A story of food, family and second chances

"Book review: 4/5 ⭐️ Genre: cozy high fantasy Themes: food, healing, found family, fatherhood, second chances 📖 Read if you like: Legends & Lattes, A Harvest of Hearts, A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping An undead orc knight is forced into retirement after centuries of servitude, some of which was forced upon him. His release from the only role he remembers leaves him adrift. As he searches for a new kind of life, one of passion and connection, he will begin to regain his former self, a life of love, glory and food in the Onyx orc clan. Following his returning dreams (and stomach) he decides to open a restaurant. Here will be the crossroads for the living and the undead, a place of belonging and acceptance for all. When a child with unexpected lineage enters his life, Rottgor will have to decide how far vengeance and pain will go in the face of a sweet smile and innate goodness, and which bonds are worth protecting. It is a rather sweet tale of second chances and breaking the cycle of rote behaviour in a joyless existence. For Rottgor it is a journey of healing and self-discovery, of remembering Razgaif the younger, the orc he used to be before he was killed and resurrected as a mindless monster. Astra is like any young girl seeking adventure and with the innocence of youth on her side. She is straightforward and fierce, but lacks any malice. It makes the blooming father-daughter relationship very endearing. Two kindred souls recognizing a loneliness and a place to call home in each other. Add to that a diverse cast of restaurant employees and it is the type of family that makes you feel like being enveloped into a warm hug with laughter ringing in the air. Food is a central theme for this story, so of course I was going to love it. It is a creative outlet for Rottgor, as well as his avenue for healing and reconnection. It is the thing that brings all these unlikely souls together and strengthens the wider community. There was an intolerant dwarf and rabble rouser, a centuries old knight on a mission to eradicate all blood threats to peace, and a history of vengeance and gore to create some action to this rather sweet tale. I will admit that this was hard to get into. It is high fantasy and as such there is a lot of information dumping at the beginning, and with so many creatures and powers it was difficult to keep track of everything. I found myself jumping back and forth trying to place certain beings and powers, I lost track of the actual story. There were a few magical elements I still couldn’t grasp by the end of the novel like how aether or runes actually functioned, but the range of creatures really was inventive. It was a world unlike any I have read before and really endorsed the spirit of acceptance in all shapes and forms. I also enjoyed the character arc and sense of family and purpose on multiple fronts. It was a heartfelt story that certainly suited my cozy era. If you enjoy cozy fantasy with good characters, good stories, a creative landscape and a little existential crises, this is the one for you. Thank you to @coloredpagesbt @bindery_books and @authordjmunden for letting me be part of this book tour."

— Karisbookclub (4/5)