Book Review | Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood

Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood
Bliss Bakery #1
- Feb 12th, 2012
- Katherine Tegan Books
- Middle Grade > Fantasy > Magic
- Bought
- Amazon || Goodreads || B&N
Summary --

Rosemary Bliss’s family has a secret. It’s the Bliss Cookery Booke—an ancient, leather-bound volume of enchanted recipes like Stone Sleep Snickerdoodles and Singing Gingersnaps. Rose and her siblings are supposed to keep the Cookery Booke under lock and whisk-shaped key while their parents are out of town, but then a mysterious stranger shows up. “Aunt” Lily rides a motorcycle, wears purple sequins, and whips up exotic (but delicious) dishes for dinner. Soon boring, nonmagical recipes feel like life before Aunt Lily—a lot less fun.

So Rose and her siblings experi-ment with just a couple of recipes from the forbidden Cookery Booke.

A few Love Muffins and a few dozen Cookies of Truth couldn’t cause too much trouble . . . could they?

~*~

Bliss is a fun middle grade read about magic, baking and family.

Rose is pretty much an "errand girl" for her parents who own a small but successful magical bakery. Of course the town doesn't know that they bake up magic just that it seems like their pastries heal things (totally not suspicious, right?).

Ironically when Rose's parents have to leave town their mysterious Aunt Lily (whom they've never heard of) decides to pay the family a visit and take family matters into her own hands. Rose is forced between making the right decisions or making the  decisions  that would please her bratty siblings.

For the most part, I was always on Rose's side. For such a young girl, she's good at standing her ground and knowing the difference between right and wrong (unlike most middle grade girls who are pretty much just stubborn). She guards the family cook book like she should and she doesn't give in even when her brothers hound her for being no fun. But under it all she constantly wonders if she's appreciated. Just like Rose I had a funny feeling about this mysterious aunt who just so happens to stop by when her parents are gone and what is with her and secrets? Why are her brothers dropping everything to please Aunt Lily? I understand the point in which Rose eventually breaks, just a little (but not without feeling guilty! Good girl!) but at that point what else could she do?

I didn't like Ty, like, at all he annoyed me to no end. How could you be that rude, that self absorbed and that mean to your own siblings? You're the oldest, wake up and take care of your younger siblings! Not to mention the stunt he pulled that really got me to dislike him more than I already did! Sage was no better! Seriously, I feel bad for you Rose, you've got the worst brothers in the world!

While I didn't love Bliss like I thought I would (baking and magic, seriously what else would I need) I did really enjoy it. So much magic and so much baking! But it's also about family and how you stand with them even when times are hard. Even when you don't think they appreciate you because you couldn't imagine your life without them.