I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Ruthless Magic is a lot of fun and has some really great characters. A brief overview of the book is young magic users are either accepted by the Confederation or not. The ones who aren't can accept being dampened (losing their powers) or take the exam to become a Champion. As one would expect, the exam is not a straightforward test and pits students against various trials of magic, and very dangerous ones at that. 

The story follows two main protagonists, Finn and Rocio, and alternates views each chapter. I was worried Finn would be the great White hope, a magic user who is struggling to accept that his family name alone with get him accepted considering his magic is very weak. Thankfully this is not the case, where the super powerful magic user is the young Latina, Rocio. I absolutely loved her, and I loved her outlook on everything. Considering she is considered new magic, and not trusted by the Confederation, it was nice to see how she handles the various situations without being the stereotypical "fiery" Latina role we see too often. 

The book had a mix of predictability and some surprising twists. Considering all the young magic users are tossed together, you knew some of the character archetypes to expect. The bully, the person who finally has no one holding them back, the paranoid, etc. The twists were well done, and for the most part unexpected. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I'll just say those in charge of the exams are twisted bastards. 

The ending of the book sets up the sequel, without being an in your face cliffhanger. I definitely can not wait for the second in the series, and this is easily a new favorite. Highly recommended.