Baking and fantasy as written by T. Kingfisher? Of course! YA. Fairy tale-style. Funny. Charming. All that. But it is Kingfisher, so there are also dead bodies strewn along the story’s path, and some scary moments, just more funny, coming-of-age things than the bodies and scares. It gets wacky. It gets introspective. And it’s written clearly. It’s a fun book for any (especially teen and tween) fan of the fable end of fantasy. And giggling.

Mona is a wizard, but let’s face it, she doesn’t have a cool or powerful form of magic. I mean, her power is bread. But she’s happy baking all day in her aunt’s and uncle’s bakery. Or she was. And then a body appeared on the floor of the kitchen and she was arrested and taken before the Duchess, throwing her head-first into a situation that includes a serial killer, the marginalizing of magical people, and a sudden need for the city to have twelve-foot-tall gingerbread defenders. Now she’ll be happy if she can survive till her fifteenth birthday.

I am a T. Kingfisher fan. I am not a fan of this cover, though. I was already kind of upset with the title, because I read cookbooks and this novel doesn’t even include recipes. But it sounds like it should. The novel is not a guide. Period. And then the cover is boring, not really indicative of anything. I made a quick cover for you on Canva. It’s pretty bad, I know, but it does give you some sense of what this book is about. If only the publisher had gone in that sort of direction…

I actually don’t have much to say here. It’s just a solid book and a fun read. If you like magical, fairytale-esque stories with teenage girl baker protagonists, then absolutely. Go for it. As I already said, it’s funny and our protagonist is growing and figuring out the world while some crazy stuff is happening to her. I guess I might complain a little bit about the pacing and the happening to Mona as opposed to her doing something. Also, I wish Kingfisher would describe more regarding her characters and settings, which is a preference thing I guess but I’m over not having something to go on with characters. Still, I think you’ll enjoy this book, especially if you enjoy a wild imagination and a generous dose of quirk. And if you’re not a total dud yourself.

See HERE for a very short bio in a previous review.

Also, I was able to see her in person again this past week. She participated on an author panel/for an author reading and Q&A, and I once again enjoyed hearing her. Then I met her and had her sign some books. Again, I find her really approachable and cool.

“’You didn’t fail,’ I said. ‘They wouldn’t let you succeed. It’s different” (p204).

“I mean, here I was, trying to save the city from being overrun by cannibal mercenaries, and I felt sick to my stomach because the cook was mad at me. Being fourteen has a lot of drawbacks” (p215).