This was a super cute book that reminds me of sitting down to watch an episode of the Great British Bake Off. You can shut off your brain and enjoy what's before you without having to worry. I honestly didn't want too much to go on in the way of villainy. I just wanted to BE there. I'd even enjoy this as a slice of life series. Again, it was sweet. Forget stakes. Give me popcorn fiction with baking magic!

Deadly Sweet imagines a world in which witches are present, and have their own community but are also shunned by the population as a whole. Anise is an aspiring baker who wants to go to baking school, get more experience and have her own bakery with holistic treats. Unfortunately, being a witch also throws a wrench in her plans as witches are being discriminated against in the world. It is simply a story of a young witch who just wants to become an accomplished witchy baker, and simultaneously also avoiding any murder attempts. The villain of the story, though, turned out to be less dangerous than I hoped. This book was filled with awesomeness – yummy baking, action galore, and a journey of self-discovery for the very awesome Anise. If you don't care about baking, you're probably going to be bored. It's everywhere in this book, from descriptions of the things Anise is baking to the prose (at one point, her thoughts fly away "like baking soda on the wind.") Anise has pastry on her mind, and while I enjoyed it, I can certainly see where someone who's less culinary minded would find it trying. That being said, I still really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to see where Anise heads next.

IN SUMMARY: In DEADLY SWEET, Dodge crafts a fun tale about all things baking, finding yourself, and striving for your dreams, with a little bit of magic sprinkled on top. Though unfortunately its mystery is underbaked and its characters bland, the first in the SPELLWORK SYNDICATE series still whips up enough charm to satisfy.

(Do I regret the use of baking puns? Nope.)

MY THOUGHTS:

Whilst the execution is bad, almost terrible, DEADLY SWEET is still full of whimsy and charm that you end up enjoying it anyway. I so wanted this book to be better, plot-wise, but DEADLY SWEET so woefully lacks in areas.

Its mystery was extremely predictable. The end villain is so obvious that you almost want to throttle Anise for her blind ignorance, and because of this, the book’s stakes are simply not high enough. Why would I feel invested in the situation when the person causing chaos is so obvious to me?

The climax ended up dragging too, with lacking descriptions of Anise vs. the villain. When you think the book has hit peak, it tries to drag out the momentum, and I couldn’t really say what was going on. I ended up half-skimming.

The other main criticism is that the supporting cast are one-note. Mostly, Gabi, Blair, Agatha and the rest of the Syndicate. One word can be used to describe them, and none of them undergo any character development. Gabi in particular is just… there? She could’ve been removed from the story and nothing would’ve changed.

Though Wynn was the best in the cast. He didn’t have much development, but he eventually warmed up more to Anise than he did at the beginning of the story. His backstory is interesting enough to whet intrigue about his character, and the reason why he’s so aloof and stoic.

Anise herself wasn’t so bad either, albeit infuriatingly naïve. It was easy to relate to her plight, to her doing anything to achieve her dreams of working at the bakery. Her voice was unique enough and filled with so many baking metaphors that it wasn’t a chore to read from her POV. Her instant attachment to the villain is what, unfortunately, gave away the ending, but alas, one of the better protagonists I’ve read.

The writing isn’t the best, but, like I’ve said, its quirky and fitting for the tone. Maybe less of the swear words would’ve sold it for me, since swear words seemed so… misplaced? Like we’d get this cute metaphor about baking and then the s-bomb is dropped. Overall, though I don’t think it was perfect, it ultimately got the point across.

WILL I READ ON? Yes! The magic is fun and hopefully, with more screen time, the characters will flourish and develop. I'd like to know more about Wynn too!

I loved this book from the very beginning, I loved the story plot of the witches and warlocks living in a normal world and the difficulties they faced. You can picture every place described in the book and throughout the story you felt as if you were there in the bake shop right along with the characters. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series ! It will definitely keep you interested and guessing until the very end !

https://bookstalebyme.wordpress.com/2018/01/21/deadly-sweet-the-spellwork-syndicate-1-arc-review/

Deadly Sweet by Lola Dodge is the first book in the Spellwork Syndicate series, and my first book by this author. Anise Wise wants to attend pastry school, but she has been rejected because she is a witch. With no way to further her love of baking she goes to Taos and lives with her great Aunt Agatha. Aunt Agatha owns a magical bakery where witches openly use magic. What a great book, I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I recommend this book to all who enjoy paranormal/fantasy and mystery books.

I was given a copy of this book for a fair and honest review.

I've loved all the Ink Monster published books so far. This one was another fun story. Anise is a good heroine and I really wanna know what happens next. I can't decide if I like the dynamic between Anise and Wynn yet.

Baking and magic?! My two favorite things came together to make a great quick read.

I need more Wynn! I really liked how mysterious he was and I can't wait for the second book as it seems like this will delve much deeper into who Wynn is and the background of his contract.

The magical world of Taos was built very well and really made me feel like I stepped into a witchy amusement park. The only thing I didn't love about Deadly Sweet was that we didn't get a ton of information about Anise's mom and her past life in Taos. We get little hints of things that happened in the past, but it seems like there is a much bigger story there and should definitely be explored.

Overall I would give Deadly Sweet 3.5 stars and I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Having read previous stories from this author, I had high hopes for this book.  And, for the most part, they were met.

The characters were age appropriate, dealing with usual high school drama, albeit in an unusual setting.  Add to that the magical threat, as well as the new life and background that Anise has to comes to terms with, and you might think that there's a lot going on with this book.

And, you'd be right.  Obviously, given that this is the first in the series, there is a lot of world building that goes on.  But for me, this was balanced just right.  Not overwhelming, but enough to be able to connect with the story and the characters.

I'm intrigued to see where this series is going to go.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

Witches, Cake and a Warlock on the loose! This book was so much fun to read! If you have a sweet tooth you'll love all the baking in it. I really don't know how I will survive waiting for book 2 of this series. Some parts of the story are very predictable but it didn't bother me because I liked our stubborn and yet mostly reasonable Anise a lot - despite her stupid decisions now and then - and even more I loved Wynn. I so so so want to know his secrets and see him more fleshed out in the next book. The small hints we are given about him seem to hide some sad truths and I felt sorry for him without even knowing the least bit of his contract.

Deadly Sweet is one crazy cool book if you are into modern witches and bakery stuff, with a hint of romance. It's not flawless but I enjoyed myself so much my cheeks turned red with excitement.

Desserts and magic tick the boxes for me! While I could have used a little more magic, this one series opener was satisfying and the descriptions of sweets helped sweeten me up.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ink Monster for the opportunity to read and review Deadly Sweet by Lola Dodge! Anise wants to be a bake chef for a living but she’s having difficulties being accepted into college. After she causes a large fire at the fair, Anise believes that her future is over until her Aunt Agatha reaches out to her to become her new apprentice. A new world opens up for Anise when she reaches the magical community where Aunt Agatha’s bakery is located. Anise is able to attend college, make friends and is even given a bodyguard for her protection. Because Anise is Agatha’s niece, she’s considered to be rich and therefore in danger of being attacked. Little does she know that a warlock is after her and is willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. The magical bakery makes the whole setting fun and the suspense and danger build as the story is told. The fun setting and loyal characters make this read a sweet treat worth 4 stars.

Review found on https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

I cracked the lid and gaped at the hodgepodge. There was one bottle of water— brown water—along with bunches of herbs, a tube of crackers, jars and jars of pills, a block of chocolate , plastic bags, wet wipes, gauze, earplugs, and a glass of tiny red toads and grass with holes cut in the lid.

I must’ve interrupted Lonnie’s scavenger hunt. Otherwise, why?

Anise wants nothing more than to go to culinary school to bake delicious treats infused with her brand of kitchen witchery- but all she has gotten is rejections. Fearing that she will be forever forced into hiding her witchiness and working in a grocery store bakery, Anise sends a last chance email to an estranged family member who owns one of the most successful magical bakeries. When she hears nothing back, she accepts a rare offer to hang out with coworkers, her night ends up in epic disaster- but Anise also received an invitation she has waited her whole life for.

​Anise and I had a really rocky start for me predominantly due to her lack of confidence. She was a quiet, shy creature, most likely due to her upbringing and most recent rejections, but I just wanted to shout at her to stand tall and be herself. I was as proud as a momma-bear when she learned her own powers and talents as the book progressed, figuring that she would be herself and others could accept her as is or go away. There, my friend, is some woman power!

To be perfectly honest, Wynn, aka Sleeping Beauty, was my favorite character! No he is not the narrator or particularly a main character, but an incredibly important side character who stole my cold heart. He was mysterious, prickly, judgy, suspicious and ever so protective- such a strong, self assured person, pretty much the opposite of Anise really.

​I highly recommend reading this book with some sort of sugar concoction because I can 100% guarantee that you will​ crave cake, pie, candy...any and all baked goods, really! Lola was able to describe the treats so amazingly that not only could I see how drool worthy they are, but I could practically taste them and feel the sensations they were enchanted with. Seriously, I need some cake, STAT! If Anise was a real person with a real bakery, I would be her best client...and probably weigh 500 pounds.

Just read a snippet of the description and tell me you don's desire this:

There were piles of baklava dripping honey and happiness. Massive meringues puffed up with prosperity spells...
When I managed to suck in little blobs of air they tasted like toffee, mocha, caramel, and fresh strawberry. Every sweet looked like a piece of art, decorated with black gum paste flowers or precision-placed sprinkles.


This is actually my first book by Lola even though I have been eyeballing the Shadow Ravens for a long time and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to jump into her writing with such a fun, yummy adventure! Deadly Sweet is just the start to this world and I am excited for more.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book

This book is the first in a new series. Anise wants more than anything to be a baker, but no one wants a witch baker; everyone is scared of witches. Her only hope is her great aunt who owns a witch bakery, but her communications go unanswered. However, unexpectedly, her great aunt needs an apprentice and Anise will fit the bill. Anise fails to get the reasons behind the sudden opening, and her life is a stake. Can she find out what’s going on before she’s toast? I really, really liked this fun mystery. I can’t believe how intriguing the characters were, and I really enjoyed the setting. Anise’s passion for baking really shown through, too, which made me want to bake. The mystery was great, too, and kept me glued to the pages to find out what was going to happen. I do have to confess I’m still not exactly sure what the villain was angry about, but in no way did it affect my enjoyment of the book. I can’t wait to read more in this series! Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and Ink Monster LLC for the e-copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

Lola Dodge’s Deadly Sweet is a really great and unique first entry in The Spellwork Syndicate series. It’s a quick but fun read with a decent plot and great diverse characters.

Our protagonist is teen baker and kitchen witch Anise Wise who has spent her life hiding her magic. She dreams of going to pastry school but is constantly rejected because people are terrified of witches. After her powers cause a disastrous accident, she escapes to New Mexico to apprentice in her great-aunt Agatha’s magical bakery. After years of seclusion, Anise is finally surrounded by an exciting world of magic. However, there’s something brewing. Agatha’s former apprentice mysteriously disappeared, and now, someone wants to kill Anise!

This book is so unique! Dodge does a great job of shaping this magical world. I know a lot of other readers want more details about the magical world. However, the book is well-balanced and there is enough information to keep me interested but not too much to weigh down the plot. While the plot is a little predictable, the book is fast-paced and entertaining. The delicious descriptions are wonderful and I really appreciate the cute dessert puns.

Anise is a wonderful and well-developed protagonist. I like how relatable and realistic she is. She tries to solve the mystery without going overboard and I really like that she makes mistakes because, after all, she’s just a teenager!

I love that there is little romance in this book. Instead, Anise learns about herself and her magic and tries to fit into this new world. Too often, young women’s storylines are reduced to romantic relationships while downplaying personal growth and platonic relationships and I’m really glad Dodge avoids this here.

I really love that most of the supporting characters are strong and fascinating women. I’m so happy that Deadly Sweet has women of colour playing major roles because YA lit is usually sadly very white. However, I would have liked more depth to certain characters like Anise’s new friend, Gabi, who seems to have a fairly major role but appears too sporadically.

However, I do wish the mystery was better crafted. The villain is obvious and their intentions could have been clearer. Additionally, certain aspects of the mystery are vague and didn’t seem to fit together very well.

Deadly Sweet is a deliciously entertaining and quick read filled with interesting characters. While the plot could have been a little stronger, I still love this book. Although this is a YA book, I think this book is perfect for both teens and adults who love cute and easy reads filled with fun, baking, and magic. I would definitely recommend this book and I cannot wait for the sequel!

I received a copy of Deadly Sweet by Lola Dodge from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Ink Monster LLC, for the opportunity.

What first grabbed my attention on NetGalley was the cover, I mean, did you take a look at that gorgeous thing? Hello! I requested access and crossed all my fingers, toes, and eyes that I'd be granted access to this purple literary gem. And I was! I was cutting it close on the publication date but I read Deadly Sweet in two sittings and only two because I fell asleep at 3AM Saturday morning reading it. Then as soon as my errands were over for the day, I settled in to finish the final half of the book that night. And I loved it.

I enjoyed my time reading Deadly Sweet, it was a relatively relaxing read with an easy to follow storyline. Anise and her fellow characters were nicely developed and they each had their own personality and tone of voice. She made some friends for the first time in years and she even managed to get a smile from the assigned bodyguard who has a perpetual scowl on his face. Most of all, Anise got to bake her heart out in that drool-worthy kitchen.

Deadly Sweet was well-written and very entertaining, from the immolation at the County Fair to the Thriller dance at the sleepover. The descriptive details in Deadly Sweet were pretty good. I loved the eclectic architecture of Witch Way. I truly appreciated how Ms Dodge showcased the eternal bonds of true friendship between Nora and the friends she'd lost contact with 20+ years ago by passing them on to the trio's children, Anise, Blair, and Gabi. I could tell that Lola Dodge put a lot of her own experience into the culinary aspects of Deadly Sweet, nobody knows the baking world better than someone who's actually been there and done that. I fell in love with Agatha's kitchen and would love a chance to cook up one of my special recipes, maybe my chocolate bourbon pecan pie with a good fortune spell slipped in with the caramel?

What I didn't like is that Gabi is introduced as this friendly and bubbly girl and it seemed that the author was building up for Gabi and Anise to become bosom buddies but then, she pretty much disappeared for most of the book. I'm hoping that Gabi has a more active role in the sequel.

It was rather obvious to me who the Big Bad was but I enjoyed Anise's journey to discovering what I already figured out. It was like watching one of those cheesy horror movies where the entire audience is telling the vacuous blonde not to go investigate the creepy basement alone. I found myself yelling at my kindle at two in the morning, telling Anise not to do the thing that will probably kill her.

I enjoyed Deadly Sweet and I look forward to reading its sequel when the time comes. But throughout the book, there was also something missing, and I know not what, that made me incapable of falling truly madly in love with the story.

All in all, I'm going to give Deadly Sweet 3 out of 5 stars. I'm totally going to buy it and reread it in a few months, but it's not a contender for my Top Twenty Literary Loves.

"Deadly Sweet" is the first book about Anise Wise, a young witch that would love to make baking her job, but can't find work or go to pastry school because most people are afraid of magic users and shun them. When she gets the chance to be an apprentice to her great aunt Agatha, a powerful woman who owns a magical bakery, Anise is happy to grasp this opportunity with both hands - at least until she finds out that her predecessor went missing and nobody is quite sure what happened to her. And she appears to be the next target...

I was curious to read this book, mostly because the idea of "baking with magic" intrigued me - even more so since magic is often only used for big stuff like fighting battles or protecting some important person/artefact. This is of course fine, but I like it when magic is a central part of witches or wizards' lives and they use it for little things as well. Because of that, I couldn't wait to see what magic system the author would use. As I expected, I enjoyed this aspect of the story very much. It is fascinating to see magic being used to make cakes or to see what has to be considered to make a truly magical pastry, but I have to say that I wish there had been more about magic itself.

The spells that are crafted are very interesting and I loved to see what powerful witches could do, be it small things like making cupcakes that can cause happiness or bigger matters like keeping someone safe. Still, the focus of "Deadly Sweet" is the baking, mainly because the protagonist just began her training and has to start from the bottom up. The descriptions of the delicious pastries Anise was creating (or helping create) made my mouth water and it was nice to get all the details about it, but I hope book 2 will have more background on the magic system since I'm still not totally sure how everything works.

Most of the characters in this book are female, which is kind of to be expected in a book about witches, and I enjoyed that there are lots of strong women who were ready to protect one of their own in trouble. Anise herself is a nice enough protagonist; sometimes I thought she was terribly naïve, which was sort of understandable considering how she grew up, but it still annoyed me a bit when she was inconsiderate of the very real danger that surrounded her. I DID like that she never wanted to give up, her determination that she would succeed, no matter what and her immense will to prove everyone that she was worthy of the opportunity she had been granted. All in all, she has a well-rounded personality with strengths and weaknesses and I can't wait to see how what happened to her in this book will influence her in the future. I'm also curious about the different background stories of secondary characters and hope that the future instalments will give us more information.

The plot kept me engaged from the first page onwards and provided a nice mixture of dangerous moments and the peace and quiet of baking which worked well for me. I have to say though that I found it easy to discover who the opponent would be and in the end, I'm not sure if his motive is totally convincing to me. Another point of criticism would be the inclusion of a love story. It bugged me a bit and it seemed to distract from the main plot, even more so since I just couldn't see why Anise was interested in the guy she was falling for. Therefore, I detracted 0.5 stars, but I will definitely read the second book to see what happens next.
3.5 stars

This book was so weird and confusing to me that I didn’t even really get into it!

Deadly Sweet is the first novel in the Spellwork Syndicate series. It is a story about a young witch who wants nothing more than to attend college and become a pastry chef. I thought it was a really cute story with a nice magical touch. I would have loved to experience a little bit more of the magical world, but it was still thoroughly entertaining.

The novel was a little on the short side, but I enjoyed that because I thought all of the information included was pertinent and not too much fluff. The story was slightly predictable, but it was really cute and I didn't mind that I could figure out most of the mystery before it occurred. I loved Anise's character and I really enjoyed the fact that she was pretty ordinary. Yes, she was a witch, but she wasn't a prodigy or princess. She was just a young girl who wanted to live a somewhat normal life as a pastry witch!

Overall, Deadly Sweet was a fun and entertaining read. It was straightforward and had steady pacing with interesting characters. I would recommend this novel to readers who enjoy YA fantasy. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series when they are available. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 3/5

Mix delicious cakes and frosting with spell-binding magic and adventure, add a pinch of intrigue and this is a treat readers won't want to miss.

Anise carries the perfect name—she wants nothing more than to be a baker with her own shop. Too bad, she's a witch and is shunned by anyone who notices. Colleges won't accept her, bakers don't want her. . .the only place she finds a job is decorating sheet cakes. When her silly magic gets the best of her, and she's about to end up in jail, a long silent aunt comes to her rescue. Anise escapes to an all witch area and finds her dream job as an apprentice in the town's most successful cake shop. But things aren't all sweets and dreamy spells as death knocks on her door and someone wants to kill her.

This author is slowly becoming one of my favorites as she adds yet another terrific tale to her list. Unlike the last one I read from her, a compelling science fiction series, this dive into flour and whisks has an entirely new flare. . .and sits. It's a delight to be submerged into a baking world and experience Anise's enthusiasm for cakes. (Who can blame her?) Her disappointments and mistakes make her human, while her excitement and determination make her easy to root for. She does make sometimes bad, gut decisions which aren't always thought out, but then, this is a YA novel.

Although there is action and scenes full of tension when Anise's life really is on the line, it's balanced out with a playful spirit of fun. There's never a boring moment and Anise has to fight for every success, big or small. Her group of friends is a little odd, and it's fitting to the scene. The witches are strange to Anise and presented that way to the reader. Trust isn't instant, but friendship is true and blue. It's just a matter of figuring out whose intentions are good and whose are not, which is not an easy task.

There's a special spice with Anise's bodyguard, and the relationship is refreshingly different. Lots of secrets still need to be exposed in this area as well as many others. In other words, book two promises to be just as intriguing.

I received a complimentary copy through Netgalley and enjoyed it enough to want to leave my honest thoughts.