The Fellowship of Bakers and Magic is a story as charming as it’s title. While reading this I felt as cozy as it promises, just like if I were watching The Great British Baking Show. There were all sorts of magical creatures, a love story, and various low stakes drama. I enjoyed it enough that I will want to continue the series. Do not skip the bonus chapter after the epilogue - I loved it.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

This book COULD have been a five star read, easily. The concept is so cozy and the vibes were fantastic. Great British Bake Off but make it a cozy fantasy with elves and orcs? Yes. Immediately yes.

I still really enjoyed it. The setting was perfect and the side characters complemented the story. I struggled with the main character. Is she magicless? Yes. How do I know? She says it every other sentence. Her feelings gave me whiplash and her indecision had me putting my kindle down and rubbing my face more times than I could count.

If she would have just… made a decision without the back and forth in EVERY SINGLE chapter, I would have given this five stars. I do want to read the next installment because Dolli is perfect!

Thank you first for ARC copy! This was a delightfully cozy read! Fans of Legends and Lattes will have an amazing time with this one. Beware though, it’s gonna make you hungry! I think I wanted to try every single treat in this book, but especially those raspberry thyme cookies!

I ate this cozy fantasy up! It reminded me of the uplifting feeling I had while reading Legends & Lattes. As someone whose comfort shows include The Great British Bake Off and Gilmore Girls, this was exactly what I needed during the transition from winter into spring. It had that welcomed fairytale predictability. It’s a gentle, heartwarming story that wraps you in comfort.
There’s a sweet romance, but the true standout was the friendships Arletta forms during the magical baking competition. Her bond with her kind, neighborly orc father figures was touching enough, but once she enters the competition, she meets a cast of whimsical, supportive characters who cheer her on as she strives to become the best baker she can be, despite being a non-magical human in a world of magic.
This was the perfect easy, palate-cleansing read after some heavier books. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for something feel-good, low-stakes, and soothing. It is a great brain break when you need a bit of joy. The ending especially tugged at my heartstrings, bringing together a found family of former strangers, rivals, and unlikely friends. I adored every minute of it.

Everyone stop what you are doing and go read this book RIGHT NOW! This was the cutest book I have read in such a long time. If you are a fan of The Great British Bake Off and you love fantasy, you absolutely MUST read this book. This has become an automatic comfort read!

Arleta is magicless, but she is certainly not without magic. When she finds herself entered in a baking competition against those who are magical, the only thing she can do is prove her worth with her baking. And boy, does she ever! At the surface, this book is about a human in a magical baking competition. At its core, it’s about fast friendships, love, grief and healing, pursuing your dreams, and finding your own magic. The only thing wrong with this book is that it ended.

✨This ARC was provided by Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.✨

I absolutely adored this super cosy fantasy. Fans of Travis Baldree's legends and lattes will love this take of a human baker competing in a baking contest for magical beings.
The characters were delightful including the supporting cast of characters the fantasy world well written and the story compelling enough to make me want to continue the series.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the eARC!
This was so magical and cozy! I loved the baking element and the descriptions of food. It takes a lot of talent to describe food so vividly and J. Penner certainly has that talent! The relationship was also cute, although it had fairly minimal development. Overall this was a cute and cozy read!

✨ Review: Bakers & Magic by J. Penner
Rating: 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐

A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic serves up a cozy, whimsical story filled with herbs, hope, and baked goods. 🧁 It’s a sweet blend of fantasy and food—a human, a fennex (a fox-like woman), and a dwarf in a magical bake-off 🍰🧝‍♀️🧙‍♂️ plus a cute love interest sounds like the perfect recipe for a charming adventure. And in many ways, it is.

The strongest ingredient in this tale is definitely the baking. The descriptions of pastries and herbal infusions were mouthwatering and comforting. 🥐✨ Arleta’s journey as a magicless human in a magical world had its emotional moments—especially when facing prejudice. But it was never deeply explored, and I wish that part of her arc had gone further.

One recurring theme was Arleta’s self-doubt—so much of it that it started to annoy me. Quotes like:
“No magic runs in my blood. That I am less.”
“Theo should not travel this path with her. She was a magicless human, and one with a propensity toward chaos.”
highlighted her insecurity—but they came up again and again. I found myself frustrated that she couldn’t see her own worth for so long. I wanted her to step into her power earlier and believe in herself.

That said, I appreciated the themes—self-worth, chosen family, and defying tradition—but the plot felt predictable at times. The romance didn’t quite sweep me off my feet. Even sweet moments didn’t really hit the emotional depth I hoped for. I wanted to feel something more, but the spark just didn’t ignite for me.

That said, the book is a relaxing read—easy to follow, filled with light banter, and sprinkled with wholesome moments (and literal sugar). 🍪 If you’re in the mood for a comforting, low-stakes fantasy filled with baked goods, sweet friendships, and just a touch of magic, this might be the right flavor for you. 🍰✨

Tropes you’ll find:
🍰 Magical Baking Competition
💕 Fated Mates
🧙‍♀️ Magicless in a Magical World
🐾 Found Family
🌱 Grumpy/Sunshine-ish friendship
🏡 Small Town Fantasy

CUTE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF VIBES BUT THE ROMANCE WAS LACKING

As a GBBO fan, the cozy baking vibes were great. However, I found the romance lacking.

What I liked

👍GBBO:The cozy baking vibes were great, I enjoyed the competition and the description of all the baking and the cakes, of course.

👍Side characters: My favourite characters were, without a doubt, Doli and Jez. They brought a lot of personality to the story, which I felt was lacking from the main characters.

What I didn't like:

👎Arleta: I found Arleta flat and boring, nothing relatable or likable.

👎Chemistry: For me there was no discernable chemistry between Arleta and Theo. They had very few interactions, and hardly any romantic ones.

👎Theo: On the subject of Theo, he bored me as well...

👎Ending: Such a rushed ending that didn't feel genuine or believable, even for a fantasy book.

3,5 stars

Previously self-published self-named cozy fantasies are getting a platform with the publishers and that is never a bad thing. A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic is one of those. It is a cute fun read but I missed a bit of depth.

We meet Arleta as she dreams of opening her own bakery in the empty building in her town. But as a non-magical human she is often looked down on and has to pay higher rent prices. Secretly her neighbors enter her in the most prestigious baking competition. When she is accepted a world opens up for her outside of her little town.

This story is a cute feel good read that will leave you hungry (and thank you author for the recipes in the back of the book). The depictions of the baked goods was great and made me hungry. I could also appreciate that in a world that has such a focus on magic, magic was not allowed in the bake. And this way we as reader can also recreate what was being baked. I think that also made it easier to be drawn to all the baked goods.

My biggest complaint about this book is that it is all a little too perfect and it does not have enough depth. You have to wonder about the reality of these characters. And of course, elves, dwarves etc. But I mean how real they feel as characters. Arlette feels a little too perfect. She doesn't think about herself even once. Not really. As soon as there is a chance to push something towards someone else, she does it. She does not at all improve on this either. Adding on to that, I missed a bit of depth in the characters personality which probably makes them feel too perfect. While Arlette clearly still mourns her parents, I would have liked to have there to have been more in her personality. More will to fight. And this also really counts for the love interest. What was his personality, really?

Regardless I did still enjoy this read once I didn't focus on what I mentioned above. But it is a shame because it could have been amazing.

This is probably the quickest I have finished a book this year. I absolutely devoured it. I'm going to try my best to make this review "brief" and spoiler-free [I am absolutely dying to just straight-up rant].

➵ Arleta Starstone

I loved her character development, particularly with what she did in the final round of the Baking Battle [even though I was initially upset about it and part of me feels like she could've helped Taenya some other way]. I guess it was necessary though, for the storyline.

My one [and possible only] complaint about Arleta was how she handled everything with Theo. Forget the Baking Battle, she was more likely to win a contest for "most mixed signals sent". I understand where she was coming from and why she did and said some of the things she did but it would not have been necessary if she had just shown a bit more maturity and tried to communicate. It was off-putting but negligible so it didn't ruin the book for me.

➵ Theodmon Brylar

The way I could describe this man to anyone with no additional context and they'd immediately guess that he's fictional because hello?? Wife me up??

I loved that he always put Arleta first—even when he didn't have to—and how he never questioned her thoughts or her hesitance regarding their relationship, choosing to put her comfort over his own feelings. And when he stood up for her in front of his mother?? I was practically shouting at Arleta to claim him before I did😭🙏

“...And my garden?” “It's so large because every time I plant something new, it is for you.”

“I have known and loved you for a hundred lifetimes.”

“And I will be yours whether or not you want me, until I am no more.”

“You are everything I will ever want. You are magic—more than magic...Being with me or not is your choice. I cannot and would never attempt to make it for you.”

💘

Not necessarily a complaint, but I could not connect with his appearance, meaning I had no idea how to imagine what he looked like. This is particularly a fault on my part because when I first read that he was an elf I immediately pictured Santa's elves and the image just stuck 😭

➵ The plot

I don't really have much to say on the plot because I feel the book was more character-driven than plot-driven. I do wish the writing was a bit more descriptive regarding the plot and the world-building but it honestly wasn't that noticeable since the book was a smooth [and very cozy] ride.

I haven't really read many books that contain "found family" but this book made me realize just how enjoyable this trope is and that I need to pick up more books like this.

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC!

I loved this fantastical book about an underling who competed in a baking competition and came away with so much. No spoilers here! I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s character development and fantastic descriptions. I look forward to reading more of these spectacular books! Thank you to J. Penney, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press of Sourcebooks for the opportunity to review this book.

This a cozy romance story, it's short, sweet and full of yummy recipes. The characters are easy to relate to and you find yourself cheering for Arleta all throughout the competition.

This was a cute, fun, cozy read which I enjoyed. I enjoyed the baking battle and the storyline and concept as it was something a bit different to what I usually read so felt more original. I was impressed with the writing style and loved the cozy world building and how creative it was.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, but I can also understand the reviews of people bit vibing with it. This is definitely a cozy fantasy with no high stakes, but I was okay with it in this one. I loved the found family and I really liked the love interest. I'm not usually a fan of fated mates and instalove, but it worked in this book for me because it was so cozy, I think. Legends & Lattes was kind of just okay to me and I think I liked this one more.

Some things in other reviews I can agree with: for discussing magic so much when it comes to being allowed in the baking battle, I would have liked to have seen more elaborate recipes. Now, I do understand that they are ones the author made intentionally for people to be able to make them at home since the recipes are at least in the newest edition. But it still would have been nice to see something more magical. And for wanting her "secret ingredients" so much, she didn't really use them?

Arleta, the main character, is very negative. Even for me, who suffers with these kinds of thoughts, it was very hard to read and I just wanted to shake her for most of the book. For a lot of it, this seemed to be her whole personality and it just felt too much.

It's very quick and easy. If you like cozy fantasy and baking, I'd definitely suggest giving this a try. I can't wait to read the next one.

"I suppose you want another?" Arleta teased."For the rest of my life." There was an uncomfortable pause before Theo let put a hearty chuckle. "I mean, yes, please."

The description of the bakery good is more oversimplified than expected compared to reading books that are based around the boom fantasy and non-fantasy book.

Sometimes, the story is overplaying with reminders of elf powers.

The part where Arleta meets her neighbor Jez it the writing sounded more cliché the one that you would see in the Wattpad story.

Shalina somehow embodies typical a Korean mother-in-law and a teenager at the same time.

Overall, there are some scenes that felt cliché and I felt there is something missing in order to gove the story a 5 stars. I enjoyed  the pacing of the story, and I like that the outcome of the story lines doesn't end up cliché . A wholesome story.

3,5⭐️

This is a cute cozy fantasy about a human girl who is joining a baking competition with a lot of magical creatures.
Meeting new people and finding her own path in life.

It’s definitely a cute feel good book. If you love books like legends and lattes, you will like this book as well.
Personally I loved the main character Arleta. She’s funny, she’s smart en she’s an amazing baker. The side characters were funny too. There is a tiny little bit of romance in this book. Which I didn’t expect.

I just couldn’t really feel a connection with the characters. Which made it sometimes a bit boring for me. And a bit slow. And I actually spend longer on this book than I expected because of that.
The overall vibes are so cozy which I loved. So I ended up still rating it 3,5 stars.

I received this book as an ARC through Netgalley. This is my honest opinion.

For a book with “baking” in the title, there is a noticeable lack of actual baking. The few times that Arleta is actually in the kitchen, we don’t get decadent descriptions of her craft but curt and vague generalities.

There’s no suspense either. For a baking competition, I expected a build up to the finale, waiting with anticipation to see who won. It was all very anticlimactic and… boring.

I really like the concept and overall it was a cute read, but it could have really been phenomenal instead of just okay.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

The first part of the Adenashire series is a delightful cozy fantasy novel. The story takes place in a magical world filled with elves, dwarves, and orcs. Arleta is a human baker without magic, trying to find her place among all the enchanted talent.

The characters are all interesting and well-developed. The story is full of unexpected friendships. Doli the gnome might just be my favorite character — she brings a lot of humor and warmth to the story.

On top of that, reading this book will definitely make you hungry, because the descriptions of Arleta’s pastries, cakes, and pies are mouthwatering. A lovely extra touch is that the book includes a few recipes at the end, so you can try baking for yourself.

The book ends with a hint of something exciting still to come, so I’m really curious to see how the story continues in book two!

A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic is literally like a season of Great British Bake Off, but in a magical realm with all kinds of creatures. There's a sprinkle of love, friendships, and familial support.

This feels like a cup of tea and a blanket to snuggle in on a dreary day. It's so comforting.

It was very much a cosy fantasy novel, I liked it.