Cozy fantasy Great British Baking Show-- low stakes but still diverting. MC is a human baker just trying to make it by in a world where humans are looked down on as lesser by other races of classic fantasy creatures. Her neighbors (gay orcs who were probably my favorite characters) sign her up for a baking competition, which she get accepted to; a hot elf man comes to pick her up to give her a ride to the competition and flirting ensues. Will she make it to the competition in time? Will she be successful? Will she be able to open up her own bakery? Will she accept the love of the hot elf?

Of course, to all of the above. This was like a Hallmark movie in cozy fantasy book form.

A baking contest similar to The Great British Baking Show with elves and other magical creatures? Yes, please! This was such a sweet, cozy read. I couldn't put it down. The characters learn about themselves and how to be understanding and inclusive. Great message wrapped in a lighthearted story!

Great British Bakeoff (or maybe Bakeoff the Professionals) meets DnD in this super fun book. There's a bit of romance, a lot of friendship, and what sounded like absolutely phenomenal baking. A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic is a good palette cleanser if you need it in between darker stories. But it's also just a fun book on its own. It reminded me a bit of Legends and Lattes with more emphasis on romance, so if you liked those books, give this one a try.

It took buying the second book to get me to FINALLY read this one, but better late than never/good things are worth the wait/etc.

I am OBSESSED with this cozy fantasy & looking ahead to the rest of the series, that won't change any time soon. I'm even more excited for the rest of the series than I was about this one.

I will say, the storyline was simple and predictable, but in a way that's cozy and comforting rather than boring. If you're looking for complex commentary on the world through fantasy, this won't be for you, but Arleta's growth is compelling and I'm looking forward to the other characters taking center stage in their own books as we've seen them start to grow already.

AND THERE ARE RECIPES! I want to make them SO MUCH.

I did receive an eARC of this, so thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing that!

5 stars accompanied with tea and pastries/5

4.5 stars rounded up.

The Great British Baking Show set in a world with dwarves, elves, and orcs as well as humans! As a human, Arleta Starstone has a distinct disadvantage in the world of baking: no magic. Her natural talents, stubborn nature, amazing herb garden, and a whole lot of hard work have turned her into a world-class baker nonetheless, but anti-human prejudice is a steep hurdle to overcome. Arleta's honorary dads (the orc couple next door) are her biggest fans and secretly enter her into a big-deal bake-off, and when a handsome elf arrives to escort her to the competition, she battles her fears and insecurities to take her place among the realm's elite bakers--the first human to do so.

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary, setting secondary, with story and language also strong. I can't recall any violence, swearing, or sex scenes, but I read it a few months ago and may have just forgotten something minor. Warning: it'll make you hungry!

Many thanks to Netgalley & the publishers for providing the free eBook copy I devoured.

A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic is the perfect book when you want something heartwarming and sweet.

Arleta loves to bake, but she lives a small life. Her parents died when she was younger. Her next door neighbors, who are ogres, helped her settle her parents' estates, and now dote on her like fathers. But selling pastries and sweets at the local market is never going to help her buy a storefront and have her own shop.

One of her neighbors enters her in the huge baking tournament, put on by the large elf city of Langheim. When elf Theodmon "Theo" Brylar comes to town to give her the invitation to compete, she refuses to go. She's stuck on the fact that she's not magic. But the contest isn't technically closed to humans, even if none have completed before. The handsome and kind Theo convinces her to try, and whisks her off to his homeland.

There, Arleta meets Doli, a dwarf who wants to leave the mines, and Jez, a fennex with an attitude. Then there's the reigning champion, Taenya, an elf with something to prove, if not for herself, then for her family. The baking contest gets hot quickly, but who will win the money?

There is not a lot in this book that isn't predictable, but it is as soothing as warm milk and a cookie. I loved reading it. Cozy fantasy lovers will want to pick up this excellent book!

I got the first book in this series from NetGalley because I was absolutely pulled in by a cozy fantasy plot revolving around a baking contest. I ended up binging this in a day and I immediately went and got the second book, which is about family and a dragon! I binged that one as well and I’m hooked and can’t wait for the next book!!

In the first book we follow Arleta as she is entered into a magical baking competition. Even though she is human and has no magic of her own, she bakes with the best of them and makes new friends along the way. Each book of the series follows a different friend, as they all end up in the same town (Adenashire) after the competition ends. The second books follows Dolí as she has to deal with her visiting parents and the dragon egg she just inherited from her uncle. This series is cozy cozy cozy and I’m obsessed.

A baking competition for people who love fantasy and magic! A nonmagical entrant gets accepted for the first time in, well, ever. Arleta Starstone sounds like she could have wizarding blood but her last name is from a generations ago adoption into that family. She's struggling to find her way in the world and somehow ends up being in a baking competition, escorted by a dreamy elf. I loved it. It was adorable and so hopeful.

This was such a warm and whimsical read.
The world of Adenashire is a delight, and the diverse, found-family cast made my heart full. I love a good cozy fantasy where the stakes are personal, the friendships are a main focus, and there's plenty of potential in Adenshire for this to be a place I'll return to.

That said, I did find myself getting a bit tired of the MC’s repeated “we can’t be together because I’m human” angst. It felt a little forced, especially when the connection was otherwise sweet and steady. Still, it didn’t take away too much from my enjoyment

Overall, a charming start to the series. Definitely one for fans of low-stakes fantasy, loyal friendships, and soft magic.

[Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC with honesty.]

Apologies, this took me longer to read then I thought. The story had a fun premise of a magical world and the competition of baking. What's more to like?

This was a fun read. While it did take me a moment (mood reader woes) to get into, I ended up reading it in one sitting. The characters, the world and of course the baking competition were fascinating to learn about. I did struggle a bit with Arleta and her constant backpedaling of self doubt. I completely get why she was that way and am aware it was part of the character development. It just felt disjointed at times when she'd suddenly lose the progress she made two seconds ago only to be fine the next. It could have just been my perception of it but it also didn't distract me from the story either.

Overall, I did enjoy my time. I liked the humor and parts of the different characters but I didn't quite grasp the romantic aspects of this. Good fantasy cozy time though to step into another world and read about competitive baking.

My Rating: 3.75 (rounded up)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this as an e-arc.
Once I started this book, I binged it! So dang cute!!
If you liked Legends and Lattes, you will love this one.

This was a quick, easy read for me in a good way. I love baking shows, a little bit of drama, and a surprise romance and this book had all three! Some very cozy vibes and I can’t wait to read other books in this world!

4.5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the editors for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I just love those cozy vibes of books with bakeries and coffee shops, the way they described her bake goods.
I was so invested on this I had to take my Kobo to the spa so I could finish it

THANK YOU TIMES A MILLION TO POISONED PEN PRESS FOR SENDING ME THIS ARC! Genuinely, I feel so honored that you sent this magical, delicious, unputdownable gem into my hands to read. It's PERFECT! I genuinely have no notes beyond, please send me everything from J. Penner in the future, because I am salivating for MORE <3 P.S. I am buying several copies of this for my business for book boxes. Thank you!

I fell in love with this book. The cozy low stakes fantasy was just the pick me up I needed. Every time I see someone looking at this one in the bookstore I tell them they need to read it

A cozy fantasy book, featuring Arleta. She's a fantastic baker, but as a human with no magical powers she faces an uphill battle on the big baking competition.

It's a cute story and the baking descriptions make you hungry. However, the storyline isn't super memorable.

If you love watching baking competition shows on TV, this makes a great weekend read.

This book should come with a warning to make sure you have eaten before reading! The descriptions of baking and food were phenomenal! Such a lovely cast of side characters as well to round out the whole book to be such a fun, cosy adventure!

This was such a great entry into the "cozy fantasy" genre. There were minimal stakes, with just enough plot to help the reader through the book. The characters were so much fun to get to know. I cannot wait to continue to read more in the story and continue to see the growth that the characters go through. A must read for anyone looking for a light fantasy to read this summer!

This was a super cozy cute read. I really enjoyed the characters and the world Penner built was a delight to experience

This is peak cosy fantasy! Mix great bristish bake off and in elves and orcs and you have this amazing book! I loved the romance, setting and the characters. A quick, cute read!