Celestial Banquet by Roselle Lim is a sumptuous, high-stakes fantasy that simmers with magic, heart, and mouthwatering descriptions—and Natalie Naudus’s dynamic narration makes every bite, battle, and heartbreak utterly immersive. As noodle chef Cai faces off in a deadly divine cooking competition, her fire and determination shine through in a story that’s as much about family and identity as it is about culinary prowess. Lim masterfully blends East Asian folklore with fierce action and tender moments of love, grief, and growth, while Naudus delivers each character with warmth and clarity, elevating the emotional stakes. A dazzling tale perfect for fans of Iron Chef with a mythic twist, this audiobook is a feast for the senses and the soul.

3.75 stars

One thing I love is a story set around food. There’s something so homely about it, from rich descriptions that make your mouth water and the sense of community that cooking brings. In this regard, Celestial Banquet did not disappoint.


My favourite part of the narrative was the cooking competition. Not only were the challenges exciting, but I loved hearing about the ingredients - how they were used, how their flavours entwined and worked together. Also, I loved how passionate the characters were about food; they put so much care and thought into their dishes.


The cast of characters was enjoyable to follow, each with their own quirks and history. I thought the presence of Gods in the story was interesting, and if Roselle Lim were to write a story about them in more depth, I’d absolutely devour it (particularly one about Kama).


Unfortunately, Celestial Banquet fell a little flat for me in other areas. A few aspects of the competition felt too easy for the characters to overcome, and often solutions were handed to them without much struggle. Although it didn’t ruin the story for me, it would’ve felt more satisfying if the characters had uncovered information on their own/in another way. Additionally, the setting could’ve been fleshed out more. I think a lot of focus was on the characters and the competition (which is totally fine), but there was a lack of world-building that impacted my immersion.


I listened to the audiobook version of this and had no issues. The narrator did a good job, creating voices for each character that helped the story come to life and the audio was clear, making it easy to fall into the narrative.


If you love food and cooking like me, or just like stories with a competition with a sprinkle of Gods and mysticality, give this a try!




Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

"Folks could claim they served their dishes to dignitaries, kings, and empresses, but few had the impact of cooking for immortals. And it wasn't only the honor that drew people to the banquet, it was its life-changing prize. The winners of the Celestial Banquet would each receive a priceless gift: a peach of immortality."

Cai is a noodle chef eager to join the celestial banquet, which is a Hunger Games-like cooking competition where five teams are trying to impress the gods by making meals for each of them, and gathering the ingredients is a fight to survive. I really liked the action, and the plot was really interesting. There was also a love triangle happening in the background, and although I feel like I am incapable of reading a book without some sort of romance subplot, it felt a bit off in this book. I was like, uhhh why are you both kissing this girl and talking about your feelings and wanting her to make a choice when your lives are on the line and you don't even know if you'll survive the day??? LOL
It was still a fun read, and I really enjoyed the audiobook!

Thank You Roselle Lim, NetGalley and Sweet July Books for this ARC!

Celestial Banquet will tell the story of Cai, an orphan girl with a passion for cooking, who’s dead-set on participating in the Celestial Banquet (held by an empress and gods), a cooking competition in which the winners get a peach of immortality (that can be eaten or sold for a lot of money, which is what our protagonist wants).

First things first, I didn't really like it. For someone that was warned to be careful and hold her tongue, she was awfully snappy with an empress and a handful of gods; also, discussing your ideas for pushing back the empress armies while the empress is right there? Not smart.

There’s also a love triangle, because of course there is, that doesn’t really make sense, and, while I’m here, I did get the sense that Cai was indeed leading the other guy on (not that I think a girl being nice to a guy means she’s leading him on, far from it, but Cai did kiss her friend a couple of times, so I can see how he got his wires crossed).

A lovely audiobook this. I don't know why, but for some reason it reminds me of the Narrator from Baldur's Gate 3. That same kind of calmness of the voice, if that makes sense. Very pleasant to listen to.

Roselle Lim’s Celestial Banquet is a rich tale that blends high-stakes culinary competition with romantic tension and a divine battle between immortals and mortals. Think Iron Chef meets A Magic Steeped in Poison with a hint of The Games Gods Play - food, fantasy, fate.

At the heart of this story is a fierce love triangle and a competition where every dish is a matter of survival.

Narrator Natalie Naudus absolutely shines! She is one of my favorite YA fantasy narrators. Her voice resonates with the listener, pulling you into Lim’s vibrant world. Her range of tones and pacing give each character life. Additionally, Naudus captures the magic and tension of key moments, whether it’s a romantic encounter or in the competition.

I really wanted to like this. I am a huge fan of cooking shows and east asian mythology so this seemed perfect at first glance. And it was overall an enjoyable story, but didn't feel like a complete story to me. This felt like a prequel novella for some already established literary universe, and in fact if this author writes more to this series I will gladly read it to learn more.

I felt zero investment in the love story, I wasn't attached to either MMC as I hadn't been given an opportunity to get to know them in any proper way and so every time the love triangle story line popped up I was just annoyed. It would have worked if a third person was introduced that we did get to know who was the ultimate choice, or if our character had decided to strike out on her own, but her picking one of them just felt wrong.

The story of the gods vanquishing death, the minor gods being created, and even the major gods reaction at the end when our minor god ate the peach slice seemed like it could have and should have been told in more detail, otherwise it didnt make much sense to include it all.

One other small issues I had which may have been made worse since I was listening to the audio book was the overuse of food metaphors, I know its a story about chefs but they felt overdone when it was multiple used in one paragraph in some cases and i found myself groaning when another would pop up.

It was an interesting premise that made me stick with it. Hearing about different Asian mythical creatures and food was pretty much the only interesting thing in here. The love triangle and subsequent actions were annoying. It was very life and death but both boys in the triangle were worried more about the girl than dying and pressuring her to pick them. The best friend who just realized how much he cares refuses to talk to her because she doesn't immediately act the same. I liked the narrator but feel zero desire to read book two. The lead up for another book was so relaxed and left no urgency on coming events. It was very hunger games but less intense even with all the dying and basically zero-character development.

Just a small-town girl who wants to compete in an Iron Chef Competition that is the real Hunger Games Lite.

This one is a cute snack of a book. It is very fast paced and moves fairly quickly. There were moments that go a bit dark and gory, but overall, it is a fun fantasy book. The high stakes don’t feel so high – even though they are pretty high. It is as though the author wanted to keep it light-hearted. To be fair, it is YA, so that makes sense.

There is a hint at teenage angst/romance in the book, but it is more of a side bar than the main plot. No spice to be had here.

I really enjoyed the narration for the most part. She really brought life to the character. And in the true nature of the character claiming she can’t sing, the narrator killed it.

I've been waiting for a cooking competition book set in Asian context so this book really delivered on my wish! Love how mythology was integrated in each challenge.

Personally, I didn't like the love triangle aspect. If readers love that, this would be added bonus for you.

To be honest, I would rate this book higher if the story focused on cooking and the competition because the descriptions of how each meal was prepared were chef kiss 🤌

Alas, a big part of this book is the love triangle.

However, its execution is mediocre because both love interests were only archetypes (childhood friend and smart noble), not characters with actual personalities (besides liking the heroine).


On the other side, Cai as the main character is just okay dkdkdkd so I don't understand also why these boys like her and suddenly confessing their feelings for her while she needs to focus. 🥲

Her scenes with Tala were entertaining though!

I should be transparent also and state that I'm so tired of orphaned heroines. At this point, it kind of feels like a cop out to explain why a main character has abandonment issues etc

I hope the author and the editors took the time to improve the character work because it had so much potential.

Thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, and Sweet July Books for providing an ARC of The Celestial Banquet audiobook by Roselle Lim and narrated by Natalie Naudus.

2.5/5 ⭐️ rounded up only for nosy drunk god who is too invested in the love triangle.

Tropes
• Love Triangle
• So Much Love Triangle
• Top Chef type cooking challenges
• Gods & Immortals
• Beginning/End of chapter world-building snippits

I think it is time for me to accept... I have outgrown YA books 😔 This could not be more YA love triangle if it TRIED, but at least it seemed self aware about that... sometimes...

But seriously, the girl you like is cooking with explosive chicken and you think now is the time to go "so what are we?". DUDE, read the room!!

The Celestial Banquet itself is just background for love triangle "oh my gosh who will she pick" time. We have broke ordinary girl who cooks (but is also not even an adult and DEFINITELY not an established chef with decades of experience, and yet you want me to believe she is soOooO amazing at cooking that she is going to compete to be the best chef?), broke farmer boy that is her childhood best friend (cough cough, Gale), and noble boy that is very nice and loving (cough cough, Peeta).

The stakes were not high at all. Death is only for unimportant background characters, so much so that one character dies, is brought back to life (no one questions this?), then SHOULD die a second time. Like what.

Imagine going through something claiming it is for the greater good of saving your people from an invading empire, then seeing what the cost is (knowing fully going into this what is at stake!!!) and then suddenly getting on your high horse about how "the price is too high"... Then immediately back-peddling and taking the prize anyway.

This was just a disappointment. Only plus for me was that the narrator actually sang in one part and DAMN that was kind of impressive!!

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.

This book was ok. It wasn't super good but wasn't super bad. Quick speed read. Something about it didn't draw me in.

I really wanted to like this book, everything about it sounded amazing. A deadly coopetition, delicious food, sprinkle in some romance. However something about this just ended up falling flat for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for letting me listen to this for free!

First and foremost, I'd like to thank Netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me the ARC Audio of this book.

This book was described as Iron Chef meets Hunger Games. I think it was more of a high stakes Iron Chef with Deadly Trials.

Every 10 years the Gods hold a food competition for a chance to win the peach of immortality. The teams are usually made up of 3 humans and a lower God who is the sponsor of the human team composed of one chef, one noble, and one bodyguard. They go through dangerous trials to obtain specific ingredients the higher Gods wish to have in their dish and of course the Gods would have to like their dish to move on.

As a foodie myself and who also loves c-dramas about cooking (Chef Hua and Delicacies Destiny), I really enjoyed this book, a quick easy read!

However, I do wish the world building was a bit more developed, the characters had a bit more depth and the romance was more thought through and not just plopped down in random places.

But it still didn't deter me from enjoying this book and I would read more from this author. As a debut book it was good enough that I actually would continue this story if it becomes a series and it sounds like it will, so I am excited!

The narrator did a wonderful job and did all the different characters voices well.

Five cooking teams. Three deadly trials. One final winner.

If you've watched the Netflix shows, Iron Chef or Culinary Class Wars & wished for it to be a book, you absolutely gotta read this. And if you add some fantasy elements to the shows & make the judges into major gods (aka pompous pricks with so much power in their hands), and the challenges into even higher stakes (as in you could literally explode if one thing goes wrong), you'd get Celestial Banquet!!!

What can you expect -
🍜East Asian inspired YA fantasy
🍜Strong FMC with a short temper
🍜Two strong & handsome MMCs
🍜Deadly, exhausting trials hosted by the gods
🍜Lavish feasts & mouthwatering delicacies
🍜Love triangle

Celestial Banquet is every food lover's paradise, cuz you could get lost in the elaborate descriptions of delectable delicacies & may also end up with more cravings, so do tread with caution, aka have your snacks or meal prepared by the side while you read it!!!

The story follows Cai, a young noodle maker & cooking prodigy who wants nothing in life than to participate & win in the Celestial Banquet, the cooking competition that's held every decade by the major gods! The winner is bestowed the peaches of immortality which are priceless & coveted by every chef in the Peninsula. And we follow her journey into the competitions that prove to be more strenuous & demanding than she thought it'd be.

The book gets straight into the plot by introducing our FMC who's skilled and knowledgeable in the culinary arts, and introduces the competition right away which might seem to be a bit intimidating if not done right but it doesn't seem to be so. Plus each chapter starts with a titbit about the world or the gods or even some of the mythical creatures, so you're always made aware of the things you should know before getting into that chapter. And this gets you slowly acclimated to the world than making you feel overwhelmed with the info-dump. And the world was quite detailed & interesting as well, and it made me feel like this book would translate so well into an animated movie. The writing was so flavorful & descriptive that every single time a dish was described, the picture was immediately evoked in my mind & I felt like I was there beside them preparing & tasting it!!!

Coming to the characters, Cai was quite an interesting character to follow cuz even though she was skilled in cooking, she wasn't perfect and had her own flaws, one of which includes her sharp tongue. No matter the situation or the status of the person she's talking to, she doesn't hesitate to speak out her heart if they do so much as utter something insulting!! And I admired that about her cuz it showed how much self-respect she has & that she would not let anyone talk bad about her place or her parents without knowing the reality about them. And she has so much empathy even towards her rivals in the competition which might appear to be dangerous to have esp in such a setting but it distinguishes her as a character who'd readily aid anyone in danger over herself.

And I'm gonna be completely honest, I didn't really care about either of the love interests nor the love triangle!!!! Both of their advances towards Cai felt juvenile & I found myself rolling my eyes every single time they wanted to talk to her about their feelings. Like you're literally minutes away from being obliterated, and you want her to kiss you & tell you how she feels?!!!!! Idk if it's because I usually get icks from reading cliched YA romance or it was really done for the sake of doing it but the love triangle in here wasn't it.

Other than that, I really liked all our other characters - minor god Kama, Tala, even the two MMCs (Seon & Bo) when they were aiding in the competition or talking about their families, etc but just couldn't handle the romance.

Also the narrator, Natalie Naudus brought Cai to life with her amazing narration. Usually with YA books on audio, there's a fine line between making them sound just right or making them too childish & immature (which I absolutely hate), but the narrator made Cai sound perfectly stubborn & confident, and not even a tiny bit childish which I appreciate. And this made my experience ten times better as I found myself listening to it non-stop.

Overall, if you love books with trials, and also LOVE FOOD & different cuisines, you gotta pick this one up.

Huge thanks to Dreamscape Select & Sweet July Books for the ALC through NetGalley!!!

Apparently, I didn't read the description well enough because I was not expecting the live triangle to take such a prominent role in the story. It was the one thing I didn't enjoy. I'm too old for this I guess because I just kept thinking "girl, you're in a deadly competition to find these ingredients you're all in immediate danger why are kissing or thinking about the boys at this moment?". Haha. Didn't help that I disliked Bos poor attitude and being all out out like how dare Cai not return his feelings in exactly the way and time he thinks she should. Ugh. Not my cup of tea but I'm sure others will like it

But the crew from the peninsula was cute. I love Kama. I love Cais love of food and cooking. The competition was fun (Hunger Games meets Iron Chef is a lot to live up to but I think it fits the bill). It was a cute food competition .story.

I would like to thank the publisher for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

Cai is a noodle chef who dreams of opening up her own restaurant. So when the Gods host the Celestial Banquet -- a competition that pits all of the best chefs against each other with the prize being the peaches of immortality -- she decides to enter. Along with her local Minor God Kama, her childhood crush-turned-friend Bo, and the noble Seon, Cai enters to compete. But she'll have to face many trials along the way, from hunting and serving up sea serpents to finding the eggs of the legendary Jian bird. She will have to not only survive, but beat the competition. The problem is, the losers walk away with more than just a loss. Are the Peaches of Immortality worth it?

This was like Iron Chef meets The Hunger Games with Asian mythology and folklore and I was kind of here for it. My one thing I felt eh about was the romances, and only because there is not just one but a nice little love triangle that's not really love triangle(? I can't really explain it). But the romances seemed a little rushed which makes sense because the book mostly focused on the cooking competition and why Cai is doing this and I kind of wish it was taken out, but I'm okay with what we had. I love the use of the mythology, not just with the gods but with all the dishes that they make and I think that's what makes this book so unique is the fact that we do have this competition for the best chef. Like I said, it reminded me of Iron Chef but with much higher stakes. I flew through this book and I was very much engrossed in the plot and what was going to happen. There was a little twist at the end that I didn't see coming and I was very surprised by it and actually went back to reread bits and pieces of it just because I had to make sure that I understood whag happened is what actually happened. I liked all the side characters, especially Kama the drunken Minor God. Overall, this was a really quick, really interesting read and probably one of my favorite asian-inspired fantasies that I've read in a long time.

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

For the most part, this audiobook was good. I found the narrator’s voice to be a bit too old and rich for a teenage girl. If this book was told from a third person point of view, I think this would be an excellent choice of narrator. They seemed to really capture that folklore tone of the story. Kind of like hearing a storybook being performed live. It was soothing and easy to follow.

There were time though, that I thought certain pronunciations were emphasized too much, throwing off the flow of the audiobook as a whole. But I appreciated that the narrator tried to be as relatively close to authentic pronunciations as possible.


Thank-you so much for the opportunity to listen to the ALC!

Celestial Banquet by Roselle Lim was entertaining but ultimately fell a bit short for me. While the concept and premise are fantastic I thought the characters to be a bit dull and didn't feel connected to them much. The idea of a deadly cooking competition for the gods is fascinating and I really enjoyed that aspect. This one just wasn't my cup of tea, it's a great YA novel so it might appeal better to 13-18 year olds. (I do read a lot of YA and I enjoy a lot of them so the genre wasn't the issue.)