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.

This is undoubtedly one of the coziest, most adorable books I have ever read. Magical creatures, a baking contest, and a good-looking Elf MMC, who, in my mind, was Legolas. It was such a perfect escapism from this crazy human world I currently reside in and I would love to find a portal and transport to this world immediately.
What to expect:
Magical world
Baking Contest
Trials
Adorable love story
Found Family

Thank you so much to Poisoned Pen Press for my EARC.

This was so cute! I loved "the great british bake-off" vibes along with a cozy romance and the fantasy elements.

The recipes at the end were such a delightful touch, I may actually have to try and bake them.

Oh, this book. THIS. BOOK. J. Penner has skyrocketed to the top of my auto-buy authors list, for sure. A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic gave very similar vibes to The Spellshop, which is one of the best cozy fantasy books of all time! The rest of the books in the Adenashire series cannot come soon enough. The world needs more books like this one. I am so grateful to have received an advanced copy of this book. Thank you, NetGalley!

3.5 stars rounded up

I think this is pretty fun and cozy, if you like Legends & Lattes, you’ll probably like this, the vibes are pretty similar. I really enjoyed the recipes at the end of the book and I look forward to other books in the series.

But I (personally) didn’t really care about the romance between Arleta and Theo, I would have had all that cut so we could have more of the Baking Battle which we don’t really get to until about halfway through the book. I also just generally felt like Arleta was a very kind of mopey character for most of the book and then out of nowhere she does a 180 at the end.

Not my most favorite cozy fantasy but it’s definitely a contender.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have been reading a lot of tragic books lately, but it was very nice to read a book that was short and sweet. Everything about A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic was perfection. From the beautiful descriptions of food, to the found family, and the utterly adorable romance. This was a wonderful read. Arleta is a fantastic main character that I loved following on her journey towards finding her true identity and falling in love. Arleta is a human living in a magical world. When she is suddenly thrown into a British baking show type competition she begins to realize that all the things she has been told about humans not having talent in the baking world were lies. Gaining friendships and the confidence to find her flavor of life was such an enjoyable experience. Theo are main male character was confident and wonderful, giving her the opportunity and encouragement she needed to be her best. This is the perfect cozy book to read on a rainy day. It is not too long and wonderful detailed. It will make you want to eat scones and drink tea.

So cute and fun! The perfect cozy little book with tropes of found family and fated mates. Highly recommend

A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic
by J. Penner
Pub Date: Apr 15 2025

In the heart of Adenashire, where elfish enchantments and dwarven delights rule, human baker Arleta Starstone works twice as hard at perfecting her unique blend of baking with apothecary herbs. So, when her orc neighbor (and biggest fan) secretly enters her creations into the prestigious Langheim 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, she'll need more than just her pastry craft to sweeten the odds.

Though Arleta may not yet believe in herself, she makes her way to Langheim—with the help of a very attractive woodland elf—and competes. While on a journey of mouthwatering pastries, self-discovery, heartwarming friendships, and potential romance, Arleta will have to decide whether winning the Baking Battle is the true prize after all. But win or lose, her adventure is only beginning…

What a delight! A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic was the Great British Bake Off magical edition. Everything I look for in a cozy read and in a fantasy, plus there's baking. What's not to love?


Arleta is a good person, but she is stubborn to a fault. She's let fear and prejudice dictate a lot of her life. Hurt by life and circumstances, she has her guard up, even against those who've always been in her corner. It was frustrating at times, but overall I liked her. Besides Arleta, there was this wonderful cast of characters. Theo was the kindest elf I have ever met. A dwarf with a bright personality and even a grumpy fox, plus many more great personalities.


To quote Despicable Me, "It's so fluffy!" This was a lighthearted read with just enough angst (the romance kind and otherwise) to keep things exciting. The journey to the baking battle was a little bit of an adventure. Then there was the baking itself. The competition was tight, and the pressure was on. The story was so incredibly detailed, it was just like watching my favorite series. There were events from dinners to balls, and let's not forget the actual competition set inside a lush castle. Things were a little low-risk until that twist.


What a good read! I loved everything about A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic, especially the ending. I'm looking forward to more series from Adenashire.

If you’re a fan of Travis Baldree’s fantasy novels, such as Legends & Lattes, you’ll want to try J. Penner’s A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic.

Arleta Starstone is a human, a baker who sells her goods at the local market in Adenashire. But, since she has no magic in a land that reveres magic, she’s not at all respected. But, the two orcs who live next door, and took her under their care when her parents died when she was sixteen, love her. And, they adore her baked goods. But, when Ervash enters her in the annual Langheim Baking Battle, she’s shocked, and wants to refuse. She has no magical talent to bring to the competition.

When Theodmon Brylar, an elf, shows up with an invitation to the baking battle, she’s reluctant to travel with him. But, between Theo and the orcs, she feels compelled to travel to the battle and compete.

While Arleta feels strangely attracted to Theo, she knows her priority is to bake for the battle while trying to hide that she’s a human in a world of elves, dwarves, ogres, orcs, and magic. But, her feelings for Theo continue to get in her way, although as an elf, he’s “fated” to be with someone. Between baking, and her two new friends, competitors in the battle, Arleta tries to block her feelings.

Penner combines adventure, romance, and baking in the story of a young woman who realizes all her feelings, friendships, and baking have come together as part of her life journey.

A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic is a delightful story of a young woman finding her place in life. I have the feeling this might just be the first in a series that focuses on Arleta and her new friends. I hope so.