A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking - T. Kingfisher

[sacred terrace]

From <t:1745366400:D> to <t:1748563200:D> | Leader(s): @soft violet

Book Link
Cover: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593743861i/54369251.jpg

ID: 67ff48ed3d5fd2c7dfb1ebe7
Announcement: #buddy-reads message

[soft violet]

YO IT MADE IT

🍪

[dense stirrup]

just popping in to say that i loved this book so so much. it was beautiful 'n amazing and made me very emotional. i hope you all have a great time.
-# i may join and re-read it at a later date, but i have no set plans!

[bright sundial]

It’s been a while since I’ve read a Kingfisher (about a month) /lh

[old field]

Will be listening to it!

[hollow aurora]

[old field]

I started this

[old field]

Up to ch 12!
||I really like how child-like the MC is. Spindle strikes me as a Ghibli-like sidekick, like Markl in Howl's Moving Castle, and how realistically scared Mona is for her age. Also, I would die for Bob, the Sourdough Starter excited to see where this is going.||

[old field]

12: ||I love all the baking references to "sentient bread slices", the sassy gingerbread man, the magicking of bread to make it stale the danger is coming from inside the house don't trust the constables!!||

[sacred terrace]

@soft violet,@maiden trout,@sudden tendon,@little tinsel,@lethal shard,@flint harness,@thick fern,@plush patio,@peak lion,@hollow aurora,@sleek summit,@fresh trail,@orchid trail,@bright sundial,@opal arch,@old field,@full cypress,@fickle gust,@vale kayak

Slightly late broadcast because of IRL things but welcome! I'm glad you guys could make it! Pull up a chair and a biscotti!
This BR will run for just over a month!

Let's cut to some questions to warm up:

1. Have you read any other T. Kingfisher books in the past? She's a bit of a fan favourite on OBC!

2. What is your favourite kind of baked good?

3. What kind of unconventional power would you want in a fantasy setting?

[orchid trail]

Dang, 6 week hold

[lethal shard]

i do not remember joining this omg

sorry vaude 😭

[soft violet]

I can extend if there's no headway in a month!

[orchid trail]

Ok thank you! It’s my bad I should have requested it earlier, but I forgor

[soft violet]

You joined for me, that's okay bby

[soft violet]

No problem, I totally get it!

[hollow aurora]

1. I have! Nettle & Bone, which I really liked, since it was so fun! It had a demon possessed chicken! How can you not love that? hahaha. Oh, and Thornhedge, which was sweet and surprising!
2. Cinnamon rolls! Yuuuuuuum
3. I have not really thought of that Mouse whisperer, I don't know

[bright sundial]

1. I’ve read quite a bit of Kingfisher and have enjoyed everything I’ve read (also got to meet her in person once)
2. God I love a lot of baked goods but if I had to choose a singular favourite then the cinnamon crumb pound cake I’ve made a couple times
3. Hmmm not sure tbh

[old field]

1. I loved Nettle & Bone!
2. "Folar de Páscoa" from the Olhão region in the South of Portugal gooey, sweet, layered and delicious.
3. Let me speak to all the animals!

[full cypress]

1. Yess! I loved Nettle & Bone and also What Moves the Dead
2. Hmmm, that’s a difficult one since I seem to enjoy everything baked. I think cinnamon rolls might be the latest fave though
3. Oooh I love this question! It’s like I was waiting all my life for it because I have a very specific power in mind — The ability to create unspoken understandings! I’m an empath and I tend to absorb a lot of energies of those around me but unfortunately, it’s hard being around people for this very reason because they come with so many different energies.

The power would be something like this: You don’t speak it, you don’t force it, but when you’re present, conversations shift. Conflicts ease. Misunderstandings unravel. People just… get each other, even if only for a moment. It’s not mind control, and it doesn’t always bring agreement, but it opens space for empathy, for listening, and for clarity.

Sometimes it lingers after you’ve gone. It would make all the difference imo

[old field]

Ch. 14: ||I love that Mona prefers baking to magicking and how her powers are innate and natural to her also, she hasn't had her period yet, she's so baby ||

[old field]

Ch. 18: ||that "cut" into them climbing out the duchess' toilet I love the humour in this. On a totally different note, the subtle hints of oppression of the Magicka are easily comparable to real life persecution... very interesting||

[old field]

Ch. 22: ||Gasp ||

[old field]

Ch. 24: ||Oh that was... easy? I can tell shit will go downhill from here onwards still.||

[old field]

Ch. 32: ||We love Joshua and the dutchess!! Also, death by Sourdough Starter. ||

[hollow aurora]

I have started this, but I don't remember what chapter I'm in Something like 5-6? I have been lazy checking, that's why I haven't shared thoughts already

[hollow aurora]

Up to chapter 12: I have to say I like this for now! Mona does read like a 14yo! ||And what an adventure she had when she just tried to go on her day. Finding a body and getting arrested for it! After the Green Spring guy found her, he said Oberon should have dealt with her, but how exactly would he pin that crime on her? She deals with bread, like what? There was barely any effort from his side and when he failed, the Green guy had to go to her?

Speaking of which, the world is so interesting with all those kinds of magic. I just wonder how do you even figure out your party trick. If there was a girl who could speak with tornadoes... How did she even find out? Did she happen to be near one? 😂

But the set-up is pretty and nice and Mona is doing her job properly as main character. Molly and Spindle are interesting characters, though Molly seems a bit like the convenient older (yet coocoo) character who will offer some more solid solutions in a pinch! Mona using her powers so creatively to avoid the attack was a big thing and I wonder what other creative things she can do! She used Bob, she made surf boards, she has a gingerbread cookie knight... She could actually raise an army if her feelings are strong! I think she confuses being upset with having intense feelings, but hopefully she will figure things out!

I also wonder if that big wizard person will play a more active role ||

[old field]

Ch. 35 || naur, everyone is so lovely in this, I love this group of characters so much||

I finished this on the bus home today and I really loved it, such a fun read. Thoughts later!

[hollow aurora]

I finished this in one go today

once you get into it, it's really hard to stop!

I read in the Acknowledgements how it took 12 years for this to get published, because it kept going back and forth between author and different editing processes and publishing houses due to the book being too dark for middle-grade, but not too dark for adult readers and it stayed in limbo for a long while! I can see where those issues came from, but I LOVE she managed to published, because it's a GREAT book and she got that balance between being dark and light to perfection!

[hollow aurora]

Entire book impressions: So, I REALLY liked it ❤️ ||The whole thing with Mona becoming the last defense was so well done! She just bakes bread, she shouldn't have been in that position, yet she was and she excelled at it!

Spindle was a great character too. When he believed his sister would still be alive, I almost believed him and I was so sad for him when he had to accept she was dead. He was a bit of convenient tool in the sense that there'd be literally no story without him, since he knew how to get things done at his very young age. But I still loved it and how he became closer to Mona. Even after beating Oberon, he was secretly watching over her ❤️

Ofc, the whole plot with the duchess helping them so fast is more of the middle-grade kind, but I loved Mona's thinking of how she could have done more if she was so willing. She really went for it with infiltrating the castle and just basically trying to survive. I knew ofc something bad would happen when Overon was gone at only 70%, so I was already feeling bad for her! I really didn't expect her to be the sole wizard defending the kingdom! And what a job she did! So much creativity! I will never understimate any kind of minor skill.

Which brings us to Molly and her self-sacrifice. I ALMOST CRIED, I tell you. It was so intense in its simplicity! Poor Molly, how must have they treated her in the past 😔 The book handled death so well. It was dark, but the kind of dark kids understand and appreciate, because loss is loss! Even that royal wizard who was so helpful 😔 That was such strong violence from a deranged person. Elgar was a good psychopath and I was so happy when he got kicked to death!

All in all, I liked how each character was treated and how we didn't even spend that much time on Oberon. Mona's creations were lovely and I'd love to have met the gingerbread man! I do wonder if for the big ones, Shrek was used as inspiration, as well, haha. I kept picturing that in the big battle!||

[hollow aurora]

Spoiler-free review:

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking is about Mona getting unknowingly involved into some serious trouble when she comes across a body and we see her try to figure out things in her head every single day. What could a 14yo girl manage on her own with a power that helps the sales of her aunt and uncle's bakery? Turns out, a lot! Mona truly acts and thinks like a 14yo, something that sounds easy, but often I feel that kids and teenagers are not really depicted right in books, but Kingfisher found a great balance on that. Her thought process and random little comments in her head just made sense and were never too much.

The rest of the cast is memorable in their own, quirky ways, though they are more stereotypical 2-dimensional characters, but handled in a great way that doesn't take you away from the story!

The book is short and the plot moves fast. This is not an EPIC ADVENTURE, but it sure is a hell of a memorable journey for a girl who only wanted to bake pastries and just didn't want to be involved in grown up business. Not everyone wants to be a hero and Mona really thinks things through and is very relatable with how she does things!

In general, it's a book with great balance between dark and light elements for middle-grade content and I give it 4.5/5, but rounding down to 4!

[dense stirrup]

yay!!

[old field]

**Final thoughts **

I loved this book, it was such a happy read for me.

||T. Kingfisher really knows how to write a scared 14 year old in a world that is just turning upside down on her. I loved the characters in this and how little focus there really was on the "bad guys". Yes, there was a little bit of a stereotypical mad, royal wizard, but there were also lots and lots of fresh ideas. The fact magicka (I'm sorry if I spell something totally wrong; I listened to the audiobook) can have incredibly weird and specific powers like talking to tornadoes had me I loved how the characters in this came together.

I still stand by the idea that this author's books feel like a Ghibli story... improbable, weird characters come together under awkward circumstances, imperfect powers and major themes like war, racism and xenophobia are sub-themes with a real impact in the world... and the humour!! I adore the humour in this. Also, Gingerbread Cookie was perfect and deserved that medal. ||

A very strong 4.5 from me! Such a lovely read; I needed this

[dense stirrup]

i'm so glad everyones loving this so far, i adored this book.

[viral badger]

i hope i'm not too late but i'm jumping onto the train my everand has an audiobook copy and i dont wanna start my existential crisis with normal people yet, so here i am

[viral badger]

1. nope, but i always heard good reviews so im excited!
2. i love almost everything sweet, but cookies are great snacks
3. not sure, but making other people sleep sounds fun. i like sleeping so if i ever want to sleep, i can make others fall asleep first then we can have a nap party

[viral badger]

ch 1 ||genuinely, this is so fun and nice but also ew? a starter that eats RATS? i would not buy my bread from them again if i know

but i just finished wednesday's witty responses, so this is a really great start. i love that aunt tabitha's response is to start baking because when they call the cops, they want to offer something as well ||

[viral badger]

ch 7 ||i love the description of the town and molly! i like that they have unconventional magic, like specifically making dead horses walk and talking to tornadoes. but i guess it shows that commanding dough is pretty impressive, although she doesnt think so||

[viral badger]

ch 9 ||omg... did tibbie get murdered because she was using magic to sneak in, a minor wizard in the act?! ||

[viral badger]

ch 11 ||LMAOOO EXCUSE ME AS IF HE'S IN THE WAY its supposed to be tense and thrilling, but the writing is so witty and funny i love it sooo bad||

[maiden trout]

Starting this today!

1. No but I have multiple books from t. Kingfisher on my TBR, and this one is the coziest that I wanted to try out first ❤️
2. Stuffed Donuts or filled cookies for sure, especially those filled with a cream, a jelly or almond paste.
3. I would love to be able to have a spell like prestidigitation like in D&D. It's such a silly but such a useful spell.

[maiden trout]

Ch 1 ||Omg BOB He sounds so terrifying but it's also a cute story. I love this baking magic stuff, not so the dead body, but I can tell this will be a 5 ⭐ for me||

Ch 3 ||Oh no i feel so sorry for her. Maybe this is what also happened to that boy the regulars were talking about. Something feels off||

I'll be reading slowly for this one, saving this one for the readathon

[viral badger]

okay im gonna read it slowly too

[old field]

This one is such a treat

I had just such a lovely time with it

[orchid trail]

Starting this

Ch 1 ||what do you mean the sourdough eats rats and you still eat it?!?||

[orchid trail]

Ch 12 ||I love the mix of magic and action. Kingfisher blends them like no other ||

[viral badger]

ch 16 ||i am scared for molly now, what if she got kidnapped or worse- murdered! i hope she's okay and she'll be back soon also i wonder if the plot's very straightforward with known villain from the beginning, or maybe the twist is that golden general's actually evil ||

[orchid trail]

Ch 24-25 ish ||I love the part of Kingfisher’s books where the main problem is resolved and then the mc goes back home and you know the book is only like 2/3 done. That’s when you get major character development, I love it||

Ch 27 ||Yessss weaponize the cannibalistic sourdough starter!!!||

[orchid trail]

Finished and I really liked that ||Kingfisher is so good at a story that seems pretty basic but then is asking questions about how much responsibility rulers have to their people to fight off outside threats and stuff and you’re just like, wait how did that happen? And then there’s cannibal sourdough

This was on the lower end of the spectrum for me. It was cute and loved the no romance and teen protagonist who felt like a real teenager. This was fun but not my favorite just cause it’s not something I can really see myself rereading and treasuring. But even mid-kingfisher is better than most fantasy, and I will give this a solid 3.75||

[viral badger]

ch 26 ||oh no.... poor mona its inchresting to see her struggling with the fame of coming back a "hero" because she technically did it to survive and not be killed. and another visit from the duchess, maybe oberan got away? ||

[viral badger]

ch 30 ||hhhnnggg i dont like this im scared i hope spindle's gonna be okay ||

[viral badger]

ch 35 ||MOLLYYYY ||

[viral badger]

finished! ||omg... i like this so much because of the writing. i forgot how much i like mid grade-YA books like this because its been a while since i last read one. the writing is so lighthearted, the characters are amazing. i love the gingerbread man and bob a lot.

i like the comments on how the government and powerful people seemed to "smack medals" as a show of appreciation without truly understanding and appreciating the sacrifices people made. like molly and mona's uncles.

i like that mona has mixed feelings on the duchess, how she keeps mentioning her age and her responsibility because yeah, they failed to protect you, molly and the other wizards who have to flee maybe they (she) dont do it intentionally, but it still happened and she is then forced to deal with the responsibilities ||

i would like to buy the physical copy now so my younger sisters could read it as well

[thick fern]

Starting this

Read chapter 1

|| bakery setting and a gingerbread man named Bob? Interestinggg. Also who is the girl who died ??||

[maiden trout]

up to ch 10 ||really liking it so far!! It's kinda strange what's goin on with the dissapearing wizards and her being accused and then released. I like Molly, she's a bit wacky but she means well. Lena leaving though makes me worry how many magickers there are and were killed? Mona doesn't seem to know an aweful lot of them. I'm curious to the spring green man vibes or the random townsfolk who leave vague threatening mesasges. Maybe the townsfolk are just being like this because of the rumors or maybe they are connected. Gingerbread man is also cute, i thought it was a bit creepy at first but he's becoming very useful now||

[maiden trout]

up to ch 22 ||omg so much happening. Not Master Gildaen noooo at least he could give Mona some wise lessons but still. This whole conspiracy is getting crazy. Luckily the Duchess is a good woman. ||

[maiden trout]

ch 24 ||As much as I don't like Oberon, really, the Duchess is just going off of what she's been told by people and her own suspicions, no proof of the posters or whatever (unless i missed this?) It seems a bit like a gap that the adult is me is a bit annoyed by, but honestly who cares, this book is cute as fuck. Also there's so much book left, what could possibly still happen??? IS SHE GONNA MAKE A COOKIE GOLEM?!||

[maiden trout]

ch 26 ||I'm just going to ignore the fact that the logistics of having a scout notice Oberon meeting up with Carex mercenaries, with no direct line of communication was able to get back to the city and know they now have 2 days left or however long This is a loophole that don't make sense to me. BUT YES, BREAD ARMYYYY||

[thick fern]

Till chapter 15 : || I am listening this on audiobook and maybe I am multitasking and doing weekend household work , I get lost sometimes lol .
But it is funny as if I am in the head of 12 year old listening to her thoughts.||
Idk if many people felt like this or not . But it gave me major "Kiki's delivery service" vibes and that book was one of my favesss.
Also what's the age of Mona , molly and spindle ? Maybe I missed this information 🥲

[viral badger]

mona is 14, molly is mentioned around 18 iirc. i forgor about spindle, but he's younger than mona so possibly he's 10-12ish

also ||i actually enjoy the narration and being in mona's head because she's so young and has this... hyperfixation on wanting to bake. so she whines a lot and said she just wants to bake bake bake ||

[maiden trout]

I finished! The last bunch of chapters went by so fast. I'll write down my thoughts of those and my final thoughts tomorrow

[sleek summit]

I love me some Kingfisher so I'm starting this today!

1. I've read several, most recently the Hollow Places but so far I've enjoyed all her books!
2. Love them all. Maybe cinnamon buns or a nice loaf of sourdough bread!
3. I'd want to be able to stop time at will while reading/watching movies and shows/listening to music!

Up to ch3 || omg I love Bob the sourdough starter! 🥺 I just love bread and bakeries in general so this book starts out great already! I also love how I have absolutely no clue where this story is going, so I'm just vibing along with the tale! ||

[maiden trout]

up till chapter 37 ||As soon as they started preparing for the bread army in two days, it really sped up for me and I couldn't really put the book down. I had to know how it ended. I loved how Bob also got to help and Mona's aunt. Bob just growing so much in size, I wonder if it would've also been helpful to let just a giant pile of sourdough starter just wander around like the dough slug, but I liked the golems. So sad Molly sacrificed herself but her power really was super powerful, maybe even more powerful than the bread one. I'm happy gingerman is okay, Spindle is okay, I liked the end though, she got honored but really she's just trying to move on from her life and that's cute ||

final thoughts ||overall I really loved the book. I actually thought the magic system was simple but well thought out, it made sense, wasn't too complicated and actually held up in various scenarios. Some of the plot hooks though really were annoying me, like how they knew the Carex were coming and two days away but how did they get that message back in time without magic? Maybe I'm dumb. I feel like the communication also with the army was just inconvenient for the sake of inconvenience. Also how the duchess immediately believed Mona and Spindle. Just all didn't add up for me, that's why I didn't give it a perfect rating. But I like the whimsicalness, the bread magic, I liked Mona and her aunt and uncle, I liked the story even with its flaws and it was just very wholesome! I loved it|| 4.5 ⭐

[thick fern]

Okaaayyy I read till chapter 25 : || I think , that man was not the real culprit ...we still have chapters in this book . Wdym it wrapped up too fast ...hmmmm suspicioussss . Maybe it's just a happy happy ending book and the plot twists are nothing here eheheheh ||

[thick fern]

|| mystery thriller reader in me was aching inside . Like that was so easy ? And it's suspicious||

Also this gives major autumn vibes while I'm reading this in 48 degree Celsius temperature 😭😭not getting th seasonal vibes AT ALL OMG

[full cypress]

Totally forgot to update here but I've started this! I'm almost halfway through atp but I did record some thoughts while listening to the audiobook

[sacred terrace]

@soft violet,@maiden trout,@sudden tendon,@little tinsel,@flint harness,@thick fern,@plush patio,@peak lion,@hollow aurora,@sleek summit,@fresh trail,@bright sundial,@opal arch,@old field,@full cypress,@fickle gust,@vale kayak,@eager drum,@viral badger

Hey cookies! One week left for this read!

What did everyone think of the MC?

||The author described her book as “a weird little anti-establishment book with carnivorous sourdough and an army of dead horses.” While this is a fantasy, Kingfisher was clearly pulling from some very real “hot topics” like prejudice and propaganda and poverty. Do you think it was successful as an allegory?||

[old field]

Absolutely!

I kept thinking ||"this has a 'real-life' counterpart and I love that we're poking the bear on this one". Kingfisher kept it light and airy (although the ending crushed me and I FELT for all the characters as if they were my children ) while STILL delivering some BANGER thoughts on war, prejudice, classism and many more themes.||

Regarding the MC, I was really pleasantly surprised: ||Mona felt like an actual teenager and just a wittle baby at times I loved her as a character tbh||

[sudden tendon]

i just got this today

[thick fern]

I'll finish it today , currently on chapter 29

[hollow aurora]

1. MC was a breath of fresh air! I'm done with kids/tweens in books being written like young adults at best or just adult with a forced random thought to prove they're young. Mona reads like a proper 14yo to me. Silly, afraid, brave, all in good measure!

2. I had really not thought about this at all, to be honest. And even more honestly, I'd prefer not to. ||I like the book as it is in a fantasy bubble <3||

[full cypress]

Ch.1
||I’m loving this! The mc seems fun so far and her reaction at discovering the body Makes me wonder how I would react if I were ever to face a situation like this ||

Ch.5
||How did I go from Ch.1 to Ch.5 already? This is such a fun read? Also, this 14 year old crushing on Lord Ethan I fear he’s going to be a nasty old guy? Also, seriously, how stupid of them to leave a poor 14 year old all by herself in the middle of nowhere, like at least offer a ride home since you got her here? smh
The inquisitor guy’s sus as hell||

[thick fern]

Hanzy and me always cramming at the end 😭💃

[full cypress]

Until Ch.22
||I didn’t record any thoughts on the previous chapters and all I can say so far is that I’m quite enjoying the experience listening to the audiobook. The Duchess being a hapless old lady and Mona having to step up and take action and not rely on the adults feels quite relatable. Like wdym I’m an adult, I always need an adultier adult around me to guide me through stuff if possible ||

[old field]

I also listened to the audiobook and it was such a fun time!

[haughty fossil]

I also listened
to the audiobook and it
was such a fun time!

- 「Alex 」

[hollow aurora]

I do bet the audiobook must be way too good for this kind of book haha

[thick fern]

I finished the audiobook

[thick fern]

that scene was so hillarious lol

[thick fern]

this did not end well || i was so caught off guard by molly's death||

i will give it a 3/5 , it's not a bad rating at all . i liked this book and it was my first time reading this author and would love to look into her work more eheheheh . the rating drop first element was cuz of the environment i was in , it's scorching heat here and i just know i would have given it a 4.5 if i read it around october . this is one of the reason i am a seasonal book reader . the audiobook was very lighthearted like i kept listening to it in the back while writing my assignments eheheh . and in the ending || i felt so bad for molly she deserved better ||

i highlighted some quotes in between so pasting some of my faves here

[haughty fossil]

i highlighted some
quotes in between so pasting
some of my faves here

- moonchild1438

[full cypress]

Ch.25
||Everything seems to be coming to a close but we’re still 64% in so things are definitely not fine ||

[full cypress]

Ch.26
||She’s right… only if adults could do their job but then again, adults are just kids on the inside who’ve lived a little longer||

[soft violet]

I started today and I'm up to Chapter 8, I'm absolutely enamoured

[soft violet]

I absolutely loved that wtf

Thoughts later but

[vale kayak]

Hello! Can I have an extension of 1 week for this one, please? I'm enjoying it tremendously, but I'm having loads of work so I haven't been reading

[soft violet]

Sure thing! I'll sort it when I get home

[lethal shard]

@flint harness

[flint harness]

thank you!!

[flint harness]

I'm starting this

CH 2 ||maybe it's just the dancing gingerbread men but this is giving me shrek vibes /pos||

[flint harness]

CH 7 ||always makes me super sad when i'm reading fantasy and the fantasy elements are being shunned by the society in the book 💔 i know this tracks with our actual world but why you gotta do this to me in my wholesome escapism book 💔||

[neon tartan]

Hellooo I've been reading this, so here's some spam thoughts incoming

1. No I have not!
2. Stroopwafel (syrup waffle)
3. Hmm hard question.. maybe control people's moods a bit, like calm them down when things get heated or something (or the opposite of course, if necessary )

Ch 1: ||Good start, with a dead body Just "huh"? You'd expect a bit more panic with a dead body in your bakery but ok haha.. not sure now is the time to bake, but alright!
What else could it be but murder?
Lol a sourdough starter is a wild pet to have.. imagine if Bob would come up and eat the dead girl? ||

Ch 2: ||Oh no, of course Mona is accused of the murder..
And there's another missing kid in town?||

Ch 3: ||Dude, who doesn't know bakers start at 4am?
Very convenient, blaming the wizard, how cliché!||

Ch 4: ||Poor Mona, a prisoner now.. jeez man, let the girl pee?
Taking revenge with the bread ||

Ch 5: ||What a moment to crush on someone hahaha, Lord Ethan seems nice though
The inquisitor is a dick.. bless the Duchess though||

Ch 6: ||A 6 hour walk, oof! Couldn't they have given her a ride home at least..
Lol I wouldn't be so relieved seeing a dead horse ||

[neon tartan]

Ch 7: ||Knackering Molly
Hm who is the Spring Green Man? ||

Ch 8: ||Hm so Tibbie is the dead girl? Poor brother.. why does he not believe she's dead though..||

Ch 9: ||Gotta say those gingerbread men sound useful!
Who is killing wizards and why?||

Ch 10: ||Hm so the 'magickers' are getting scared and leaving the city, probably smart. Did Master Elwidge leave already, or did he disappear?
Ha, a gingerbread familiar, kinda cute!||

Ch 11: ||Oh no there he is, the Spring Green Man Jeez don't go to the basement! I hope Bob will get him..
Oberon is working with him? Figures..
Get him Bob!||

Ch 12: ||Not to assassin bakers girl, wizards! You got to get it in your head you're not "just a baker".
Hmm not sure about trusting the authorities!
"You'd think he'd never saw anybody ride bread before" yeah no, I would say no, lol!
Who is it that wants to talk to her..||

Ch 13: ||"What, illegally, really?" yes that's usually the case with smugglers, hehehe ||

Ch 14: ||Girl no, you do not want to have your period
Yes work on your magic while there, you could improve a bit maybe!||

Ch 15: ||The dough bird is a very interesting experiment.. wonder what that will lead to.
Oh no, wanted signs?||

Ch 16: ||Hmm wanted posters, curfews, registry for magickers.. are they starting a war on wizards?||

Ch 17: ||Confessing to a deaf priest
Would the Duchess be on her side how to get to her though?||

[neon tartan]

Ch 18: ||Toilet facts! lol
This plan sounds crazy though haha, so it will probably work||

Ch 19: ||Mona immediately goes back to baking!
The cookie is cute for thinking it can help her getting out of the toilet
There is someone stuck in your toilet and you only say "oh"
Hm I think the Duchess might not have a lot of power, maybe ||

Ch 20: ||Ok so the Duchess is on their side and wants to help, if she can that is..
Oh no the Spring Green Man works at the palace too ||

[neon tartan]

Ch 21: ||Lol at the Duchess just going: yeah they came in through the toilet
I hope the old wizard can help them!||

Ch 22: ||"No one bothers an old fool" has he been faking it a bit to be safer?
Maybe he can teach Mona a bit about being a wizard! He's right, you got to use your imagination.
Oh.. never mind Damn Elgar! Sad Bob didn't hurt him more..||

[neon tartan]

Ch 23: ||I bet that trial will never happen and he'll escape..
Hm nice book she found there, hope it'll help her||

Ch 24: ||Oberon with all the lies! And there he goes..||

Ch 25: ||Haha, bless Bob!
All seems well, but there's too much of the book left for it to stay this way..
Eavesdropping through a scone, now that's something! Poor jealous gingerbread man hahaha||

Ch 26: ||"You didn't fail, they wouldn't let you succeed. It's different." I like that quote
Oh the Duchess in the bakery, that can't be good news! The Carex are close and the army far away..
Will Mona bake a bread army?||

Ch 27: ||That's some serious big cookies she wants to bake!
Bob is there! ||

Ch 28: ||Oh there's a LOT of Bob! And she made him extra spicy ||

Ch 29: ||The Carex sound like real assholes..||

Ch 30: ||And there it is, Elgar escaped..
Mona needs to stop doubting herself though and start thinking creatively.. the "I only do bread" thing feels a bit old
Making the gingerbread men to distract the Carex and keep them up at night? There we go!
Oh wow, they're terrible ||

[sudden tendon]

i'd also love an extension

[neon tartan]

Ch 31: ||Why does she hope they won't eat the cookies far too kind, I'd hope they'd eat the poison||

Ch 32: ||Lol what will the enemy think when they see those giant cookies
Interesting she can feel the bad cookies 'dying', I wonder how bad that will feel with the big golems.
Way to go little Bobs! And no Mona, stop feeling sorry for the enemy!||

Ch 33: ||I find everyone's lack of panic very amusing
Twelve feet tall dancing cookies, lmao!
Is Spindle out there trying to get Molly to help anyway maybe?
Oh damn, there's Elgar..||

Ch 34: ||"I guess really bad people all think they're using each other and being really clever about it" very true
Molly, Nag and Spindle! There they are!
Wow, a chocolate chip slug monster making the slug explode sounds interesting though.. ||

Ch 35: ||An army of dead horses! insane, but it's working!
Oh no, Molly really gave it her all ||

Ch 36: ||Ah a ceremony to be made an actual hero.. oh and a royal wizard!
Omg even a medal for the gingerbread man ||

Ch 37: ||Lol at the bad cookie still haunting the palace
And Bob being completely feral by now 😂
Ethan offering to have Mona trained, good guy! ||

Finished: ||I don't think I have an awful lot to say about the book, I liked it! It was a fun, light cute little read. I liked the characters, Mona really was like a 14 year old, Spindle sometimes felt a bit too smart for a 10 year old but I bet that's what you get for living on the street. Bob is just wild I felt sorry for Molly, but it really fitted I think. The magic was cute, whimsical, creative. Yeah I think cute is the word for this book. This was my first book by this author, but I'm curious for other books 😊 ||

[full cypress]

I honestly don't many final thoughts for this ||but I listened to the audiobook and it was so well done that I loved this one — like truly loved it. It’s kinda like quirky and charming and clever and all that but it also has this unexpected depth and weight that made it so much more than a fun little magical story.
I loved Mona as a protagonist and I LOVED that being 14 she isn't all 'the world rests on my shoulders and I have to be the hero' and all that but rather she's more self-aware and like real? She’s young, unsure, and just wants to be left alone to bake her bread like she’s really just a girl trying her best in a world that expects her to do far more than she ever signed up for. It's so much a different take from 'the chosen one' trope. Especially how she keeps wondering why kids have to save the city when there are adults in charge who are just... not doing what they should and it couldn't get more realistic than that. I just loved how cosy and quirky and magical and everything this book ended up being ||

[flint harness]

CH 12 ||the gingerbread man is just the joy that keeps on giving for me. i want a sentient cookie pal 🍪||

[flint harness]

I read the last few chapters in one go basically so I‘m finished

Thoughts (and/or lack thereof )
||I‘m always kinda struggling with these kind of wholesome vibes kind of books especially in BRs because I rarely really have enough opinions about them as is and if I force it, then I just end up disliking the book

This wasn‘t bad but it was also just a tad bit too boring for me? I also missed that it is YA so this is really on me because I tend to feel like this after a lot of books in that genre…

I liked the premise and I love how vivid the characters were but it wasn‘t enough for me to really grip me enough I think

I‘d give this a 2.5 rating which is mostly what I give books that I feel very neutral/slightly negatively about||

[little tinsel]

Chapter 1: ||What an opening line I feel like yelping is a very natural reaction to finding a dead body at work, especially as a 14 year old. I'm liking her internal monologue already and she definitely seems like a massive yapper but in a fun way so far.||

[sacred terrace]

Ongoing BuddyRead

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking - T. Kingfisher

Description

Fourteen-year-old Mona isn’t like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can’t control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt’s bakery making gingerbread men dance.

Come tf on, that's cute as FUCK. It's also T. Kingfisher who continues to be really versatile in their writing style, an absolute icon. Join me for some cosy fantasy vibes!

Start Date

<t:1745366400:D>

End Date

<t:1749513600:D>

Thread(s)

#1362695413206880379

Requested By

@soft violet

Leader(s)

@soft violet(0)

Interested (20)

@soft violet,@maiden trout,@winter gulch,@little tinsel,@flint harness,@thick fern,@plush patio,@peak lion,@hollow aurora,@sleek summit,@fresh trail,@bright sundial,@opal arch,@old field,@full cypress,@fickle gust,@vale kayak,@eager drum,@viral badger,@neon tartan

Event ID: 67ff48ed3d5fd2c7dfb1ebe7

[soft violet]

[soft violet]

Final thoughts 🥐
I've worked out over time that cosy reads aren't really for me - it's a similar vein to how I don't really like vibes only books. It's not so much that I am a gorehound or that I'm desperate for strife, misfortune and misery but I desperately need stakes that feel real or at the bare minimum that I'm driven to know what's going on by an interesting mystery. Cosy fantasy has this strange feeling of wanting to just do 'quirky modern things' or often the MC is a sarcastic, know-it-all with a heart of gold that looks at the reader like they're in The Office. At least in my interpretation of all the cosy fantasy books that I've read up until this point. I also don't really read much YA. Suffice to say I ended up giving this book 5 .

“Well... I have this... thing". Saying I have a homicidal sourdough starter sounded much too bizarre.”

||Yeah uh, this book had me the moment Mona had a sentient sourdough starter called Bob that lives in a bucket in the basement and eats rats. Vibe check immediately passed. I also instantly came to enjoy Mona - she's very authentically her age, very funny without being a smartalek or overly sarcastic and very rightly upset about being shoved into a situation she does not want to be a part of. BUT she's able to string up some real courage and ingenuity against her fears in order to save her town, friends and family - she's the kind of reluctant hero that I really, really vibe with.||

||Speaking of heroes, her takes about heroism is... well, pretty poignant. She earns the commendation of the city and the thanks from the Duchess- but she doesn't really forgive her for putting the city in the position it was in because of her cowardice. There's a really quite strong message about the cost of war on the common person, the failure to hold people in power properly accountable and the impotence of the government machine. The scene with Mona and the stalwart defender of the city towards the end really felt needed - she never wanted to be the only wizard left to defend the city with bread golems but what choice did she have? There’s a brilliant speech her Uncle Albert makes near the middle of the book about how sometimes a hero is only made because a system failed to do its job in preventing a catastrophe from occurring. Even if the hero is applauded and the problem is fixed, nobody thinks about why it even happened in the first place.||

||All of the side characters are very enjoyable- special shout-out to my favourite Knackering Molly and Nag, I love skeleton horses and I love her. Generally I just liked the lack of angst that was in Mona's inner-circle in spite of her parents passing away - her relationship with her aunt and uncle (and they themselves as characters was generally really charming). ALSO HER GINGERBREAD MAN FAMILIAR THAT GOT MORE AND MORE SENTIENT. It's difficult for me to pick a few favourite moments but the gingerbread man familiar reeling in all of the bad cookies really did make me smile (admittedly I couldn't stop imagining the bad cookies ala the Krampus horror movie LMAO).||

||Once again T. Kingfisher goes with the less is more approach to world-building: we're given just enough to make the world feel realized - A small history of Riverbraid, where magic stands in the city vs others, the power structure, the small details of the world that make it feel lived in and real (zombie crayfish anyone?). It's not bogged down on too much pointless detailing that isn't necessary and she is so real for that. ||

||“He had a chiseled jaw and wavy hair the color of melted butter and dark eyes like cinnamon and broad shoulders and—look, I’m not doing this well at all, he sounds like a pastry when I do it.”||

I'm kinda happy to throw the 5 star here because it was just such a treat to read. I had a great time literally from start to finish and if that's not a good definition for a 5 read, I don't know what is.

[hollow aurora]

I have to agree on the cozy fantasy part. I don't read them, mostly because I think they would be too relaxing and while I don't crave chaos (or maybe...), I do need something more, I think. That being said, I haven't really tried one, I just know from my experience with slice-of-life fantasy (and not only) anime that bored me a lot and very specific things worked.

And to be honest, I didn't even think this was a cozy read at first, but it is! But it's also a perfect balance in having a story, some danger, some action, some everything, so it was a lovely read

[vale kayak]

Thank you so much for the extension!

[vale kayak]

Even though I'm on chapter 11, I didn't see these questions and I'll reply now.

1. I have tried, but it was a horror one so I had to DNF it, I hate horror.
2. Bread. I know it's simple, but I LOOOOVE bread.
3. I would love to give life to my drawings but I wouldn't know how to draw realistically.

[sudden tendon]

here i come!

[sudden tendon]

1. nope i havent
2. chocolate cake def
3. am not sure

[sudden tendon]

omg i read one page and then i got busy BUT I LOVED IT

gonna read more now

[sudden tendon]

omgomgomg im on chapter 4 and i soooooo LOVE THIS ||this is soooo fun to read even tho it started with a murder, ive been smiling its so funny and it actually reads like a 14 year old wrote it but also not at the same time??? i absolutely love the writing i should really start reading fantasy more often it was so sad how they lost customers because of mona and idek why ||

[sudden tendon]

finished chapter 4 and ||WHY ARE THEY TREATING MONA LIKE A PRISONER||

[sudden tendon]

i finished chapter 11 ||and so much has happened omg i wonder who this spring green man is and ohmygod can i just say how even in the tension, its still funny but i also am concerned about mona and spindle||

[flint harness]

ash you are going at insane speed for this

let's fucking gooo!!!

[sudden tendon]

im enjoying this SO MUCH

i think ill read until chapter 20 and sleep its 2 am rn

[sudden tendon]

14: ||no way she called spindle a street rat ||

i’m actually gonna sleep very tired but hopefully ill finish this tomorrow same time

i finished chapter 14

[sudden tendon]

16: ||omg how will green man be defeated and how will she prove her innocence at the same time ||

[sudden tendon]

17: || “How many were gone? Maybe that was the wrong question. Maybe I should be asking how many of us were left.”||

[sudden tendon]

19: ||omg the duchess knows i wonder what she will do||

20: ||LMFAO||

|| the duchess suspects someone of being spring green man ||

21: ||i also want to be a duchess ||

||LMFAOOOO this is so funny joshua and the duchess||

[sudden tendon]

am finishing this today no matter what

[soft violet]

[sudden tendon]

23:||YOOOOO THE DUCHESS PULLING OUT THE KNIFE SLAYYYY||

||the spring green man was caught just immediately i was hoping a bit more suspense||

24:||when all the bad people are gone but theres still 100 pages left ||

i love the pace of this book

25:||something up w aunt and uncle||

[sudden tendon]

27:|| hoping no one gets hurt in this war||

[sudden tendon]

30: ||elgar’s escaped omg||

||AWW SPINDLE NOOO PLS BE SAFE||

31:||BARRELS FOR FEET?????||

[sudden tendon]

35:||knackering molly died she was so cool ||

i finished!

will post thoughts tomorrow or day after

[soft violet]

2 more days until the bakery is closed guys!
Hyped to read your thoughts, sweetpea!!!

[opal arch]

Vaude I’m starting the book today and wanted to ask if you can send the report in a few days?🥺

I don’t want to ask for an official extension but I’m hoping to finish it asap

[soft violet]

Sure babe!

[opal arch]

Thank you bbg!!

[little tinsel]

Chapter 6: ||That journey home sounds absolutely horrible ||

||Also that dead horse or whatever she's looking at sounds super spooky as well ||

Chapter 8: ||If she went in to steal food then how did she end up dead and why is her brother only trying to find out what happened to her a full day after? I do think they need to improve their security if they're having multiple people sneak in after hours though ||

[vale kayak]

Finished it yesterday night and I have to say that ||even though the pace was a bit slow to my liking, I actually loved the story, as it reminded me a lot of Pratchett's books. The whimsical vibe was there and Kingfisher's imagination didn't disappoint.
I thought Mona was a great main character, even tough sometimes I thought her age wasn't quite fitting.
Everything else had the perfect balance between humor and adventure, with just a pinch of sadness (Molly's death was extremely heartbreaking). Amazing story!||

[little tinsel]

Chapter 9: ||Okay, doing the magic to animate the gingerbread man to help with things is pretty cool. Slightly creepy but still cool.||

Chapter 14: ||Spindle seems very sweet ||

[little tinsel]

Chapter 15: ||Oh no, poor dough bird exploding like that from all the magic. It's still really cool that she has this ability and she's thinking about how it can be used for something more than a little party trick etc. I definitely think she needs to practice more to get the hang of it. It's definitely harder to do it with dough than baked goods as well. ||

Chapter 16: ||Not the propaganda and trying to turn everyone against each other ||

[little tinsel]

Chapter 17: ||Wanting to break into the Duchess' bedroom is crazy work but sure, let's go with it. I'm not arguing with her logic that it's one of the best ways to get the message direct to the Duchess but I don't know if it's going to go well for her if she's committing a crime against the Duchess to warn her about someone wanting to commit a crime against her ||

Chapter 19: ||This is so absurd but also pretty funny I don't get how a 14 year old girl is going to be helpful though when a Duchess with all her resources doesn't know what to do to stop this plot.||

[little tinsel]

Chapter 23: ||Oh, that was a little bit anticlimactic with him being caught just like that ||

Chapter 24: ||Now if all the baddies have been dealt with then what's going to happen for like 100 pages? Something has to go wrong because there's no way we're going to spend that long on them potentially getting knighthoods or other rewards from the Duchess.||

Chapter 25: ||Not Bob committing cannibalism with the scone I think I'd feel like this was a bit of a letdown if we just went straight back to the baking scenes at this point in the book tbh. I hope there's something more coming.||

[little tinsel]

Chapter 26: ||Totally see how recognition in the form of medals is totally a thing for the public and basically helps with the optics of the situation but doesn't do anything to rectify how the situation came to be in the first place. If we're going to see some systemic change in this world then it would definitely make the book a bit deeper than the fun ride it's been so far.||

||There we go, there's the twist and how the plot carries on. If Mona is meant to be the lone wizard to take all of them down then that's a big responsibility.||

Chapter 27: ||I knew she was going to consider using her sentient dough to try and stop the siege I don't know how that's going to work but why not.||

Chapter 28: ||I wonder if it's going to be so much dough and so sticky that it just stops people in their tracks. I'm just trying to think of the silliest idea possible because that would fit this book.||

Chapter 30: ||I feel like Mona shouldn't be coming into contact with rat poison like that I get she wants the dough to be bad/dangerous but surely it's not healthy for her to be working with it like that. I think the magical realism elements of this and how she can put feelings into her baking is pretty interesting, and the negativity that she's putting into it probably goes completely against who she is and what she usually does. I wonder if we're going to get to see how she reconciles her actions with her character and how she copes with doing a bad thing for a good cause.||

Chapter 32: ||The Duchess could quite easily go into hiding and let people die for her but I'm glad she's somewhat involving herself in the action. I'm glad she's choosing not to surrender either and is standing up for what she knows is right. ||

||The idea of trying to defeat an entire army with a sourdough starter is just so ridiculous ||

Chapter 33: ||A battle can-can? So so silly ||

||This is super dangerous though and I'm surprised Mona hasn't already burned out from all the effort she's putting into her magic right now.||

[little tinsel]

Chapter 35: ||Okay, yep, dead ghost horses. I knew Knackering Molly had to reckon into this somehow because of how she was mentioned earlier in the book so I should've anticipated this but I really didn't ||

Chapter 36: ||Even the gingerbread man gets a medal. That's cute being made a Royal Wizard sounds like a huge honour though. Hopefully Mona won't have to face any more threats like this any time soon.||

Finished. ||This was a pretty cute and semi-fast paced read. I like that it wasn't that serious and it was easy to get lost in the somewhat silly magic of it all. It was a great palate cleanser between some of the heavier reads that I've had lately. I think Mona was a little bit too young for a protagonist in this type of book for my personal liking and that was probably something that took me out of the book a little. I did like all the different characters for the most part and it was just really whimsical and wholesome. I think I'm going to give this 3.5 ⭐||

[little tinsel]

do you need a reminder ash? /genq

[sudden tendon]

OH i posted it on SG but its not much

okay ill write up a better one

[sudden tendon]

i dont really have much thoughts except how ||this was a very fun and cozy read and i wasnt bored at all. mona was being a very real funny and a cool 14 y/o. i was so sad for molly's death she was SUCH A COOL WIZARD i get why she was mad at the duchess. and i agree with her. she was just a 14 y/o NEway this was a 4.5 for me||

[opal arch]

Ch.13: ||“so ig it’s not your fault you are a bit bacon-brained” ?? BACON BRAINED ||

[opal arch]

Ch.14 ||“if so I would have preferred to just grow up and get my period like a normal person” MY BABY DOESNT EVEN HAVE HER PERIOD OH MY GOD ||

[old field]

||she's SO baby I love her ||

[opal arch]

I am over halfway through ahhh! its reading rly fast and im hoping to wrap it up asap

[soft violet]

@opal arch Any updates babe? I'm looking forward to your final thoughts

[opal arch]

Hello i am 80% through!! Thank you so much for waiting

I am aiming to finish tonight so you can send everything over tmrw

will share some thoughts later as well tho this entire time the ride felt like a smooth kid-frinedly rollercoaster :D

[soft violet]

[opal arch]

Ch.30 ||“wizard elgar’s escaped” I KNEW THIS WAS COMING BUT MANNNNN UR KIDDING||

This is giving me game of thrones but cozy lmao

[opal arch]

Sitting at my own workplace (bar) and will be FINISHING NOW

got my drink ready, seat ready, mind ready hahahahah

[opal arch]

Ch.36 ||“you haven’t lived until you’ve seen a cookie look smug” lmaoooo||

I finished!

Just read everyone’s reviews and I agree on everything

My review:

||This is my first T Kingfisher book and it didn’t disappoint :) It read like a fairytale with darker undertones, touching on death, war and poverty, while still maintaining the lighter feel of middle-grade.

I really adored the mc and she felt like a little sister to me. An actual little baby that had to endure far too much. I enjoyed that despite her naivety and youthfulness, she had her moments of sorrow and doubt. And I’m glad she was doubting the duchess even after they won the battle because her issues with her were so! Real!

The rest of the cast was incredible as well and the deaths were quite upsetting, didn’t expect any of them surprisingly.

I don’t think middle grade is quite for me just because the stakes aren’t high enough, but that also might be the hallmark of cozy fantasy so overall I’m giving it 4 stars :) Can’t wait to discover more and broaden my reading horizons||

[lethal shard]

hi @opal arch ! so unfortunately we won‘t be able to give you points for this buddy read.
the cut-off for reader points and submitting the end report for a buddy read is a week after the official br end date, and this buddy read ended on the 10th of june. thank you for understanding!

[opal arch]

No worries! I was given looots of time

[lethal shard]

hi magzita! sorry for how late this is but #1362695413206880379 message do you mind answering these discussion questions or discussing more about this book?

[vale kayak]

Hey! I did reply and gave some feedback when I finished it. The only one I didn't reply to was the one about the MC.

[lethal shard]

do you mind giving me more of your thoughts on this book?

[sacred terrace]

@soft violet,@maiden trout,@sudden tendon,@little tinsel,@flint harness,@thick fern,@plush patio,@peak lion,@hollow aurora,@sleek summit,@fresh trail,@bright sundial,@opal arch,@old field,@full cypress,@fickle gust,@vale kayak,@eager drum,@viral badger,@neon tartan

hi everyone! just wrapping up this buddy read, sorry for the delay! i have physalialex, just_maffy, scarlettsens, tinkinaround, manoukmade, moonchild1438, deeswafel, hanzyyy, geisterkoenigin, vaudevet, gostudyash, wicdiv written down as having read + discussed the book enough. let me know if i missed you!

your points will be given out shortly (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) thank you for your patience.

[sacred terrace]

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