Delicious and dangerous, with a side helping of romance.
A cooking competition for the gods spells danger—and offers great possibilities.
Sixteen-year-old Cai has always had a passion for cooking, instilled in her by her late father, a skilled chef. Though she runs only a humble noodle stall, her dream is to win the Celestial Banquet, a cooking competition in honor of and judged by the gods. Not only does the winning chef gain recognition—important for someone from a backwater like Cai’s Peninsula—but they also receive a peach of immortality, worth unimaginable riches. In order to enter, Cai will have to convince her cantankerous local minor god, Kama, to sponsor a team. And if she hopes to win, she’ll have to excel at the culinary tasks posed by the gods, contend with the Empress’s machinations, and juggle her attraction to two different boys, Bo and Seon, both of whom are attending the competition with her. The love triangle storyline is balanced by the presence of intriguing side characters and plentiful descriptions of mouthwatering food. The cooking competition, while cutthroat and full of deadly perils, offers an original take on the usual divine tests of skills found in fantasy novels, offering readers a fresh set of tasks to savor. The worldbuilding, which is influenced by both East and Southeast Asia, is a delightful medley of cuisines and cultures.
Delicious and dangerous, with a side helping of romance. (map, Celestial Banquet teams) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9781638931263
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Sweet July/Zando
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
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PROFILES
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
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