A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic

God I miss Viv.

"She wasn't a child and resented all the emotions this "adventure" was stirring up in her. This was exactly why she avoided getting close to people or opening up. All it brought was pain, and she didn't need that. Stability was her refuge."

Arleta Starstone is a talented confectionist that unfortunately doesn't get the respect or recognition she deserves. Discriminated against on the daily for being magicless and barely getting by because of it, Arleta gets the opportunity of a lifetime after receiving an invitation to the prestigious Langheim Baking Battle. The only problem? Magicless are very much looked down upon in this competition as well. Throughout the Baking Battle, Arleta has to undo years of telling herself that nobody can love or care for her when they find out that she has no magic.

Arleta is a wonderful main character. She can be upsetting and frustrating, but at all times I understood her hesitation to open up or accept that she, too, has a place in this world.

Her personal growth is at the centre of the story. We only meet a few of her contestants and the baking challenges are simple and concluded in short chapters. It's not a bad thing, because it's not really what the story is about. But if you are looking for an intense competition, know that this isn't that kind of story.

It's cosy, cute, and I love all the characters we get to meet. Especially Jez and Doli are stand-out characters. I do wish we got a bit more physical descriptions of these characters. They are continuously referred to as “the fennex” and “the dwarf”, but I really don't have a good grasp on what they actually look like.

I would recommend this to anyone interested in cosy reads and cute romances!

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Thank you to NetGalley and Poised Pen Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is one of the better cozy fantasies I've read. Super charming and I loved reading about the baking – it didn't go super in depth which I can find boring– and the cute friendships found along the way were great.
The romance though was honestly rather annoying because of Arleta who just kept asking him the same question over and over then finally telling him the same excuse over and over even though she knew it was false. And the whole time after the competition? Maddening. Theo deserves so much better tbh. And yet, I did like Arleta. I understand her insecurities, I do. It's such a bummer she was always running away ugh.


SO, as charming as the first half was before I got annoyed at some repetition, I honestly don't know if I'll continue the series. We'll see.

A cute, cosy read that's perfect for enjoyers of curling up by a fireplace with a light read.
Our main character constantly reminds us that she is flawed, being a magicless human and orphaned years ago by an unfortunate accident. However, it takes her time to realise that she has two loving dads just next door to her, which she discovers after embarking on an impromptu trip, meeting new folks and friends and even a dashing Elf.

While I enjoyed the baking aspect of it, the drama of it all with Theo's mum, I felt like the fated mates trope was really forced in this book and didn't really add any value. I would have preferred to see a slow burn romance blossom between our lovers without the mate aspect.