A sweet book, and I loved the atmosphere of this world, but the story felt burdened by excess lore. This book could have stood to have more plot centered around meaningful character development rather than introducing so many characters and creatures that became hard to distinguish. Still, this is an auspicious launch for Hood's cozy quill imprint. Would absolutely read others in this genre!

Lovely cozy fantasy book or grimy? A zombie death night's ability to cook was not on my Bingo card for a wonderful journey. If you want a synopsis you can read the details on the book. My review is this: Lord Commander Rottgor Onyx-Ax of the Famine Blade has lived and died and continued to work far into his afterlife. He questions why he is alive, who he is after all these years and after a gentle forced retirement he sets out to find what life truly has. Its a beautifully cozy book that is very well written. I am a stickler for narration and excellent use of the English language, this does that and more. Cooking? I believe that this book is about every moment and question of what it means to be alive, while our death knight searches for the recipe to wonderful foods and his own afterlife.

Recipes for an Unexpected Afterlife is the kind of book that settles into your bones - a story about grief, second chances, and the quiet magic of choosing to live again. At its heart, it follows Rottgor, an undead orc granted an unexpected retirement after centuries of servitude, who rediscovers meaning through cooking, found family, and the small, sacred moments that stitch a broken soul back together. The warmth of this book is undeniable, it feels like a hearth on a cold night, offering comfort even as it confronts heavy themes of self-worth and belonging.

The relationships are where this story truly shines. Razgaif’s bond with Astra, a wise-beyond-her-years orphan, is achingly tender, and the found family that forms around his restaurant is full of heart. The narrative wisely sidesteps romance to focus on platonic and familial love, making every connection feel earned and deeply moving. The worldbuilding, while initially overwhelming, eventually settles into a rich backdrop of necromancy, discrimination, and fantastical races coexisting (or clashing) in a city that feels alive.

That said, the book isn’t without flaws. The pacing stumbles early on, bogged down by exposition before finding its rhythm. Some transitions between scenes are jarring, and the prose occasionally lacks the polish needed to elevate its most emotional beats. The villain feels underdeveloped, which drains tension from the climax, and the tonal shifts between cozy introspection and high-stakes conflict don’t always land smoothly.

Yet despite these hiccups, the story lingers. It’s not flashy or perfectly crafted, but it’s honest about grief, about healing, about how something as simple as sharing a meal can be an act of rebellion against despair. If you’re willing to overlook its rough edges, you’ll find a book that feels like a conversation you didn’t know you needed. Not quite a masterpiece, but something rarer: a story that stays with you.

3.5 Stars

There are sooo many things I loved about this book. The coziness. The vibes. The heaviness of grief over a life stolen from you by people who refused to see you as your own person with agency. The decentering of romance and the focus on familial love and chosen family. The fierceness of platonic bonds, and how you would go to any and all lengths for them because they are what ground us. What make the beauty of life something that matters. People, in however we relate to them, are what make us alive.

The reason this isn't a five star read is simply due to the writing quality. It really needed a round of intense line-level editing. There were lots of moments where I didn't understand how the transition from place to place happened. The first person italic thoughts got on my nerves, though I did get used to them after a while. And all of these wonderful concepts described above just didn't hit quite as deep because they weren't as developed as I wanted them to be.

SO. If you love the sound of paragraph one and aren't picky about writing craft, then you'll probably love this book! Please show it some love because the author and Meg's imprint deserve all the best.

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I say this book literally changed my life for the better, I ain't kidding!! It's exactly what I needed - the warm hug & the comforting hand over my shoulder that said "it's okay if you feel stuck at the moment, it's even okay to feel dead inside & to just go over the motions everyday but never let that stop you from believing that you deserve something better or that your life can change." This isn't a quote from the book but it's exactly how I felt when I read this cuz this book literally was the COMFORTING SHOULDER that I needed and it filled me with HOPE!!!!🥺😭

(I'll try to not spoil anything & get to the review right now👇🏻)

What can you expect
🍵Cozy fantasy but you're gonna need some tissues since you'd be ugly crying at multiple points (trust me, I DID!!!!)
🍵Second chance at life
🍵Highlighting the need to live life for yourself over others
🍵Journey of self discovery
🍵Paternal bonds
🍵Found family (one of the best!!!!)
🍵Finding new friends & healing the wounds of the old ones

We follow Rottgor/Razgaif, the undead orc who is offered a second chance at life after serving the Kingdom as the undead knight for centuries, and now he has no idea what to do with his retirement much less believe that he deserves this life. After ruminating for a long time, he decides to follow his heart & reignite his passion for cooking that he had when he was alive centuries ago & we follow him doing just that while also making a lot of new friends, overcoming his self loathing phase, finding his new family, etc.

When I say cozy fantasy, you might expect something so linear & simple but this one's not that!! Even though this book feels like the hot chocolate that warms you during the cold & harsh winter mornings, it's not just warm but is also dark, rich & has a lot of depth in flavor. It's got a wonderful cast of characters who go through troubles of their own (some inner & some caused by external factors aka people🥲), and also has a world that's unique & has a system and hierarchy of it's own. So if you're definitely getting more than just a cozy fantasy in this beautiful story.

Worldbuilding

The world is simple yet layered & reminds me so much of a lot of isekai manga & anime cuz we have all sorts of creatures living alongside humans & magicians. We have vampires, dwarves, orcs, warlocks, undead people,...all living in harmony or so you might think cuz just like our world, we have some idiots who are always against a certain group of people here too, who keep causing trouble to everyone else who are living in peace🤦🏻‍♀️. This discrimination against the living & the undead disrupts the daily life of a lot of people, and you'd witness some of our characters fall prey to this hostility.

Writing & pacing

Not gonna lie but it took me a while to get into because the first few chapters come across as info dumpy as we're introduced to the world, and how the system works, the hierarchy & everything back to back which was a lot to take in. But once you cross that & get into Razgaif's journey, it becomes so much interesting and I wasn't able to put it down from there, in fact I had to take breaks in between deliberately cuz I wanted to spend more time with these characters!!!

Also the writing comes off as both descriptive & introspective - like when the author describes the setting, the food, the characters, etc., you feel as if you're walking beside Razgaif & exploring this city for the first time with eager eyes, and you do all that while also going through an internal examination of your own as he does the same. And I absolutely loved that & would love to read more from the author in the future cuz I'm someone terrible at imagining things in my mind but this book brought everything in life before my eyes & I had the best time reading it.

Characters

Razgaif/Rottgor deserves the whole world & I wanted to get into the book and tell him exactly that cuz he doesn't start out believing it. He's been brought back from death by the Worm King who wanted to use all these strong warriors(orcs, fae,...) to fight against his enemies (the guy couldn't let anyone rest in peace & had to torture them again!!). So Razgaif finds it difficult to move from having the will to only serve & fight to doing what his heart wants.

Also he's been feeling dead for years that this second chance at life seems unreal to him, and you cannot stop yourself from crying when you see him do things for the first time & actually feel it inside than just doing it for the sake of it🥺 His grey life suddenly becomes colorful when he follows his passion & starts the restaurant of his dreams. Along this new journey, he heals a part of himself that has been damaged for years, one that hasn't experienced joy for centuries & also comes to the realisation that he can be happy without worrying about his past or his future, and that everyone deserves their own family even though it's not by blood.

Astra's the little girl who truly made Razgaif feel life was worth living & gave him a purpose. She lives in the orphanage & crosses paths with Razgaif when he wanders through the city without any idea as to what he wants to do after his retirement. She's indeed his first customer in a sense & her smile and contentment at having good food is what ignites him to give life to his passion of cooking that died centuries ago when he was first killed.

To be honest, she seems more like an adult than a kid considering the amount of wisdom she has!! Even after going through a rough few years & having grown up in an orphanage, she's extremely optimistic & never loses hope. She's literally the sunshine, not just in Razgaif's life but to everyone who has ever crossed paths with her. She's the sweetest kiddo & I adore her sm & want nothing but to see her keep being the happiest & kindest child.

There's an interesting cast of characters who work in Razgaif's restaurant & also help him with setting the place - Calfe (half dwarf half elf), Clyth (demonkin), Bao Su (far fox), Waldruk (half vampire half orc), Flynn (undead dwarf & an excellent cook but don't tell Razgaif I told that cuz he doesn't consider him as a competition), Rib Digger (patchwork - a golem who seems to be a mix of different creatures), etc,. The way these people go from being complete strangers to being ready to off anyone who might raise a hand against the other was so moving to read about. They truly embody the line "Family not by blood but by heart."

Overall, if you're looking for THE COZY FANTASY OF THE YEAR, look no further & pre-order this book cuz it comes out in the fall which is absolutely perfect & you wouldn't regret it cuz it's got a lovely found family who would die for one another & an amazing plotline you wouldn't be able to put down. And I can already see myself rereading this again with a warm cup of hot chocolate during fall.

Extremely grateful to the author, Bindery Books & NetGalley for the ARC!!! Thank you very much for letting me read one of my all time favourite cozy fantasy reads.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for sending me an ARC of Recipes for an Unexpected Afterlife in exchange for review

3 stars

This was a super heartfelt and cozy fantasy story that deeply covers found family and those suffering from discrimination. The characters and relationships were the strong points of this book, which continued to develop in a very natural feeling way. The plot pacing did feel a bit off to me at times, we had a lot of back and forth between high stakes (which always seemed extreme but rushed) and calm coziness which was the bulk of the story.
The part I did like about that is that it felt very much like playing a long round of DnD.
I did struggle a bit feeling any sense or urgency or “fear” regarding our main BBEG… they’re not ever portrayed in a way that feels very threatening which makes the climax of this book feel a little strange to me. We do love a tale about second chances though, and this delivers on that on multiple fronts.

Thank you so much for the cozy read!

Recipes for an Unexpected Afterlife was the kind of book that felt like it understood something I couldn’t quite put into words. It’s not flashy or fast-paced, and it doesn’t try too hard to impress you—but that’s what made it hit harder for me. It’s about grief, second chances, and how the smallest things—sharing food, sitting with someone in silence, choosing to stay—can start to stitch you back together.

I didn’t expect to connect with it so deeply. The main character’s sense of being lost, of quietly trying to make sense of what remains, mirrored a lot of how I’ve felt in my own life at times. There’s something very grounding about the way the story unfolds—slow, reflective, never rushed. The magical elements are light and subtle, which made it feel more real, not less.

The food descriptions aren’t just cosy for the sake of it—they carry so much emotional weight. I found myself genuinely moved by some of the scenes, not because they were dramatic, but because they were honest. It reminded me how much comfort there is in routine and in feeding others, even when words fail.

This is one of those books I know I’ll come back to. Not for excitement or plot twists, but for the quiet truth in it. It felt like a conversation I didn’t know I needed.

Thank you to Bindery Books, and NetGalley for this ARC. It was truly a wonderful experience.

I didn’t know necromancy could be cozy. I didn’t know a cozy fantasy could have high stakes. I didn’t know all these things were possible at the same time while keeping the audience entertained. Needless to say, I loved this book and already preordered my shelf trophy: I would read more of this type of story, and felt really invested quickly. The characters were easy to root for, and I understood why they made the decisions they did.

A huge thank to you Bindery Books and NetGalley for this eARc.

This is a charming, cosy fantasy centring around an orc who is given a chance to reinvent his life. The premise was really intriguing, with a gorgeous cover and host of colourful characters, and I loved the underpinning theme; that you can do whatever you put your mind to despite your history.

I did find it difficult to really dive into the story for the first 25% or so, but found it picked up significantly after this. The pacing was a little off for me, a touch slow and then almost too quick, without us having the chance to really enjoy the story along the way. Some of my favourite parts were the lower stakes scenes in the Afterlife, and I wish we’d seen more of this. That said, I found myself struggling to envisage Necropolis as well as understanding the scale of it from the text (with Astra traversing it daily, but a mention of it taking a couple of days to tour the city).

The characters really were at the heart of this story and were its shining star for me. I loved the relationships formed, and those hinted at, throughout and found myself looking forward to each of them returning to the page.

Overall, a good read and I would absolutely pick up another from this author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book!

If you’re looking for a cozy fantasy with some more stakes mixed in this is it! It’s the magic of food, protecting your (found) family and finding your happiness despite past regrets. At the same time it also manages to talk about the important topic of people who fill their life’s and those of the people around them with hate, people who think that certain groups of people are worth less and deserve less rights which I feel is an important topic right now (and always really!)

I loved the characters and the message of making the world a better place by showing people that they deserve love and happiness.

Thank you for letting me have a copy of this book
This reminded me to Legends & Lattes and The Spellshop, so cozy and beautiful, When I read "Undead" I worried for a moment because Im not a fan a zombies but this was just amazing.
Also the beautiful descriptions of food, complex characters and just enough action to keep you on the edge of your seat.

this book was a wonderful cozy fantasy read! it almost reminds me of Legends and Lattes! i think for the future, character art and a cook book?!

this book is a lot of world building in the beginning, if you aren’t a fan of a lot of world building, please push through it! you will not regret it!

this is a low stakes, cozy fantasy. i will be reading it again!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery for the eARC of this book!

The next big cozy fantasy favorite is coming.....

Recipes for an Unexpected Afterlife is like a hearty meal.
Not for warriors to gain strength, but for the battle worn and weary after saying goodbye to the life you've know forever.
Sustenance for starting your life anew.

We meet Rottgor, a former Death Knight of afterlife legend, who is pushed into retirement for he has done enough.
Pushed into retirement to start living for a change.
But what is living for someone who has been undead for hundreds of years, not needing any food or sleep, and suddenly your eyes fall shut of tiredness, and your belly grumbles because you crave something you've not had for centuries?
Well, you open the restaurant of your dreams.

This story has the ability to touch the heart by the way Munden handles the themes.
It's a diverse RPG fantasy, that is more deeply reflective than for example, Legends and Lattes.
The story deals with identity, belonging, discrimination and finding happiness, even though you think you don't deserve it.
It is not a completely cozy story though, there are a few instances of violence where the stakes are high-ish, but aside from that it has strong cozy vibes, in a bittersweet kind of way.
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Recipes for an Unexpected Afterlife comes out the 14th of October and will be the first book to be published through The Bindery imprint Cozy Quill.
So thanks so much Cozy Quill and Netgalley for the arc I recieved in exchange for my honest opinion.

Really enjoyed this one, great characters, a story that pulled me in, and writing that felt super easy to sink into. It was hard to put down and stuck with me after I finished.

3.5/5

Recipes for an Unexpected Afterlife is a gentle, slightly quirky fantasy about an undead orc named Razgaif who’s released from his centuries of duty, and, as you do, decides to open a restaurant. As a former WoW player with a Death Knight main, I felt right at home - there’s definitely some WoW inspiration here, but it’s blended with that cozy fantasy vibe popularized by Legends and Lattes. At first, I thought the comparison might be too close, but as the story progressed, it really found its own voice.

Razgaif makes for a compelling main character. I enjoyed seeing him rediscover who he was before his life (and unlife) of violence. I’ve read many books where MCs make utterly insane choices but I felt like I could connect with his decisions. His bond with Astra, a young orphan girl who ends up in his care, is the emotional core of the story and really shines. It’s refreshing to read a fantasy novel that centers on chosen family and friendship rather than romance.

The supporting cast adds charm. I enjoyed the resteraunt crew though I do wonder if there were a few too many. Not all of them get the page time they deserve, and I don’t think there’s room for much more so cutting a few might have been a wise decision.

Pacing-wise, the book starts off slow and then escalates quite suddenly. The second half is exciting but almost too quick. I think the story would’ve benefited from building tension a little earlier and spacing out the major beats just a touch more.

That said, this was an enjoyable, heartfelt read. It’s short and sweet, well-written, and has a lot of warmth to it. It also made me peckish quite consistently.

I was sold on this book immediately! The description, the character names, everything. It reminded me a little bit of legends and lattes by Travis Baldree! This was such a fun cozy fantasy read! Thanks again to the author and the publishers for an advanced copy

This was a wonderful cozy story, with some very nice wholesome world building. I enjoyed it well. It did take a long time for me to get interested in the story though.

DNF most of the way through, because I did not enjoy the writing style. I felt like characters just did things because they needed to happen for the story, not because they were logical things that a person (or magical creature) would do. I really enjoyed the world building and the premise, but the story itself did not hold up.

This book wasn't for me. I tried but the paragraphs were too long and there was a lot of non dialogue narration. It took forever to start.

I adored this novel. It was the perfect mix of cozy and exciting. Following Rottgor, an undead knight who is forced out of retirement and goes on a journey of self-discovery, which leads to the opening of a restaurant and a new path with a young orphan girl whose ancestry places her in danger and could destroy the city. While you read about Rottgor's discovery you meet these fascinating characters further explore different relationship dynamics. Unlike other cozy fantasies I have read, there still are stakes, albeit they are not like those in high fantasy; however, paired with the warmness of this book, like a cup of hot tea. It remains interesting throughout while also being like a blanket wrapped around your shoulders, something cozy readers can struggle with. Thank you, NetGalley and Bindery Books, for this arc in exchange for an honest review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.