741 reviews for:

Aftertaste

Daria Lavelle

4.15 AVERAGE

rl78's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

fleur_de_lisa's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

carolina_dreamer's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

directorpurry's review against another edition

2.75

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way impacted my final rating. 

When the memory of a food brings back a ghost, any chef would strive to create that perfect meal. Especially one who has lost their father.

As you can see from the very high average review, this book is very much for a lot of people. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of them. 
There is a very distinct writing style in this book, one that places as much emphasis on visual descriptions of the scene as the tastes of the food. While I thought the tasting portions really elevated this story, the languorous pace of the scene-setting struggled to hold my attention. I also didn't feel overly connected to the characters, despite following some of them for years. 

Regardless, it would be difficult to argue that this is not one of the most unique fantasy stories of the year. The interplay between food and memory, already such a strong element of cultural appreciation and family history, translated into the summoning of those spirits was presented very powerfully. This is a strongly emotional book, as much about the consequences that follow us into the future as the events of the past. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent

Moderate: Eating disorder

zlomas's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

carinab's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

bwisegamgee's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

your_reading_friend's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

s0apysam's review against another edition

4.5

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jennifer_charbo's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes