A review by onthesamepage
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

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

4.0

I truly don't know how Kingfisher managed to make me laugh out loud and then hold back tears within a handful of pages. The first part is a bit slow, but about halfway through it starts to pick up. I loved the way Kingfisher played around with small magic, and what that would look like. All the things Mona managed to do with dough were so fun to read about. The little gingerbread cookie was my favourite side character, followed closely by Bob.

There are a handful of (maybe overly) descriptive scenes that have to do with excrement that could've been excluded, but I ended up being pretty charmed by this book. The protagonist is fourteen and reads pretty young, and there's no romance to speak of, but there are still some darker themes here. I think it's okay for a younger audience, though.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings