Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by chebbyreads
Celestial Banquet by Roselle Lim
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
3.0
Rating: Solid 3/5
I love the unique premise of a cooking-based world set in historical Asian lands. Before starting the book, I got similar vibes to Food Wars manga. The cooking challenges and ingredients were fun to read and see how it plays out. Many of the challenges had me thinking about how I would approach the dish myself—like making noodles without eggs. The ingredient names were fun to read like Demon’s Breath, Wine of the Diyu, and Petty Revenge. I also appreciated how each chapter begins with a scroll excerpt which helped add depth through worldbuilding and background information.
*** Some General Plot Spoiler/Scenes Below ***
One of my favorite dynamics in the book was between Cai and Kama. Their shared love for food created a balance of moral depth and lightheartedness. Kama’s role as a god who sides with the immortals and respects them made him stand out from the other gods, and his sacrifice for Bo was really sweet. However, the execution of his near-death scene felt rushed and anticlimactic, which lessened its impact.
On the other hand, I wasn’t a fan of the love triangle between Cai, Bo, and Seon—it felt too fast-paced and unnecessary. The scene where Cai kissed Bo despite not having feelings for him felt misleading (poor Bo), and then later she just turned around and kissed Seon as if that was the only way to comfort him during a panic attack? It just didn’t really make sense nor felt like it would help the book in any way. These moments made Cai seem pretty indecisive and if I’m being honest - a bit foolish too. I would have much preferred the story to focus more on the food challenges than the romance. Like sure, Seon and Cai share a connection through food, but that alone doesn’t make their relationship compelling, especially since Cai could explore the culinary world on her own after winning the competition.
Character relationships in general felt rushed, particularly between Cai and Tala. I wish their development had been given more time to grow naturally from the challenges they went through together instead of from one instance with the second cooking challenge.
Overall, this book was a great cozy read, though faster-paced than I expected. The execution could have been stronger in terms of character development and making the cooking challenges more difficult. Cai seemed to breeze through the competition despite some minor setbacks and those setbacks were resolved too quickly (more showing than telling would help). I can see this book being a fun read for younger teens. I hope the next installment dives deeper into the world in terms of food and the political system. I’m especially curious about what the other gods were discussing when they saw Kama at full power, whether Pubu’s immortality was partially taken to create the peach, and what Cai and the others discussed with the Empress about saving the Peninsula.
I love the unique premise of a cooking-based world set in historical Asian lands. Before starting the book, I got similar vibes to Food Wars manga. The cooking challenges and ingredients were fun to read and see how it plays out. Many of the challenges had me thinking about how I would approach the dish myself—like making noodles without eggs. The ingredient names were fun to read like Demon’s Breath, Wine of the Diyu, and Petty Revenge. I also appreciated how each chapter begins with a scroll excerpt which helped add depth through worldbuilding and background information.
*** Some General Plot Spoiler/Scenes Below ***
One of my favorite dynamics in the book was between Cai and Kama. Their shared love for food created a balance of moral depth and lightheartedness. Kama’s role as a god who sides with the immortals and respects them made him stand out from the other gods, and his sacrifice for Bo was really sweet. However, the execution of his near-death scene felt rushed and anticlimactic, which lessened its impact.
On the other hand, I wasn’t a fan of the love triangle between Cai, Bo, and Seon—it felt too fast-paced and unnecessary. The scene where Cai kissed Bo despite not having feelings for him felt misleading (poor Bo), and then later she just turned around and kissed Seon as if that was the only way to comfort him during a panic attack? It just didn’t really make sense nor felt like it would help the book in any way. These moments made Cai seem pretty indecisive and if I’m being honest - a bit foolish too. I would have much preferred the story to focus more on the food challenges than the romance. Like sure, Seon and Cai share a connection through food, but that alone doesn’t make their relationship compelling, especially since Cai could explore the culinary world on her own after winning the competition.
Character relationships in general felt rushed, particularly between Cai and Tala. I wish their development had been given more time to grow naturally from the challenges they went through together instead of from one instance with the second cooking challenge.
Overall, this book was a great cozy read, though faster-paced than I expected. The execution could have been stronger in terms of character development and making the cooking challenges more difficult. Cai seemed to breeze through the competition despite some minor setbacks and those setbacks were resolved too quickly (more showing than telling would help). I can see this book being a fun read for younger teens. I hope the next installment dives deeper into the world in terms of food and the political system. I’m especially curious about what the other gods were discussing when they saw Kama at full power, whether Pubu’s immortality was partially taken to create the peach, and what Cai and the others discussed with the Empress about saving the Peninsula.