The Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, by T.
Kingfisher
I don’t know how I missed this delightful fantasy when it
first came out, winning the Hugo and Locus Awards in 2021. It combines some of
my favorite story elements: an intrepid young heroine, weird forms of magic,
and baking. Yep, baking. Fourteen-year-old Mona’s magical talent is, by any
standards, quite modest. She can’t summon lightning, resurrect a cavalry troop of
dead horses, or control a flood. As an apprentice in her aunt’s bakery, she
uses her magic to encourage bread to rise and, upon occasion to delight the
customers, she makes gingerbread men dance. Her life of quiet joys takes a
drastic turn when she discovers a dead body on the floor of the bakery. Before
she knows it, she’s on the run, either suspected of being the murderer or
convinced she is the next target. Worse yet, by the time the dastardly plot is
revealed, the super-wizard who is the city’s primary defense has been lured
away and Mona has only herself and a ragtag bunch of friends to keep everyone
safe.
I loved Mona, her friends, the unusual twists on magic, and
most of all, the voice of the author shining through these adventures. I think
my favorite part was Mona’s gigantic bread “golem” defending the city gates
against the ravening horde. And the zombie horses, who manage to retain both their
personality and their loyalty, like true horses across time and imagination.
Recommended.
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