I was surprised at how involved I became in the world within this novel! We follow Wren and alongside her we learn about the political intrigue and the magic secrets of her world. In Wren’s world power is divided between the king and the guilds, each guild specializes in one type of consumable good (confections, spices, etc.). Throughout the novel it becomes clear that there are secrets around every corner, hardly anyone is what they seem, and Wren will have to take risks to decide who she can trust with her life.

I actually gasped a couple of times while reading this novel, sometimes because of disgust at a character’s actions and other times because I did NOT see what was coming! I am eager to read the rest of the series and see what will change as the power struggle (and the relationships) continue.

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book via NetGalley.

Really enjoyable story and I can not wait to read the next one. Wren has a Gift that is expressed when she makes confectioneries. She is then accused of murder minutes after finding out about her Gift! Suspicion and love join the story and it really is a perfect little book. 4 stars only because it didn’t have the wow factor for me but as I said, I can’t wait to read the second book!

This was an adorably sweet (haha, cupcakes) romance coupled with a mystery and wrapped in magic. While set in an unknown historical time period, it read as relatively contemporary, if not in a strange universe where magic definitely exists.

Wren is an orphan working in a bakery for slave wages. Life could definitely be worse, and at least she gets to use her extraordinary talent for baking every single day. She’s also not living on the street anymore. Things take a weird turn when she is questioned about a cupcake she made and then whisked (haha, baking joke) away from her “home” into a castle. There, things might have actually turned around for her, if she hadn’t quickly been accused of murder.

This book introduces a whole world of interesting characters – from her fellow guild members to the ruling class, all the way to her petty classmates. I was sucked into this world, no matter the time period. This is clearly the start of a brand new series and eagerly introduces relationship and builds the world around them. As a paranormal read, it is definitely unique and interesting, worth checking out, definitely.

This book wasn't at all what I've read before, and not even what I had expected. The writing was really good at times, I could feel Wrens anger and frustration about her situation. And at one particualr moment, when you read the book you'll know, she was just at her end. Lost pretty much everyone she's ever had a connection with. Didn't know what to do. And maybe that's why she's so tough, she's got nothing to lose.

I do hope we'll get to know more about her past in the next book. There were some hints about her past and even though there is a big chunk you read about, there are still huge holes and hopefully Wren will trust someone enough to tell them (and let the reader know). I can't wait for the next book!

I loved the premise of this book and it did not disappoint. It was such a unique and fresh take on young adult fantasy mystery.

You’re a wizard, Wren. Wait, no. Wrong book. But she can make magical cupcakes and get sucked into a fantastical world that we “normal” people just can’t know about. Just as she finds this out the Guildmaster is poisoned and murdered, with Wren taking the fall. Wren only has a month to assimilate herself into this new strange world, find allies, and discover who the murderer truly is before the inquisitor arrives to punish her.
I loved the writing style and the concept was unique. The main character could use some fleshing out, but it is the first in the series so hopefully we will see her grow. The side characters are all adorable, even the villain. I love how the author was able to take such a sweet (in the most literal sense) story and twist it around with murder and intrigue that keeps you interested and entertained.

First of all, let me thank Netgalley and Live Edge Publishing for the chance to read and review this book: The Confectioner's Guild by Claire Luana
As always, these thoughts are my own.
I give this story 4.25 stars.



Synopsis: A magic cupcake. A culinary killer. The perfect recipe for murder.
Wren knew her sweet treats could work wonders, but she never knew they could work magic. She barely has time to wrap her head around the stunning revelation when the head of the prestigious Confectioner’s Guild falls down dead before her. Poisoned by her cupcake.

Now facing murder charges in a magical world she doesn’t understand, Wren must discover who framed her or face the headsman’s axe. With the help of a handsome inspector and several new friends, Wren just might manage to learn the ropes, master her new powers, and find out who framed her. But when their search for clues leads to a deep-rooted conspiracy that goes all the way to the top, she realizes that the guild master isn’t the only one at risk of death by chocolate.

If Wren can’t bring the powerful culprit to justice, she and her friends will meet a bittersweet end.

Thoughts about The Confectioner's Guild:
Give me all the books about magical bakeries and confectionaries in the world. I adore this concept! The idea of baking magic into cupcakes, or infusing truthtelling into wine is fascinating to me!

I liked the characters in this story. Wren was sweet and timid but able to stand up for herself when it mattered. Hale and Lucas were charming. I wanted Sable as my own tutor.

Overall, I gave The Confectioner's Guild 4.25 stars because even though it's touted as YA, I really believe that the simplicity of the plot, worldbuilding, and structure lean it more toward MG. It was hard for me not to imagine Wren as a 13-year-old and the romance was awkward in that case. If this had been MG and written for MG, I would have given it an easy 5 stars.

I have to be honest here. What draw me in was the cupcake on the cover and the fact that there was magic in the world created by this author. And now, I want to eat a cupcake but there aren't any where I am. Dammit.

So anyway, I enjoyed reading this book and the journey the MC went on to discover who framed her and who was really behind the murder was interesting. I didn't know what to expect of this book at first but I ended up liking it.

This book was easy to read and fun especially when I wanted to find out the truth. However, I don't feel invested enough in the story/characters to want to continue reading this series but that doesn't mean I hated it. There were a few things that stopped me from rating it higher but right now, I'm really tired and can't remember. I think the romance part felt a bit forced at the very beginning. Also, some of the things that happened felt a little, idk, unrealistic?

Someone mentioned that the MC never really used her magic in this book and I agree. It seemed really weird not to use it, especially when she could have used some luck. But then again, it might have been too easy, you know?

(I received a copy from the publisher to review via Netgalley. Thank you!)

What a sweet story. I would love to be a member in the Confectioner's Guild, of course I wouldn't like to be accused of murder. And I definitely wouldn't say no to a caring man like Lucas. Heart pounding mystery with a dash of romance and a tyrant king, which needs to be overthrown "The Confectioner's Guild" is the perfect book to cozy up with on a cold, stormy night.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Live Edge Publishing!

At first this book intrigued me because of its content. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with a confectioners guild, or a book with magical cupcakes. Overall, I found this book to be relatively enjoyable. I thought the ideas in the book were cute, and reading it I had this fuzzy feeling in my chest. My only issue with the book is that some concepts are flatly laid out for the reader or a tad bit underdeveloped. It didn’t hinder the story much, but it is something to note. I definitely think this book would be enjoyed more by younger teens or people looking for a cute, simple, and easy read.

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I give the Confectioner’s Guild a strong 3.5 stars as it is a light and fun look at magic and conspiracies and romance and murder. Yes I just said fun approach to murder. 😂 but it is! It’s cleverly done actually - a murder mystery but also lots of baking and light fantasy. See? Fun! 😂

It did take me a while to catch up to what was going on, much like Wren, but I think it’s an approach that works. The baking is fun, and made me want to break my diet lol. The magic system is inspired as well, as is it all being a big secret. I like the way that all played into the conspiracy and crime aspects of it.

Wren is a hard character to get to know - we learn very little about her, and she is a little easily distracted by boys (ugh romance), but she is determined and focussed on getting the evidence she needs. Hale I quite liked originally, just because he was fun and silly, but I didn’t like him treating Wren like a play thing when she’d said no, and I didn’t end up liking him overall. And we don’t really learn enough about Sable to say anything. I think that’s my biggest complaint (other than romance lol) - you don’t really learn enough about any of the characters. Similarly with Lucas, he’s okay, but I don’t really see why Wren likes him so much. I did like his actions throughout though. And Callidus was probably the most interesting, even if his actions in the first scene are completely unjustified and stupid.

Given all that, I liked the set up and the tone enough to plan on reading book 2 - and I am definitely hoping for more of the political intrigue.

Plucked from the back of a baker’s shop and whisked away to the Confectioner’s Guild to meet with their leader no one is more surprised than Wren when he drops dead at her feet after eating one of her confection’s. Being a suspect for murder is a difficult way to start as the newest apprentice at the Guild. Wren is determined to clear her name and with the help of the lead investigator she starts to unravel a political plot that has her risking her life and his.

Wren was discovered and brought to the guild because of her magical creations. This discovery is pivotal and has the importance to change her circumstances but the murder of the guild’s beloved leader pits most of her peers against her except for a chosen few friends. I have to admit that I love anything sweet, so the scenes where she is baking away in the kitchen are among my favorites but this is a murder mystery, not a Master Baker exhibition. I liked the idea of a world filled with specialized guilds. I even liked that there was a bit of magic involved in this world, but wanted a little more explanation. I felt like this world that was kind of light and fluffy (except for the murder part) but still wasn’t as colorful and round as I’d have liked. The murder did add more texture and grit, but not depth.

I did really like the characters and this world full of craftsmen guilds intrigued me. This novel is just the first in the series, so there was a lot of set up and character building which may be why I thought the story felt a little light. My hope is that the characters settle in, grow, and become three dimensional. I’d like to see more of Wren’s magic since she is just now discovering she even has it, so keep those baked goods coming!

I received an ARC of this book for my honest review and it was honest

This promised to be a fun, fluffy fantasy with lots of sugary drama and angst! And it did come through for all those things, which I definitely enjoyed. It had winning characters and interesting murdery plot twists. And like, c'mon, people who can cook magic into cakes?! I LOVE that premise. Ultimately though,

I found it really hard to be super engaged because of the following reasons:

- Wren is literally GIFTED to be lucky. She can bake luck into cupcakes, but yet...she doesn't use it? She never bakes to help herself and she's literally being accused for murder so, um, maybe could use some luck right now?!
- The world building was confusing (to non-existent). Just naming a lot of towns doesn't make a world. I was particularly bothered by the off-handed inclusion of a POC race who were apparently conquered and then had their children stolen. That is REAL history and it's terrifying and disgusting, and then to just throw it into a book in 2 paragraphs seemed a huge dismissal to the history of stolen generations of POC children to white colonisers.
- Plus the use of calling brown skin "exotic" was not on.
- I was frustrated with Hale being very sexually free and applauded for it, but Wren was called a "slut" and "whore" frequently throughout the book. (Plus Hale's behaviour wasn't cocky or sexy...it was borderline predatory. I wanted Wren away from him. And later, when he thinks she poisoned a girl he loves, he abuses her physically and NEVER apologises.)
- It read like a fluffy adult romcom fantasy NOT young adult. Which is fine! I just hate when books are mislabelled.
- Marina is a character solely existing to be the "mean girl" antagonist...I'm so tired of girl-on-girl hate. Especially when it's for pointless drama. And the comments of Olivia (who is fat) being "wistful" about how Wren was so thin was degrading too.
- There is actually very very little baking here. I get that baking doesn't make a plot, but I don't understand why the heck Wren wouldn't bake magical things to SAVE HER LIFE.
- And SO confused about the deities?! What the heck was the "help us Beekeeper"??? And "you scared the sugar out of me". The latter was cringey and as for the former, I needed to be explained that their "god" was a "beekeeper" or something please. Because what.

There was still plenty to enjoy though, and I did remind myself that this IS a fluffy fantasy. And there is need for that! I tend to read more dark things, but I loooove cakes so much so this one really called to me! I think the plot was engaging and complicated, with lots of people being suspects. There was a huge cast, but I never felt confused!

Wren is a bit of a plain/sugary sweet character, but I did think she was winning. I enjoyed her developing romance with Luca, because I admit I thought it'd be a love-triangle with Hale and I was SO GLAD when it wasn't! Luca is sweet and pure and such a Hufflepuff. I definitely shipped them! (Though omg so confused at the final scene where they get ice cream and they GET THE SAME FLAVOUR?? What nonsense. Everyone knows you get TWO flavours and share.)

The writing was also fun and easy to be engaged with! The 400 pages really flew by and I found the ending satisfying although I can definitely see how it'd pursue onto future books.

(I will not be reviewing this publicly as I only publicise positive reviews!)

Initial Thoughts upon Finishing
This was such a fun read! I had no idea what to expect going into this but the blurb sounded gloriously lame and I decided that I was 100% up for some fluffy fantasy. AND YET, so much plotting and death happens in this book. Sheesh. Very enjoyable though and I'm quite tempted to pick up book two!

The Confectioner's Guild
This is the magical story about Wren. Once an orphan, Wren was given a chance to earn a living when a baker noticed her talent for making beautiful confectionaries. Unknown to her, Wren has magic and this magic can only be used by baking it into something.

One day one of her (unknowingly) magical cupcakes gets her into trouble. After being spotted for having the Gift - and her particular strand gives the eater good luck - she is recruited to the Guild. There are several guilds and hers in the Confectioner's Guild. BUT THEN, the guildmaster dies *drama* happy ending gone.

What follows is a weaving plot of mystery and intrigue as Wren fights a tight deadline to prove her innocence or have a false confession forced out her via torture . . . and then be executed. With some surprisingly serious and violent undertones, this book is a good laugh and shocking surprise at different times and we cheer on Wren - a hopeless, bumbling protagonist - as she tries to escape the executioner's block.

What I Liked
The best thing about this book is that it is good fun. There were definitely some sticky points (and a few typos in the book, but eh) and I'll discuss them in the next section. But overall, I very much so enjoyed this.

The mystery was a nice solid one. But I'm also terrible at guessing mysteries so maybe I'm not the best person to vouch for that. I was constantly guessing at who committed the murder and I did not guess right. As usual. But I enjoyed the surprise and loved all the tricky ways Wren and Lucas (the detective she becomes overly fond of) have to find proof.

I liked Lucas as well but I was sitting on the fence about whether I was committing to liking him as a character until the very last chapter. In all honesty, as fun as the romance was I'm not sure it really brought much to the story.

I also enjoyed the secrecy between the guilds and the messy history of the kingdom - with the way the Imbris' treated the peasant class and disputes over borders. There is definitely room in the next few books to expand on the world and I'm really looking forward to that. Some more travelling would be spectacular.

The best thing about this book, however, was the food. Not only did we get many delicious descriptions but the fact that magic is used within food. Whether it's confections, cheese or alcohol it was great. I loved it. I want magical truffles, please and thank you.

What Was Confusing
Wren is a likeable character - to a degree. She *did* annoy me at times and once we discover that her magical power is good luck it seems impossible that she could have such a run of bad luck. She was painfully slow at times to work things out (although characters consistently dub her as being fast . . . *confused face*) and I think a good word to describe how she exists is: kerfuffling.

I actually thought that the serious flashbacks we get and the level of cruelty in the book weren't very fitting. Whilst it was a delight to suddenly dive into some serious stabby-stabby scenes, I really wasn't expecting it from this book and can't decide whether it made me like it more or less.

There was too much sexual tension in this book. Not in an over-powering-Sarah-J-Maas way but in the way that there were one too many characters that Wren had to remind herself not to fall in love with. Hale, in particular, I did not like. And I did think the ending was also a little bit (a lot) weak. I was happy with how everything turned out but I was looking forward to a much more convincing finale.

Summary
Overall I thought this was a good read. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who's looking for some light-hearted fantasy with a pinch of seriousness. I'm definitely keen to continue on the series and explore more about the world and really liked the plot and the use of magic in food!

The Confectioner's Guild is a delightful mystery with magical elements. It is a light-read and action-packed throughout which makes it almost impossible to put down.

Wren is extremely skilled in making sweet treats, which is why a crumpy confectionery shop-owner Master Oldrick took her in from the streets four years earlier. Wren's cupcakes can work wonders but she never imagined that they might contain magic. Wren is swept up from Master Oldrick's shop to the prestigious Confectioner's Guild where she will join the Gifted. But then the leader of the Guild suddenly falls down dead before her. Poisoned by her cupcake.

Overall, the plot follows a rather typical mystery storyline but the Confectioner's Guild has something extra to offer: it is so silly. I was laughing with tears in my eyes at so many different points of the book. Most of the book's sillyness is thanks to Wren who is rather horny and very daft throughout the story. She is supposed to find the real murderer but she has a bad tendency of procrastinating this important task by fantasizing about every other male character she happens to meet. Also, she takes pretty long to understand new pieces of evidence; something new comes up and 20 pages later Wren still hasn't understood the importance of this new information. Usually I'm annoyed at characters who seem like they haven't got a clue but this time I found Wren pretty entertaining. 'I don't know who will discover the real killer but I know who definitely won't' became my own personal joke.

the Confectioner's Guild is not a literary masterpiece but it was really fun to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. An excert of the second book was included with my ARC copy and after reading it, I'm already excited for the next book in this series.

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book. The world building was interesting, the characters were amazing, and the politics were eerily realistic. I read the first chapter with a gap after, but then had to reason with myself to put down the book and finish my homework, and I could continue once my homework was done. Easier said than done. The mystery kept me intrigued, the characters were realistic and had me invested, the world building had me hooked. Honestly, if I could give this book 10/5 stars, I would. It was that good. I'm looking forward to The Confectioner's Coup, the next in the series.

Magic, Pastries and Murder; oh my!

It doesn't get much better for me than magic, mystery, mayhem and pastries. I tried for a better alliteration but pastries are a must here! My own business, once upon a time, was Lenasccc (Lena's Custom Cakes and Confections)! So maybe you can already see why I love this book so dang much.

The Confectioner's Guild follows Wren Confectioner, an orphan with a knack for making beautiful desserts with a twist. Unbeknownst to her, that twist is actually magic. With absolutely no time to process this new turn of events, Wren watches her new guildmaster drop dead after eating one of her cupcakes. Now a suspected murder, Wren must navigate this new strange world and figure out who the real culprit is before she is sentenced to death for a crime she's sure she didn't commit.

The main character's last name is literally Confectioner! Of course I had to get my hands on this book asap. So often books that incorporate food are of the cozy mystery genre; this was not the case. This is a fun and unique young adult fantasy story that had me racing to the finish line for the truth. There's plenty of mystery in this book to keep you engrossed until the very end. Speaking of end...the ending absolutely killed me! I need book two and I need it now!

Okay, back to the first book though, seeing as it's publishing in a couple of days from me writing this! I enjoyed the small amount of Romantic interest that Claire Luana included here. I didn't feel like it was forced or overdone and it definitely wasn't the main focus of the book. It was, however, borderline insta love. While that tends to be a bookish pet peeve of mine, I was able to overlook it because of how good the rest of the story was.

Luana is a brilliant writer that makes her story easy to follow and become totally engrossed in. Thank you NetGalley and Live Edge Publishing for providing me with an ARE in exchange for my honest review. Now, can I have book two please!!

So I went into this with minimal expectations but I felt well entertained throughout. The characters while relatively simplistic, all had their part to play with personalitites ranging from Lucas with his soft and marshmallowy demeanour to Callidus's unchippable marble exterior and venom spitting tongue. Everyone has a place and purpose. Except for maybe Wren's previous boss who seems to only serve the purpose of being a jerk to her in aspects of their involvement.

While the setting of the narrative is fairly generic, the reader's mind is frequently engaged with the vivid descriptions of various sweets. I mean who doesn't love thinking about cake and truffles, and eating cakes and trufffles. I may or may not have gotten hungry frequently for the entire duration of this novel.

The premise of the book, killer cupcakes, is an interesting one I have not seen before. Yes I have seen poisonings and various other foods such as wine and dinners being the culprit, but had i ever imagined noshing on the prettiest and immaculately decorated cupcake in existence and then sudddenly dropping dead? I can inexplicably say no.

While I enjoyed the novel, it did drag in places and therefore attracted a lower rating. At some points, I actually felt bored. At others I was caught unawares. It was however, overall well paced.

Would I read it again? Probably. Would I read its sequels? Definitely.

Actual rating 3.5 stars.

This book was so much fun to read. It was like a Harry Potter book with magical food! We get a fantastic and well-written story. It was very well paced. The world building was excellent. It had a mystery that kept me guessing until the end. A little romance. Some great friendships. A likable cast of characters (even if all of them acted a decade older than they were supposed to be). I enjoyed it a lot and can't wait to get my hands on the next book. This one gets two thumbs up from yours truly.

This book has so many of the things that I love to read, it’s got romance, it’s got murder, it’s got mystery, it’s got handsome inspectors and it has cake. I read this book in the car on the way to a work event and had to keep stopping to update the other people in the car with what was happening because I was having so much fun reading it! I haven’t read anything that was just silly and fun for quite some time and this was exceedingly refreshing.

Of course, it’s not all fun and silliness, there is murder involved. I am a long-time lover of the classic murder mystery TV show and this did feel a bit like that, with various clues being revealed in the nick of time and suchlike. I actually didn’t manage to guess the murderer before they were revealed, which was quite unusual and incredibly satisfying.

The worldbuilding in this book isn’t excruciatingly detailed (you know the kind of books I mean, where you have to read four pages twice to understand how the magic works) but it is interesting. It’s what I would call ‘need to know’ worldbuilding, where the reader discovers how the politics, magic and even the geography of the world work as and when they need to, as opposed to in one big info-dump in the early pages. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes that works, but in this story, the worldbuilding was handled just right. I thought that the idea of the various guilds and their allegiance (or lack thereof) to the king was really fascinating. I’d quite like a list of guilds or something – that would be interesting to know.

The romance is also quite an important part of this story. From the off, it’s quite clear that there will be a romance within this story and I was worried it would be something instantaneous, but actually, it builds really nicely within the framework of the story. Yes, it is cheesy at times, but that’s kind of what makes this book a pleasure to read.

The one thing that did bother me a tiny bit is that some of the descriptions take the food metaphor a little too far? Also, there is a whole bit with enchanted cheese that was quite important but I kept giggling at things such as (I’m paraphrasing) ‘I was still alert, the cheese had not worn off yet’ which somewhat ruined the ambience.

Despite that, I hugely enjoyed reading this book, I think it makes the perfect little comfort read and if you like this kind of story this is certainly a book you will enjoy. But don’t read it if you are hungry and don’t have any snacks because your stomach will rumble and it will be embarrassing in a car full of your colleagues.

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.