A Feast for Starving Stone

Chefs of the Five Gods, Book 2

By: Beth Cato

Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden

Two countries at war. A delicious taste of magic. And a fierce princess comes of age in a rousing adventure by the author of A Thousand Recipes for Revenge.

Princess Solenn’s marriage into royalty should have unified the continental neighbors of Verdania and Solenn’s homeland of Braiz against a common enemy: the country of Albion. Thanks to Albion’s cunning sabotage, Verdania is now Braiz’s lethal rival. And the dead Braizian sailors washed ashore near Solenn’s château are just the beginning.

Arriving in the midst of danger, Ada Garland, rogue Chef to the Gods, is desperate to reunite with her daughter, Solenn. Not only has open war begun; it’s become heart-wrenchingly personal. Ada’s long-lost, beloved Braizian musketeer, Captain Erwan Corre, is being held in a Verdanian prison, with execution imminent. And her daughter has been tasked with the near-doomed responsibility of uniting violently adversarial countries in peace.

Can Solenn and Ada, coming together, stop their land from descending into all-out war? And what will Solenn become to achieve victory? As ambassador between the human and magical worlds, Solenn must now draw from both to prevent catastrophe, and this time, even the Gods are working against her.

©2024 Beth Cato. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Fantasy readers will enjoy Cato’s characters and her original, sensuous world.”—Booklist

“The sequel to A Thousand Recipes for Revenge is an intriguing intersection of culinary magic and political machinations.”—Library Journal

fantastic sequel

I loved the first book, with it's unique magic. This sequel surpassed my expectations, giving character growth and fulfillment. The audio narration was delightful and brought the story to life.

This is definitely not a repeat of the same old story.

The twists and turns of this story were significant. It allowed for the story to be divided into 2 parts, one for the mother, and the other for the daughter. Well done.

Starkly Beautiful

Beth Cato weaves not just a story, but a world. The brilliant narrator keeps voices of different genders, cultures, and species distinct and memorable. The characters breathe, and the story is urgent yet replete with subtext. A coming of age tale, a homecoming, a story of love and loss and sacrifice, this is also a story of what it is to be human.

Start with book one, and be prepared to be enthralled.

Unusual story

I enjoy this world with chefs and magic and greedy hateful humans. having capricious gods doesn't hurt either.

Great Performance

I was captivated with the voice actor and then I found that I loved the story!