A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic

A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic (Adanashire #1)- J. Penner

Poisoned Pen Books

Release Date: April 15, 2025

Rating: 📚📚📚 (3.5)

Synopsis: In the heart of Adenashire, where elfish enchantments and dwarven delights rule, Arleta Starstone, a human confectionist works twice as hard perfecting her unique blend of baking and apothecary herbs.

So when an orc neighbor secretly enters her creations into the prestigious Elven Baking Battle, Arleta faces a dilemma.

Being magicless, her participation in the competition could draw more scowls than smiles. And if Arleta wants to prove her talent and establish her culinary reputation, this human will need more than just her pastry craft to sweeten the odds.

While competing, she'll set off on a journey of mouthwatering pastries, self-discovery, heartwarming friendships and romance, while questioning whether winning the Baking Battle is the true prize.

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In a world where just about everyone has magic, human baker Arleta Starstone works twice as hard as everyone else to try and keep up. An orphan since 16, she keeps her emotional walls high and accepts help from no one, usually including her friends and neighbors the orcs who took care of her after her parents died. She's determined to make it on her own, seeing it as emotionally safer. When her neighbors enter her in the annual Baking Battle Arleta isn't sure she should accept. Magicless people aren't welcome and it probably won't come to anything. Why risk it? But Theo, the elf who delivers her invitation, encourages her to accept as well and Arleta decides to take the chance. It's a whole new world for her, with new experiences, new friends, and the chance for romance as well as winning the Baking Battle- if Arleta is willing to be brave.

Hands down the best parts of Fellowship were when it focused on the baking. Arleta clearly loves baking (the author too I think!) and without going into deep descriptions that send the reader off topic we get the sights and scents of home baked goods and showstopping cakes that make you want to run down to the kitchen and start baking too! 

Fellowship is a small, cozy world with lots to unpack and the author lets you do the unpacking yourself. Arleta and Theo travel together and have some equally delightful forced proximity/kindness to others on the road moments. The prejudice between some races (elves against everyone else and everyone against humans) shows this is not a perfect world, but there are plenty of secondary characters who show that this prejudice is not something everyone approves of. We could see more of that social change in future books in the series. Secondary characters like Doli and Jez (Jez especially) were fun and brought extra depth and personality to the story. Arleta had a lot of growing to do over the book and she had a tough time doing it. But I think she's someone we can all relate to- someone who has such a set idea about herself in her head that it is tough to accept all the evidence that something else, something positive, could be true instead. 

I'll definitely be on the lookout for more books in this series when they come out. A fast and fun read that should make you smile, A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic is best read with a hot cup of your favorite drink by your side, and some scones or cookies to help when the food cravings hit. Be sure to check out the recipes at the end!

I received a DRC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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