I liked this idea of this book, but I was again reminded why I don't gravitate towards Young Adult books anymore. I like the idea of a cooking competition for the gods, but this book had a serious pacing issue, which is bad since it's already on the short side. This book had too many convenient solutions to problems, felt immature, and also, if this is a life or death competition, why is anyone concerned about romance?

Celestial Banquet by Roselle Lim
If serving sea monster for supper is more to your taste than an actual ocean-set adventure, look no further than Roselle Lim’s YA debut, Celestial Banquet.

Cai is a budding chef in a poor town on the Peninsula, determined to both pursue her father’s dream of owning a restaurant and keep the Peninsula independent from the Empress’s forces. Once a generation, the Major Gods hold a competition for the world’s best chefs to compete for Peaches of Immortality, fame, and fortune. The Peninsula’s Minor God, Kama, hasn’t entered in many cycles and is known to be a longshot, even if Cai can convince him to enter her. But with some savvy cooking, and some help from a noble friend, Seon, they enter the competition—while Cai’s childhood friend, Bo, who had dreamed of entering with her, must enter on another team. If that weren’t enough, both Bo and Seon admit feelings for her—when all she wants is to cook and win the competition.

As each dish gets increasingly complex and more dangerous, Cai begins to wonder if the stakes are too high for any of them to survive. Lim’s take on the love triangle has the refreshing angle of a main character who keeps protesting that right now is not the time to figure out their complex feelings, when their literal lives are on the line. (This doesn’t work for her, but readers are sure to be sympathetic to that line of thought.) This Iron Chef meets Hunger Games leaves room for further adventures, but also concludes with a satisfying ending in a world that offers many more stories to tell.

As a child who grew up watching Iron Chef every weekend, I loved the food aspects of this book. I also think that the characterizations, mythology, and magic are well integrated and expounded. However, I found the love triangle somewhat lacking, and a lot of the violent deaths were brushed aside very quickly.

Celestial Banquet is a whimsical, heartfelt novel that blends food, family, and a touch of the fantastical in Roselle Lim’s signature style. From the beginning, I was charmed by the lush, sensory descriptions — the food writing is mouthwatering, almost magical, and the cultural details bring warmth and authenticity to the story. Lim’s ability to infuse her prose with vivid imagery is one of the book’s biggest strengths, and it makes certain passages sparkle.

However, while the atmosphere was enchanting, I found myself struggling to stay consistently engaged with the narrative. The pacing sometimes lagged, and the story’s structure occasionally felt uneven, with moments of brilliance followed by sections that didn’t carry the same energy. The characters, though likable, sometimes felt underdeveloped, and I wished for more emotional depth to match the beauty of the descriptive writing.

That said, there is still much to enjoy here. Readers who love novels that celebrate food, family traditions, and cultural heritage will likely find Celestial Banquet appealing. It’s a gentle, comforting read with a magical undertone, even if it didn’t completely captivate me.

For me, this was a 3⭐️ book: enjoyable in many ways, with standout imagery and atmosphere, but not one that fully delivered on its promise. Still, Roselle Lim’s voice remains distinctive and lyrical, and I’ll be interested to see what she creates next.

I may be a hater, but I just found this book to be incredibly childish. I would definitely categorize this book as middle-grade instead of YA. It was definitely disappointing because I thought the idea of a cooking competition with gods would be super fun and entertaining to read. Unfortunately the execution of the book was not the greatest.

According to other reviews, this book is supposed to be the first in the trilogy. While I can definitely see how the book was set up for that, I think it ended up being unsatisfying. The plot was bogged down with foreshadowing that hopefully will show back up in a sequel. The book is described as a cooking competition, and that's the main plot. Reading this was in no way unsatisfying, but they only have a competition every 10 years. Since the entire competition was fit into this one book I wonder how the second book will fit. Is there supposed to be a large time jump to make a second book be about the next competition, or are we all supposed to accept that the next book is not about a cooking competition (which is why I was interested), and that Cai is still going to be useful or important? If the story switched that much I, and maybe other readers, would be confused because the characters don’t seem to fit that kind of story. The book is compared to the Hunger Games, and while it is similar, Catching Fire starts with the next hunger games, so it follows a similar structure and type of book to the first.

The romance. Don’t get me started on the romance. The entire plot was hijacked by these two dudes who we could all (except for Cai) tell were not loved equally. And her final choice (who was pretty obviously foreshadowed) didn’t even seem like a good choice, because they were both pretty flat. We got hints about the family background of each one, but not enough for me to care. The most interesting relationship to me was between Cai and Tala (one of the only other female characters in the entire story) and it was a purely platonic relationship. Overall I just didn’t like any of the characters that much and the romance only made it worse.

Plot: Cai wants to win a cooking competition that's pretty dangerous

Characters:
Cai-a very skilled chef with questionable relationship choices

Bo-Cai’s bestie

Seon-rich noble dude who is good at swords

Kama-god of electricity who is the protector god of the peninsula

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for providing this eARC

Thank you Netgalley and Zando for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Celestial Banquet is a book that sounds amazing but the execution was poor. The idea of a cooking competition for gods is unique and perfect for lovers of cosy fantasy. Unfortunately the writing felt juvenile and lacked depth. Every problem that occurred in the story had an easy resolution. There wasn't any suspense and I found myself not caring about the characters. The MMCs were all flat/one dimensional and the romance and love triangle felt forced. Overall a disappointing read.

I want to thank Netgalley for approving this arc for me to read in return for an honest review.

I was quite intrigued by the premise of the book before I started, and suffice to say I am really happy with the book. I love a high stake cooking competition, and firstly all the food in the book made me hungry. I love the complexities of the characters we have, the flaws of Cai as she navigates what it means to compete in the Celestial Banquet. From the major gods they have to perform and cook for,to the minor gods who enter with their competitors. I could see how the book could possibly be a standalone or if the author wanted it could even be made into a series, as the ending is a balanced closure with opening for more. My favourite parts of the book was the different trials they had to face to acquire the varying ingredients for the the three gods, and how those trials shaped the characters into what choices were made.

Celestial Banquet brings a new twist to the fantasy quest genre with cooking as the main action. The pantheon of minor and major gods are interesting and diverse in their personalities, and make for good adversaries. The fellow contestants are also diverse in their backgrounds and goals. The love triangle doesn't bring anything particularly new to the story, but I didn't mind it too much. I found this book to be a fun read, but I feel like a sequel will be more focused on war and political intrugue, which is not my cup of tea.

2.5 stars
We follow Cai as she has been chosen to represent her region in a cooking contest for the three major gods. Not much is known about this contest other than that a victory can change your life drastically, however if you lose you may not come back at all. Cai is willing to take this risk in order to pursue her dream of a restaurant of her own but she also wants to give the peninsula a standing chance against the empress of the continent who seeks to conquer her home.

I was not sure of how to rate this. It's an easy and short read but I don't have strong feelings about the story. It did not feel like a chore to read but it wasn't that exciting either. I enjoyed reading about the cooking though, it sounded tasty. There were a few things I did dislike such as Cai revealing her intentions of protecting the peninsula to people she barley knew. Also I did not like the love triangle situation and it was frustrating at times. The cast of characters could have been interesting but end up feeling flat.

Not sure if I would recommend this but I think the author has the potential to improve.

The food descriptions made me so so hungry in this book. It read a lil younger YA which is fine although I still think there needs to be a dividing line between the two. I love a god story and this is mixed with a cooking competition so it made it even better :)

The premise of this book was really interesting! I enjoyed the first half of it with the character and world building however I did begin to feel the YOUNG in Young Adult. I feel like this book definitely panders to bit more teenage audience than I was expecting. I feel like middle school or high school aged teens would definitely enjoy this book but ultimately it wasn't for me.

The book really reminded me of the god Beerus and the obsession with food that people have in Dragon Ball Super so that was fun!

Thanks so much to Zando | Sweet July Books and Netgalley for this ARC!

I ultimately did not finish this book, but I will give it 3 stars because I feel like this book is for someone out there, just not me. And since it is YA, I know that I am also not the target audience either. Still, the premise was interesting, but the writing style leans towards younger YA. And with its brisk pacing favoring action and plot over world and character development, some readers may enjoy it for being easily readable.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Celestial Banquet in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Gist
When I picked up Celestial Banquet, I expected food to play a strong role. What I didn’t expect was for nearly every emotional beat, memory, and plot turn to be filtered through recipes, ingredients, and cooking. That’s not inherently a flaw—it’s simply not to my taste. If you love food-centric stories, you may find this novel magical. But if you prefer your fiction with less focus on culinary detail, you might struggle like I did.


The Details
Roselle Lim’s writing shines with elegance and sensory depth. Her prose feels lush and lyrical. She paints every dish with care—steam rising, spices blooming, textures woven into emotion. Each meal tells a story. Her descriptions are immersive, and for food lovers, they’ll likely be a highlight.



The story follows a woman dealing with loss and reconnection. As she explores her heritage, cooking becomes her way of grieving, healing, and understanding her place in the world. This emotional core holds real power. I connected with several scenes where the protagonist reflects on her family, identity, and what it means to honor the past. Lim brings that sense of longing to life through carefully crafted moments.



Still, the narrative often pauses for food. At times, the pace slows so much that the emotional arc feels secondary. Plot development takes a backseat to another lovingly described dish or food metaphor. That constant return to the kitchen left me feeling disconnected. I wanted more forward motion—more time with the character’s thoughts and less time on the page savoring sauces and garnishes.



This isn’t to say the book is poorly written. It’s quite the opposite. The themes of cultural identity, grief, and self-discovery resonate. The style is gentle and poetic. But the execution leans heavily into one mode of storytelling, and it just didn’t resonate with me as a reader.



If you're someone who finds meaning in food, especially when it intersects with family and cultural roots, this book might be exactly what you're looking for. It has warmth, depth, and sincerity. For me, though, it felt like being at a beautiful banquet I couldn’t fully enjoy. I could admire the craft, but I wasn’t truly satisfied.


The Verdict
Celestial Banquet is a heartfelt, delicately written story. It offers plenty to appreciate—even if I didn’t walk away hungry for seconds.

Pitched as THE book for fans of The Hunger Games and cooking competitions, Celestial Banquet is Roselle Lim’s foray into the YA fantasy genre. As someone who has enjoyed Roselle’s women’s fiction books, I was curious to see how she would approach YA fantasy. Set in a world inspired by the mythology and history of both East and Southeast Asia, readers follow Cai, a young noodle chef who enters the “Celestial Banquet,” a deadly, cutthroat cooking contest held by the major gods as a way to escape her impoverished life. Lim, as always, delivers on mouthwatering descriptions of food with Celestial Banquet, and from the start it’s obvious just how much care and effort were put into the world-building. I also appreciated how each chapter begins with an excerpt from a scroll that expands upon the world that Lim has so lovingly created. Unfortunately, Celestial Banquet suffers from the all-too-common issue of having a compelling concept—its intriguing premise—but lacking in execution. I openly acknowledge that love triangles are one of my least preferred tropes, however the one featured in Celestial Banquet was not only unnecessary but also poorly handled. Not only did both of Cai's options suck, but any time spent on the juvenile “romance” took away from time that could have been spent on further developing the backstories of Cai and the rest of Team Kama as well as fleshing out the motivations of the other teams and even the gods who were the hosts of this deadly competition. That said, I did find it refreshingly relatable how petty the gods were and how they were overly invested in Cai’s relationship drama, to the point where they would openly mess with her and the guys just for their own entertainment. Celestial Banquet does its reader a solid by not ending on a major cliffhanger as it wraps up the main story while simultaneously setting things up for the sequel. However, the ending felt like it came out of nowhere and was rushed, and I’m just not emotionally invested enough to continue with this series.

This was a really fun book! It has an extremely unique premise and it was very captivating and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

To sum up this reading experience, I just have to say that I was so aware that I was reading words on a page, you know?

Intriguing concept, however the execution was extremely lacking.
There was basically no world building. Why was there a war? Beside there being an evil empress. How was an immortality peach, that was going to be sold to buy a building be the solution to stop this supposed war? Absolutely nonsense, that is what I say.

Besides the descriptions of food, the writing left a lot to be desired. It was so to the point that it was painful, there's was absolutely no nuance in this entire book. The author constantly told us how everything made the characters feel. The message of this book was also so heavy-handed.

The characters were as flated as a piece of paper, and that is me being generous. They had no personality besides the author really trying to make us believe they did.

Now, as if it wasn't already bad, the worst for last, the live triangle. That was the most painful thing I have ever read, no chemistry at all. Why was everyone so obsessed with who this sixteen year old girl "ended up" with.

Recommend - For those who enjoyed the likes of Food Wars (Shokugeki no Soma), but with less fan service and more gods

YA fantasy - FM romance, and plenty of it, no spice

I really enjoyed this one. It was a lot of fun, with a lot of diversity in environment and descriptions throughout.

Seen through the eyes of Cai, our FMC, we are given a glimpse of what life is like in the Peninsula. Oft looked down upon, and underestimated by, the Continent, Cai sees participating in the Celestial Banquet as an opportunity to further her own ambitions, as well as to uplift the profile of her town.

We follow her through to the Banquet, meeting the Major Gods, and her competitors. As Cai passes each stage of the Banquet, Lim takes the opportunity to showcase the mythical and fabled ingredients and delicacies of a fantasy China, as well as the venues and creatures through the stylings of the Major Gods.

The focus on the romantic plot between Cai and the two MMCs was certainly a regular story point throughout. I would argue that it was potentially focused on rather more than the food itself was. Unlike its Food Wars comp, we only loosely read about how each dish is prepared or how it’s put together.

Nevertheless, the story was a fun romp through a new world and its cuisine.

Synopsis:
Every 10 or so years, a banquet is prepared for the Major Gods to partake of. The winning team gets the fabled Peaches of Immortality; the losers’ prize is subject to the whims of the gods. Cai is looking for a way to fulfil her dream of opening her own restaurant.

When word of the next Celestial Banquet spreads, she sets out to join a team and compete for a chance to serve legendary meals to the gods.

I’m not usually a fan of fantasy because I don’t really have the imagination for it – I can’t picture the worlds they live in – but this one was centered around a cooking competition, which I love, so it was a little easier to understand. I enjoyed the various tasks involved in the competition and I found the ingredients fascinating. Likewise, Cai was a formidable character and I had fun following along as she made educated decisions about what to create and how to do so. The only issue I had with this was the love triangle. I didn’t think it fit the story, which was perfectly fine without this drama. I also thought getting the Gods involved in it was far-fetched and actually took away from the story from me.

I loved this story. Such fantastic writing and characters! Our main character Cai, is clever and quick-witted; her team of Seon, Tala, and Kama are smart and will do whatever it takes for her to win. I thought the challenges were unique and the outcomes surprising. The world-building is superb, and I loved learning more about the other places, foods, and customs. The story itself is fast-paced and will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. The combination of fabulous writing and characters worked for me. I hope the author writes a few more books with these guys. I can't wait to read more about Cai and the crew.

Celestial Banquet, a sacred cooking competition held by the Major Gods. Chefs of all the Continent could participate with the blessing of their own Continent Minor Gods. The winner will receive the Peaches of Immortality, along with everlasting fame and fortune. The loser? Well just say they've got their dooms. Cai, the ordinary noodle chef, enters the competition in the hope of saving her beloved Continent, the Peninsula. Alongside the drunken Minor God Kama, her childhood crush-turned-friend Bo, and dreamy noble Seon, Cai enters the competition. Would they survive this deadly sacred cooking competition?

Celestial Banquet has a unique lore and world building. Actually, I think this book is the first time to be categorized as a dark food fantasy genre. There are so many food ingredients that I find the author made it by herself and I love it. Golden song mushrooms, diamond dust rock sugar, ruby treasure arowanas and so many more.

Each step of the cooking competition stage is deadly. Don’t expect this book to be a relaxing and slow-paced story. In fact, it isn’t! Even though it is all about food, there is a fast pace and so much thriller tension along the way the story goes, in almost every chapter. Also, there are so many dark plot twists here, and I am shocked!

As for romance, there is a love triangle between Cai (FMC) and two MMCs. Each MMC has plus and minus and I like the way Cai thinks, processes and how she makes her decision to choose everything that happens in the competition. She is just a girl who tries to be careful and thinks five steps ahead. She is wise and I love her already.

The best part is the magic system is about taste buds. Yes! Food is the magic here! To be honest, this book is the first fantasy book which made me gain weight hahaha. I hope this book will become a series.