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

4.0

This was a really cool book to read. A murder mystery with magic cupcakes - the premise is so tantalising and it was a very enjoyable read.

The setting and the world are fantastically designed. I love the idea of the guilds and the Gifted imbuing magic into their creations. I also loved reading about all the confectionery... yummy! The idea of Wren discovering her Gift and then being trained at the guild is an exciting concept, until she is accused of murder immediately after. I was looking forward to reading about her training and her forming new friendships, but with the accusation of murder hanging over her, I felt that aspect of the story was a little strained.

The sweet vanilla flavor of the fluffy cupcake mingled with the silky sugar of the frosting, hitting her taste buds like a cotton candy cloud.

Among explanations of the world and Wren's adventures as she tries to clear her name, we're given hints and flashbacks to Wren's dark past. It adds another dimension to the story and to Wren's character, but it seems out of place. This book is a confusing mixture of sickly sweet people, who are all good and nice, and Wren's mysterious dark past and the murder charge against her. It's a strange balance and, at first, I thought this might even be a children's book until it introduced some really dark themes.

This book is unrealistic - the romance was very unbelievable and juvenile and the murder investigation and trial are highly improbably. I mean, the main suspect is allowed access to the crime scene, really? I personally didn't mind the unbelievable aspects of the book, but it does give this book more of a childish feel.