Monster Menu: LITRPG, CULTIVATION, COOKING
Self-Published
Community Rating
Description
NOW AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER!We are thrilled to announce that Monster Menu is now available for preorder on Audible, Kindle, and paperback!
Terrell's dream was to get this wonderful book published, and we are very excited that we are now able to fulfill that dream. Please see the links immediately below to preorder your copy today!
Amazon
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Thank you to all of your for your continued support.
- The Garrett Family
Renee 'Nay' Favreau wanted to be a respected chef with a renowned Taco Truck. Maybe even two or three trucks if she became successful, so she could truly cover Los Angeles.
But after a deadly encounter with an interdimensional spider, she finds herself in a dangerous new world full of magic and mayhem.
Discovering she has the power to become a coveted Epicurist for the cultivators known as Marrow Eaters, one of the special chefs with the ability to prepare the magical meals that give the Eaters their powers, she must navigate a world full of gods and monsters if she wants to survive the heat.
Release schedule is 3 chapters per week. M, W F. Around 3 am PST (for now).
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This web novel is also available at Scribblehub.com
This is a work in progress.Major editing will be performed as the volumes come together. There will be typos and parts that might make no sense. Please feel free to point any of these parts out! Chapters will be edited.
This is a mash-up of cozy slice of life fantasy and weak to strong progression fantasy.I'm aiming to hit the sweet spot between the two. Expect tempo switches between cozy cooking fun and action-adventure sequences depending on the arcs. Even better is when I get to combine the two. The tone is light with heavy dashes of grim sprinkled here and there.
Information
- Status
- Ongoing
- Year
- 2022
Tags
Royal Road Stats
- Rating
- 4.6/ 5.0
- Followers
- 1,722
- Views
- 67,461
Chapters(4 total)
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!
Community Reviews(10)
- 1Royal Road★★★★★ 5.0This story is the best new release I have seen this year. I'm confident in saying that anyone not reading this is missing out on something huge.
Despite being an Isekai, the initial setting is quite relevant to the story. Usually, a person attacked in an alleyway by an eldritch monster would stay clear of that area for the rest of their life. However, Nay is first and foremost a chef, so when the tentacle-meat burritos become an instant sensation, it fell upon her to source more. How could she expect to come across a portal to another world?
In terms of genre, this story is a mishmash of eldritch nightmares, slice-of-life banter, LitRPG progression, and magic fantasy. Apparently, you gain power by eating special food, called delicacies, and these delecacies can be specially prepared for increased effect. I have a feeling that her being a chef will become very useful in the near future.
Subcategory Justifications :
Style : Wonderfully chaotic, concise yet detailed. The author's unique writing style is truly a breath of fresh air, and is in my opinion the glue that makes this so wonderful, it makes the individually great elements fuse together naturally.
Story : Thus far, the plot is simple enough. Survive, and follow the system-issued quests. Information about the setting and situation is being revealed at a steady pace, allowing for plot points to occur with a natural feel.
Grammar : I saw no errors in grammar or spelling, formatting and syntax are great.
Character : Characters are developed extremely well, and feel realistically multidimensional. I'm enjoying the dyanmic between Nay and Nom, it's a perfect combination of weird and wholesome. - TheOldLord10256Royal Road★★★★★ 5.0The grammar is nigh flawless with flowing sentences that don't feel horrible to understand.
The characters are well thought out and don't feel like cardboard cutouts.
The world is well founded and while there isn't much now I guess that we will learn more the longer the book goes on.
There aren't many, if any at all, info-dumps and the potential ones that exist are so small that they flow into conversation well.
The book is good and is worth a read - Thomas LawlessRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0I wandered into this one by complete accident, and am quite happy I did. It's entertaining, with a solid grasp of world building. I'm also really partial to Nom, the extra dimensional horror sous chef. So far it's hitting all the right notes for a good story. I'm excited as to where it could lead.
- UlbertRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0* Edit: Quick disclaimer: This story is on indefinite hiatus. That is because the author as far as I know died.
There is a go fund me on the latest chapter in the comments.
I don't know if advertising this in the reviews is the right place to do it, but it seems to me like it's the right thing to do, so whatever.
I also don't know if gofundmes are timed, so maybe when you read this, you can't donate...
Anyways. Have a nice day still.
Now I know, this isn't an advanced review.
Mostly because the story hasn't progressed far enough for me to get a REAL taste. But from the point I am at, I can say that this story does most things right, while the bad things are pretty much only noticeable if you're actively looking for them, except for maybe one, which is only noticeable because I've seen it in 60 different stories so cut me some slack for not even wanting to nitpick something minor.
Now I am turned down by anything that says Cultivator anywhere near it's description, so I'll say that for now, cultivator is very much synonymous as leveling up, with some extra conditions thrown into the mix. Was that a tautology? Maybe.
Anyways. I like the premise, I like the execution, I believe that this has some standard ingredients mixed with some more exotic ones and yet the food isn't overseasoned in any way.
I am happy to stick with this one.
5/5 Full score as a recommendation until it's fleshed out enough for a advanced review.
(Now don't think I haven't noticed what you're doing. Because I am.) - WndererRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0Also is free. What more want? Read. No like, no read more.
Reviews must be at least 50 words long. This 50 words? Yes? No.
Reviews must be at least 50 words long. This 50 words? Yes? No.
Reviews must be at least 50 words long. This 50 words? Yes? - ilikemermaidsRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0This story is giving me all the asmr vibes! I am so into it. What was the deal with the spider? And holy tentacle burrito Batman!
The style is immersive and you can tell the writer has a clear voice. He writes with delicious descriptors that makes me super hungry.
The story has just started but I'm already invested in where it is going. What is going to happen next? This seems like it is going to be a bingeable read. I was pretty much hooked from the first sentence which is a great sign of the tale ahead.
Grammar is better than this review haha but in all seriousness you can tell the writer is well trained in the craft and that nothing is placed in the story without thought and care.
Still getting to know the main character but I like what I see. I'm invested in her struggle and so curious to see what is going to happen. I like the spite and grit we've seen of her. What is going to become of Nay?
I am on the edge of the seat with this cliffhanger. And can not recommend reading this story enough. I hope the asmr vibes continue. Please give us more of this delectable read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Broken_ElytraRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0This is, by far, the best cooking-based novel I've ever read. The storyline, magic system, world-building, and main character are all excellent, and I'd highly recommend getting the book on Amazon. The only issue I have is that the novel ended too soon but, well, there isn't much Matador can do about that now. I'm truly sad to see the last update of this excellent, stomach-churning tale. Well done!
- Counting SheepRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0This story is so good it makes me crave more! All those food descriptions made me hungry. Now I want freshly baked cheese bread straight from the bakery. 10/10 would reccomend, guaranteed good read. This is some michelin star stuff!
Like, it's so good I kind of want to cry at how glorious it is. - CourtJessterRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0It has a solid foundation, which is something that I think is especially important for isekai fantasy stories that risk collapsing into "I've heard all this before".
Essentially, it's funny, fairly unique, nice and light on the litrpg elements (basic quests given by... something, but not much more than that, and no number crunching).
Just quality worldbuilding that isn't rushing itself so far, and leaves you with a real sense of adventure as you, the reader, discover and are intrigued by the new things going on.
For me the fascinating parts are:
- the seemingly wildly diverse options for skills/powers that characters have
- the enemies are a good mix of creative monstrous beings and regular humans so far
- there are characters that show hints of depth that make you want to discover more about them (the innkeeper with his mysterious martial prowess, and the oddly well travelled and cunning Madam of the brothelhouse... who is certainly not simple, but it's impossible to know at this early stage what lies underneath the surface). Even organisations that seem to have a big impact on the world like the Gloomrangers and the DME aren't explained with a heavy hand. No, there is care being taken in how this new worlds secrets are revealed to us, theatrically, leaving us wanting more.
- the food descriptions are also excellent. I get hungry every time.
- there are some mildly funny parts too, but I won't go into these as humour is so subjective. If you're like me, you'll probably be cracking a grin at at least some parts though.
There are some small errors with grammar and phrasing and I do think the first couple of chapters are not quite as delicious as the rest, but the story quickly became both exciting and fun in a way that only fantasy can. I love it so far. You will too - give it a go. - LemerlinoiRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0This is great! Seriously, the main character is fun and insightful, she seems proactive enough and is growing into a great main character. The world building is top notch and really interesting. The title of the story doesn't do justice to its glory. The litrpg element are really included in a neat way. The way the interdimentional travel was done was great. It's is overall a great read that should defined go on you radar!