Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the audio version in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun quick story! I really enjoyed a modern story that still has all the trappings of a traditional folktale, and it makes me want read more Balkan stories. I also appreciated the discussion of folkloric elements at the end and how each was represented in the story. I wish these representations were clearer, though, along with the story being a bit longer. I know the author is keeping with the short and brief timing of a folktale, but I feel like a longer story would have allowed for more depth, especially where the brothers who are actually princes are concerned. I would love to see this story lengthened and turned into a novella if not a full length novel. It would be fun to see more magic and more depth of character. But I did really enjoy an original story with traditional tropes.

Lore and Lyre made the audiobook ‘True Loaf’ by L. Austen Johnson available for review via NetGalley. It is narrated by Penny Scott-Andrews and is 24 minutes long.

It is a short story inspired by a Balkan folktale. Riley works in a bakery and one day a strange man comes in and asks for an unusual ingredient to be baked into a loaf of bread. Riley has to go on a moonlit adventure into the woods to find it.

Following the story is bonus content in the form of an article by the author about how she came to write the tale and an analysis of the folklore of the story in terms of structure and symbolism.

Overall, a charming tale bound to appeal to listeners both young and old.

This is a short story inspired by Balkan folklore. I’ve listened to the audiobook version which is only 20-30 minutes long.

Overall, it’s a cute and entertaining tale. However, it felt a bit poor of depth and ends very abruptly leaving the reader unsatisfied. You don’t get to know the ending and you don’t get the moral of the story (at least I haven’t).

I would prefer it to be a bit longer and more condensed of details around the characters.

Thanks to Netgalley for having this audiobook under the read now option! This was my first free audiobook in exchange for a review.

There's the customer is always right, and then there's this tale, in which a dodgy, creepy customer tells the protagonist to go find an obscure herb and bake it into bread at her bakery.

I was here for the Balkan folklore inspiration, but found myself disappointed. A lot of fairytales can be broken down into a few sentences, yes, but this, despite having a bit more length than that, felt incomplete. I didn't see a moral, or find the girl protagonist particularly full of agency or anything, little in the way of explanation as to who the men were (I think it was alluded they were fae or something).

The narrator had a strange tone of voice; her kind of creaky, nasal British accent simultaneously lent the story a whimsical fairytale feel, and grinded on my nerves. For a ten-minute listen, it was fine though.

The author is planting a tree for every audiobook sold, so that's some awesome incentive to check this very short adventure out.

The nice thing about shorts? We get right to the good parts!

“True Loaf,” immediately plunges us into a world familiar and not. A baker named Riley gets a STRANGE customer request which sends her into the woods. At twilight. Of course a quest ensues.

The story plays with fairy tale elements without directly copying. Instead of a “retelling” “True Loaf” is its own. Familiar and not. Even with as short a time we get with the characters, they draw on archetypes that leave us wanting more.

This recording includes an analysis of fairy tales at the end. I enjoyed this! It’s always nice to review themes and deepen understanding of a genre.

“True Loaf” is a bite-sized delight

What a lovely short story. My only complaint would be that it’s too short, I wanted to know more! (But of course, that’s a good thing)

This short story left me waning more. I felt that it ended just as things were beginning and that there was no resolution. I was hoping to know more about the main character’s relationship with the 2 men and what being bound truly meant. I listened to the audiobook and the bonus content on there was very cool! I liked how the author explained the elements of the folklore.

This is a great short story that not only tells the folk tale but also includes the author providing background information on it. It would be a great thing for a classroom to discuss folk lore, how stories are created and change over time, are adapted/ updated as time moves forward but carry the same message.

A cute short story based on folklore. Very whimsical and nostalgic, I loved the comforting feeling it gave me. This would be perfect to read to children. Even though it was a bit predictable I still enjoyed it. I wish it was longer though as I have some unanswered questions.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lore and Lyre for a copy of this short story in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When I saw the cover and realised this was a short folk lore story I couldn't resist. And boy, when it says short it really is, in fact I feel like this story was too short to be reviewed almost. Riley works in a bakery and is approached by a strange customer asking for a specific type of bread, she has to venture into the forest on an adventure to find the ingredient at twilight, where upon she meets another man asking to try the bread once she has made it.

It was an interesting story with a lovely narrator. I would just have liked to have listen a bit longer and learn more about the origins of the folk lore.

A very compelling short story that was a perfect breather between work! As a fairytale lover and especially someone who loved little red riding hood as a child (the set up of the story reminded me of it!!) I absolutely enjoyed this and wish it had kept going.

I was not fully aware of the length of this when requested on Netgalley. The story was whimsical and intriguing regardless of the length. I enjoyed the narrator and the inflection and distinction of each character.
Overall a quick and fun time.

True Loaf is a very short story about magical folklore that left me wanting more. The short story follows Riley, who must go on a journey to find an ingredient requested by a stranger at the bakery that she works at. The story follows a pretty linear plot and provides a very atmospheric and magical vibe, with a lot of parallels with old classics like Little Red Riding Hood. The author was pretty successful in itching that nostalgia of when I read those classics as a child, and I really appreciate that.

Even though I was very curious to know what was coming on Riley's journey, it felt a little predictable. The idea of her quest caught my attention at first but I wasn't as invested in the story as I expected. I believe the lack of development of the character (which is understandable in such a short story) affected my enjoyment, and I would be really interested in seeing what the author would have done if making it a novella or novel.

With that being said, True Loaf is a magical short story for those seeking a nostalgic quick tale, one that is perfect to read with children. I particularly thought it was a little predictable but I really appreciated the magical atmosphere and the nostalgic feelings I had.

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

This short story was so good! It has given me Little Red Riding Hood vibes when she goes into the woods. I’ve enjoyed the point of mystery that the story has. It’s really good but a little short for me!

Thank you Netgalley, author and publisher for letting me listen to this.
For a short story it was okay, it flowed well..I think I just expected the short story to be just a little bit longer than it was. Overall I feel like I need to research a bit more what this book was about.
I recommend if you are looking for something short and to fill a gap of time.

I received an audiobook ARC for an honest review.

I have never really read short stories but I've always wanted to do a quick read. This one felt more like an introduction to a long story. It wasn't immersive enough. The end was really abrupt and disappointing. Even throughout the story, I felt as if there were missing pieces all over. I couldn't really invest in the story so short. I don't think even a kid would really enjoy it.

Why I gave it three stars?
I gave it three stars because I felt that the story had potential and I'm secretly hoping and encouraging the author to complete the story. I want more. It is a good premise and plot for a great story. I want to know what the two strangers actually are. I want to know how Riley's character is. I expected more from the book than I got.

About the Bonus Content
I really liked the Bonus Content. It offered some explanations and hence my third star. But It would have been better if the same was stitched along with the story. It'd fill some loopholes and make the story a 3.5 star, assuming nothing more was added. If the author decides to publish a lengthy book based on this short story, a suggestion would be to add more background of the actual Balkan Folkore, for people who don't really know it. I would really enjoy that. And more characters of course. Maybe make it a Balkan retelling of Red Riding Hood? There's an idea.

Lastly, thank you author for the opportunity to read and review your prestigious book.

Though I have read all Grimm's fairy tales I am not familiar with Balkan Folklore so I cannot really judge the degree to which "True Loaf" falls into that genre or builds on it. Taken just as its own text, it gets the job done of telling a tale that delivers a twist that is pretty unforeseen (but also just a little too dependent on accepting the protagonist's superficiality). And sure, many other fairy tales are very short and work with archetypes to provide general plots that almost seem as if they had been created just for other artists to adapt them.

So while "True Loaf" does somewhat seem comparable to good old-fashioned fairy tales, the choice of actual names and the twist position it closer to modern reinterpretations - and I do not get enough of a spark from the text to include it with truly great short stories. Still, if it was put into a collection with stories that have a similar scope, it would probably work pretty well as opposed to being published by itself, where it has to do the heavy lifting all by itself.

I find micro fiction to be a great way to enjoy a story without committing to it too much, and having little free time I decided to give „True Loaf“ a try. However, despite what I just said, it really got me good.

„True Loaf“ manages to give the reader a solid and captivating story, and taking its short length into consideration that is quite a feat to manage. I would even go as far as to say that the ending felt a bit abrupt to me – I would have loved to learn even more about the fairytale-like world L. Austin Johnson had created.

Since I was listening to an audio book, I also got to hear more about the meaning of certain details from the story and it definitely enriched the overall experience. And speaking of it being an audiobook – this was probably one of the best narrations I‘ve heard, and it fit the mood of „True Loaf“ perfectly.

I would recommend this audiobook to those who like stories with magical elements, but don‘t want to get into intricate world-building or long books to find it.

This was a really cute mythology short story. I like how this story didn’t really focus on familiar type of mythology like Greek mythology cause honestly I don’t think I would’ve been interested of it was. I would say that I didn’t really catch the mythology in the story but it was so interesting to learn more about it afterwards.

This is a marvelous short story, with compelling and mysterious characters brings folktales into modernity.