waggoner's characters absolutely shine...Agatha Christie in
design and Pratchett-esque in execution. Tor.com