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trudecal's review against another edition
5.0
Just a few pages was enough to hook me. It's everything I expected from Wallace and more - a great mix of badass, lovable characters, witty banter, great actions scenes topped with some heartwarming, very human moments. And the FOOD! I'm so glad Tor has picked up more of this series.
ajmaybe's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't find this as hilarious and entertaining as others apparently do. Tor.com offered it as a free download for newsletter subscribers, so why not, right? I could use some light hilarity. Unfortunately, I didn't find it here. Neither did I find much in the way of characters or world - building. So, pretty much not my cup of tea.
elusivity's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 STARS
A very, very quick read.
Two line cooks are hired to work at a restaurant to caters to the mystical and "hidden" creatures of the world.
In a magical twist upon what typically happens in real life--i.e. some slick corporate type tricking the original mom-and-pop owner into some shady franchise deal--an evil genie tricked the original creator by making his chicken giant, spewing out nuggets from her butthole, tended to by zombie clowns. Ok. They rescue the original owner, trick the genie by making it mortal then frying him, and gets the recipe.
They replicate the angel flesh. All the demons eat it with pleasure, except the eldest demon, who tastes the ruse. Shortly thereafter, the eldest demon is wacked by choking on a chicken bone, courtesy of the stray dog adopted just a day ago, whose collar said DOG. The dog also frees the angel. Turns out, its collar doesn't say DOG, but actually GOD. So, uh. God saves the day. Deus ex machina, har har. The end.
Fun fact: Christian Siriano gets a mention, ha! I remember him from Project Runway; how cool that he really made it big in the decade following.
Fun fact 2 (or maybe, just derivative and cheesy): one of the servers is based on Quicksilver. Specifically, X-Men movie version of Quicksilver, who strolls into the fray wearing earphones, dodging, weaving, doing that thing where he drinks from a goblet and casually tosses it to smash into a demon's face.
Giant nit-pick: A CHICKEN DOES NOT REQUIRE A ROOSTER IN ORDER TO LAY EGGS!! What a silly thing to hinge a major-ish plot point on.
I've never been a particular fan of this type of humorous series. Every character is one-dimensional, every interaction shallow, every conversation straightforward and serves only to advance plot. There's a facile, offhand quality to everything that kills all possibility of tension.
A decent read if you wish to switch off your brain, I suppose.
A very, very quick read.
Two line cooks are hired to work at a restaurant to caters to the mystical and "hidden" creatures of the world.
Spoiler
The restaurant caters for the government's diplomatic services with magical folk and monsters. This time, two demon tribes will hold a banquet to settle a war, and wishes to cook an angel. The two newbies and some other folk absolutely cannot stomach this, and so decide to substitute angel meat with something that tastes similar. The angel allows them to take its hand. Result, angel apparently taste like chicken nuggets. They go to steal this world's McDonald's secret recipe.In a magical twist upon what typically happens in real life--i.e. some slick corporate type tricking the original mom-and-pop owner into some shady franchise deal--an evil genie tricked the original creator by making his chicken giant, spewing out nuggets from her butthole, tended to by zombie clowns. Ok. They rescue the original owner, trick the genie by making it mortal then frying him, and gets the recipe.
They replicate the angel flesh. All the demons eat it with pleasure, except the eldest demon, who tastes the ruse. Shortly thereafter, the eldest demon is wacked by choking on a chicken bone, courtesy of the stray dog adopted just a day ago, whose collar said DOG. The dog also frees the angel. Turns out, its collar doesn't say DOG, but actually GOD. So, uh. God saves the day. Deus ex machina, har har. The end.
Fun fact: Christian Siriano gets a mention, ha! I remember him from Project Runway; how cool that he really made it big in the decade following.
Fun fact 2 (or maybe, just derivative and cheesy): one of the servers is based on Quicksilver. Specifically, X-Men movie version of Quicksilver, who strolls into the fray wearing earphones, dodging, weaving, doing that thing where he drinks from a goblet and casually tosses it to smash into a demon's face.
Giant nit-pick: A CHICKEN DOES NOT REQUIRE A ROOSTER IN ORDER TO LAY EGGS!! What a silly thing to hinge a major-ish plot point on.
I've never been a particular fan of this type of humorous series. Every character is one-dimensional, every interaction shallow, every conversation straightforward and serves only to advance plot. There's a facile, offhand quality to everything that kills all possibility of tension.
A decent read if you wish to switch off your brain, I suppose.
sjj169's review
3.0
Darren and Lena are out of a job and the rent is due. They have spread the love all over town and now are black-balled from working pretty much anywhere.
They get a call from a chef that they had though was dead but he wants to hire them so they head over to his catering business. 'Sin du Jour'
They do a try-out to make sure they are fit for the team, then Darren goes into the forbidden pantry.
Umm now they are part of the crew.
You just thought Hell's Kitchen was rough.
The catering business serves a 'special' class of clients..and they just got a delivery of the newest menu item.
This kitchen does things their own unique way though. That old saying that 'it tastes just like chicken?' Takes on a whole new theme in this one.
Add in a few of these guys.
And you'll know what happened to the nugget craver.
Buddy reading with Wrongreader 2.0
If he puts up a review in the next year.
They get a call from a chef that they had though was dead but he wants to hire them so they head over to his catering business. 'Sin du Jour'
They do a try-out to make sure they are fit for the team, then Darren goes into the forbidden pantry.
Umm now they are part of the crew.
You just thought Hell's Kitchen was rough.
The catering business serves a 'special' class of clients..and they just got a delivery of the newest menu item.
This kitchen does things their own unique way though. That old saying that 'it tastes just like chicken?' Takes on a whole new theme in this one.
Add in a few of these guys.
And you'll know what happened to the nugget craver.
Buddy reading with Wrongreader 2.0
If he puts up a review in the next year.
catbooking's review against another edition
4.0
A fun entertaining romp. Nothing serious but plenty of room in the new exciting world for more stories.
phronk's review against another edition
5.0
A fast-moving urban fantasy with a culinary twist. It's funny without trying too hard, and pushes some urban fantasy tropes into new territory without becoming outright bizarro fiction. The novella length is perfect for a rich story like this—like a dessert that can satisfy in just a few bites. I'll be reading the next one.
moustoir's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
asides3's review against another edition
4.0
Light read but tons of fun. A few typos but note ouch to distract from the writing.