I am a lover of all things “fairy and/or folktale”, so I needed to read True Loaf. This story is short, in the traditions just mentioned, but it is OH SO delightful; and I will now need a book FULL of these kinds of stories.

This was such a cute short story! I have been in a reading slump and it made me excited to read again. I love folklore and fairytales or books that read like them, so this was right up my alley. I would totally recommend this short story!

The modern fairy tale vibe is super well depicted - despite being such a short story the sense of place and world are tangibly present.
The main character also felt very relatable (don't we all hate running) and fleshed-out.

I know some people wanted more but personally I love a story with an ambiguous ending and I loved the way this one wrapped up - with just enough detail to hint at the future.

Specific to the audiobook - I liked the narrator's voice and emotion, but the accent made some words hard to catch and when there are so few words each one counts! I would recommend listening in a quiet environment to be able to pay attention.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for access to the eAudiobook ARC.

An interesting short story with twists and turns! The narration added to the eerie moments of the story, but often the changes in voice threw me off a bit. I'm a huge fan of short stories and loved that this was a quick dive into Balkan folklore. The story was very accessible. However, I felt that the story was not complete. I could not tell what the lesson was an it felt like an explanation or complete ending was necessary to feel like it had truly ended. Folklore and folk stories have lessons, so this felt incomplete.

🍞 Review - True Loaf by L. Austen Johnson

This very (very) short story inspired by Balkan Folklore, recounts Riley’s whimsical adventure to find an unusual ingredient to to prepare a loaf of bread for a mysterious man.

‘True Loaf’ is sweet and magical, and beautifully narrated. Penny Scott Andrews is amazing, giving each characters different voices and using intonations effectively to recreate that

My only complaint is that I would have liked to know more about the story’s magical world and perhaps the moral/ symbolism (if there was any) should have been clearer.

If you are looking for something quick and easy this story will surely put a smile on your face!

Rating: 🌟4/5 stars

TW: Creepy scenes for children, intimidating male presence, use of a mild swear word

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book: When a strange man puts in a strange request at the bakery where she works, Riley must go on a mini-adventure to find one unusual ingredient. Along the way, she realizes that things are not always what they seem.
Release Date: October 1st, 2019
Genre: Folklore
Pages: 10
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What I Liked:
• I'm a HUGE fan of folklore
• Love a story inspired by folklore

What I Didn't Like:
• Didn't understand the urgency of needing the yarrow tea.

Overall Thoughts: Cute short story! I mean who hasn't worked in retail or the food industry and had that one jerk that comes in and just has to have what he wants. Well in steps our jerk. A rude demands she goes and gets an yarrow tea from the woods so that she can make this bread. I liked where the story was going and I just thought for such a short story it kept me intrigued. My only issue with this book is; why did he need the yarrow tea for the bread? Was he going to change into a monster if he didn't have the one he needed? I felt like that was a little bit unanswered for how short the story was.

Final Thoughts: loved the story and was a nice little refresher of a story. Of course I'm a big fan of folklore tales.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Short and good, listened to the audiobook which was a nice break on the bus. I enjoyed the narrator, especially the accent. The pacing and overall story was good

This was a short story, which did have a essence of magic and inspired by Balkan folklore.

I don't want to say to much without giving the plot away, but due to the writting you do get the fairytale vibe with the spooky and mystical setting. The narration keeps you drawn in and sort of spellbinds you into the story.

The story was short and did leave you wanting more, but also think it could have had a little more infomation abouut the strangers and i think that would have helped with some of the unanswered questions.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an audio copy for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my audio copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this, I listened to it just before bed and it really inspired the imagination for folklore and imagination! Usually when I listen to audio books, I get lost in though but I was completely invested in this story! I actually wished it was longer!

I do think i missed some of the symbolism of the story, but i was interested in the adventure, so while i may have missed the point, i still really enjoyed this.

I want to know more about the town as well, because i can't imagine anyone going on an adventure like Riley did, and nighttime, with no questions! what other interesting stories does this town hold? I hope to hear/read more from the author

The narrator, Penny Scott-Andrews, was also perfect for the story, her voice was very emotive and fit the tone of the story perfectly

I was totally attracted to this audio short story because of its cute cover and the play on words in the title! Having not listened to any audiobooks in the past, I definitely wanted to start with something I could finish in one sitting over dishwashing.

In just over 15 minutes, I was taken on a little journey with Riley to look for an unusual ingredient after she receives a request from a mysterious stranger at her bakery. Enthusiastically read by the narrator, the story is in no doubt a whimsical little adventure, and everything is described in such a way that I can see it all in my head. However, I'm not sure if I enjoyed the story... I feel like the story ended too soon (when it was over, I was like "that's it? surely there's more!", but there wasn't), and it was as if it was over before the beginning had ended.

Another reason why I can't quite say I really like this story was because I feel like there were many holes and unanswered questions from the beginning and right to the end. What was the point of the mysterious ingredient? Who were those people asking for the ingredient? Why did they want it? What happened at the end of it all??? What was the purpose of this story? A lot was left unanswered.

Overall, this little audiobook took me on a cute, magical adventure while I washed the dishes, but it was not something I loved.

Oh, I want more! True Loaf is inspired by Balkan Folklore and is a modern-day short story.

Riley works at a bakery when one day a strange man comes in with a special request. To make this bread she needs a particular ingredient from the forest at twilight. Spooky! I get the Hansel & Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood vibes. I have unanswered questions and it was over way too soon. Really enjoyed it!

This is a really quick short story based off of Balkan Folklore. The story focuses around a girl named Riley who works in a bakery and gets a strange request from a strange man. She has to go on a little quest to fulfill the man's request and she meets a stranger on the way.
Even though this book is short, it's very gripping because of the quest aspect. Will Riley be able to carry out this quest? What will the outcome be.
I thought this was a very unique sort of book and I'd recommend it to any readers who are interested in Folklore.

When a strange man puts in a strange request at the bakery where she works, Riley must go on a mini-adventure to find one unusual ingredient. Along the way, she realizes that things are not always what they seem and that fae might just be real.

A short little modern fairytale .... well-written and very well narrated.

<i><b>Many thanks to Netgalley, along with Lore and Lyre, for this audiobook ARC!</i></b>

True Loaf is a delightful micro-story about a baker, Riley, who is sent on a quest to find yarrow to make bread for a mysterious client. To do so, she must venture into the forest, and there, she meets an interesting character. The audiobook is short and sweet, its narrative inspired by Balkan folklore with unexpected twists and turns.

I enjoyed the modern touch to the story and how it does not distract from the distinctly folklore-esque plot. Johnson weaves these two interposing elements seamlessly together. The modern-day aspects bring humor and reliability while the mystical, uncanny details from folklore lend whimsical suspension of belief. I like how descriptive the writing is - it sets the tone and atmosphere beautifully, especially in the format of an audiobook. Penny Scott-Andrew has done an excellent job in bringing Johnson's word to life.

The depiction of Riley is very charming. I quite like her narrator voice and how vibrant it is. Especially considering the fact that the story is influenced by folklore, where characters are often presented more or less as dull chesspieces to be moved to the narrative's whims and fancies, I appreciate how Johnson opted for a more distinct and dynamic personality for her main character.

However, one issue I took with the story was its ending. Without giving too much away, I think it is left open-endedly vague in a way that feels more unsatisfactory than intriguing. I was also unsure if my ignorance of the specific lore the story was referencing was detrimental to my enjoyment or not. For one, I got to take in the narrative with fresh eyes, but I also felt a little at loss from not being able to pick up the nuances and borrowed elements from the folklore, which may have added more to the narrative.

Overall, this was an easy and light-hearted read. I highly recommend the audiobook version - it definitely contributed to the general reading experience.

A Short Story Inspired by Balkan Folklore

When a strange man puts in a strange request at the bakery where she works, Riley must go on a mini-adventure to find one unusual ingredient. Along the way, she realizes that things are not always what they seem.

This short story had the potential to be very cute and whimsical but I unfortunately felt just okay about it. The narrator’s choices didn’t always make sense to me nor did they align with the tone of the words being said which didn’t help with the experience.

I really enjoyed the small glimpse into this world but I didn’t feel like I was IN the world you know, I feel like this mixed with the pacing led to a short story that didn’t make me want more but i also didn't feel satisfied with what i was given.

I Listened to this audiobook of True Loaf by L. Austen Johnson thanks to #NetGalley in exchange fir an honest review ☺️

Narrator's voice clearly enjoyed their job. Whilst I understand this is a ya audiobook. However, the voice could be almost patronising at times. I would go even as far as to say this could have been mistaken for a children's book if it weren't for words like "pissed" or "arse" 😂

The story itself was quite interesting I love folklore inspired stories and this one ended too soon for me 😪 I wanted more!

Really nice short story and a great introduction to traditional folk tales. True Loaf is a modernised story and I would enjoy a full collection of short stories like this.
The narrator had a warm and whimsical tone perfect for this bakery based yarn.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for my feedback.

This was a gorgeously performed short story based on Balkan folklore. It’s not a genre I usually go for, so I wasn’t certain what to expect, but I appreciated Riley (the lead heroine) and her fearlessness in the face of very bizarre occurrences and the descriptions in the writing were vivid and achieved a lot in a short amount of words/time. I’m not 100% sure about the ending, as it doesn’t explain much about what being bound by the loaves meant or the strange impact of the yarrow on the client - but it’s whimsy was appealing and I was just happy to listen along for the tale.
The narrator performed it brilliantly and it almost reads like an ideal story to listen to, so you can unwind before bed. Thanks to Austen Johnson for writing it and for an advance review of this audio read. 4*

<i>True Loaf</i> is a short story based on Balkan folklore.

Riley works in a bakery in a small village when one day a stranger comes in to ask for bread with a special ingredient and off Riley goes to make the costumer happy.

With how short this story is, it’s hard to talk much beyond that. Listening to this twice, I tried to make sure that I didn’t miss anything and though it seems like I didn’t, I feel as if I did.

It’s so short I don’t feel like I’ve gotten the whole story of what is going on and supposed to be happening. I think a few more details would have really rounded out the story.

But, the audiobook was beautifully done. The narration was spectacular.

Short stories are always difficult for me to rate. There is no character development and little time to build tension and a storyline.
But this book does have tension and action and danger. Even romance, of a sort.
It is fantasy. In a fairytale vein,
The narration was very well done. 5 stars for that.
Dark and disturbing in places, it was an enjoyable listen.