I really wanted to love this book. The blurb sounded great, the concept fun, and the reviews raging. But oh my, it's been a while since I've been so disappointed in a book. It hurts me to say this because, in theory, all the groundwork for a really fun book is there. The magic system is fun and reasonably well thought out (it did remind me a LOT of Kristin Cashore's Graceling though) and the narrative style was supposed to give self-aware Terry Pratchett vibes. Unfortunately, it just didn't work. None of it (at least for me). Mona as the main character and the 1st person POV style are the main things to blame here, I think. I just found her entirely unpleasant, trying to be sarcastic but just coming off as annoying and very self-centred with a big lack in perspective. I know she's only 14 (which she doesn't get tired of reminding us of) but still. This is a book aimed at teens (which arguably I'm not, but y'know) but does it hurt to give teenagers a little credit? No, I don't think so. The plot could have been great, and the scenes fun, but Mona ruined them for me with her way of making just everything boring, and every scrap of suspension that came about she went on a mental detour that just broke the immersion for me. A saving grace were the side characters (Spindle and Knackering Molly in particular. And Bob, ofc. Bob was my favourite), although most of them remain pale and don't get really fleshed out. Potential was there though. The villains I thought were very crude and utterly uninteresting though. Sorry. Lastly, various editing issues (missed words, changed names, the beginnings of world-building that then just gets dropped or forgotten about even though it's really interesting) were too many for me to gloss over. If this book had been a delight, I might have, but like this, it just adds to my general impression. If you enjoyed this book (as, apparently, many many people did), amazing, I genuinely love that for you. For me, though, this was a massive miss. Sorry.

I really love the worldbuilding in this one! Wizards exist, and they each have a specialty. Some are generally seen as bigger and better (lightning for example), others are seen more like little gimmicks (like bread). The protagonist is one such bread wizard, working in her aunt's bakery, and being thrust into a plot against wizards, at the young age of 14. Plot-wise I loved the beginning and the end, but there was a bit of a dip in the middle where you felt like the plot was done, but you know it wasn't because a lot was still left of the book, but it took some time to get back into the nice flow of the first part.

Dieses Buch hab ich als englisches Hörbuch gehört und fand es ziemlich gut! Es ist eigentlich ein recht einfaches Konstrukt und trotzdem war es zu keinem Zeitpunkt langweilig. Vorsicht eventueller Spoiler!! Interessant fand ich, dass die Geschichte ohne riesige Plot Twists auskommt und sich nicht plötzlich jemand als der böse Stippenzieher entpuppt, das bin ich gar nicht mehr gewohnt. Ist mir dadurch erst so richtig bewusst geworden wie oft das mittlerweile, besonders in Fantasybüchern, vorkommt. 😅

This was soo much fun!!! I loved Nettle and Bone by the same author and this one also hit the mark. It’s funny and exciting. A witch with baking magic and sentient sourdough starter that dissolves matter- do I really need to say more? T.Kingfishers writing style is absolutely great!

Oh, welch Genuss war dieses Hörbuch! Genau mein Ding von Anfang bis zum Ende. Natürlich ist es ein Tipp für alle, die gerne backen und am besten noch dazu Bücher mögen, aber eigentlich ist erstes keine Voraussetzung dafür, diese Geschichte geniessen zu können. Aber es ist natürlich ein tolles Extra. Kingfisher hat eine höchst interessante Welt geschaffen, in der die Magie ganz speziell funktioniert. Auch der Umgang mit magisch Begabten wird gründlich thematisiert, sodass der Hintergrund glaubhaft und verständlich ist. Davor entwickelt sich die eigentliche Handlung, die mit einer sehr sympathischen Heldin und grossartigen Side-Kicks aufwartet. Wir bekommen einen Krimi, wir bekommen Fantasy, wir bekommen Humor, wir bekommen Spannung und Emotionen. Alles genau richtig dosiert, im passenden Moment eingesetzt. Das Hörbuch macht das Buch durch eine talentierte Leserin noch lebendiger und war für mich das Tüpfelchen auf dem i. Ein Highlight in meinem Lesemonat, wenn nicht vielleicht sogar in meinem Lesejahr.

I loved the magic system in this one. Never before come across the concept of people having these very specific magical talents. It‘s unique and I enjoyed the baking content a lot! The book perfectly manages to switch from fun and light to dark and suspense-packed. And all this while still keeping up an overall cozy and joyfull vibe. It’s the perfect mix of cute, witty, fun and exciting. There are countless deep and inspiring thoughts and heartwrenching moments in between the fun bits. Mona is a great protagonist and there are many more quirky characters to fall in love with. Also the humor in this is great 🖤✨

I came for a fun and cozy read about baking and magic and it was so much more. Page one and - bam: a murder! This whimsical story made me smile so much and was an absolute pleasure to read. It shows young readers that being a hero is not about age, knowledge, power or standing, but how to use what you got and that one can achieve great things with little resources if you are creative enough. You'd actually be surprised how effective cookies can be in a magical war lol. A wizard's guide to defensive baking has reminded me why I love children's books. Go read it, it's fun for every age :) (Also, this has given me so many ridiculous ideas for DnD, you guys are not ready)

While reading, I saw how this book is primarily aimed at a young audience, but very enjoyable nevertheless. With mostly straightforward storytelling and little twists and turns, it wouldn’t be too demanding a read for kids, at the same time there were often passages musing about the failings of adults which force a 14-year-old girl to rise up and save the day, which felt a bit odd at times. The story dragged on over the middle part, with the rest being mostly straightforward and chuckle-inducing and just an entertaining story. Thought about giving 3.5, but will raise it up to 4 - to no little part thanks to the best wizards familiar I’ve ever read about: Bob the sourdough starter (Sorry, gingerbread man!)

What could possibly go wrong with a killer on the loose and only pastries to show for any kind of defense? This setup was really intriguing and for a while I enjoyed it a lot. Somewhere in the middle of the book however we got sidetracked, the focus was never on so much improving the space for ideas and the strength of the magic, but on solving one issue that was very limited in the scope of time. Not much improving happened because of it which was kind of sad, i like to see these character developments and the title somehow promised this to me. In the end it was still a solid book, very fun to read and a great suggestion for children! (With mostly whacking and less bloody killing on display)

Uhm, I liked this very much. I adored Bob the sourdough and the overall way the story was told. I would say it is somehow structured in two parts and the second one felt a bit slow at the beginning. Overall it was enjoyable and even though it was written for a younger audience, it is totally working for adults.

Mein erstes Buch von T. Kingfisher hat mir sehr gut gefallen! Es ist wunderbar erzählt, man ist sehr nah dran am Geschehen und der Protagonistin und ihre trockenen Kommentare machen das Ganze zu einem amüsanten Lesevergnügen! Die Magie in dieser Welt ist einzigartig und kreativ, besonders natürlich Monas Brotmagie, aber auch Mollys Fähigkeiten. Der Rest der Welt bleibt jedoch etwas blass und generisch und auch der Plot ist keine Neuerfindung. Ich hatte zwischendurch das Gefühl, dass es im Prinzip einfach darum ging, mit dieser Idee zu spielen und Kritik am System zu üben. Letzteres ist allerdings gut gelungen und ich fand die entsprechenden Stellen überzeugend. Gerade das Hinterfragen von Heldentum und der Rolle, die Kinder/Jugendliche darin einnehmen fand ich gut und erfrischend. Insgesamt auf jeden Fall ein spannendes Buch, ich bin schon gespannt auf andere Bücher der Autorin!

Mona hat eine Begabung - sie kann Teigwaren, besonders Lebkuchenmänner für kurze Zeit zum Leben erwecken. Für sie ist es nichts besonderes, aber für die Kunden in ihrer Bäckerei ist es immer wieder ein Highlight. Als sie eines morgens in ihren Laden kommt, liegt dort eine Leiche auf dem Boden. Sie weiß nicht, wie diese Person dahin gekommen ist, noch wer es war. Aber dass Magie im Spiel war, wird sofort klar. Nur wird sie selbst verdächtigt, diesen Mord begangen zu haben. Sie muss also schnellstens beweisen, dass sie es nicht war und ein anderer Magier seine Finger im Spiel hat… Sehr süß geschrieben! Gerade die Lebkuchenmänner und die Seitencharaktere wachsen einem schnell ans Herz. Man Fiebert von Anfang an mit und will wissen, was passiert ist. Allerdings hat die Autorin sehr schnell einige Plots aufgeklärt und somit den spannungsbogen beendet. Dabei war dort so viel Potenzial - das kostet 2 Sterne in der Gesamtwertung. Dennoch eine nette Geschichte für zwischendurch.