Rating: 3.5-4 ⭐
Review:
✨Firstly, thank you to #NetGalley for this #ARC! This review was voluntarily written by me.
✨I would say that the saying of “don’t judge a book by its cover” suited #TheWizardsBakery so much.
✨The cover is so cosy, but the story is not cosy at all.
✨Told from the boy POV’s, this story is about his harsh life and why and how and the point where he took refuge in this bakery. The occupants of this bakery are the wizard and his loyal assistant.
✨One profound message that I get from this story is you reap what you sow, and you have to be responsible and accept any consequences of your own action.
✨The message may be common sense, but sadly, as shown in the story, not many people have it.
✨As shown in this novel, the special pastries have a disclaimer for the customers to read before purchasing it, but there are still some customers that are not willing to accept the consequences. Then, they blame the seller.
✨I don’t really remember the purpose of each pastry, but I am interested in the magic system showcased in this story.
✨I’m still thinking there is not enough background story for the wizard and the assistant, but that is understandable based on the way this story was written.
✨There are quite a number of dark subject matters in this story including abuse, neglect, and assault. Hence, be prepared before reading this.
✨Which ending do I prefer? Spoiler alert, I prefer “If No”.
✨In conclusion, I do recommend this story for anyone who wants to read a translated work or a magical realism story. Overall, I am okay with this story although it is a little bit darker from my usual reads. If you pick this, I hope you will like this story better than I do.

Thank you to NetGalley, Headline and author Gu Byeong-mo for this eARC

So maybe it’s the cover or I just didn’t read the blurb well enough, but this was very different from what I was expecting. My expectation was a whimsical, cozy, fantastical, uplifting story about a runaway teen who finds a magical Bakery and his place in the world.
And yes, in some aspects that’s true, but The Wizard’s Bakery is most definitely not whimsical or cozy. It’s a dark and tragic magical realism story.
Which is not to say I did not enjoy it.

The magic system through pastries is very interesting. The writing was good and the wizard was a very compelling character.
I especially enjoyed the somewhat unexpected ending!
3.5 stars

I went into this book pretty much blind and I had expected it to be syrupy sweet which books similar to this often are. Wow how wrong I was, it actually deals with some pretty dark subject matter very matter of factly. Although sad, the life experiences of the main character were explored so poignantly. I really loved the relationship dynamic within the bakery, the characters and their roughness really worked for me.

Overall, this was heavy and emotional, but a very worthwhile read, I flew through it and I’ll remember it for a while. Check TW before reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Headline for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's one of the most beautiful books that I've read. I loved how the author wrote about fantasy and reality, how she mixed both and created this fantastic book

I like translated fiction and magical realism so choosing this one was an easy decision. I thought it was going to be more cosy and light bit it had dark themes and it was pretty disturbing at times. I liked the voncept in general, though.

I quite liked this! The beginning half was really good, very intriguing and it set up the plot really well. I liked the main character. I did feel like it was a little disjointed but I wonder if that is because its translated fiction? Regardless, it fits the sub genre so well and I really enjoyed! That ending as well though?!?

Abandoned by his mother, bullied by his stepmother, and ignored by his father, the young hero ends up running away from home and taking refuge in his neighborhood pastry shop, open even at night. But behind his grumpy boss might well be a wizard...
The cover is very beautiful, but it doesn't reflect the harshness of the story. Yes, part of the plot takes place in a pastry shop, and yes, there is magic, but I'm afraid that the reader attracted by these promises will be disappointed by their reading, even though the novel is very good. I loved the first third, the realistic part, the one where we get to know the young hero, for whom I immediately felt a lot of empathy. It's not all easy to read; the trials he went through are terrible, but it doesn't dwell on them either. I also liked the wizard, the oven that isn't one, the bird girl, but I missed a little something in this part of the story, a real evolution, a meaning, an explanation. Then we return to reality, more terrible than ever, from which we cannot escape.
I close this book with a great feeling of perplexity. Apart from reminding us that life is hard and that we must assume responsibility for our choices, and frankly that seems difficult to forget, I'm not sure I understood what its objective or its message was. And yet, I liked everything I read. I think only Korean literature can inspire such ambivalent feelings in me.


Abandonné par sa mère, harcelé par sa belle-mère et ignoré de son père, le jeune héros finit par s'enfuir de chez lui et se réfugier dans la pâtisserie de son quartier, ouverte même la nuit. Mais derrière son patron bougon pourrait bien se cacher un sorcier...
La couverture est très belle mais elle ne reflète pas la dureté de l'histoire.. Oui, une partie de l'intrigue se déroule dans une pâtisserie et oui, il y a de la magie mais j'ai peur que le lecteur attiré par ces promesses soit déçu par sa lecture alors que le roman est pourtant très bon. J'ai adoré le premier tiers, la partie réaliste, celle où l'on apprend à connaître le jeune héros pour lequel j'ai tout de suite eu beaucoup d'empathie. Tout n'est pas facile à lire, les épreuves qu'il a traversé sont terribles, mais on ne s'appesantit pas non plus dessus. J'ai aussi aimé la magicien, le four qui n'en est pas un, la fille-oiseau mais il m'a manqué un petit quelque chose dans cette partie de l'histoire, une vraie évolution, un sens, une explication. Puis on revient à la réalité, plus terrible que jamais, à laquelle on ne peut pas échapper.
Je referme ce livre avec un grand sentiment de perplexité. À part nous rappeler que la vie est dure et qu'il faut assumer ses choix, et franchement ça me paraît difficile à oublier, je ne suis pas sûre d'avoir compris quel était son objectif ou son message. Et pourtant, j'ai aimé tout ce que j'ai lu. Je crois qu'il n'y a que la littérature coréenne pour m'inspirer des sentiments aussi ambivalents.

This is a magical and bittersweet story about escape, healing, and the unexpected consequences of wishes. Overall a very beautiful read.

Magical realism is definitely one of my favourite things to read and this didn't disappoint. Author did an incredible job navigating some extremely heavy topics while keeping the story almost light. I loved the causational magic Wizard was preaching and I hope he take apprentices! Overall, a very worthwhile read that I have been recommending left and right!

Do not be fooled, please check trigger warnings as well: suicide, child molestation and rape, child negligence.

Not the cute and cosy book it is marketed as, it was pretty disturbing from the off (those ingredients in the baked goods!) and only continued like that. Sadly not really for me but I can see it has heart and meaning and other people made of sterner stuff will like it.

The Wizard’s Bakery is a surprisingly dark story, despite dealing with a magical baker’s store, and a teen with a very troubled background. I guess at one time they were marketing it as YA (it’s now classed as General fiction-adult, and fantasy) because the protagonist is about fifteen. He has lots of problems, including a chronic stutter, memories of abandonment, and a dysfunctional father. After trying, and failing to please both parent and step-parent, he finds sanctuary at the 24 hour bakery.

I’m beginning to get a feel for Korean fiction. It seems to have Scandi-noir darkness, but mystical almost mythical qualities. My experiences with it have encountered dark corners, tunnels to other places entirely, and ambiguously happy endings—or are they?

The initial part of this book clunks a little with very formal sentence construction, but it eases up and becomes very readable. The characters jump off the page, and I found myself second-guessing the plot that eventually twists right at the end. The route there is warmly satisfying, with nightmarish episodes. But I enjoyed this, so dark fantasy, not horror.

And I love the alternative endings presented. So right, given what has gone before. That was the icing on the cake, so I gave it five stars.

The Wizard’s Bakery is a quiet, surreal coming-of-age tale that blends whimsy with emotional weight in a way that feels refreshingly unique. Gu Byeong-mo’s storytelling is offbeat and poetic, drawing you into a world where magic is strange, symbolic, and deeply personal. The narrative unfolds like a fable, touching on themes of regret, growth, and forgiveness without ever becoming heavy-handed. It’s a gentle, thought-provoking read—slightly odd, but all the more memorable because of it.

Okay, that’s the case in which one could apply the motto “don’t judge the book by it’s cover “ because “the Wizard’s Bakery “ it isn’t as cozy at seems.

The story follows our protagonist who lives with loss of his mother , an absent father and an abusing and cruel step-mother. The situation becomes more and more unbearable , so our protagonist seeks refuge in a bakery open 24/7.

I love the concept of the bakery and magic realism with its goods made with strange Ingridients and spells which can be be use as love remedies ,or could be harmful or even can granted you you’re wish , but you have to decide if they worth the price and how much you’re willing to pay.

That being said every chapter and every baked good blend the magic realism, with moral lessons , the characters grow and how they made to face their issues and confronting the difficult circumstances with their head held high.

I read an eARC of this book on Net Galley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This is magical realism about a bakery run by a wizard and a boy who finds it a a time he desperately needs refuge. This is slightly darker than the whimsical, charming cover might lead you to believe. It mixes the magical with the mundane so well, but it’s not cosy, uplifting fiction. Instead we see characters facing up to their issues, being forced to confront difficult circumstances. There are some parts of this book that are hard to read and it’s worth checking trigger warnings.

Our main character lives in a household where he suffered the tragic loss of his mother and his step-mother makes his life miserable. His father is distant and neglectful and he is left to the cruelty and mercurial nature of his stepmother. His home life gradually becomes more and more untenable, with him getting his food after a bakery to avoid his stepmother. When the situation escalates to a point he can no longer stay there, he takes refuge in said bakery. He soon learns that there’s more to it than he’d thought and strange ingredients and magical spells are woven into the baked creations. We see the wizard, creating spells that can be harmful and the people who seek to buy them. The wizard is an interesting character morally and we see what he does and does not consider acceptable.

I found this a fascinating read, I was really hoping for a happy ending for the main character, I wanted him to be ok and to get away from the clutches of his stepmother. This was well worth a read just be aware it’s slightly darker than you might think at first glance.

I requested this book because lately I’ve been enjoying a magical realism book every once in a while and this seemed totally up my alley. I really enjoyed the story and the magic revolving around pastries, however I was very taken aback by how dark this story was; I thought it was going to be light and whimsical, but that is totally not the case. If you plan to read this, please check the trigger warnings first.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is not as cosy as the cover would have you believe! This books is, at times, brutal and harsh and trigger warnings should definitely be read before going forward.
That being said, this book was also, at times, sweet and full of growth and healing. It had a really interesting concept, a bakery that can provide you with goods to fulfil most wishes - but those wishes come with a price and you have to decide if that price is worth it. The Baker, despite his mildly nefarious goods and his rough demeanour is actually a bit of a softie deep down and Bluebird is quite possibly the most wholesome thing in this book.
I was left confused a fair few times, I'm not sure if it was things being lost in translation or if it was an issue with the formatting of the book but I sometimes felt like there was a jump in scene, almost like something was missing.
Overall, I am glad I read it, I do urge caution to readers though as there are frequent heavy topics within that some may find triggering.

The idea of this was cute but unfortunately not for me. This is the first translated fiction I’ve read but not the first with the cosy fantasy vibe. In terms of cosy fantasy, this didn’t compare to others

The Wizard's Bakery by Gu Byeong-mo is a book for everyone who loves fantasy! This was so so good. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.

I love Korean fiction; generally speaking, it's so much fun and so whimsical and magical that I always jump at the chance to read some.

This was a heck of a lot more intense than I've come to expect from translated fiction. There are some very serious topics talking about that I wasn't expecting. This made it less magical than I wanted. There's still magic and supernatural elements etc. but it just felt a bit too dark for me to completely lose myself in. Topics include child abuse, sexual abuse, death, abandonment, and bulling.

I did love the descriptions of the bakery and the food. It's so visual and it's like you can smell the baked goods.

It is very easy to read, and I finished it within a few hours. The pacing was slightly off, some bits sped through too quickly and other bits are drawn out.

What I did love was the presence of one character. There are lots of different characters and customers, all with their own stories, but there is one boy who is constant throughout which brings the whole story together and shows this sense of community.

It ended a bit suddenly. I mean, there's no real explanation for anything that happens in a magical fantasy story anyway, but the last few pages just seemed to happen without explanation and then it was done. If I'm correct, there are actually two endings to show what could happen if you do or do not change things, but instead of being a clever storytelling device, I found it confusing.

Whilst overall I'd say I did enjoy it, there are some issues and it didn't have quite the magical feeling I've come to expect from Korean fiction.

A novel that starts with quite the dark topic of child abuse with the young protagonist falsely accused of an act he didn't commit (sexually abusing his younger step sister), fleeing his family home he moves into the local wizard's bakery running their website that offers it's customers a chance to change their lives, with the caveat that the customer must ultimately pay the price that may lead to unwanted and unexpected outcomes. The novel splits into two endings with one showing the result of the young protagonist using a magical item to change the course of events that lead to him fleeing and another where he chance to use the item is lost and the events play out as intended. The overall moral of the tale is that people do not change, and regardless what you do things will still occur if you do not tackle the actual source of the issue.

It's definitely a very dark tale that tackles some incredibly uncomfortable topics (abuse) and that those delivering it are not capable of changing and that every action has it's consequence.

Many thanks to netgalley & headline for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.