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Gr 9 Up–Seventeen-year-old Soup has always known life at the Brazen Manticore, the bustling restaurant where she was found as an infant. The restaurant is run by Trysil Heldritch, a celebrity chef with questionable morals and a habit of bullying. When she learns that his domineering ways extend beyond the restaurant and into the local market, which he is trying to shut down as part of his grand expansion plans, Soup knows something has to be done and challenges him to a cooking contest. If Soup wins, she inherits the restaurant and saves the village. If Heldritch wins, Soup will leave town and the chef can expand at everyone’s expense. Soup’s colleagues and neighbors rally around her, but Heldritch is a bad guy and if he won’t play fair, so Soup and her best friend Clarion may have to get their hands a little dirty for a good cause. This cozy fantasy has all the best elements: a cooking contest, a sweet developing romance, and a cast of fantastic characters, including elves, fae, goblins, and an adorable dishwater elemental. Silva’s illustration style is like a hug, with warm earth colors, delicious-looking fantasy foods, a charming local market, and a restaurant that manages to be homey while capturing the hustle and bustle of a busy professional kitchen.