Reviews

Tasty, feminist, fantasy mystery. Just as with the first, I was completely sucked in as soon as I started reading. The vigilante theme surrounding abusive men pushes it out of the 'cozy' mystery slot, but there is still so much wholesomeness and compassion to enjoy.
I was really concerned the reality tv/cooking challenge show angle for this book in the series would have me disliking it, but it ended up being a fun element and a way to meet new characters.
I love the candidates who are supportive of each other, and how Daisy checks in with everybody regardless of whether they've behaved well.
I was struck by how the author uses the protagonist POV to express appreciation for the skill and artistry involved in all kinds of different baking (not just Pie Girl's pies).
I think the mystery and magic in this series comes secondary to the interpersonal, encompassing both drama and character development, but it has a lightness to it that stops the messaging from being heavy-handed.
Eagerly awaiting my library's acquisition of the third in the series, out this year!
⚠️Abuse, sexual harrassment, allusion to SA, discussion of assisted suicide

karalyndawn's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious relaxing fast-paced

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

4.0

This book was so much better than the first in my opinion! I love competition shows so this was definitely up my alley. I appreciate the short chapters, it felt like I read way more that way. I also loved all the new characters and was glad there was a whole new set of characters because honestly I didn’t really like the characters from the first book. I actually already guessed the murderer pretty early on and it was obvious who would win the competition. Daisy does bother me sometimes… like I get she is the main character but she inserts herself wayyy too much. Like chill lady. She definitely should have been booted off the competition earlier on lol she was too lucky in making it so far. Also I believe she is supposed to be in her early 20s but honestly her character should be older like in her 30s lol. I did feel like the ending came abruptly and was disappointed in how it ended. Like all it took was that to make the murderer confess?!? Why didn’t she do that earlier. I also wished there was more magic in this book. Anyways it was a good comfort read after a few intense books.

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