By Jovanna Brinck
Courier Columnist
In Cupcakes, Trinkets and other Deadly Magic by Meghan Ciana Doidge, Jade Godfrey owns the most popular bakery in Vancouver, Canada. However, this isn’t the most interesting thing about her. Jade’s mother happens to be a witch, which makes her a half-witch. She has magical powers and can detect when other magical creatures are around.
One day, Jade notices a vampire hanging outside her bakery looking at little trinkets that she makes in her spare time. She isn’t afraid that the vampire will hurt her because both her house and bakery have wards to ensure no other magical creatures get in without being invited. However, this vampire keeps following her and it really creeps her out.
At a dance club one night, the vampire corners her and questions her about a recent werewolf death. Jade is seen as a suspect because the werewolf’s body was recovered with the trinkets that she makes, but Jade has no idea about the murder. Afterwards, Jade is dragged along with the vampire and a werewolf pack to try and figure out who is causing these murders. Being different magical species, they don’t all get along, but they must work together in order to find the murderer.
Jade tries to turn to her family for help, her grandmother is one of the most powerful witches. However, everything changes when Jade discovers that someone very close to her may be involved.
Cupcakes, Trinkets and other Deadly Magic is one of the best magical realism books I have ever read. Unlike some other books like this, it didn’t focus too much on romance, but rather more on the action and mystery occurring in the plot. This book is the first in a series; the most recent one came out last summer.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy magical realism books about vampires, werewolves, and witches. This book is a short read of less than 300 pages and can be read by anyone from middle-schoolers to adults.
