A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking

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It’s not an easy life, but Mona loves being an apprentice baker … and there’s the fact that her magical powers only work with bread products.

If you are on the lookout for an excellent fantasy that will make you laugh AND make you think, A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking has the perfect recipe.

I believed in the world, the politics and the way prejudice against folks with magical ability had been subtly stirred up – it was nicely done. Nuestra protagonista Mona es una maga menor y solo conoce la magia a través de su oficio, la panadería. Bob the carnivorous sourdough starter was a definite favorite, along with the gingerbread man familiar and Spindle the pickpocket were the main secondaries, along with Knackering Molly who can raise dead horses and is a touch not all there, and Mina’s aunt and uncle.

The story, in typical Kingfisher style, is packed with most creatively delicious (and deliciously creative) ideas. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona’s city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target. Mona is such a superb protagonist – having been orphaned and then looked after by her aunt and uncle, her life is jogging along quite nicely. Nag’s been dead longer than I’ve been alive, and he’s mostly bones now, so she pads him with rags and straw and old flour sacks. I had a little bit of confusion when the audiobook was narrated in a British accent (although I don't think the narrator was British?An amazing book, well written, excellent plot, characters with depth and doesn’t shy away from different and difficult topics. Patricia Santomasso has an extensive catalog of audiobooks under her belt and it can be heard in her presentation of this story. Puede hechizar masa, pan y hombres de jengibre y cuando la ciudad en la que vive empiece a correr peligro va a darse cuenta que con eso va a tener que ser suficiente para defender lo que ama. No, we really don't do enough societally to recognize the real quiet heroism demonstrated daily in ordinary (unglamourous) people fighting against incredible odds.

With a side-kick named Bob (yeast starter), a gingerbread man familiar, and a newfound belief and understanding of her talents she almost single-handedly helps win a war/battle. Bob is a scene stealer, which is something I never would have guessed I would say about a gloppy bucket of yeast and dough that extends tentacles. And I kind of applaud Kingfisher for trying to tell a story about someone who doesn't want to be a hero, and who doesn't get powered-up and stomp all over the story. On the scale of Kingfisher, I'd say Nine Goblins < Defensive Baking < Minor Mage < The Tomato Thief.You won’t find world building on the scale of an epic fantasy here, but what you will get is a surprisingly touching and exciting plot in which the magic system plays a vital role. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. I’m quite happy the story is finished and offered a satisfying ending but I would definitely not be opposed to the further adventures of Mona or her friends. Also her Aunt was hilarious and I loved how she tried to care for Mona and was a force unto herself.