A review by dragonwriter
The Confectioner's Guild by Claire Luana

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Wren is quite content with her life working in Master Oldrick’s bakery, so she’s more than a little startled to be suddenly dragged to the Confectioner’s Guild Hall to meet with the Guild Master. He tells her that she’s Gifted, that her cupcakes are infused with magical luck, and he outlines the charter they have with the king, promising all works of the Gifted to the king and his discretion. After swearing her to secrecy and bringing her into the guild fully, Kasper promptly dies of poison, and Wren is accused of murder. Saved only by the generosity of Inspector Lucas, Wren is temporarily spared from the block, but she only has two weeks before the King and his Interrogator return to the city to find the true murderer.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was the perfect, cozy blend of fantasy and mystery. I thought the clues were well spread out; it was perfectly possible to solve the murder without it being spelled out for you, but it wasn’t blatantly obvious. The characters were super fun, as well. Hale made me smile whenever he was on the page, and Lucas was positively adorable! Wren’s backstory was heartbreaking, and I really felt for her situation. I was happy when she was happy, and rooting for her romance with Lucas. The politics were intriguing, and following Wren through the various connections held my attention. The world was fascinating and bright, and I want to spend more time in it. I currently only have the ebook, but I will be securing a hardcopy of this book--as well as buying the rest of the series.