Borrowed Audiobook By: I started to listen to audiobooks in [2016] as a way to offset my readings of print books whilst noting there was a rumour about how audiobooks could help curb chronic migraines as you are switching up how you’re reading rather than allowing only one format to be your bookish choice. As I found colouring and knitting agreeable companions to listening to audiobooks, I have embarked on a new chapter of my reading life where I spend time outside of print editions of the stories I love reading and exchange them for audio versions.
I currently have subscriptions to both Audible and Everand (previously known as Scribd) as well as Spotify whilst I used to borrow audiobooks via CloudLibrary and occasionally Libby (though the latter rarely has books I’m interested in reading). I regularly purchase audiobooks via Audible whilst for other titles which are part of the Plus Catalogue of audiobooks, I can ‘borrow’ them as part of my subscription. Similar to how Everand works as well as Spotify. Spotify does limit how many hours you can listen to audiobooks per month whereas the limits are higher on Everand and Audible. So far, it has always worked out for me as a listener though this is the first year I’ve attempted to listen to audiobooks on Spotify.
As I listened to an audiobook copy of “A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking” as part of my subscription to Audible, I was not obligated to share a review on its behalf. I am sharing my ruminative thoughts for my own edification and for continuing to share my bookish and readerly life on my blog Jorie Loves A Story and/or on social media of my choice. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
And, so it begins! Happy #SpooktasticReads:
I happily listened to A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking whilst #SpooktasticReads was getting underway this year and I couldn’t be more delighted to announce it was my first listen to finish, too! Except to say, it took me a bit longer to finalise the review on its behalf because it became a bit of an emotional read for me and there were portions of the story, I listened to quite extensively without writing any notes down. As I was colouring as I listened, I also made a lot of progress in my Halloween themed colouring book – full of sugar skulls, pumpkins, haunted houses and other delights which befit a Halloween colouring adventure! Laughs.
The main reason it took me awhile to reconcile my emotions with the story is because I had a rather hard-hitting week at work. I was filling in for different people and working extra hours as a result and at some point, the exhaustion won out over anything else. By the weekend, I felt done in and had a long satisfying rest to recover my energies and spirits. Also, this story starts out with such a burst of hilarity I wasn’t quite prepared for the shift in gears to where it took such dramatic turns in the story – both for the characters themselves and for us as readers listening to the narration. You sort of get caught off-guard as there is so much humour laced through the opening bridges of the story until everything gets turnt quite serious and then, there is less to laugh about truly as it is a very serious story by all counts.
I was just lost in this world – completely consumed by the vision Kingfisher had for it and rallying behind her characters who had the odd stacked against them and never once felt like throwing in the towel without at least attempting to survive despite the realities of what they were facing. It was a very strong message about coming together as community and fighting fiercely for what you believe in whilst never allowing your enemy to get the better of you either. There were supporting characters who were equally quirky and courageous whilst the persons in power were humble and vulnerable like the everyday citizens of their kingdom, too. It was a very well-rounded tale and one that I felt was wickedly narrated too.
I will definitely have to purchase this audiobook at some point because it was definitely a beloved read of mine this #SpooktasticReads and I was quite chuffed it was available to listen to via Audible’s Plus Catalgoue! Quite the find, indeed! Thereby if you’ve been wanting to listen to this story yourself – it is on Audible but it is also available through Everand, too.
This story took the award for BEST Young Adult Fantasy
and BEST Audiobook Narrator for 2024.
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking
by T. Kingfisher
Source: Audible | Subscription
Narrator: Patricia Santomasso
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 9781614505242
ASIN: B09FNLS5RY
on 12th October, 2021
Format: Audiobook | Digital
Length: 8 hours and 30 minutes (unabridged)
Published by: Tantor Audio | @tantoraudio via Insta
(a subsidiary of Recorded Books)
Follow the author: Site | Insta
Formats Available: Trade Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook
Converse via: #YAFantasy + #AudioReads, #Audiobook
and #SpooktasticReads or #SpooktasticReads2024
my review of a wizard’s guide to defensive baking:
The irony of the opener for this story is how the character is actually contemplating the blessing of having found a dead body than having to deal with zombie-fied crawfish and frogs! Laughs. You know quite immediately when the story opens this is one novel which doesn’t take itself too seriously. The wit and humour are ever present and despite the young age of the protagonist – they felt older and a bit wiser somehow as I didn’t quite believe they were only fourteen!
She is truly bemused by the situation at hand – not just for what she’s discovered but for the moment in which she finds herself at a mental crossroads. Whether to dig further into that moment or just take it as it stands and let it ride. She had the fortitude to brace herself for what she was experiencing but she also had a bit of toughness in her too. Apparently, she was on her last effort to become a wizard, and her last resort was set in a bakery where she was attempting to master the art of sorcery which involves bakes.
The witty quips are quite prolific, and I felt set the tone for Kingfisher’s own sense of humour as she peppered her story with lots of lovely takeaways. By the time Aunt Tabitha arrives to take stock of the discovery of the body – Mona is completely beside herself and quite taken aback when her Aunt instructs her to bake sweet buns for the constables about to arrive. She’s all business and sensibility about it whereas Mona is still quite a bit in shock and dismay. I admit, if someone asked me to bake something whilst a corpse was present, I might think they had gone a bit batty or mad, too! And, of course this left Mona alone with her thoughts – the kind of thoughts which tuck you round a lot of crazy theoretical explanations without any actual proof of what occurred. All Mona was accomplishing by that kind of thought was a series of untethered theories as her mind caught inside the mystery of how a dead body ended up in her kitchen. Yet, it was quite engrossing all the same – as what if one of those thoughts were closer to the truth than the other? What if it had been murder!?
I thought it was clever how Mona persuaded the dough to be more amiable than tough and how she charmed the dough to bake themselves into perfection rather than burning in the oven. It was the kind of witchcraft that is more intuitive than physical, and I liked how natural it felt rather than something that felt a bit odd or forced. Of course, if she hadn’t been mentally distracted by the body in the kitchen, she might not have overworked the dough in the first place but that of course lent itself to a more interesting experience for us as readers and listeners.
Hearing about the long history of sourdough starters was not new to me as I have oft wanted to start baking bread but haven’t had the ingredients to attempt it. I researched starters and learnt that they can live for years if you protect them right and feed them well enough. However, learning how the starter in this story has evolved into its own creature named Bob was quite horrific on one level and quite uniquely interesting on another about how sometimes magic can find a new way to surprise you! Bob of course takes on a more seriously important role latter on in the story, too.
The gingerbread men who come alive was wholly unique as well. I liked how we progress into the story through Mona’s memories and how her story is shared by how she grew up in the guidance of her Aunt Tabitha but also, alongside the many mistakes she made as a wizard-in-training baker! Mona explains how it takes loads of practice to get the ingredients to behave in the ways she would prefer them too. That’s the trick of being a magicker (a term used in the story to reflect those gifted with magical talents and powers) and sorting out how to hone your talents in a world where no training is ever provided. Whereas the Magi who serve the Duchess (the greater wizards of the realm) are in a class by themselves. This is why it was of great surprise to find that Mona was being sent directly to the Palace of all places soon after the inspectors were called to take care of the deceased!
One of the things I loved about Mona’s character is that whilst she was at times self-decrepitating, she spent the rest of the time bolstering her internal courage and bravery! She was a bit like Pollyanna in that respect – seeing the glass half full rather than completely empty and choosing to focus on the positives rather than the grim reality she was facing. Especially true as she travelled to the Palace – from the uncomfortable coach she travelled inside to the secured room she was placed inside on arrival. Mona refused to see her situation as past all hope and that spunky optimism was one of the best threads of the story.
Her audience with the Duchess was quite interesting because despite being the figurehead of power in the story – the Duchess had a kind heart and could easily see through the unnecessary removal of Mona from her life as a baker. The man who brought her to the Palace was most disagreeable but to see the Duchess have a strong mind and her own voice was a winning point for Mona. Mona herself was quite in shock about all of it but what I loved most was her answer to the enquiry the Duchess made about her activities as a magicker: I make bread. Meaning that all the magic Mona has within her to use is literally only able to be applied to what she can bake and that made all the difference during this enquiry with the Duchess. I for one was hoping Mona would find compassion and understanding but it felt better knowing that the investigator was outed for his absurd haste and prejudice towards Mona, too.
This is definitely a story of errors and left turns – as you never quite know what is going to happen next and for that matter, neither does Mona! After finding her innocent she was unceremoniously let go right before an epic downpour and left to find her way home by herself – which I felt was a rather sad state of affairs. As it surprised me that the Duchess had given her the benefit of the doubt in respect to her wizardly bakes but didn’t offer her a safe passage home? That seemed out of character but then again, so much about Riverbraid isn’t always revealled. Riverbraid is the towne in which Mona lives, and it seems to have different layers to it – in respect to areas of living and also of the hierarchies of power.
The one character who takes you quite by shock for what she does for a living is Knackling Molly. Let’s just say it involves what becomes of dead horses but thankfully Kingfisher only describes it ‘so far’ and doesn’t go past the point where it would be more horrific. Molly was the only person who talked to her on her journey home and perhaps the only one who would have recognised her given that she was walking through all the elements and hadn’t any provisions to sustain herself either. Molly also tipped Mona off about ‘the spring green man’ and that seemed to be a vague warning about something that might bring more danger and trouble to Mona’s life.
On arrival back at the bakery the story takes a more somber tone as Mona realises the girl, she found in the bakery was named Tibby and her brother, Spindle was searching for her and hoping to find her alive. As Mona spoke with the brother, she realised he wasn’t yet prepared to hear the truth and circumstances about his sister, though no one could blame him as no one is ready to let go of someone they love and care about. He was the one who clued Mona into the fact magickers were at risk and that harm was coming to them. It wasn’t a very well-known fact in Mona’s life but apparently for Tibby and her brother, it was an alert that many were becoming familiar with and were trying to stay guarded against. You felt for Mona – she’s still a young teenager herself and she’s thrown into such an adult world of intrigue, suspense and suspicion whilst trying to defend herself too.
Mona was a magicker who was still in discovery of her own talents – when she started to muse about having the ability to make her own golem, I could tell she was worried that perhaps her baking wizardly arts might have a whole new level of skill and that perhaps she wasn’t quite ready to embrace the prospect of how far her talent could take her as a magicker. I would think it would be quite difficult to know your limits if no one ever explained them to you. It would be quite dangerous to do anything on the offset chance you might do harm more than good as well. A difficult balance of choices I felt were bestowed on Mona. Whilst at the same time, she was putting together the pieces of how emotions can influence actions and that felt right somehow with other stories about magic I’ve read or listened too.
There was a definitive shift in the storyline – where Spindle joins forces with Mona and they both have to run away from the ‘spring green man’ who is decidedly very evil and has ill intentions towards them. It wasn’t revealled until lateron who he was exactly, and it was quite the unsettling news finding out his truer identity, too. Bob the sourdough starter has the tendency to steal his own scenes and gives you a lot of good folly to chase after as you find yourself full of smirks whenever he’s around. One of the more endearing moments of course, is when Mona would have the gingerbread man on her shoulder. He was similar to a witch with a black cat – as he was her familiar. The antics he would get up to and the ways in which he watched over her was a delight of joy.
On the run from the constables gave Mona the freedom to self-study and practice her magic with dough – as she previously had a small bag of tricks when it came to what she could create magically to life at the bakery. In solitude and in hiding, gave Mona newfound confidence to do things she normally wouldn’t have tried to do as there wouldn’t have been a point to it. In that respect, it showed how magickers really were given an injustice in this world. They weren’t meant to explore their magic but rather live with whatever magic they had naturally come across to be inside them. As I observed Mona sorting out how best to wield the magic into the dough it gave a new layer of insight into Kingfisher’s vision for this story. You also had a healthy appreciation for dough and starters and the ways in which you need to understand the art of baking.
Molly herself was inspired to seek out the truth of what was happening all around Riverbraid as this was becoming a larger issue and problem which was starting to affect them all. Behind all of this was an ever-evolving political conspiracy which had very high ties to the political system in this world. The magickers were the targets and that is why Spindle and Mona had to find a way to have a private audience with the Duchess. It was only her Uncle Albert, who was not as focused on for most of the story who understood her issues with how people react after the arduous moments you survive in life. He was a very profoundly inspiring character who I think was a bit underserved in the plot. I wish he could have had more time with Mona and Spindle alike as he was natural parent and guardian.
By the time you find yourself caught inside an insurrection with Riverbraid under siege – your just not ready for it! Especially as it set into motion an emotionally gutting of an ending! The bravery of Spindle and Mona working together and separately was quite incredible but so too, were the people of Riverbraid. They had a conviction of belief that nothing was ever quite impossible even if the enemy is starting at you and you refuse to give up in the face of battle. Again, this story is such a strong one to listen to and to unpack as it has so many wonderful moments inside it to contemplate afterwards. My heart was still with this world even after it concluded. And, again, – due to how gutting the ending affected me, I was quite without words how to describe what I was feeling. I felt a bit like Mona actually – we survived and now we just must carry-on.
on the creatively witchy styling of t. kingfisher:
You’d have heard my giggles and smirks and laughter the entire time I listened to this wickedly delightful story! Kingfisher has a way of charming her phrases into an immediate fit of laughter for the listener, too! I am sure it would translate just as hilarious if you were reading the story in print. Her words and turns of phrase are simply wicked brilliant and give a delight of their own to the reader who finds her stories. The lighthearted manner in which the story was told was just the cuppa of joy I needed in my life this year and that is why I set my sights on having this as the first audiobook I’d listen to as we chase after #SpooktasticReads and kick of the lovely readathon properly with a story which simply bewitched me start to finish!
There is a darker element within the context of the story – there are a group of bandits who plunder townes and kill all the residents and cause chaos inside this world in a way that has a rippling effect on all the other townes as their not sure if they will be next in their line of sight. It is a hard world to sort out from that angle – as part of the world is full of people just trying to live their lives and do the best they can as they live whilst the other half seem to work against that rule and seek only to disrupt and destroy. The magickers themselves are not immune to danger and also seemed to have a mark against them altogether – as if their lives were not as protected as non-magickers. Or at least, not the magickers who had lesser-known abilities or less important gifts. Which spoke to a hierarchy within the magic wielders of this world.
Visually Kingfisher alights you directly into the adventure Mona is having – using such alarmingly accurate visual details to describe the shader parts of Riverbraid and the conditions therein. She has a cheeky humour threading throughout the story, too, which I felt would give even a YA reader a good cackle of joy to read vs just having adults enjoy the story. Although I believe the main target audience is a Young Adult reader, so much of the story is definitively an adult story, too. It isn’t that the story is pessimistic but rather more like a series of adverse events which continuously grow more dire as the timeline shifts forward.
I am thankful I had my first encounter with golems through my reading of The Golem and the Jinni (see also Review) – however, Kingfisher re-approached this from a baking perspective, and it worked so brilliantly into the folds of the story. She also spun on its head the concept of ‘familiars’ for witches and of course, outfitted her story with so much baking wizardly arts that I was happily glued to my earphones listening to the narrator reveal all the lovely bits which made this story such an #unstoppablelisten!
In regards to the audiobook, directly:
I am appreciative of Ms Jess providing a cursory outline of how best to articulate my listening hours on behalf of this audiobook and the others I shall be blogging about or reviewing in future. I’ve modified the suggestions to what I felt were pertinent to respond too on my own behalf as well as keeping to the questions I felt were relevant to share.
Number of Times I’ve heard the Narrator(s):
This is the first time I’ve listened the narration styling of Patricia Santomasso.
Regards to the Narrator’s Individual Character performances:
Mona: She doesn’t have a lot of self-confidence – both in life and in baking despite being wicked talented in the latter! She is a magicker and one who can charm bakes into doing her will, but she doesn’t see the gift she has as anything useful unfortunately and that plays out in how the narrator performs her voice. You can tell straight-off she’s betwixt and between accepting herself and having confidence to hold her head high.
Aunt Tabitha: A rather foreboding character – definitely one you don’t want to broker against as she isn’t one to suffer fools.
Uncle Albert: He had such a winsome voice and a kind spirit about his character. I truly loved his scenes and wished he could have been included a bit more than he had to be honest.
Secondary characters:
The Duchess: She had such a kind voice and personality. She was a thinker and observer of human behaviours and she ruled with a sharp mind. She had different layers to her and blessedly those were seen as the story moved forward. She was one of my favourite characters aside from Mona.
Knackling Molly: Her character and voice stood out to me because she was given a different kind of accent than the other characters. She was definitely the type of person who knew everything and knew everyone – she had eyes and ears which knew more than you might first realise or at least that is the impression she gave you.
Spindle: (Tibby’s brother): His voice was higher pitched than Mona’s and he had a sadness within his voice which I felt was aptly portrayed by Santomasso.
The Spring Green Man: His voice was especially well recognised as just hearing him, you knew he was the villain in the story.
I appreciated all the characters Santomasso performed – whether they were heard for just a scene or a sequence of scenes. She gave such life to each of the characters – minor and supporting alike that it felt like such a well-rounded cast of voices to pull you further and further into the story. She layered her performance well by alternating between Mona and the voice she used for the narrative bits – where she was vocalising the story itself rather than an individual character. She has a wicked cadence to her voice that suits this story quite well too.
How the story sounded to me as it was being Read: (theatrical or narrative)
What I liked about her approach was her confident delivery and how she etched out such a strong presence of character quite out of the gate! The story opened and as soon as you heard her narration you felt ever present and anchoured to the setting and the story. That’s sometimes a bit of a hard feat to produce and a lovely surprise for the listener. Her voice wickedly performs the exasperation of the character too whose quite befuddled about finding the dead body. I loved listening to her and feeling out the setting at the same time through her narration. That’s also a credit to Kingfisher who beautifully etched out everything for us to see and hear and observe.
Regards to Articulation & Performance of the story:
Her instincts for personalising the experience for us by how she took-on Mona as a character, too, was quite a lovely feast for your ears, too. She was quite entertaining as she was endearing and that was a winning combination for me. You felt almost immediately endeared to Mona through Santomasso’s voicing of her and that left me wanting for more even though I realised this was a one-off novel.
Preference after listening to re-Listen or pick up the book in Print?
I am not sure I would enjoy reading this story as much as I did listening to it. There is such a strong presence of the story and the characters’ through Santomasso’s performance that it leaves a strong lasting impression. If I were to read it in print it might even become a different story altogether. I definitely highly recommend this to be heard rather than read.
In closing, would I seek out another Patricia Santomasso audiobook?
Most definitely. I am not sure which kinds of audiobooks she narrates, and I would hope to find another one in the Fantasy genre as I can attest, she’s wicked brilliant at bringing these stories to life.
Reading this story contributed to
my #SpooktasticReads readings:
| READ JORIE’S #SpooktasticReads TBR wherein she announced her first reads for the event |
Enjoying my fantastical reviews about the worlds of Fantasy?
Ever since the beginning of Jorie Loves A Story, I have embarked on a Quest to seek out stories within the worlds of Fantasy which would heighten my awareness of the genre and give me wicked good reads – across the subniches of a genre I’ve loved since I was seventeen. Every May, I happily co-host @WyrdAndWonder – whilst throughout the months of the year, I regularly read & discuss the Fantasy reads I am discovering.
Visit my full archive for ALL my #EnterTheFantastic wanderings! As well as take a walkabout through my archives for #WyrdAndWonder – or take a walkabout through my archive for everything deemed wickedly fantastical!
We’ll be sharing our #SpooktasticReads prompts via #bookstagram as well as celebrating the ‘spookier side of Fantasy’ on our book blogs. Join your hosts: Imyril, Lisa, Jorie, Annemieke and Ari as we sort how to rock out our Autumnal event as we chase after Halloween!
Spooktastic Reads is Wyrd and Wonder’s autumnal ghost, 13 days to share the thrills of dark fantasy, paranormal romance, ghost stories, urban legends, all things Gothic and even a side of horror for those who dare. – as revealled by Annemieke
Last year, I compiled a bit of a back-history of #SpooktasticReads on Jorie Loves A Story which you can happily re-visit by reading this lovely post! We look forward to sharing this journey with you via Discord, BlueSky and Instagram socially whilst we’ll be looking out for your posts on your blogs if you choose to explore this side of Wyrd And Wonder with us, too. If you’re into pre-planning and sharing what you’re going to be doing in October, be sure to tag us socially and/or share links in our comments via our blogs so we can visit with you and see what you’ll be doing, too!
To get a bit of an inkling of what to expect from me this year, kindly visit my previous #SpooktasticReads posts. Remember: I originally created this as a personal readathon and concentration of certain kinds of stories before I pitched it to become a part of Wyrd And Wonder wherein it took on a new life of its own over the years to become what it is today. I am very proud of its history and humble origins as much as I am wicked happy it developed into a lovely addition to our Wyrd And Wonder community. I’ll be talking a bit more about this history of #SpooktasticReads and the stories I’ve read over the years as the 2024 event gets underway in October.
This review is cross-posted to Library Thing.
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