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Maire has an extraordinary gift. She can infuse anything she bakes with emotions and abilities that can be passed on to anyone who eats them. She doesn’t know why or how she can do this. She doesn’t even remember who she is or where she came from.
One day, when marauders raid her town, Maire is dragged from her bakery and forced into slavery. She’s sold to an eccentric man called Allemas, who demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.
Throughout her captivity, Maire is visited by Fyel, a ghostly being who seems to know her but is reluctant to reveal his connection to her. The more they meet, though, the more her memories return, and she begins to piece together who and what she really is — as well as the past mistakes that led her to where she is now.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet is an unusual confection of a story full of fanciful magic and fairy tale references mixed with a cruel and brutal world. As such, this story is less a happily-ever-after read and more a cautionary tale — especially for readers sensitive to abuse and depression.
While at first I loved the story for its beautiful writing and gritty whimsy, I had a harder time connecting with the second half of the book. However, Charlie N. Holmberg touches on several ideas and thoughts regarding the paths we choose to follow in pursuing our desires, the mistakes we make, and the consequences we bear as a result of our choices. Overall, these themes add resonance to what turns out to be a mythic and rather spiritual story, making it a poignant — even if it’s a little odd — read.
(Check out a book in which a character does the opposite of putting feelings into food: she can tell what the baker’s feelings are. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is also rated moderate.)
Rated: Moderate, for heavy topics of abuse, violence, and episodes of severe depression. A village is massacred by raiders, and its few survivors (including Maire) are forced into slavery. Hints are also left that many of the surviving girls were raped. As a prisoner, Maire is beaten frequently. An attempt to run away results in a crippling injury and vivid pain. A character is murdered. Sexual content includes brief flashes of intimate memories with a partner, though no real details are included. Characters kiss. There is no language.
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