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A review by jcstokes95
Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies by Misha Popp
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Your enjoyment of this book will be at least a bit determined by how much you believe shitty abusive men should be killed for their crimes. Which, okay by me, but I see a few reviewers who didn't read the back flap, so just doing my best to help out.
Daisy Ellery is a charming baker with a secret talent for creating magical murder pies, directed at the abusers in her town. When she received a letter threatening to reveal her side gig as a feminist semi-serial killer, she has to go into detective mode to find out who might be blackmailing her. However, it really doesn't feel like Daisy does a lot of detecting, to be honest. Mostly she avoids the situation brewing with her rival and focuses on a bunch of other distractions. From a romance plot with her farmer's market neighbor...and a romance plot with the passionate (and very annoying imo) Mellie. Also a plot to save an orchard via pie competition. And also to convince a woman to take action against her husband. There is a lot going on at once and it can feel a bit chaotic sometimes.
However, it feels lighthearted throughout, which is a feat, because there is a lot of vague mention of domestic and sexual violence. The author is never graphic or specific, which keeps the tone light and even chipper because of Daisy's personality. I sense your mileage may very on how you feel the tone matches subject matter. Most of the time it felt alright for me, I've been searching for lighter books after a rough reading month. My main issue with this book is the repetitive narration. Not sure how this felt in physical copy, but in the audiobook, it was evident that the novel could have lost some of the padding and been better for it. But all in all, the pace keeps moving and this is easily devoured for those who like something on the border of mystery and small town intrigue.
Daisy Ellery is a charming baker with a secret talent for creating magical murder pies, directed at the abusers in her town. When she received a letter threatening to reveal her side gig as a feminist semi-serial killer, she has to go into detective mode to find out who might be blackmailing her. However, it really doesn't feel like Daisy does a lot of detecting, to be honest. Mostly she avoids the situation brewing with her rival and focuses on a bunch of other distractions. From a romance plot with her farmer's market neighbor...and a romance plot with the passionate (and very annoying imo) Mellie. Also a plot to save an orchard via pie competition. And also to convince a woman to take action against her husband. There is a lot going on at once and it can feel a bit chaotic sometimes.
However, it feels lighthearted throughout, which is a feat, because there is a lot of vague mention of domestic and sexual violence. The author is never graphic or specific, which keeps the tone light and even chipper because of Daisy's personality. I sense your mileage may very on how you feel the tone matches subject matter. Most of the time it felt alright for me, I've been searching for lighter books after a rough reading month. My main issue with this book is the repetitive narration. Not sure how this felt in physical copy, but in the audiobook, it was evident that the novel could have lost some of the padding and been better for it. But all in all, the pace keeps moving and this is easily devoured for those who like something on the border of mystery and small town intrigue.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Murder