Deadly Sweet - Lola Dodge

[goodreads]

Title: Deadly Sweet (Spellwork Syndicate #1)
Author: Lola Dodge
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 294 pages
Date read: September 2018

Anise Wise loves three things: baking, potion making, and reading her spellbooks in blissful silence. She might not be the most powerful witch, but enchantment is a rare skill, and her ability to bake with magic is even rarer. Too bad no one wants witchcraft on their campus. Anise's dream of attending pastry school crumbles with rejection letter after rejection letter.

Desperate to escape her dead-end future, Anise contacts the long-lost relative she's not supposed to know about. Great Aunt Agatha owns the only magic bakery in the US, and she suddenly needs a new apprentice. Anise is so excited she books it to New Mexico without thinking to ask what happened to the last girl.

The Spellwork Syndicate rules the local witches in Taos, but as "accidents" turn into full-out attacks on Anise's life, their promises to keep her safe are less and less reassuring. Her cranky bodyguard is doing his best, but it's hard to fight back when she has no idea who's the enemy. Or why she became their target.

If Anise can't find and stop whoever wants her dead, she'll be more toasted than a crème brûlée.

Who knew baking cakes could be so life or death?


Why did it take me this long to get started on "Deadly Sweet"? A witch who works magic through baking? I am so there!

The book is quickly read and utterly charming. Perhaps slightly predictable at times, but that's part of its charm. It's a fantastical cozy mystery with a twist. I loved reading about Anise's joy of baking and how she slowly but surely gathered a group of friends with whom she could be herself.

First book in the Spellwork Syndicate series. I'm definitely keen to read more.