A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic

I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes at the ‘baker protagonist’ trend—until Arleta Starstone walked into my headphones like she owned the place. This isn’t a story about a plucky underdog stumbling into magic; it’s about a woman who’s been *using* magic her whole life, just not the flashy kind. The worldbuilding is deceptively sharp: Adenashire’s hierarchy isn’t just ‘elves are fancy,’ but a layered system where human labor (and human *flavor*) is both exploited and erased. Penner’s writing shines in the details—a noble’s disgust at ‘peasant spices’ feels like a gut punch when you realize Arleta’s ‘peasant’ cardamom could cure a plague. Vicki-Jo Eva’s narration is *almost* perfect. Her Arleta is a masterclass in restrained fury, and she nails the book’s tone: a mix of cozy fantasy and simmering class rage. My only gripe? The male voices occasionally dip into caricature, especially the dwarves, who sound like they’re auditioning for a *Lord of the Rings* parody. And while the pacing is generally tight, the mid-book lull—where Arleta’s political scheming slows to a simmer—could’ve used a sharper edit to match the audio’s energy. Still, the payoff is worth it. When Arleta finally weaponizes a sourdough starter (yes, *really*), I cackled out loud. This is for listeners who want their fantasy with heart, humor, and a heroine who’d rather burn the system down than ask for a seat at the table.