a wizard's guide to defensive baking by t kingfisher

Kingfisher an amazing writer, and she pulls you from laughter to tears and back again. And yet, somehow I laughed through the whole book. There is murder, assassins, homeless kids, despair. Even though this book is probably meant for a YA, it’s a rather dark story. Heroes come in every shape and size, and Molly and Mona show that so well. I’m sitting here weepy as I write about her. Knackering Molly wasn’t my favorite throughout the book, but she swept the award from all the rest with one touch of her forehead to that of her dead horse Nag (who’s actually doing pretty well for himself due to Molly’s magic). However, my favorite character was not the adorable, raging gingerbread man, nor the incredible semi-sentient sourdough starter Bob, but Knackering Molly. She is flawed and scared, and she admits it. Another character I loved was the Duchess. Spindle becomes an unexpected sidekick, and his young, jaded outlook on life is a force to be reckoned with. Her internal comments are gems and I laughed so hard while reading her thoughts. She’s just a kid who wants to go about doing normal life stuff, not be thrust into the position of saving the kingdom. Mona is such a wonderful heroine in that she doesn’t want to be one. For me, the characters are what make this book so wonderful. I knew I’d like this book, but I didn’t plan on falling in love with it as hard as I did. The pace is engaging, the story is well told, and the characters are to die for. We quickly learn that wizards, no matter how small their powers, are not safe, Mona included. A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking starts with a high and rides it all the way through the book. When Mona arrives at the bakery her aunt and uncle own, the body of a girl is what greets her. However, the book doesn’t start off with scrumptious scones or delectable cookies. In fact, while she thinks her talent to be small and useless, I’m sure there are hundreds of thousands of people who wish they had a power as simple as perfect baking every time they put something in the oven.

A wizard's guide to defensive baking by t kingfisher