A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking

Started really well but I lost interest halfway through. The plot got very predictable and nothing interesting happened except for the magic gingerbread men and golums. I was hoping for a plot twist that never came. Dragged my feet through the last 4 hours just to get it done.

I absolutely adored this book! I haven't read a book in years because it's hard for me to keep my attention on something but this book always had me reeled in. Such good messaging in it too. And I LOVED most of the main and supporting characters! There was so much to love! I 100% recommend this to anyone who wants a heartwarming magical adventure tale. I did get teary eyed but all in all, it left me with a good feeling overall.

“You haven't lived until you've seen a cookie look smug.”
I'm not exactly sure how a book can be funny, whimsical, cozy, and kind of macabre at the same time, but T. Kingfisher seems to be able to balance those elements to great effect. Even her darker stuff tends to have an unexpected witty side, so having what is essentially a cozy fantasy, also have a weird and morbid side doesn't surprise me. This is my first foray into her younger fiction and I was delighted. I haven't had this much fun with a book in quite a while. I laughed out loud and loved the use of magically baked goods as the basis for most of the shenanigans along the way. The book starts out as a sort of murder mystery but progresses into a much bigger-scale adventure, and I appreciated how the main character Mona is able to grow over the course of it. Mona has an amusing inner voice and I liked how she struggled with things along the way and wasn't just an instant hero or a Mary Sue character. She questions things, questions herself, and gets rightly emotional over what's happening and I found that gave her a levity you don't always find in kid's fiction. The supporting characters were an entertaining bunch of offbeat, peculiar, and quirky bunch, I especially liked Knackering Molly and her skeleton horse. I also think that T. Kingfisher doesn't sugar coat (LOL!) her story. There are real consequences at the end and not everything turns out okay. Mona struggles with this and I highly appreciated that Kingfisher doesn't treat kids like they can't handle the idea that endings aren't all happily ever afters, or if that's all they've read, to encounter and story that doesn't entirely go that route. I found this more meaningful than a lot of YA I've read recently which seems more concerned with eye-rolling romance and tropes than actually tackling something deeper. Anyway, I highly, highly recommend this book and I think it deserves the highest accolades. I continue to highly enjoy T. Kingfisher's writing and look forward to diving into more of her younger fiction soon.

There wasn't nearly enough world-building or character development to be this long of a book.

Hadn't expected this to be young adult, but it doesn't really hinder this too much. Really enjoyable, not too long, pretty fun!

Not my usual kind of book, but a lot of fun to read.

This was cute and funny. The main character's magic is really different from everything I've ever read, which was very interesting

3.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
Mona is a young baker, with a very little bit of magic that, she insists, can only do minor things. But when a girl turns up dead on the bakery floor, Mona finds herself in much more complex straits than she could have imagined.

Review
With a title like A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking, I figured this was a shoo-in for good book status. And it does achieve some of what it sets out to, but I found myself largely disappointed.

The concept is good – teen wizard who only knows baking magic – and the ending is good – a few genuinely moving scenes, a good resolution. For me, though, the first half or more of the book is very by-the-numbers. You get exactly what you'd expect; no straying outside the lines. Except, it's not so deftly done as I'd hoped. We're told so often that Mona only knows bread magic and that she's of little account and that everyone must be better than her and that she's only a humble baker, that I'd have knocked myself on the head with the book if the book hadn't already been doing it for me. This point of the setup could not have been made more pointedly if a whole chapter in huge bold print had said no more than, She's just a humble baker, not a hero.

The actual magic is on the fuzzy side, but I think Kingfisher largely gets away with that, as she does with various plot holes. This is YA adventure, so we don't demand rigor. And the final third of the book finally settles in, drops all the insistent modesty, and let's the plot go forward. It's just getting to that point that's a bit tricky.

It's not helped by a certain carelessness – some elements that don't really fit the environment (like milk crates – which imply glass bottles and delivery, and dislike of ‘the government') or a key moment when Mona learns about golems – forgetting that she specifically mentioned them many chapters back – etc.

The solid ending partly rescues the book, but it's a bit of a trudge to get there. Still enjoyable, but not new and not deft.

Went in thinking it was a lighthearted read and boy was I wrong. Not that it didn't have some whimsy to it, but it has some pretty dark themes. I've recently gotten into reading T. Kingfisher's books and have loved each one so far. Wonderful writing and extremely engaging plot and storytelling.

A cozy fairy tale. It was nice to read, but not exactly my cup of tea, so one Kingfisher book a year seems just the right pace.

Cute quick read. It's got me thinking about sourdough starter...

.

I think I'm officially a fan of T. Kingfisher. Though it's only my second book from her, I love how solid her characterization is, and her writing is always fun and enjoyable. This one in particular has a good mix of fast paced action, humor, and a touch of darkness.

Wow! This book is so awesome. I love how Mona's little bit of magic is redefined. Then she comes up with so many creative ways to solve problems! This was so much more than I expected.

**
Additional star for the narrator: Patricia Santomasso


“When you're different, even just a little different, even in a way that people can't see, you like to know that people in power won't judge you for it.”

What a wonderful light read keeps you hooked and puts a smile on your face.

I needed this after yellowface

This book was such a fun and quick read! A fantasy novel in which the primary mode of magic use (at least by our protagonist) is through baking?? Weaponized sourdough starter?!? A gingerbread man familiar?!! I mean, has a book ever been more made for me? This book read much more YA than the other book I have read by this author (T. Kingfisher is a pseudonym for children's author Ursula Vernon), but I don't see that as a bad thing at all. I'm also certain that non-bakers would enjoy this book as well - but if you too have a personal relationship with a sourdough starter, you should probably check this one out!

I agree with another review I saw that this is quite cozy yet still realistic in terms of the cost of war, politics, and the like on your average citizen. It was really good but dragged a little bit around the 3/4 mark for me. I definitely enjoyed the writing style though and am interested to try more from this author.

I found the beginning to be an absolute joy but I moved quickly into ‘lets get to the end'. This book is serious YOUNG Adult, which is not my taste.

This book is the polar opposite to other ‘young adult' books like the Hunger Games which is strangely classified as YA but has a heck of alot of dark and adult subjects that I wouldn't suggest a young adult read.

It does deal with alot of death but is presented more as a child would look at and think about things, not as a book about young adults.

I really liked this book. I was concerned it would be too young for me, but the writing was really excellent and pulled me in. This was my first Kingfisher book and I'll definitely be reading more of them.

Given this sells itself as a kid's book, this is far better than I was expecting. Some nice dark turns, and some surprisingly meaty subjects addressed. Impressive - and not just for kids.

This Book was so good! The world building was impeccable. I initially thought it was a low stake fantasy, but not so much. It was a little young at some point, the MFC is only 14 years old so it is normal.
I smiled a lot and I was hungry most of the time reading it.

SO COZY! I had so much fun reading this.
Sentient baked goods are my new favourite things. I want a gingerbread man or a cranky sourdough starter of my own!

I thought this was charming and adorable, but mostly it went places I didn't expect. Mona is a magical baker in her aunt's bakery. She has a talent for making gingerbread people dance. When a dead girl is discovered in the bakery and a plot to round up and disappear all of the magical folks in the city is revealed, Mona (unwittingly) springs into action.
I would label this a cozy fantasy and I loved it. Of course, I love everything by T. Kingfisher, so I may be biased.

Fantastic. Mona was well written as were all the characters. I liked the duchess and the commentary on power and authority.

This YA/teen had a strong start for me, I even thought it would be 4 or 5 stars, but it putt-putted out for me throughout the book.

This is the 2nd middle grade novel I read by Kingfisher/Ursula Vernon. Her adult books I read were fine but her middle grade is excellent, I hope she writes more for this demographic.