This story follows Rottgor, an undead soldier going through the motions of his forced afterlife. When a friendly heir forces him into an early retirement he begins to change in ways he never expected.
Through his journey, the hero formerly named Rottgor teaches us to appreciate the small things in life and hold what matters to us close. I never expected such a graphic book about death and the undead to make me feel so alive and appreciative of the beauty and imperfections of living.
The found family elements of this story are just incredibly heartwarming and irresistible.

I have a few critiques of this work that keep it from 5 stars:
The story is a bit high fantasy for my personal tastes. If you like high fantasy or D&D you're likely to love this story.
There are shifts from 3rd to 1st person that I believe are supposed to be our hero's inner thoughts, but the formatting of the eARC does not convey this and it really jolts me out of the story. Hoping that will be corrected in the final version but wanted to mention just in case it's not already on the radar.
Overall, this was a fantastic reading experience and I highly recommend this work.

This was such an amazing book! I loved the storyline and the way the plot flowed! The characters were so loveable and I really did fall in love with this cozy fantasy!

This was such a refreshing cozy fantasy! It had all the best elements of similar stories - found families, a comfortable home, and a new life for the main character - but the unique magic system and the tragic backstory of not only some of the main characters but also the city itself was incredibly well done. The way the characters' lives intertwined and overlapped was wonderful and captivating, and I will be thinking about Raizgaif, Astra, Ribby and all the other characters for a long time!

This was such a lovely read!! I felt like all I was missing was my hot chocolate to drink while reading this book. It was so warm and cozy! This reminds me of some of my favorite animes where someone with a crazy past wants to do something casual and mundane because it sounds like a nice relaxing time. This was such a unique read in that we follow an undead orc open a resturant that serves both living and the dead. I really wish this would become a series because i'd love to see different perspectives/continuation. Alas, I think this will be the only book. I am going to have to get my hands on this book when it releases because the way I want to annotate this is ridiculous. Seriously, put this on your TBR and bump it high. It will release during the perfect time of year for this book.

This story was so cozy and lovely! For fans of Travis Baldree.

Rottgor is an undead orc knight who leaves battle behind for a new kind of afterlife—one with good food, good friends, and maybe even fatherhood. He decides to follow his true passion, food! He opens a restaurant where the city’s undead and living residents can share food and community. It’s warm, it’s cozy, it’s delicious. This book was one I will turn to when I need a good comfort read.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

I'm not often one drawn to cozy fantasy, as I tend to like my stakes high, but this has absolutely changed my perception of the genre. This was SUCH a creative and stand out book in the genre, and I fell head over heels in love with everything. It read like one of those books where you can see all the love and care that the author put into every small piece of the story. The descriptions of the world and the food were so excellent that I felt like I was watching a movie. I love the way the author created political conflict between the living and dead that felt effortless in its connection to the story without adding too much to take away from that cozy, wholesome vibe.

I'm so blown away by this book, I know I need to read it again to truly appreciate anything I might have missed. I'll be on the look out for future work from Munden!!

⭐️ 4.5

Thank you, NetGalley and Deston J. Munden, for the ARC! 🫶🏻

I won’t lie—I had a bit of a hard time getting into this book at first. But once things picked up, I was absolutely hooked and couldn’t put it down. I loved the way the cooking and food were described, as well as the world-building and diverse species. That said, I sometimes struggled to fully picture what they looked like.

Nonetheless, this was such a fun and heartwarming read, and the political themes fit seamlessly into the story. I also really enjoyed the character development from multiple characters! They really grew on me.

I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy and fun fantasy read!

✨ Recipes for an unexpected afterlife by Deston J Munden✨

Firstly a big thank you to Netgalley and the author Deston J Munden for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Recipes for an unexpected afterlife is one of the most wholesome stories I've read in a long time. Its current release date is October 14 2025.

The story follows Rottgor; an undead orc knight who is forced into retirement and therefore a second chance at living. Whilst initially uncertain with what he wishes to do, he can't help but be drawn to the possibility of sharing his gift of cooking with the community.

A tale of found family and letting go of the past, Recipes for an Unexpected Afterlife is a cozy story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

I give this one 5/5⭐s

Re-readability: 90%, it's just so dang wholesome!

If you loved legend and lattes you will love this cozy fantasy! I couldn’t put it down it was so good! It’s one of the most unique cozy fantasies I’ve ever read! I loved the tie in with the food and the world building was easy to follow which I loved! I was blowed away by the writing ✍️ descriptions of food, made you feel like you were eating and along with a character! I loved the character development! I will definitely be writing this book again and can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy this fall! Thank you net galley! And
Destin munden for giving me early access to this cozy fantasy masterpiece! This book proves that just because it’s a cozy fantasy doesn’t mean it’s not deep or surface level! This book has so much heart and depth ❤️

Can’t wait to share with my followers this book! I will copy and paste this review everywhere when it is published!

Once I started reading Recipes for an Unexpected Afterlife, I simply couldn’t put it down. The prologue immediately grabbed my attention, and from that moment on, I was fully invested in Rottgor’s journey. I genuinely cared about the characters and found myself rooting for their happiness.

The worldbuilding was well done, particularly the political tension between the undead and the living, which added depth to the story. As a fan of Legends & Lattes, I absolutely loved the cozy food and restaurant elements. They blended seamlessly into the narrative without overshadowing the stakes of the plot.

The character development was another highlight for me. However, I do wish there had been more detailed descriptions of the various creatures, as I sometimes found it difficult to visualize them. That said, this book was truly tailored to my tastes, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was an easy 5 star read for me.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the author, Deston J. Munden, for the opportunity to read this wonderful story!