At the heart of the story is Paprick, a boy born on the wrong side of a divided society. Though passionate about food, his upbringing among the Commons means he’s destined for the factory lines until a forbidden spice changes everything…

Paprick’s journey from meat-processing grunt to student at the elite culinary Academy is full of emotional highs and devastating lows. Through him, we see how systemic injustice shapes people and how revolution starts small, often by accident.

The supporting cast shines too. His two mothers, whose fierce love anchors his early life. Academy friends, whose subtle sympathies challenge the Rare/Commons binary, whilst Academy not-so-friends reinforce it. And a rebel companion, whose influence adds urgency and danger to the story

Adult Paprick, narrating the story as a memoir to an archivist with history of her own, gives the book additional emotional weight and suggests he may not be telling the full truth as an unreliable narrator.

This world runs on recipes – literally. Magical meals crafted from monstrous creatures can do everything from removing exhaustion to creating chaos on a massive scale. When Paprick discovers a rare ingredient that transforms him into a legendary giant, he’s swept into a new life… and a growing rebellion.

The magic system is one of the most unique aspects of the book. The recipes are imaginative, the ingredients horrifying and grand, and the consequences often deadly. You get the sense that the world extends far beyond Paprick’s story, with political games and rebellion constantly simmering behind the scenes.

As the story progresses, Paprick becomes more involved in the revolutionary undercurrent, whether he wants to or not. There’s action, sabotage, betrayal, and loss. The final chapters leave plenty open for a sequel, and I’m already invested in where this messy, delicious rebellion goes next.

Written as a memoir, Seven Recipes for Revolution uses a clever frame narrative where an older Paprick tells his story to an archivist who may or may not trust him. There’s a constant tension between memory and myth, and the book is laced with hints that this story may be a version crafted for legacy more than truth.

The pacing is slower in places, especially during training scenes or deep dives into cooking methods, but it fits the tone and allows for proper worldbuilding. The writing style is gritty, thoughtful, and sometimes poetic without ever becoming pretentious.

The world of Seven Recipes for Revolution is split between the Rares (the elite, magical class) and the Commons (overworked and overlooked). With this, the book explores classism and propaganda, rebellion and systemic oppression, cultural erasure and violence and at it’s core power through food, culture, and memory

While there’s magic, it’s never used to soften the story. This is a world where inequality is violent, where power corrupts, and where even a miracle can be weaponised. There are also some graphic elements, including cannibalistic undertones and scenes of physical brutality.

This book comfortably sits in Epic Fantasy and borders into Grimdark territory. It’s heavy with themes of power, sacrifice, and survival, but told through the voice of a teenager trying to do the right thing in a world built to keep him down.

Overall it’s a richly imagined, emotionally layered fantasy with a unique magic system and a compelling, tragic lead. Deliciously dark and devastating in equal measure.

Positives of Seven Recipes for Revolution
Unique and unsettling magic system based on magical meals
Clever narrative structure with unreliable memoir tone
Emotional stakes and rich character relationships
Strong political themes without losing fantasy appeal
Brilliant sense of worldbuilding beyond what we see on the page
Perfect blend of personal story and larger rebellion arc

Negatives of Seven Recipes for Revolution
Slow pacing in certain training/kitchen segments
Some violent or disturbing content, including cannibalism
Gaps in explanation for some political mechanics (left for sequels?)
Readers may struggle with Paprick’s unreliability at times

I’ve read a lot of books that contain magical systems and political structures that most definitely differ from the norm, and food has figured in them but, Seven Recipes for Revolution by Ryan Rose takes this to a whole new level of magical cookery! Told from the perspective and narrative of the protagonist, Paprick as he sits in his cell awaiting a decision on his execution, who we find out very quickly has an allergy to the truth and can politely be termed as a most unreliable narrator.

The worldbuilding and politics development in Seven Recipes for Resolution is pretty robust and I enjoyed how food and recipes were at the core of culture and society – I found this truly appetising. The whole culture, language, customs, faith and focus of the people revolved around food – from exchanging snacks when you greet someone to starving being defined as a curse/swear word. I adored the diversity, it wasn’t an exception, it was the norm, nothing special, just how life worked, Paprick has two mums – nothing out of the ordinary about that.

Yet, despite all the of the positives I still didn’t connect with this book. I’m not the audience of choice for this book and if I’d watched The Bear before I requested it, I wouldn’t have made the request. I’m not saying this is a bad book, I’m saying, it’s not for me but, for those of you who love The Bear, and aren’t squeamish about butchery, cannibalism and other powerful and dark themes, this will be the book for you.

Thank you Daphne Press and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This is a difficult book to review as elements of it sit at different ends of the enjoyment spectrum. The world, the characters and even the overarching plot and book concept are all excellent and I’m interested to see where this story goes next. But having said that I found the writing style, structure and the first act in general to be more difficult to manage and a struggle to follow at times. There are some very odd choices in the presentation of the narrative frame and how it works or doesn’t work alongside the bulk of the narrative that I found jarring. Overall now the world and rules are established and I have a better idea of what to expect I’m curious to find out if Book 2 can improve on this shaky but promising start

his book is a really wild ride from start to finish, I wasn’t sure what to expect but the description of The Bear crossed with Attack on Titan was entirely spot on

This is like an anime in book form- utterly devourable, tasteful, and fun.

Every time I thought I just saw the craziest thing imaginable and nothing can top that, the book proved me wrong. What a WILD ride

Seven Recipes for Revolution is a story of the transformation of a young man from ambitions of becoming a chef to the unexpected symbol of a radical uprising, in a world where “eating the rich” takes on both literal and metaphorical weight.

The story is told from Paprick’s perspective as he recounts his life for documentation. Very early on we establish the main character as an unreliable narrator and foreshadow what he is to become. Distinct lines are drawn between Paprick and The Butcher.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and the world that was created, The way food is not just woven but deeply embedded into the culture is both imaginative and compelling, so much that it did make me hungry a lot.

Where the story lost half a star for me plot wise was the foreshadowing, at times, rather than offering subtle hints, the narrative veered into territory that made future plot developments too predictable.

*Minor spoiler* It’s mentioned in the story that a character at one point changes their pronouns, apart from this off hand mentioned it’s never addressed again in this book but feels like something important that will be spoken about later. As a result, I struggled to feel truly invested in their peril.

The book’s representation is commendable, showcasing a range of identities across race, gender, and sexuality. For the most part, it’s handled with care and nuance. However, there were a few moments where it felt less natural, more like a deliberate message than an organic part of the story. At those points, the representation bordered on being overly didactic, which disrupted the otherwise immersive experience.

That said, I genuinely enjoyed this debut. Ryan Rose has laid a strong foundation for what promises to be a powerful series. I’m looking forward to getting that Waterstones Exclusive edition in my hard because the cover artwork is phenomenal.

Sensitive readers should check the trigger warns on this one, there are graphic scenes of butchering animals, sexual content and cannibalism to name a few. They were listed at the front of the arc and I can only assume they will be printed with the final copies also.
Many thanks to Black Crow PR and Daphnee Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bindery Books for providing me with a free e-ARC of Seven Recipes of Revolution.

I usually try not to have high expectations of books and authors I am not familiar with, as I have been disappointed one too many times. But once in a while I find a book which absolutely blows my mind, and the author becomes a favourite immediately. That is precisely what happened with Seven Recipes – I adore this novel so much.

The description says this is Attack on Titan in book form, but I have to disagree. To me, this book screams early One Piece episodes. From the very first chapter, I was transported back in time to 2012, when I first fell in love with One Piece.

Paprick is a hard-working common butcher who wants more from his life. His passion is cooking, and he dreams of becoming a chef, a position reserved for those born as rares (the upper social class that oppresses the commons). He also dreams of liberating his people and sharing the magic that comes from the beasts he helps butcher with the whole world.

One day his life is turned upside down. He visits the black market where he discovers a spice. He combines it with the meat he stole and creates a greater recipe. The dish turns him into a giant, and the legends start spreading among people.

He is immediately arrested by Rares, but he persuades them to let him become a chef´s apprentice. Slowly, he discovers the truth and the horrors hidden by the upper class and becomes the face of a rebellion.

But here's the twist: Paprick narrates his own story after being captured and put on trial. So will he succeed and make his dreams come true?

I am going to start this with a warning: the book is incredibly difficult to put down. The magic system is incredibly unique; I do not think I have ever read or seen anything where pretty much anyone could obtain magic powers like in Seven Recipes. This opens the door to so many possibilities and opportunities.

As I have already mentioned, the story is recounted by Paprick himself. It is mentioned that his story might not be fully true, so it is up to the reader to decide what to believe. On top of that, we do see two different storylines: we have Paprick locked up during his trial, and we have the story he is telling. I think it worked incredibly well; there are not that many jumps between the two, and they flow seamlessly.

As the book nears its end, Paprick's narration comes to a stop, and we only see what is happening in jail. This was a really good decision, as it seamlessly opens the door to the sequel, as it is quite obvious the story is not over yet.

When it comes to characters, I really appreciate how normal and ordinary and imperfect they were. It was fascinating to see Paprick and his friends grow and find their place within the group. I also loved how many characters are queer, but in the “natural” way me and my friends are. I might sound weird for saying this, but it was a nice change from the books that make being queer a character´s entire personality. There is so much more to us, and this book shows it well.

There are some things I did not like. I am not big on romance, and in this instance it felt a little out of place. Even more so given the characters' ages. Another thing is that I think the ending was a bit too rushed. Yes, I did like how things turned out, but it was too sudden for my liking.

I think this novel is a beautiful picture of how people can overcome anything if they join forces and use a little bit of violence. We all currently live in uncertain and scary times, and I appreciate the positive messages Seven Recipes for Revolution holds inside.

4.75 Stars (rounded up for Netgalley!)

This is an excellent debut.

I don't request ARCs all that often anymore, unless they're of a sequel I desperately want to read. This book caught my eye because of its marketing, specifically the frankly bizarre comparison combination of Attack on Titan and The Bear.

Now, I haven't watched The Bear yet, but Attack on Titan? Lowkey obsessed. I've cosplayed Sasha at comic con. I have an AoT Tumblr where I post cringey AoT fanart. Hange Zoë might be my all-time favourite character. I see Eren's Founding Titan form in the wood grain patterns on the door of one of the toilets at my place of work. (I might have a problem...)

Anyway. That's what grabbed me, then I read the blurb and thought - wow, that sounds different and fun! The reviews were looking pretty positive too, with one reviewer mentioning that the story had a kind of reality TV cooking competition feel - something else that appeals to me. I've watched BBC's Masterchef since I was eight years old, and have been a fan of Bake Off since its very first series back in 2010. I could see that working with an Attack on Titan-esque story. I mean, Attack on Titan does actually have an episode featuring a cook-off...

All that to say - yes, the comparisons are apt! But also not? Seven Recipes for Revolution has a lot of fun superficial similarities to Attack on Titan (main character who gets BIG, people who fly around fighting giant beasts, walled society, cannibalism, etc), and some deeper thematic ones (historical manipulation, classism, main character(s) used as a political tool, etc), but it doesn't have the same vibe. Seven Recipes has a more quietly dangerous feel, at least until the ending; it mostly resembles the first arc of season three of AoT, which is very political.

But that also doesn't really explain the vibe of this book. It can be very dark (see: the cannibalism CW). It also feels like a comedy sometimes. And then there are the restaurant scenes, which have a vibe all of their own, which I loved. You see, this really is a book about food! And respecting the source of food! And preparing food! And loving food! (Let's throw another comparison in - Ratatouille. No, really!) There's even discourse on food and classism/racism that definitely reflects the way people regard food in the real world. I mean, I always find it interesting on Masterchef when comments are made about "tidying up" dishes to make them look "restaurant quality", and often there are some racist undertones (e.g. "it's difficult to make a curry look fancy!"). The appreciation of "street food" and the like has improved over the years but a hierarchy still exists, especially in what is perceived as good presentation and levels of technical difficulty vs flavour.

Shockingly, I haven't really talked about the characters or world-building yet. The side characters are great in this, and main character Paprick is one to root for. He's just really passionate, you know? I love a character that's passionate about their craft in a way that feels real. His relationships with the other characters are very sweet too, especially with his mums. The romance was good too, and I loved the way in which it was handled in the frame narrative (funny at first, then...interesting). I think my favourite relationship was between Paprick and Cutler. Love when a relationship consists mostly of the characters fondly insulting each other.

The world-building? Super unique. It goes back to the food. Food is magic! And religion! And everyone is named after food! And people use cooking utensils as weapons! And there are giant cows! It sounds a bit ridiculous but it works and I loved it. It's also, notably, one of the easier fantasy worlds to get to grips with and understand, especially if you like to cook! In other words, despite its size, this is a relatively easy fantasy read without any super complex magical systems to get your head around. The politics is also fairly easy to follow.

The world is also very diverse in a very casual way. There are multiple non-binary characters, for example, including Paprick's love interest (though they're referred to only with she/her pronouns in the flashbacks, to reflect which pronouns they used then). The extent of homophobia in the story world is specifically classist, because Paprick's mums aren't allowed to get married because they are Common (lower class), though they could if they were Rares (upper class). (I don't know if this is specifically an issue for same sex couples either, now I come to think of it).

Let's return to comparisons for a moment. I think there should be another comparison, and that's to SFF novels like The Name of the Wind. The frame narrative format (main character narrating the story to another character, years after the event) has its own specific feel in sci-fi and fantasy, one that I don't often like. I can't say much about The Name of the Wind itself because I only read about 100 pages of that (not a DNF, just chose the wrong format and haven't yet picked it back up), but I didn't really gel with Empire of Silence or The First Binding, despite them being well-written. I might be forgetting one, but I think the only fantasy novel with a frame narrative that I liked prior to Seven Recipes was Empire of the Vampire. Notably, they share some similarities:

1) Main character that isn't insufferably self-important/ancient
2) Not episodic! We have pretty much the same settings and cast of characters throughout. (Empire of the Vampire jumps about in time a bit, if I remember correctly, but Seven Recipes is entirely chronological save for the frame narrative and some sneaky foreshadowing)
3) Relatedly, secondary characters that don't feel distant, who we get to spend a proper amount of time with and grow to love.
4) The school setting isn't under-utilised!

This is all personal preference, of course. All the books I mentioned are technically very good in their own ways, but I feel like Seven Recipes for Revolution will appeal both to people who love a fantasy frame narrative as well as those who might be put off by the trope, because it really has the best of both worlds. In particular, the unreliability is really well-done, adding a huge amount of mystery to the story, much of which isn't answered in this first instalment but is still handled in a very fun way.

So this review has been hugely positive - why a 4.75* rating and not a 5*? Well, mostly because I've become very picky with my 5*s and only want to throw them at my absolute favourite books, which are rarely the first in a series. Seven Recipes is a seriously good book though, and it might jump up with a re-read, or in hindsight after I read the rest of the series, or if I feel like it isn't getting the recognition it deserves. If the sequels retain this quality or - and I suspect this might be the case, touch wood! - get even better, this series will be an absolute winner.

I loved the idea of this from the synopsis, it gave me Empire Of The Vampire type vibes as I read it with the bad MC narrating his story to someone recording it from his cell, but unfortunately it just fell a bit flat for me.

I found it confusing in places as, being an ARC, there was no quotation marks at the start of the story paragraphs after the Butcher and archivist had had a brief conversation. Maybe a read of a finished copy will help.

Overall, a good story with interesting and great characters along with some right nasty ones.

I don't usually read fantasy books like this with this much worldbuilding so fast, but this book had me HOOKED.

I like cooking, but I'm not sure I'd call myself a foodie - so I wasn't sure that the Chef/magical meals/cooking academy would gel with me, but the writing just pulled me right into the smells and flavours they described. I genuinely heard my stomach rumble after Paprick created his rub for the first time.

It was just the right level of poetic to be beautiful but not overly prose-y and annoying, I could really feel Paprick's love for creating an amazing meal. I really felt like the style pulled me right into his head, and the romance plotline also felt incredibly real and genuine.

I really liked the general structure of the book too - it was reminiscent of Dragon Age: Inquisition where you flip from the interrogation to the flashbacks of what actually happened (or close to what happened given the potential unreliable narrator issue, which added an extra dimension to the plotline!) and made me so curious about what happened between the flashback/narration and the 10 years after when Paprick is recounting his story. Hopefully enough to fill another two books as I think I'll need at least that in this universe to feel satisfied.

One slight negative (though not enough to take a star off for me) was I wasn't a fan of how his mum's were treated, they just felt like they popped in occasionally to give him some useful advice and then just got dangled around the threat of death for every other time. It was sort of like the fridged woman trope for me, they just seemed to be used to give Paprick the drive to keep fighting, and I think two queer women deserved more.

But overall I found this book incredible engaging and unique - I never see a food-based magic system around and I absolutely loved it. Bring on even more!

This book was intense and unputdownable! I read an eARC of this book on Net Galley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This books has been compared to Attack on Titan, The Bear and Red Rising. All of these are fair and the book definitely has elements of all three of these. However it exists as something beautifully unique in its own right. The ideas are original, though rooted in familiar tropes. The writing is compelling and rich. We see a huge amount of world building created in not a particularly long book. I appreciated the craft of the author to do so much in a shorter space. The tenacity of the editing keeping the pace and tension of the book exquisitely taut. This is a book you’ll read with your breath caught in your throat, it is so intense.

While the food writing is often sumptuous and beautiful, it’s juxtaposed with gruesomeness and horror. The early scenes of the book when our main character Paprick works as a butcher are stomach churning and incredibly upsetting. The book doesn’t shy away from showing you where meat comes from and this is quite distressing. However it didn’t feel gratuitous, it felt like important commentary to cast a light on the society and why rebellion is brewing. The callousness of the ‘rare’ as they are labelled and their lack of empathy to both ‘common’ humans and animals is horrifying.

The plot is exceptionally written, compelling and hard to put down. I found for all that I was sickened by the early chapters, I was riveted by the main character’s journey. This is a brutal novel, but one that justifies its violence through the world building and commentary it seeks to raise. Check trigger warnings, but it is a book that’s well worth a read.

This is another one I have struggled with this past month. I feel like I am the wrong audience for this for sure. If you are really into the Bear with high fantasy - you will like this. I personally do not like stories that back track with a bunch of time jumps. And I really didn’t get the hype with the food and recipes and everything involved and I knew that going into it, thought maybe it would click, but alas… nope.. The formatting in the arc was also super super difficult. I’ll probably pick this one up when it’s published and see how I feel then if I can buddy read with my husband who is a huge foodie, again it just wasn’t for me and that's okay! A lot of potential here. It was a DNF.

Thank you!!

I had been craving a book like this for years!
Epic fantasy with flow writing and all the elements of a great story to keep you reading and reading.

The best analogy for this reading experience is probably the feeling of being so greatly satisfied after a deliciously and lovingly cooked buffet; every possible craving satiated and addressed!

READ IT!

The cover of this book is what drew me in. This is such a unique take on fantasy. It felt a bit like Spirited Away meets high fantasy. It drew me in and kept me there, with political subtext hiding between the lines. This is my first read by this author, but it certainly won't be the last.

4.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this one.

We meet Paprick as a butcher in the King’s Factory, carving a literal gargantuan living creature, whose meat provides magic powers to the country’s elite – so long as it’s cooked right. After creating his own magic-granting recipe, Paprick finds himself amongst the elite he hates so much, but it is far more dangerous and deadly than he could have imagined.

I’ll admit that it took me a couple of chapters to get used to the style of this book, but once I had, I was hooked. The style was interesting, with Paprick recounting his life to an unknown archivist after his arrest, with the story taking place both in the past and present. What I really really loved most of all was the magic system, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a food based magic system before and I found that so unique and fascinating. And I liked how well the theme of food and sharing meals formed such a basis for the magic and overall themes of the story.

The main character, Paprick, was also a compelling and somewhat (potentially) unreliable narrator, it is interesting to see (some of) how he went from the boy at the start of his story to the man recounting it years later, and I will be looking forward to the next installment to see how the story progresses.

Thank you so much to Daphne Press and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

There are 2 reasons to read this book: one, you're enamoured with the premise of magical cooking, and two, you like narrative gimnicks a la "omniscient 3rd person sliding into 1st person when mc tells his life story, but is he an unreliable narrator?" I'm generally not a fan of gimnicks, just give me a good story in a plain narration and stock worldbuilding and I'd be cool. Give me a creative worldbuilding and narration, but a boring story, and I'll be disappointed.

Since the whole story starts with mc captured and interrogated in prison so he can tell his life story Name of the Wind style, it made me not even curious where is this story going, because we know where will the mc end.

As I said, the worldbuilding here is the best part. The whole culture, language, customs, everything revolving around food (for example "starving" is a swear word a la f-king, or exchanging snacks as a greeting gesture). There's also casual diversity, mc has 2 moms and several characters were darker-skinned.

But the plot? I was so bored. Even when a big action sequence happened I felt it was all for "the rule of cool" rather than because it mattered. I had no emotional investment in the protagonist Paprick or his goal (also everyone being named after foodstuffs got old really quick).

I swear I need to think twice before I request another fantasy debut written by a man. So far it's been flop after flop. All of them have "things happen but it's all just going through the motions, plot for the sake of plot". Make me care, goddamnit. Give the protagonist some real moral or emotional struggles that aren't hand-waved in a minute, please. The last time I cared about the protagonist in a male-authored debut... one was self-published and the other was through a small press kickstarter.

Thank you Netgalley & Daphne Press for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and opportunity and many thanks to the author for writing such a unique story. This book had all the elements of a story i thought i'd enjoy, but sadly it just didn't click for me. I had trouble connecting with the openening and never really found the momentum to stay engaged. But if you like gory details, food magic systems, and anime i think this is worth giving a shot.

Imagine a cross between Red Rising and The Name Of The Wind, all based on the set of Masterchef, and I imagine you’ll end up with something a little like Seven Recipes for Revolution! The uprising elements to the story remind me a lot of Pierce Brown’s series, with lead character Paprick infiltrating the higher echelons of society and becoming a member of two different worlds. Paired with the ‘story within a story’ retrospective style of The Name Of The Wind, you get a fascinating new blend of high fantasy that succeeds in feeling wholly original, a difficult thing to achieve these days!

I was impressed by how cohesive the world felt in this novel, right from the beginning. Food is the centre focus of the story, and influences most of the character’s livelihoods and social life; it even influences the language and how characters speak to each other! The mechanism for characters gaining superpowers by eating Kaiju steaks is a fantastic hook into the story, but I’m glad the story goes in a direction where the nuts and bolts of how this works can be explored. This world is developed further as the plot advances, and the introduction of an elite culinary school brings an academia feel into the story too. Despite all that is going on in Seven Recipes, this is a revolution story through and through, and watching Paprick form close friends and improve his craft all while sleuthing for the revolutionaries was a joy to behold.

Two factors led me to drop my rating to four stars. Firstly is a heavy trigger warning for animal harm for the first segment of the story, which happens to be my main trigger for stopping reading a book! I stuck out the first few chapters, after which the story moves in a different direction, but the opening chapters were a difficult read for me. I also found the plot and world started to unravel somewhat towards the end. There’s a lot more to explore in sequel novels no doubt, but I didn’t like how the novel started to break its own rules on what was possible in this world, leaving the explanations and clean-up for a future book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Daphne Press for the ARC

4.5 Stars

Seven Recipes for Revolution is a unique new epic fantasy that weaves together storytelling, friendship, gore, love, inequality, family, violent resistance and food. Lots and lots of food.

The book is set in a world where there are Commons (regular hard-working people, with few rights, like districts in Hunger Games) and Rares (who oppress the Commons and have access to magically enhanced food, again think like the Capitol in the Hunger Games).

The story follows the (mostly) true tale of Paprick, a common who becomes the King Chef, figurehead of the revolution. I love the way Ryan Rose has told this story, with Paprick recounting his tale to the Archivist after his arrest, jumping between the past and the present, while the world goes to hell around them. I loved the twists and turns of the tale and all the underlying themes covered.

The magic system was particularly unique, with magic granted by the consumption of enhanced meat from massive (really really massive) magical beasts. We discover more about this as we follow Paprick from butcher of the beasts to chef. The book is highly descriptive, and very gory at times, do not make the mistake of consuming it whilst eating!

Ryan Rose has woven together a brilliant story, touching on important themes around oppression and class, the importance of family recipes and cooking together and finding your place in the world. I loved all the different characters and how they developed, my only disappointment was realising it was not a stand-alone and that I’ll have to wait for the story to continue.

Seven Recipes for Revolution follows Paprick, a common butcher who discovers a great recipe which results in deadly consequences and a call to action he’s not sure he’s ready for. This book is part of a series which is unfinished.

One thing that truly stuck out for me in this book is that I did hang onto every single word throughout reading it. It was only a short book but it was incredibly immersive and descriptive. I enjoyed the food references throughout and how each ingredient mentioned had a particular connotation to something which you’d find out as you got further into the story.

Another thing I really enjoyed was the back and forth between the narration from here and now. It’s not something I am usually keen on as it can be confusing however Rose made this very simple and easy to follow and I found myself enjoying the interludes to the story as much as the story itself.

That being said, I can say the pacing was incredibly slow and I found myself flagging on the first half of the book when Rose was setting up the scene. In hindsight, after finishing, it’s very relevant and it makes sense why it is so slow at the beginning but I can see why people would struggle to get into the story.

The final half of the book definitely picks up the pace whilst remaining immersive and descriptive but giving some twists and some shocks throughout. I really enjoyed the last 50 pages or so as I didn’t guess where we would end up and the shock factor of the final line has definitely encouraged me to want to read the rest of the series.

Overall, this book would be great for those that like slow-paced, descriptive and immersive books with a rebellious plot line, minimal romance and characters hell bent on revenge.

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.