Celestial Banquet

Roselle Lim

Ayesha Curry

Celestial Banquet is a magical and delectable adventure through a culinary landscape rich in East Asian tradition. It is also a very real look at family, home, and how food ties into both, with an empowered and resilient teen girl at the center. Equal parts action-packed and heartfelt, I cannot wait for readers to devour it.” 

- Ayesha Curry, Sweet July Books, Sweet July Books

Iron Chef meets The Hunger Games in Roselle Lim’s dazzling YA fantasy debut, following a young noodle chef who competes in a cutthroat cooking competition for the gods.

ISBN

9781638931263

Language

English

Page count

320

Edition

Hardcover

Sale date

June 3, 2025

Dimensions

9 x 6

About the Book

Once every generation, the Major Gods hold a Celestial Banquet, inviting chefs from all over the Continent to prepare mouthwatering fantastical feasts. The winner is awarded the fabled Peaches of Immortality, along with a lifetime of fame and fortune. The losers perish per the whims of the fickle gods.

Hot-headed noodle chef Cai enters the competition with dreams of owning her own restaurant and supporting her impoverished Peninsula town. Along with the drunken Minor God Kama, her childhood crush-turned-friend Bo, and dreamy noble Seon, Cai must now compete against the Continent’s finest culinary masters in trials that range from hunting and serving up mystical sea serpents to preparing a magical omurice from the eggs of the legendary Jian bird.

Battling impossible odds and inconvenient feelings for both Bo and Seon, Cai is determined to prepare a feast fit for the gods—even if she loses her life. Set in a spectacular world inspired by Chinese and Southeast Asian folklore, Celestial Banquet is an ode to food, home, and family, wrapped in an epic and thrilling adventure.

Reviews

“A beautifully imagined world, a tenderhearted love triangle, and the most delicious of food descriptions, Celestial Banquet has it all! I flew through this magical adventure.”

- Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series and the Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy

“Roselle Lim serves a banquet of shimmering world-building and delicious adventure in her YA debut. Vivid and fun and intense, this epic fantasy will leave you hungry for more.”

- Elizabeth Lim, New York Times bestselling author of Her Radiant Curse

“One of the things I love about a good book is its ability to transport me to another world. Another time. Another place. Roselle Lim’s Celestial Banquet is a feast for all the senses, quite literally. I could see and touch and taste Cai’s world, and I enjoyed every second of her journey.”

- Renée Ahdieh, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“A delicious tale of dangerous competition and delightful magic. Prepare yourself . . . you’ll be hungry when you read this book!”

- Judy I. Lin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Magic Steeped in Poison

Celestial Banquet is a magical and delectable adventure through a culinary landscape rich in East Asian tradition. It is also a very real look at family, home, and how food ties into both, with an empowered and resilient teen girl at the center. Equal parts action-packed and heartfelt, I cannot wait for readers to devour it.”

- Ayesha Curry, Sweet July Books