A 14 year old whose magic only works with baking. Her accidentally-created familiars, a bucket of sapient sourdough starter called Bob, and an animated gingerbread man. A city being undermined from within by totalitarian forces and under attack from the outside. And the army and other wizards unavailable...

T. Kingfisher is my favourite author discovery of this year, and since I do a lot of baking myself I couldn't wait to read this one. It's a YA book, no matter what her publishers think; yes, it starts with the discovery of a dead body, but have you ever read the original Brothers Grimm fairy tales? Kids love that dark stuff. It's in the same tone as "Minor Mage" (possibly in the same universe but it's hard to tell, they don't directly relate at all). Whether Kingfisher's characters are adult or teen, they always have a very down-to-earth and practical view of the situation that I greatly appreciate. They generally have heroism thrust upon them, rather than starting out or viewing themselves as the heroes of the story, and are just trying to get through things a step at a time. So as Mona, 14 year old baking wizard, finds herself caught up in political plots after finding the body of a murdered girl in her aunt's bakery, she becomes involved very much against her will and has to think up novel ways that baking magic might be used to protect her and her loved ones and maybe even the city itself.

I particularly enjoyed the sapient sourdough starter Bob, and since the whole world seems to have made a sourdough starter during this pandemic year, the book is particularly amusing. I never named mine but I think it may now become known as Bob also ... although hopefully it will remain a little less intelligent! Highly recommend this book for any fantasy lovers, baking lovers, and teen readers in your life. And hey, support your local bookstore and order a few copies from them for Christmas presents this year!