Salt Fat Acid Magic [Nom-Fiction | Food Fights | Culinary Academy]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

The Kent family name used to mean something. In a world of food-themed magic, the Kents ranked among the top Chefs. They used their magic to conquer kitchen and wilderness alike, becoming legends of cooking and combat.

But after two generations of failure, the name is a relic of the past. Now Archie Kent, on the eve of his eighteenth birthday, has one last chance to manifest magical abilities in the hope of attending the prestigious Academy of Ambrosia and restoring his family name.

Today is the Festival of Ambrosia, and it’s Archie’s turn in the kitchen…

SALT FAT ACID MAGICis a six-book series that encompasses all of life. There will be cozy moments spent with friends in the lounge. There will be moments filled with the exhilaration of the battle for survival. There will be moments of sadness spent at the grave when that battle is lost. As the story goes on, readers will look back at the heartwarming, slice-of-life moments of the first few books and wish for those happier times. But even in the worst of times, there is joy to be found.

Book one will be told primarily through one POV, after which there will be two other major POV characters. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: fondour (T. J. Campbell)

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 1,365
Views: 397,446

Chapters(176 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

AmateurHourRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Eschewing the standard ingredients found in Royal Road, Salt Fat Acid Magic presents a fresh fusion cuisine of culinary cultivation and magic academies.
Ok, that's enough food puns
Style and Grammar
Clean grammar and easy to follow prose, helped along by evocative descriptions where it's really needed (the food and restaurants). Chapters are meaty enough that I have some concerns about the author being able to keep dishing them out as often as they have.
Story
An excellent set up so far, the greater scope of things presents a world shaped by the idea of magic cooking, the microcosm of the school setting is well fleshed out and doesn't feel like a copycat of any other Academy of Adventure, and there is a nice blend of personal stakes / interpersonal drama and hints of existential threats simmering underneath. Spicing up the Light Novel academy setting, some Realpolitik is brewing, and given the MCs connections will likely be a focal point eventually.
Characters
The author has done a great job of writing a bunch of teenagers, many with large legacies or hopes behind them, in a pressure cooker environment. That is to say, you'll be simulatiously rooting for them and tearing your hair out.
(Ok, there were a few more food puns)
Arthurs_ArcanaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I love a good cooking story (I even wrote one!), but this one stands as saffron amongst… things that aren’t saffron.
Seriously, read this story. I love the little glimpses into real-life food celebrities we get here and there (it makes for a fun guessing game!) and the students stand out from one another fairly well. A special shout out to the art promos on each chapter.
I can’t wait to read more!
Arun17Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I love this story! The characters have depth, and the plot is interesting and well-developed. The prose is excellent and reads as a polished, professionally edited novel. I particularly like how well the author conveys emotion through their writing e.g. Chapter 30 (Feeling Julienned) and Chapter 37 (Winter's Blossom) - both only on Patreon at the moment.
Highly recommend this story! It's well worth a read.
ElsecallerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A very fun fantasy that'll make you hungry just reading it! A fun mix of slice of life , action, mystery and emotion. A school that is a mix between a magic academy and a culinary school really shows off the whimsy and fun of this vibrant world, full of fun food based world building!
FriculesRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
If you want a well written, fun story with consistent characters that, at least 2/3 of the way through the first volume, seem to have deeper motives than "this was the character trait I was assigned by the author," you should try this out.
Simple, but well written prose.
Deep characters
Fun story and magic system
Goals and conflict throughout with hints at bigger issues coming to keep the story moving without the need to invent new problems when the initial ones are resolved.
It has the hallmarks of something that could become a great story.
LoganQRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Enjoyed it alot, our MC doesn't start off perfect but definitely grows in the right direction. The magic system is interesting, and there's enough characterization with the students to explore different perspectives regarding it. The bad guy is great at being bad, and steals every scene he's in. It's clear that there is problems behind the scene, and this first book sets up some great overarching plot points.
lordnikelasRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a sparkly, brand new fantasy story that's aiming for a narrow genre valley in between the food and magic genres. You can see the inspiration from Food Network shows, as well as cooking anime like Food Wars, though there's also a quick dip early on into magical combat, which feels way more like Toriko (and a few other elements that remind me of that story as well.)
Setting: Fantasy, middling tech level; as is mentioned in the notes, cooking academy stories get tricky if you don't have access to some kind of refrigeration or preservation system. MC's from the boonies at the edge of the country. No mention of monsters yet, but there's some big lizards that can block roads.
Magic systems: Chefs can perform culinary works beyond the comprehension of mortal men. (In the first chapter, we get to see a dessert(?) that shows you your deepest desire.) Also, crab punch? Also, if you get too fat, you get the Magical Power of Hunger.
Worth keeping an eye on, and might go some interesting directions. Good if you liked cooking mangas like Yakitate Japan, Food Wars or Toriko.
theLegionWithinRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I've had this story bookmarked for a while now - like a Glutton, I prefer to consume a story in large bites, reading 30+ chapters in a sitting... I dont like reading one or two chapters a week.
I've really enjoyed the story so far - it's well written, has good grammar, there are very few spelling mistakes and it has really eggcellent worldbuilding ;)
keep up the good work!
Seiryuu015Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Love to find food based stories as they always come up with the coolest things when it comes to the food. Can’t wait to see where these story goes once they learn how to battle with food. Loved the fact that the main character is an underdog and that the first “magical” food he made was something so simple.
WaffleHereRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This novel is one of the most unique and incredible stories I've discovered for months. I ripped through all 51 chapters in around 2.5 days, and that was with rationing! The world and academy gives off serious Harry Potter vibes, and the magic is incredibly well thought out, both mechanically and culturally. (The Serving Bowl is genuinely one of my favorite locations, other than Lifted Spirits). The world-building is incredible, and the characters are instantly a vibrant blend of unique and pure personality. Fondour clearly paid equal attention to all of their designs, showing what happens in their lives in the context of Archie's. As an aspiring writer, this is so inspiring to me, and I have nothing but praise and love for this book.
I'm just sad I have to wait for new chapters like everyone else, now. :'(
(Does anyone else miss the happy dynamic between Nori and Archie? I liked it when sparks were flying.)