A Thousand Recipes for Revenge

Beautifully narrated and quite brilliant world building, imagine my surprise when I got sucked into this audio book.

I left the High Fantasy prompt of the 52 Book Challenge for the end because it's not a genre I usually gravitate toward.

In this story, Chefs have special powers in their world and are prized but held captive for their abilities. While there is lots of magic and talk of edibles and enhancements, there is also much that is familiar, almost old fashioned, about their world. There are gated cities and people wearing wigs, not much indoor plumbing- no electricity, a princess that loves to ride by horseback, and neighboring kingdoms with a tenuous peace on the verge of erupting.

I especially enjoyed the characters. All regular folks- a teen girl, a middle aged chef, her elderly grandmother- lots of talk of royal alliances and family bloodlines and the 5 Gods that rule their world.

Clearly, there's a sequel coming because it ends unfinished with the promise of so much more to come.

Perfect for those that love solid world building, magic and magical creatures.
No sex and no cursing whatsoever in this one so definitely appropriate for younger advanced readers. There is violence but it's not graphic.

3.5 stars

Ada is a Chef. She can taste aromas, and she knows what food is right for anyone she meets. Chefs are property of the Crown and must do the King's bidding. When a Chef's magic manifests, they are usually conscripted to the King's army. If they run rather than serve, they are considered rogue Chef's and the punishment is the loss of their tongue which usually drives them mad.

Ada served her time. After certain events, she flees and takes on a new identity. When someone tries to kill her and puts her family in danger, she knows she can't hide anymore.

I enjoyed this. It definitely wasn't what I expected. I thought it was going to be cozy fantasy, but it wasn't. I still liked it. My only real complaint is that there was no world building at all.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.