Celestial banquet could have been the love child of The book of tea and The testing.

I came here for the magic noodles.
The concept was original until it wasn’t. As the story advanced, the sense of deja vu strengthened and became too predictable.

Celestial banquet was fast paced and entertaining but lacking in world building and never managed to stimulate my salivary glands. The love triangle was also too 2010s coded to feel invested and by the end, i still did not understand what the minor gods looked like.

3.5 rounded up

3.5 rounded up! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

‧₊˚ ⋅ 🍙🍣🍱🥢 ‧₊˚ ⋅

Iron Chef meets Hunger Games?! (Okay, I've never read the Hunger Games, please don't come for me). However, I live for binge-watching the Food Network and adore anything culinary related. A book that incorporates not only a cooking competition, but powerful Gods, Chinese and East Asian folklore, legendary creatures, trials and romance? This author is speaking my absolute love language.

💫 Synopsis/Plot:

Every generation, the Gods hold a cooking competition, inviting people from all over the Continent to compete. The winner receives not only a lifetime of fame and fortune, but a Peach of Immortality. The losers, well, they perish at the hands of the Gods. Cai, who has dreams of opening to her own restaurant to honor her father, enters the competition alongside her friends Bo, Seon and their Minor God, Kama. They fight through hungry trials, determined to make a meal worthy of the Gods themselves and come out alive.

💫 Thoughts:

There were a few things that I think could've been amped up a little bit to put this book over the edge. Overall though, this was a solid fantasy debut for this author and I really enjoyed it! Also, this cover is stunning!

💫 The Characters: This was my biggest issue with the book. We didn't get a TON of character development, and I wish we had gotten the chance to get to know them better in the beginning and learn a little more back story. They all seemed to be missing that extra sprinkle of salt, which I hated because they all had so much potential, especially the gods and goddesses. Our main character, Cai, was fighting for a chance to open a restaurant in her fathers honor, but I didn't quite feel the motivation and fire for that throughout the book. I also thought she was slightly oblivious to the obvious romance cues around her. To be honest, I think this book didn't even need a romance aspect. Overall though, I thought the characters just needed a little bit more and I was missing that connection.

💫 The World-building/Setting: The world-building was really vivid, and it was very easy to picture the magical setting they were in. The author did a great job of describing the extravagant places, and it added a really nice touch to the book. The food descriptions and the cooking scenes were what I looked forward to the most. I wanted to taste the dishes through the pages, and I didn't quite get that.

💫 Plot: The plot was fun, and fast paced. There was never a dull moment, and something was always happening. Some of the main moments in the story, like the trials, seemed rushed and weren't as played out as I wanted them to be. As soon as it started to get intense, it was over. There was a scene where a certain someone was hurt and practically on their death bed, but by the next page they were fine. I wanted to shed some tears and have my heart broken in two, but I didn't get the chance.

💫 Final Thoughts: If you are a fan of Chopped, Iron Chef, the anime Food Wars, Squid Game & The Hunger Games, you will probably like this. If you are just a foodie in general and love cooking, you will probably like this. If you enjoy a fast-paced, fun book with YA themes and a touch of Mythology and Asian folklore, you will probably like this. Despite it's minor quirks, this was a enjoyable read. I really liked the authors writing, and will be looking out for more of her works.

‧₊˚ ⋅ 🍙🍣🍱🥢 ‧₊˚ ⋅

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

*Celestial Banquet* by Roselle Lim is a feast for the senses and the soul! This dazzling YA fantasy blends high-stakes competition, mouthwatering food, and rich folklore into an unforgettable adventure. Cai’s journey, filled with danger, heart, and delicious dishes, will have you rooting for her at every turn. With a vibrant cast of characters and a world bursting with magic and culture, this story is as epic as it is heartfelt—a must-read for fans of food and fantasy!

Celestial Banquet follows Cai, a young woman and a noodle chef who dreams of winning the infamous Celestial Banquet cooking competition held by the major and minor gods to obtain a magical peach and a new life. Along with her childhood friend, Bo and Seon, they attempt to convince the god of her region, Kama to allow the three of them to enter the competition as his contestants. However, upon arrival, things are deadlier than they seem.

This was fast-paced and it took me about 1.5 days to complete it. The plot was always moving and I really enjoyed learning about each of the food items they were to obtain for each challenge. I loved seeing a different take on the peach of immortality as well. The world-building was unique and the story was easy to follow. The map of the world was lovely. I loved the minor gods and the major gods. They very much gave me comedic nosy auntie and uncle vibes and you will know why. All in all, it was a very cute, shorter read (in my opinion) and I found it more cozy than anything. Perfect for reading around the foodie holidays that are about to come and YA audiences.

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The cooking challenges mention death and most of the failed contestants are brushed off versus setting a darker tone for the overall premise of the book. There was no processing of the death or remorse shown in our characters. So I wouldn’t equate this to the level of Hunger Games since the tones were much darker in those novels but the trials are there.

The romance was juvenile and so were the main characters, however, I do think it’s perfect for its targeted YA readers (closer to early to mid-teens vs 16+). I personally did not care too much for the romance as I was more interested in the challenges, the cooking, and the world that Lim created. I think it would have been even better if Cai hadn’t chosen any of her love interests and had gone an entirely different route. Then I believe it would have been a better setting off as a start for the implied book two due to the two points that were revisited consistently throughout this novel.

What I think will make it stronger–
-Gathering of the ingredients and techniques, and a stronger description of the foods that were made. When I read cooking competition I was expecting to read detailed descriptions, that would make my mouth physically water. I want to imagine how the foods would taste and be immersed in how it was made.
-Internal conflict may have added an extra “umph” to all the character depth.

Overall, 3.75 rounded up and I would absolutely recommend giving Celestial Banquet a chance when it releases.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando Projects for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a chance at reading this book.

I understood the plot, I understood what the author wanted to do with it, but I rode it out because I had to see where the romance would go. The romance that became an obsession over everyone - including the gods, and including the empress. For some STRANGE reason everyone was hung up on who she would choose: Bo or Seon?

Their characters were poorly written and existed to be simply there. Bo, the strong muscular, friend who was always there for her and understood her. Seon, the pretty rich boy who hardly knew her and who she kind of just started having feelings with over the course of the tournament blossom. If I had to choose either of them, Bo, but overall? Both of them lacked depth that I saw no romance between either of them.

BUT, for some reason, our main character was having a devil of a time choosing. I did have to hand it to her - she kept telling the guys to f off while she focused on winning the peaches that would (checks notes) grant immortality to mortals... and lengthen immortality to mortals? She also wanted the peaches because it would force the empress to back off / not go to war / overtake her city.

As I said, everyone became fascinated on this dilemma over which boy was better for her. ... Then the ending happened and I was like, WELP WHAT WAS THAT. Because she made her choice but it made no sense, as I stated - just couldn't see her with either boy.

Also, I don't know if this is supposed to have a sequel or another two books lined up, but how it ended made it feel like that couldn't be the end. And yet, with the lack of world and character building, could another book help this book?

I think this book needs to be given more background / backstory on the war with empress and why our female lead has beef with them - besides her dad dying for the empress. I think the relationships / characters of both men need to be built up better. In return, explain why these gods gave a shit about what boy she chose like they were tuning into their own live action Bachelor.

I gave it two stars because I did like the girls, and I did like the tournament based around food and the outcome of it, but the end game didn't make sense as to what I read / knew about the story.

"Celestial Banquet" follows a young woman named Cai who dreams of winning the Celestial Banquet cooking competition in order to obtain a magical peach, notoriety, and a new life. Along with her friends Bo and Seon, she attempts to convince the minor god of her region to let them enter as his contestants, but when she arrives at the competition, things are a lot deadlier than she ever could have imagined.

Strengths: Lets start with the positives of this book!
-It was super fast paced. I managed to read within 2 days, and the plot was always moving forward. There is never really a dull moment. The characters always have something going on, a new task or challenge, so it kept my attention.
-The plot was super unique! There are not too many celestial cooking competitions that I know about! I enjoyed reading about the magical food items they had to obtain in each challenge and how they were prepared.
-The world building was easy to understand, complex, and interesting. I liked how we had 3 major gods and 5 minor gods who helped to rule over each province, and especially liked Kama.

Weaknesses: These are what brought my rating down to 3.5/5 stars. Although the plot was interesting and unique, there were parts that were roughly executed:
-There is no character development and the characters are bland. I have not a clue what any character looked like besides the fact that Bo was ripped. It took me 10% of the book to figure out if Cai was male or female, and then I only got that because someone mentioned she was pretty, and her gender was brought up as a reason why it was harder for her to become a successful chef. Other than that, I have no clue what she or any of the other human characters looked like, or their age. they act like teens, but Cai has been on her own without a family for a few years and owns her own food stall, so maybe she's in her 20's. Who knows? I also found the characters to be stereotypical. Cai, the clueless girl who has no idea her 2 guy friends have been pining over her. Bo, the jealous best friend. I just wish there was a bit more about these characters.
-The characters lack emotion. When the Celestial Banquet competition turns out to be deadly, every death is just brushed off. Especially at the end! Without spoilers, the characters are like "This goes against our morals" and within a paragraph have completely change their minds because it is the only way to get what they need. There is no internal conflict.
-When I heard "celestial cooking competition", I was hoping for descriptive and immersive cooking scenes where I could smell and taste the food, kind of like "Legends and Lattes". I really was uninterested in all the food they ate/cooked.
-The book leaves off on a really mild cliffhanger. The author introduces 2 points which are constantly brought up during the novel, but never touched upon(one being the reign of the empress, the other a secret princess). These plot points are left open in hopes of there being a book 2. I truly think if both of these had been left out and the author condensed the plot into a standalone, it would have worked much better! The constant mentioning of these plot points without further progression was a detriment to the story, and I'm just not interested enough in the plot to continue on to a second book. However, I do feel like if you wanted to try this, you could read it as a standalone and be fine.
-Really poorly done love triangle. I knew how it was going to end from the moment it started. I did not have any love for the character that was not chosen.
-The characters are so juvenile. Cai constantly stomps her foot to demand attention or show that she's angry (who does that unless they're 5?! Again, how old are these characters?). Bo acts like the most typical, jealous, overbearing guy who wants something he can't have. I just feel like with all the characters have been through (loss of family, abuse, the fact that Cai is old enough to live on her own and run her own business, etc), they would be acting a little more rationally and mature.
-I have no idea what the minor gods are supposed to look like. At the beginning of the book, they show pictures of 5 animals which somehow represent the gods. Are the gods in animal form at all time? Or are the human with animal characteristics, or do they shape shift?
*Please note that 3.5/5 stars for me personally means average. The book was not my favorite, but also was not bad. I truly think others will enjoy this, especially a younger audience.

Overall, I think if you are a younger reader(teens) or a foodie, you might enjoy this. While the plot was overall original, the execution let me down. However I think that younger readers might not be as focused on having in depth characters and would really enjoy it!

3.5/5 stars
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Zando Projects for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

I have only one complaint: I wanted more. The story was so good, I love the characters so much that I find it hard to let go of them, I wanted to see what comes next, their lives after the ending. Celestial Banquet was so, so good.
In this book we follow a cooking competition with a huge reward that would change the lives of our protagonists. Also, there are gods. I would like to take a moment to congratulate the author in doing world building in a way that doesn't feel like world building, it is really simple but it was also so seamless that I don't even know when everything was introduced. I loved the little history pieces in the beginning of each chapter, it adds character. And don't get me started in the illustratios, THAT MAP, just gorgeous.
The reading is fluid, time goes by very quickly and it's not a long book, it's the right length in my opinion. The food descriptions also need to be mentioned, I was so hungry during the entire book, the author really knows how to describe food in a way that makes me dream about dishes.
I fell in love with the characters almost instantly, and as I said before now I'm struggling to let go of this story. There are some themes like grief, class and love that are always good to see in books. This is not a romance book by the way, but there IS romance and it is so cute.
Just give Celestial Banquet a chance, you won't regret it.

This was a strong fantasy debut from Roselle Lim, it had that element that I was hoping for from the description. The overall storyline was everything that I was hoping for and enjoyed the use of cooking. I enjoyed the competition and was glad I was able to go through this journey. Each character had that element that worked in this universe and am excited to read more from Roselle Lim.