A Taste Of Magic By Lidiya — Foxglove

: The presence of necromancy and undead soldiers gives the story a "gothic-adjacent" atmosphere that contrasts with the sweetness of the baking focus. Availability You can find the book through various retailers: Paperback and digital editions are available at Amazon .

: While often compared to Legends and Lattes , reviewers note that Foxglove’s work carries higher stakes and heavier themes, including PTSD, the effects of war, and systemic inequality. A Taste of Magic by Lidiya Foxglove

: Since his resurrection, Dorr finds that all food tastes like ash—except for Sorla’s pastries. This culinary connection becomes the bridge between her relentless optimism and his deep-seated grimness. : The presence of necromancy and undead soldiers

The world is populated by three human-adjacent species: normal humans, the (soul-infused "doll people" made of cloth or wood), and the Ven-Diri (gothic, empathic necromancers who are often at odds with humans). : Since his resurrection, Dorr finds that all

: Upon reaching the capital, Sorla is tasked by Prince Seldon with a nearly impossible feat: using her baking to convince the realm's greatest hero—another revived soldier—that life is still worth living. Characters

: A Fanarlem baker with a relentlessly sunny outlook. Despite her cheerful exterior, the narrative explores the trauma and societal stakes facing her kind, who are often treated as second-class citizens or threatened by enslavement in parts of the world.

: Sorla, a plucky Fanarlem baker, needs a ride to the capital after being invited to work at the royal bakery. She finds a reluctant escort in Dorr, a scarred Ven-Diri soldier who was recently "revived" from the dead.