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

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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

4.5

With Kingfisher's distinctive humour and dark whimsey, this children's adventure was charming and easy to love. The baking elements were well incorporated and the baking magic paid off nicely as the action ramped up at the end. The peril felt real, and I loved the messages around the dark side of heroism and how it often shows a failure of a system (and how a city probably shouldn't be saved by two kids). Mona had a distinctive snarky voice that did feel somewhat realistic for a 14-year old, and she had some good character growth. The side characters were also well drawn, in particular the magical ones: bob the sourdough starter, the gingerbread man that sticks with her, and Molly (whose power is horse necromancy). My only criticisms are that the plot resolution was a little overpowered, making all the hard work up to that point seem wasted, and that the world building was pretty light and generic, although parts of the city did come to life for me. Overall, this was a funny light hearted and entertaining read.
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