Cozy fantasy graphic novel? Sign me up.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This is Fern Haught's debut graphic novel. They craft stories set in magical worlds with diverse characters. If you enjoyed graphic novels like Crumbs or Mooncakes, check out The Baker and the Bard. It's a cute and cozy little read, with likeable characters. My favorite part was the recipe illustrations!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is everything I love! An adorable cozy fantasy with beautiful art. I loved Hadley, Juniper, and Fern. Im a sucker for sweet little graphic novels and this one hit all the points I look for. Sometimes you just need a soft story after reading things that are heavy. I feel like this would be helpful for lots of kids today, especially with the topic of gender identity and how you see yourself. Hadley and Fern in the little hats got me. And I loved the message of helping others and understanding differences while also coming to an agreement of how we can all live together. Cozy fantasy has slowly become one of my fave genres and I’m always open to books like these!

Book title: The Baker and the Bard
Author: Fern Haught
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is a story about a bard named Hadley and a baker named Juniper. They go on an adventure looking for glowing mushrooms to make for a customer at Junipers bakery. Along the way they find some adventure and forest friends. I liked the overall story and inclusiveness in the book.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC copy of the book.

I felt like not much happened in this graphic novel. The plot was very flat. The artwork wasn't my style either. I felt like some of the full page artwork wasn't as beautiful as they should be.

This could be a good story for children who was nonbinary and are looking for representation in a book, but I felt that aspect of the book was more of a throw in storyline as opposed to something meaningful to the story.

This story was very sweet and very simple. I had a great time overall and could really feel the cosy elements of the story. I definitely think the novel itself struggled due to its length, the plot was very linear, the characters and their introductions was very simple (although the non-binary mc made my heart very happy) and relationships were more told than shown.

However! It's still delightful and enjoyable and very quick - if you like 'the tea dragon society' you may find the same vibes here full of whimsy and queer delight. But especially, I think this story has a perfect home with a younger audience.

A sweet soft graphic novel about two friends that set on a journey to find some glowing mushrooms and find the Fae. This was darling. The pacing was a little odd but the cozy queer vibes are everything!

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Children’s for an eARC.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for a copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

Hadley and Juniper set off on adventure to find some rare mushrooms for their local bakery, in order to complete an extra special order for a wealthy customer. On the way, they run into a town that is having a mysterious issue regarding their plants being eaten. Hadley plays super detective with Juniper as their sidekick to solve they mystery!

Pros:
-Beautiful artwork
-LGBTQ representation
-The story is about baking and music, my 2 favorite things!

Cons:
-No world building. Drops you into the middle of a fantasy world
-Disjointed story telling. The beginning felt like it was the middle. There was not a great character introduction
-Everything happened for the characters so easily. It felt like there was a minor issue and the problem was solved right away
-No repercussions for dallying
-Insta love trope/No character development

Overall, I enjoyed the story. I think there could have been a bit more development to both the characters and the plot. It seemed like everything was way too easy for the character, there was nothing that really went wrong. There was also one page where the panels were not in the correct order, so that was a bit confusing. However, the story was very sweet and I think would be enjoyed by the YA audience.

3/5 stars

This comic has some of the whimsical energy of Tea Dragon Society, but the world didn’t feel as fleshed out to me. Things happen more or less for no reason. I found the conversation about gender (and the subsequent romance) jarring in how it’s addressed, because it was the only time that any aspect of the world was addressed outside of the immediate plot. It almost seemed like one of the characters was struggling with their gender identity before it was brought up, but if so, there was no indication of it. I hadn’t assumed a gender for either character so to have it be addressed all of a sudden as a potential point of conflict felt out of place.

Overall, the art was pretty and I liked the dreamy aesthetic. For me, cozy fantasy requires more focus on the characters, and the characters were rather vague in their development, hence my rating.

Thank you to the publisher and the creator for allowing me to read this comic as an ARC. 💜

Short, sweet, and colorful! I loved the fantasy elements, the small adventure, and especially loved Hadley's character. I almost wish it was longer, though, to flesh out the characters and world even more.

Arc from Netgalley 🙏. 4.5 ☆Lovely little story, love the non-binary representation! Very cute lil queer story about a baker and a bard on a quest trying to prove themselves.

This was the perfect cozy fantasy, slice-of-life graphic novel. The quest was so, so cute. I loved the queer representation in this graphic novel. The illustrations were gorgeous and really propelled the story forward. I would definitely purchase a copy of this book and any other graphic novel released by this author in the future. I will definitely recommend this book to all of my cozy friends.

WHAT A FUN STORY

THE BAKER & THE BARD gives the energy of if LEGENDS & LATTES was a graphic novel. It's a fun, quick read about two best friends going on an adventure to fulfill a unique bakery order and, in the process, helping the neighboring town solve a mystery.

This book has everything you want from a graphic novel--adorable art, wholesome characters, excellent humor--I really enjoyed it.

Hadley, the Bard, immediately made a place for themselves in my heart and I will protect them at all costs.

For a number of reasons, I wouldn't have minded if this story was a bit longer! There's no explanation, even a brief one, about how the magic works. Hadley seems to have magic, but Juniper doesn't. And the fey has magic, but theirs seems to be different than Hadley's. In addition, Hadley's goal in the beginning was to create music that made their audience feel something, and that was never resolved.

However, in all, this was a fun story that I'd definitely recommend picking up!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a cute little story. I loved the characters and the illustrations. The storyline felt rushed and I wish it had more details about the characters. The romantic interests of the characters seemed to come out of no where. I just wish there was overall more to the story then there ended up being sadly.

"I'm coming for you, adventure!!"
Oh my heart! Loved this cozy fantasy graphic novel. Juniper and Hadley go off to find a special ingredient for mushroom galettes that glow in the dark (and yes there is a recipe at the end of the book!), but are drawn into solving the mystery of who is eating crops in the countryside. The illustrations are so soft and beautiful, and the dialogue is often laugh-out-loud funny. Soon there is an environmental justice twist, a discussion of gender, and a dash of romance. What a wonderful YA read! Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read early. Highly recommend!

* Thanks Netgalley for the free e-arc of this book.

I really liked this heartwarming cozy mystery about Juniper and Hadley working in a bakery who are sent on an adventure to find the missing ingredient for a customer's order. I enjoyed the mention of magic and the way that they worked to help protect nature for Thistle and her friends. I also enjoyed how the relationship between Juniper and Hadley was able to develop more towards the end of the story.

The only thing that I did not love about this story was that the beginning felt somewhat rushed, especially when it came to understanding background about Hadley's performances.

Thanks to NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The Baker and the Bard" has a really cute premise: a baker and her friend (a bard) set off on a journey to find some special ingredient needed for a bakery order. It sounds like a really cozy and comfy premise, and it is!

However, I felt that the story was a bit rushed, and all over the place. I couldn't climb into the story and be apart of the world itself. There were some instances where a character or conversation just appeared seemingly out of nowhere, which took me out of the story a bit.

On a positive note, I really loved the sweet and soft illustrations, and fantasy LGBT themes are a personal favorite of mine, so I'll always love them.

This was a cute story about a quick little adventure between two friends-turned lovers. I felt like several of the themes were half baked and could’ve used some introductory scenes to set up a relationship between characters or show that Hadley is struggling with their identity in some way. It felt like these things were slapped onto the page and the reader just sort of had to go with it. I felt disconnected from the characters until the very end and they felt disconnected from each other until the end, when there were more scenes and conversations about their feelings and the world that they live in. The illustrations were very pretty and it was a sweet story, it just left me wanting more from it than what was given.

The images were cute but the story felt all over the place. They just randomly threw in topics that didn’t fit what was happening. I am not the age group this is aimed at but it still felt unfinished to me.

A lovely cozy fantasy perfect for some weekend reading! The Baker and the Bard will take you on a gentle adventure of pastries, foraging, and magical mysteries. Great for folks who loved Legends & Lattes and The Tea Dragon Society.

YA adventure | queer crush | non-binary main character | fairies | recipe included | transformations | coming-of-age | graphic novel