A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking

by T. Kingfisher

[brdsk]

3.5/5

Who knew baking stories could be this fun? This was a great and enjoyable novel that takes a more spooky and less glamorous approach to a teenage wizard finding her place in the world trope, with a fun sprinkle of humour to keep it fresh.

Mona is an easy to relate to character thrust in a middle of a deadly political intrigue in a world that is not always friendly. Yet all she really wants is to bake bread and cookies and be a regular teen. As she deals with challenges she has to examine both her worldview and her own self worth and abilities. This book does a good job at exploring how being different can be both a burden and a blessing, and how heroes do not wake up dreaming of heroic acts and sometimes simply are forced into their roles by a combination of awful circumstances and their moral compasses telling them to help others.

A simultaneously spooky and cute mix of monsters made out of dough and walking dead horses creates a fresh and delightful backdrop to a rather classic scenario. After all, don't we all want to see a dancing cookie or ride a skeletal horse? Or is that just me? Well, even if you don't share these fantasies, I believe you'll find many of these elements really delightful and fun.

The secondary characters both good and evil are not always deeply developed, with some feeling a bit too simple and one dimensional. But majority of the people we meet are complex enough to be interesting and combine both flaws and strengths.

I especially enjoyed the general pacing of the book. It felt tight and purposeful with a good mix of action, dialog and contemplation. Certain scenes were touching enough to make me shed hot tears as I was gulping down the pages. That alone is a winning experience in my eyes.


I definitely recommend this read as a terrific blend of serious and hilarious and to anyone looking for a more unique and interesting magical world to explore. Despite some darker themes I would not deem this inappropriate for even younger readers, as the writer does a great job keeping the book ultimately uplifting and not scary as well as teaching about individual responsibility in the face of corruption and evil. Plus you might just have your kid finally interested in helping in the kitchen.

Runs of to play with some sourdough bread.