Reviews tagging 'Child death'

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

33 reviews

elltea11's review

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

There were several places where I felt like the book could and perhaps should have ended. Not as good as Nettle & Bone imo, but still worth a read.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Excrement, Animal death, Confinement, Stalking, War, Xenophobia, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Classism, Death of parent, Vomit, Mental illness, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Sexism, Self harm, Suicide, and Police brutality

devynreadsnovels's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Animal death, Blood, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death

jjmcgaffey's review

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

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

4.0

Ursula's usual excellent angles on things. The repeated comment that a 14-year-old should not have to have been a hero - matters should have been dealt with before she had to step in - made a good deal of sense. But the adults didn't deal with things, Mona has to stretch her (to her, minor) magical abilities with bread and dough to mend and prevent attacks against her and other "magickers", a coup, and a siege. It does not end badly, but not happily either -

not everyone makes it out alive (for that matter, it starts with a dead body, a girl who didn't deserve to die)

. Rich story, I think a whole new world and I'd love to see more of it, and of course the story and writing are great (it is an Ursula Vernon, after all). I'll be rereading this one.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Murder, Death, War, Violence, and Gore

thoseoldcrows23's review

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

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

4.0

I so wish I could go back in time and hand this book to my pre-teen self because I know it would have immediately become a favorite of all time. As it stands, I loved this book a whole lot. Specifically, the cast of characters really stole my heart. If you're looking for something whimsical and fun with just a splash of darkness, this is a great one to pick up, and I can see it become a comfort read for me moving forward. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Gore, Grief, Murder, Vomit, and War

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Animal death, and Death of parent

edamamebean's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

Definitely a cute, lighthearted read. I found the slightly darker elements to be kind of refreshing in contrast with Mona’s naivety. Her inner monologue was at times charming, and at other times really quite annoying, but I can appreciate that the author managed to capture her unique voice. It gets kind of slow and bogged down in the middle, and sometimes the way she walks you through every detail can make the book feel almost procedural? But it was still a lot of fun and I would recommend if you’re looking for a cozy fantasy to fill the Howl’s Moving Castle shaped void in your heart. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, War, Animal death, and Murder

Minor: Death of parent

kshertz's review

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.25

This is a cute YA book where the magic is a teen who can cook and make what she cooks come alive. There’s a murder and she has to find out what’s going on and how to save the city. It was a sweet story almost a middle grade read. Light reading too. It was sweet and funny and trying to be scary but isn’t. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Murder, Violence, War, and Child death

sonatica's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Death, War, Vomit, Murder, and Blood

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Animal death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Child death

its_erin's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

A delicious adventure suitable for readers of all ages! Follow along as Mona, a young wizard with the special gift related to bread, unwittingly gets pulled into an adventure involving murder, royalty, and treasonous plots. With her trusty gingerbread golem and sourdough starter familiar, she will work with new friends to save the city and people they love.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: War and Murder

Minor: Vomit, Death, and Death of parent

purplesaturday's review against another edition

dark funny inspiring lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

A really enjoyable read. It’s a fairly dark story shown through a more lighthearted perspective. The protagonist is really likeable and sweet, and reading this book was just a really nice experience.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, Classism, War, and Death

Moderate: Vomit, Excrement, Confinement, and Animal death

Minor: Death of parent

bexi's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia

Moderate: Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, War, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Confinement, Animal death, and Ableism