When you’re different, even just a little different, even in a way that people can’t see, you like to know that people in power won’t judge you for it.”

Ursula Vernon Awards". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on July 2, 2021 . Retrieved August 4, 2021. A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking toes the line of upper middle grade and young adult, with a younger protagonist placed in a somewhat darker plot. The elements of innocence mixed with the hard truths — such as, sometimes people (even the good ones) die, and even adults in positions of power are fallible — are what makes this coming of age story so poignant, uplifting, and empowering.

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Paladin's Strength. The Saint of Steel #2. (February 28, 2021). Red Wombat Studio. ISBN 978-1614505303 But it never sugarcoats the fact that the situation is beyond dire – and that war is very definitely hell. And that sometimes all it takes is just one horse rider of the apocalypse to bring that fact home. A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking is a 2020 young adult fantasy novel by Ursula Vernon, under her pseudonym T. Kingfisher. It was first published by Argyll Productions. if things go wrong in a siege you’ll all die horribly, and in formal weddings the stakes are much higher.

locusmag (April 12, 2021). "Ursula Vernon: Shiny New Idea". Locus Online . Retrieved April 14, 2021. Highly recommend if you are looking for a light, fun read with a comedic touch. It's a middle grade story, but one that someone at any age could enjoy. The following books were written under the name T. Kingfisher and take place in what Vernon calls "the Temple of the White Rat world." [10] [11]

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There were two problems here, both of which will vary tremendously depending on the reader. One, the lead is a very timid sort. While she does grow into her magic, I would hesitate to say she grows significantly into her personhood power. While that is entirely alright, the mileage one gets out of this may vary. She's a young, rule-follower, trusting sort of young person, and that's fine. Her emotional breakdowns are in line with this persona, as are her worries. 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. But. But not my favorite kind of lead character. I might have liked her better if I was ten. T. Kingfisher is one of my new favorite author finds this year and so far it doesn't matter if it is Young Adult, Middle-Grade (like this book is) or a PG-13 Fantasy book all of them have been fantastic so far. A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking is no exception. It is a standalone book about a 14-year old girl with a magical talent when it comes to bread who is caught up in a scheme to take over the city and will need to protect it and the Duchess. This book was so much fun. is almost here, time for one more book from 2020! This week we’ll take a look at T. Kingfisher’s A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking. If this sounds like the plot of every other YA fantasy novel, it isn’t. Firstly, the way Mona uses her supposedly small gift to protect herself and her allies is both unique and unnerving; the author’s experience writing horror stories really shows through, as does her attention to detail. Anyone who owns a sourdough starter knows how uncanny it can be to hear this faceless living mass bubbling in a jar. Now imagine if it could ooze around on its own, and eat other things the way it eats flour and water, like your enemy’s face, for example. This creature exists in the novel as Mona’s familiar. She calls it Bob.

Nebula Award Winners Announced". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. June 6, 2015 . Retrieved June 8, 2015. However, I was surprised to hear it read in UK English, by an American narrator. The narration, and Mona, are read in a rather cut-glass RP (received pronunciation) that, to be fair, the narrator holds well, but to my UK-English ears it sounded a bit carefully over-annunciated. Others characters came from all over, a bit of Irish, a bit of Australian, a bit of generic-rustic-yokel (think Sam Gamgee in the LotR films), and sometimes it was all a bit of a blend. I didn’t get why Mona, raised from a young age by her aunt and uncle, spoke so differently to them, and far more like the ruling classes. Mona is a baker, an ordinary girl, and no one else from her family, or the others we meet that she knows, speak that way. I thought I’ d get used to it, but I didn’t, and it nagged at me all the way through. Mythopoeic Awards: 2013 Winners Announced". Mythopoeic Society. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013 . Retrieved June 15, 2013. Where Harry Potter comes in, of course, is that Mona is just 14 and she’s expected to save the city. Which is ridiculous and insane and she’s very aware of the fact that there are lots of adults who weren’t adulting very well at all. It’s up to her and it just plain shouldn’t be. But it still is. Because even if she CAN manage to get better adults it’s not going to happen in time to save the city. So it’s all up to her, no matter how much she downright KNOWS that she is in over her head. It Made Sense at the Time: Selected Sketches. (November 18, 2004). Sofawolf Press. 978-0-971267-06-0This is such a fun and entertaining story. Following Mona on her journey as she finds out just how much talent and creativity she has for baking bread-like products and making them to fantastical things was so entertaining. I was really sad at the end this was a standalone novel since I loved being in this world with a wizard who learned how baking could help to save a kingdom. Also her Aunt was hilarious and I loved how she tried to care for Mona and was a force unto herself. If you are looking for something a little fun and uplifting this should work just great for you even if it is Middle-Grade. Currently in Riverbraid, wizards are missing or becoming dead. There's a powerful assassin that's killing wizards and the magical community is leaving the city or going into hiding. The obvious is the whole 14-year-old saves the city thing that makes it YA. Mona is young. She’s still, to some extent, figuring out what she wants to be when she grows up, although her magic has driven her further down that path than most. But she’s also at an age where she’s unsure of herself and her future in so many different ways. She sees herself as young, and small, and weak. She sees her magic as not powerful at all or even all that useful. It’s handy in her aunt’s bakery, where she works, but it’s not otherwise big or showy. And neither, honestly, is she.