Scan barcode
meganmreads's review against another edition
3.0
The Confectioner’s Guild was a whimsical fantasy that involved magic and baking with murder and mystery.
It turns out that I don’t often enjoy whimsical tales or book about baking, but if you’re into urban fantasy with a bit of cozy mystery and baking, it’s fun.
It turns out that I don’t often enjoy whimsical tales or book about baking, but if you’re into urban fantasy with a bit of cozy mystery and baking, it’s fun.
richardpierce's review against another edition
4.0
Captivating. Interesting premise. And a good read. A couple of things grated, mainly a charcter saying 'Here, here' when it should be 'Hear, hear.' Other than that, I liked it a lot, and the tension at the end is real. Suffice to say, I've bought the sequel.
julie7's review against another edition
1.0
I would say that this wasn't badly written, but the storyline felt a little juvenile. A mixture of a cosy and fantasy.
emlickliter's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
The Confectioner's Guild by Claire Luana – This fantastical YA murder mystery had political intrigue, fantastic characters, and magical baked goods! The cute prince with his eye on our leading lady is just icing on the cake! Happy Reading!
holsarmstrong's review
4.0
this was SO much better than I thought!!
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was great - not annoying and she conveyed the story really well.
I felt the story was very original. the characters were dynamic and I think the best thing about this was the world was so interesting. the author has built something great here and the ending was nice.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was great - not annoying and she conveyed the story really well.
I felt the story was very original. the characters were dynamic and I think the best thing about this was the world was so interesting. the author has built something great here and the ending was nice.
kduncan's review
3.0
Good book for the most part with some good mystery to it. I read the Confectioner's Exile before this one which is Hale's back story which I really enjoyed so I was a little upset to find out he is not the main love interest. I can't say that I was too big of a fan of Lucas. I also think it could have been a little better if there had been more baking and use of the actual magic. Maybe since Wren was still new to using it there will be more in the next books when she knows more? It just seemed like a lost opportunity. I am not sure if I will continue with the series but it was an good book.
yvo_about_books's review
3.0
Finished reading: June 5th 2019
“Small things change the course of history.”
Spoiler
I stumbled upon this series while browsing for books with a food element for a challenge, and both cover and blurb sounded positively delicious. I've been looking forward to bite into The Confectioner's Guild ever since (did I mention before I love baking?), and when I started reading I really liked what I was tasting. The fantasy world, the many many baking references, the mystery around Kasper's death and Wren's past, the existence of the Gifted... Oh yes, there were a lot of interesting ingredients in play. The Confectioner's Guild reads quite fast at first and part of this has to do with the writing, which starts out engaging and interactive. It's true though that things start slowing down a bit after a while and the initial flame peeters out mostly... I think a lot of it has to do with the introduction of sappy romance in the plot, which distracts from the murder conspiracy and delicious baking elements. It also had to do with Wren, who started to get on my nerves with the whole 'I can't trust anyone' and then 'I'm trusting them anyway' repeating over and over again. The romance itself mostly felt forced and unnatural for me, but at least we don't have a love triangle (or at least for now). I ended up having mixed thoughts about The Confectioner's Guild, because while I loved certain elements, there were others that failed to convince me including the ending. But there is one thing for sure: you will crave lots of baked goods before you reach the final page! I'm really tempted to make another batch of these rose buttercream cupcakes I prepared two weeks ago for a birthday party just because they match the cupcake that changed Wren's fate so well. ;)
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
jenbsbooks's review
4.0
This was a cute read. I think the "sweetest" part was all the food similes (her excitement fizzled like a fallen souffle) ... there were SO many, but I remembered that one off the top of my head. I would have highlighted more, but I was listening to the audiobook.
I got a copy of the audio for free in exchange for an honest review. I found I had the Kindle copy in my cloud, picked up during a free offering at some point.
I found the "thank the beekeeper" cute, as well as "you scared the SUGAR out of me!" There were a couple times there seemed to be a copy-editing issue. "His tone grated on her, reminding him of who he was ..." Um, should that be "reminding HER"? I was listening and heard that and was "what??" I had to stop the audio, until I had a minute where I could see my spot and look it up in the kindle copy. I like to verify if I simply misheard something, or if the narrator might have misspoke, but no, that's what was written. There were a few other times something happened (a word or phrase) but I didn't stop to note them.
I liked the setting and the idea of the story - I got a little tired of the hinting at a love triangle (Lucas and Hale) even though that didn't pan out. And Wren herself thinks "this is no time for romance" ... and it's not. It's really not a time for her doing anything she's doing. It's great that the accused murderess is totally let go to live her life for a few weeks (after someone vouches for her), but it just seems like that would be hanging a bit more heavy over her head.
And from the start - when someone accuses Wren of murder, we get a peek into her thoughts of "I didn't do this one, but ...) and that happens over and over and over again. So we KNOW she's responsible for someone's death earlier on, but that it probably wasn't outright murder like what she's suspected of here. But that rubbed me the wrong way, especially when it was eventually explained (and it was pretty much as I thought).
I didn't quite understand the magic ... Wren infuses "good luck" into her baking. Which results in her losing some of her natural luck? But then she can get her luck back by eating her own confections? Except that luck, and the other gifts, didn't really seem that consistent. Just not sure that whole idea was believable, and that was the main idea of the book.
But overall, it was a cute read/listen. The narration was good. I think I'll continue on, but I'm not chomping at the bit to do it right away (no cliffhanger, thank you for wrapping it up!)
I got a copy of the audio for free in exchange for an honest review. I found I had the Kindle copy in my cloud, picked up during a free offering at some point.
I found the "thank the beekeeper" cute, as well as "you scared the SUGAR out of me!" There were a couple times there seemed to be a copy-editing issue. "His tone grated on her, reminding him of who he was ..." Um, should that be "reminding HER"? I was listening and heard that and was "what??" I had to stop the audio, until I had a minute where I could see my spot and look it up in the kindle copy. I like to verify if I simply misheard something, or if the narrator might have misspoke, but no, that's what was written. There were a few other times something happened (a word or phrase) but I didn't stop to note them.
I liked the setting and the idea of the story - I got a little tired of the hinting at a love triangle (Lucas and Hale) even though that didn't pan out. And Wren herself thinks "this is no time for romance" ... and it's not. It's really not a time for her doing anything she's doing. It's great that the accused murderess is totally let go to live her life for a few weeks (after someone vouches for her), but it just seems like that would be hanging a bit more heavy over her head.
And from the start - when someone accuses Wren of murder, we get a peek into her thoughts of "I didn't do this one, but ...) and that happens over and over and over again. So we KNOW she's responsible for someone's death earlier on, but that it probably wasn't outright murder like what she's suspected of here. But that rubbed me the wrong way, especially when it was eventually explained (and it was pretty much as I thought).
I didn't quite understand the magic ... Wren infuses "good luck" into her baking. Which results in her losing some of her natural luck? But then she can get her luck back by eating her own confections? Except that luck, and the other gifts, didn't really seem that consistent. Just not sure that whole idea was believable, and that was the main idea of the book.
But overall, it was a cute read/listen. The narration was good. I think I'll continue on, but I'm not chomping at the bit to do it right away (no cliffhanger, thank you for wrapping it up!)
darkchocolate's review
5.0
In the vast lands of Maradis ruled by the hungry for power king Imbris, the life of one seemingly ordinary girl turns upside down when she finds out she's Gifted. Before she's even fully realized what that means, she's blamed for the murder of the very person who found out about her power- giving luck to people with her confectioneries. Surrounded by people she doesn't know if she can trust and a murderer on the loose it's not easy for Wren to prove herself innocent. Especially with a Great Inquisitor on its way to behead her.
What i liked about this book is not only that there are no filler chapters but that the whole story is told very lightly. We have all these main characters such as Wren, Hale and Sable and their sad stories carefully narrated so we can better understand their behavior. The whole plot with the separation of the Guilds and their relationship with the king (especially the Accord) gives a lot of options for the development of the series. And that Lucas.. oh my! I only have mixed feeling about the fact that i guessed early on who to real murdered is. Even so, The Confectioner's Guild got me really excited and I'll be sure to buy the next two books as a hard copy to see what happens next!
What i liked about this book is not only that there are no filler chapters but that the whole story is told very lightly. We have all these main characters such as Wren, Hale and Sable and their sad stories carefully narrated so we can better understand their behavior. The whole plot with the separation of the Guilds and their relationship with the king (especially the Accord) gives a lot of options for the development of the series. And that Lucas.. oh my! I only have mixed feeling about the fact that i guessed early on who to real murdered is. Even so, The Confectioner's Guild got me really excited and I'll be sure to buy the next two books as a hard copy to see what happens next!