The Sugar Alchemist's War

In the kingdom of Frostveil, where spun-sugar architecture glitters against the frost-kissed sky and sugared plums hold whispers of forgotten magic, nineteen-year-old Marlow Perret leads a simple life amidst the simmering unrest.  He finds solace in the comforting rhythm of his bakery, the aroma of warm bread a constant companion. But his quiet world shatters when the King's glacial enforcers arrive, searching for his master, Elias Thorne — the exiled Sugar Alchemist, a creator of enchanted confections capable of toppling empires.
Suddenly, Marlow is thrust into a world of sugared plum orchards whispering coded messages and clandestine meetings held beneath canopies of marzipan roses.  Pastries become weapons, buttercream a battlefield. He discovers his own astonishing immunity to the enchanted treats, a resistance that makes him both a vital pawn and a dangerous anomaly. Elias, torn between safeguarding Marlow and confronting a past he desperately wants to bury, is dragged back into the deadly game of dessert espionage he'd sworn to abandon.
They find refuge in the Whispering Whisk, a secret guild of rebel pâtissiers led by the fiery chocolatier Zara Fitzwilliam, whose rebellious confections are as intoxicating as her spirit.  But within this haven of sugared resistance, Marlow uncovers a web of deceit, hidden agendas, and crumbling alliances. He must navigate treacherous currents of courtly intrigue, decipher messages baked into elaborate cakes, and choose his allies carefully, all while mastering the subtle art of infusing his creations with not just flavor, but intention, emotion, and magic.
As Frostveil teeters on the brink of a sugar-fueled civil war, Marlow must confront the sinister Pastry Minister, Corvus Blackwood, a master manipulator whose chillingly precise sugarcraft holds the court and populace in thrall.  The source of all sugar magic, the Whispering Glade, guarded by mythical Sugar Sprites, is under threat.  Marlow, Elias, and Zara embark on a perilous journey to protect it, facing not only Blackwood's relentless pursuit, but also the truth of Marlow's own heritage — a lineage tied to the very essence of sugar magic, a destiny he can no longer ignore.
In a climactic, sugar-laden battle at the royal palace, Marlow must harness his newfound powers, confront Blackwood's fear-inducing pastries with confections of hope and courage, and rally the people of Frostveil to fight for their freedom. The fate of the kingdom rests on the tip of his sugared spoon. Can Marlow, the unlikely Sugar Alchemist, restore balance to a world steeped in sweetness and sorrow, or will he become the instrument of its ultimate destruction?