All We Hunger For

by Anna Mercier

A young woman sneaks her way into a magical baking contest but gets pulled into an elusive aristocrat's lavish world and his nefarious plan as rebellion brews in their city―for fans of A Magic Steeped in Poison.

In Anespérer, where magic comes alive through artistic skill, Elara Rousseau knows she'll never be selected for the Objet d’Art. The high-stakes baking competition will elect a new Souverain to join the ruling council, and someone from the slums would never be considered. But when a brooding figure from her past sneaks her into the Objet, Elara has the chance to compete for a better future... as long as no one uncovers her traitorous secret.

Nikolas Dupont will do whatever it takes to impress his powerful father, a Souverain who hasn't officially recognized his son―like handpick a contestant to win and become his father's political pawn. But Elara is more than he bargained for, and she ignites his own subdued passions.

Against all odds, Elara excels and becomes a hero to the city's poor, all while Nik’s faith in his father crumbles and the sparks between them burn brighter. As the competition heats up, Elara and Nik must choose: fight to win the competition and secure a future of safety for them both, or use the power of Elara’s art to spark a revolution.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Romantasy, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Audiobook

400 pages, Hardcover

First published June 23, 2026

About the author

Anna Mercier is a young adult fantasy author. She's the co-host of the Turning to Story podcast with fellow author Lyssa Mia Smith. All We Hunger For is her debut novel.

Reviews

[sophie]

DNF 59%

I don’t even know what to say. I like the writing and the idea behind the plot is interesting, but it doesn’t feel like a lot of work was put into the characters and relationships. The romance and friendships happen off page for the most part and we’re just told about what happened and how they’re all close now. I just don’t care enough about any of them to want to continue. And to whoever is calling this a slow burn, please, stop.

─ ✦ ────

✎ᝰ.┊ pre-read: Magic, a baking contest AND a brewing revolution? You don’t have to twist my arm to get me to read this, I’m in 🙂‍↕️

⬫ ⬪ ⬫
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

All We Hunger For by Anna Mercier

Book Blurb: A young woman sneaks her way into a magical baking contest but gets pulled into an elusive aristocrat's lavish world and his nefarious plan as rebellion brews in their city

Rating: ****
Feels: Intrigued, Stunned, Puzzleed, Satisfied.
Style: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Romantasy, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy
First published June 23, 2026 : 400 pages

Themes & Setting: This gave me hunger games crossed with the great British bake off vibes !! Lots of politics, revolution and high stakes drama !! With a baking/ cooking competition to determine who would take the spot of the next high power political figure !!
FMC: Elara was the kind of gal you can root for in any kind of competition !! You just know this girl has seen some things and kinda trauma bond with her as the story goes on. Like can the girl catch a break !!!
MMC: Nik is questionable ... like at first I am not so sure about his moral leanings and if he deserves our girl. He has some things to go through and you are just gonna have to read to find out of he ends up deserving her in the end !!!
Conclusion: Thoroughly entertained throughout this story about the culinary delights and wondering who was going to die next … I found myself feeling those hopeful rebellion dreams right there along our cast of found family. Elara’s journey from the humble slums of the restes to a competition for a coveted seat among the elite was full of self discovery , new friends , love and politics. I really enjoyed the unique aspect of a society being “run” by artists at their peak of artistry. That corruption can be in any form and for so many reasons. Really uniquely enjoyable read !!

This book has:
Hidden Identity
Found Family
Politics and Revolution
Artistic magic
High Stakes
Baking/ Cooking competition

[KC · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book completely took me by surprise! A magical baking contest, murder mystery, political unrest, and romance wove together to create a really unique story.

Elara has been haunted by the rebellion that her mother led several years ago. Even with baking as her passion, she can’t hold a job and is plagued by the whispers that follow her name. All that changes when she enters into a baking competition and teams up with Nik, a mysterious patron who has motives of his own.

This story started a little slow but quickly picked up about a fourth of the way through. The baking competitions and the way magic was woven in really took me by surprise. It wasn’t like trials in other stories which made it a refreshing read. The political aspect and mysterious death also made the story more complex and layered. I really liked that there was more to the story than just baking and a romance.

Both Elara and Nik have arcs that make you root for them. They both need to confront painful truths from their past, and Elara’s especially, really is one that you can see clearer as an adult. They have a wonderful dynamic and I loved seeing how their relationship slowly unfurled.

If you’re in the mood for a standalone, slow burn romance, with baking competition vibes, and political undertones, then definitely pick this up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the advanced copy.

[BookishKB · Rating 4 out of 5]

🍰✨ All We Hunger For ✨🍰

I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I ended up reading it in one sitting. I love a magical baking setup, and this one delivered, but it went deeper than I expected. It is not just cozy fantasy. It leans into rebellion, class divide, and hope as an act of rebellion. I would definitely check TW's for this book before starting. It doesn't shy away from sensitive topics such as stravation.

The worldbuilding and magic system were interesting, though I did find myself wanting more of the “before” lore. We get pieces of it throughout the story, but it felt more sprinkled in than fully explored.

The ending was rushed and I was left with so many questions. But still a solid 4 star read!

💫What to Expect
• Magical baking
• Food competition
• Hidden identity FMC
• Broody MMC
• Forbidden romance
• Class divide and rebellion

_ _ _ _
⭐ Final Score: 4 Stars
📅 Pub Date: June 23, 2026
Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

| ARC Review |

This is a great read if you want a book that revolves around a baking contest and a world full of corruption where those of the working class are merely seen as disposable. It features a cute romance subplot with hidden identities and betrayal. It’s also a standalone, so it’s perfect if you’re looking for an easy read that delves into rebellion and has a found family trope. It follows Elara as she tries to make something out of herself but gets shunned by her family name, since her mother was a rebellion leader against their oppressive government. She then becomes part of a national baking contest, where the winner ascends to become one of the seven ruling leaders of art.

☜♡☞ My thoughts ☜♡☞

This book started off really well! I loved the vibes to it and the whole baking contest concept. The romance was also cute—I liked the tension building up between Elara and Nik as they begrudgingly worked together. I loved Blai, they were such a comedic relief throughout the story! Wish there were more scenes with him. I also wish I got to see more of him with Fernand, I’m not sure if it was just me, but it felt like a relationship between them was hinted? Or I could be delusional, who knows since this is a standalone.

It wasn’t until a little bit over the 50% mark that things started to go downhill. I’m not sure what it was exactly, but I know the romance started to feel instalovely since there were like barely any interactions before they started to fall head over heels for each other, which I’m not a big fan of. There were also moments that gave me the cringe and I don’t like how Nik’s character came to be towards the end. I feel like there was room for more growth to his character, but it was just rushed at the end. The ending also felt anticlimactic. The whole antagonist of the story wasn’t as exciting as I initially thought; there was no depth to his character or motives, so it all ended up feeling dull. There were also stuff that I think should’ve been explored deeper.

Regardless, this book was, for the most part, enjoyable, and the writing style was really good for a debut. Though it didn’t hit as strongly as it did in the beginning, I see a lot of potential in this author’s writing and look forward to trying out her next works.

[Dozelina 666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to continue my magical baking streak with another fantasy novel :)

Only this time, instead of cozy and whimsical vibes, we get politics, manipulation, revolution and a whole lot of scheming.

The premise was honestly really interesting.

In Anespérer, magic comes alive through artistic skill, whether that’s music, art or cooking. After the death of the Souverain of Culinary Arts, a massive baking competition begins to select a replacement for the ruling council.

Of course, someone from the slums like Elara would never normally be allowed to compete. But thanks to some behind-the-scenes help and a fake identity, she enters the competition anyway.

I think, the competition and magic elements were probably my favorite parts.

Watching Elara use baking and magic together was really fun, and I liked seeing her slowly gain support from the poorer side of the city.

At the same time, we follow Nikolas, who spends most of the book desperately trying to earn recognition from his father. He initially sees Elara as someone easy to manipulate for political purposes… but quickly realizes she’s much smarter than he expected.

From there, the story becomes packed with political schemes, manipulation, murder plots, secrets, betrayals… and tbh, at one point my brain needed a break...

I think that’s where my biggest issue with the book comes in.

There were a lot of interesting ideas here, but sometimes it felt like too much was happening at once. The political side of the story was engaging, but also overcrowded at times.

The romance also didn’t fully work for me. I never really felt a strong emotional connection between Elara and Nik. Most of the time they felt more argumentative than romantic, and honestly, the book probably would’ve worked almost the same without adding the romance into the mix.

Overall, this is one of those books where I admired the ideas more than I emotionally connected with the story.

Still, not a bad read by any means, and definitely an interesting mix of fantasy, politics and magical baking.

⭐ 3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the ARC.

https://turnthepagewithana.blogspot.c...

[Brynn Keel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hard to put down! The main character was lovable and someone I was rooting for the entire time. This book is unique, using a food competition with magic. The French terms were amazing and made the book setting authentic. The author used descriptions and emotions to keep you engaged. Like the man character Elara, the author knows how to win a crowd. Grab Google Translate and get reading! Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book!

[sofi🎀🧸 cortis’ version~off hiatus!🧸 · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow. so i am actually amazed at how good that was? tysm netgalley for the arc and the publishers and the author!! i really enjoyed it im so sorry i forgot abt it and finished it right before it archived 😭
💐my thoughts•*•
my favorite part was definitely the magic and world building. it was such a unique idea and had me hungry lmao. the magic baking?? oooo i loved that shit i live love loved how unique and lovely the idea was. genuinely i love how baking with certain emotions can make the magic in a dish more powerful. it was executed so well too! i couldn’t stop reading this on my 4 hour car ride and finished it quickly. i had so much fun and i was so immersed. very very impressive for a debut!! romantasy is such a basic genre (yet my favorite) that is overrun with repetitive steaming garbage. the same plots are used over and over. the enemies to lovers is just poorly disguised lust. everything is so basic and boring, but when it’s done right, how it’s supposed to be, it’s SO much fun and why i fell in love with the genre. this book is done right.

🧸characters•*•

elaraaaa my love. adored her. my girl had them baking skillsss hello pls cook for me i like food. a lot. tbh thats prob why i loved this book so much because i am infatuated with food 😍 anyways back to elara i loved her i felt like she had real motives, desires, hopes, and pain instead of a cardboard fanfic y/n cutout. truly loved her and she didn’t infuriate me, which is honestly rare.

🎀nik•*•

i liked elara better tbh he got on my nerves a bit. i mean he’s hot and i’d smash. i unfortunately understand a less than perfect relationship with a father but still im a hypocrite and i accept it so like buddy grow a spineee who gaf bout your daddy make your own decisions. like i understand but also stop pissing me off. regardless he was fine af and genuinely cared about her and could be very sweet.

🫶🏼writing style*•*

no because tell me why i was snorting and laughing in public 😭🙏 the writing style was so witty, actually funny and not cringe inducing, great at world building in a way that wasn’t mindnumbingly boring, and just immersive and enjoyable to read. again, very impressed with this debut.

[cyra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly feel kinda bad for giving this book 3 stars because I think there was a lot of love and heart put into this book, but like so many things in this novel just pissed me off man

All We Hunger For is a debut following Elara Rousseau, daughter of a now dead rebellion leader from the slums, who gets sneaked into the Great French Bake Off for a chance to compete for... the position of Souverain. That's right guys, as long as you can bake a good pie, you will be able to take the spot of what's essentially a member of the council! How cool. Oh, education? Nah that doesn't matter that much don't worry about it haha. During the first contest, Elara wins the attention of the crowd and resident boy-failure Nikolas Dupont, who becomes her Patron as part of his 'nefarious' plans to use her as a political pawn. The book might try to convince you that Nik is capable, smart, or manipulative, but don't worry; he has no fucking clue what he's doing.

The book started off well. Kind of. The Objet d’Art is illogical, but the world building was unique (and very French), the characters were interesting, and I was intrigued by the baking contest. The introduction of Nik working in a funeral home delighted me because we rarely see anything like that in a book. Unfortunately, things started going downhill as more and more of the political intrigue was introduced. It was still readable, for the most part, but it really fell apart in the last third of the book. There were plot twists and political moves that seemingly came out of nowhere and just left me confused. A lot of things weren't explained, or were just glossed over, and it made me feel increasingly frustrated with how the book was turning out.

The characters in this book also turned out pretty lacklustre. There were attempts at giving Elara and Nik depth, and whilst Elara mostly succeeded, Nik's character fell short. I was hoping for him to war with himself and carve out a character development plot, but he kinda just skipped over the hard part and jumped straight into realising his father sucked and that he's going to help the rebels. Then he fell in love with Elara and lost most of what made his character compelling. Their relationship happened pretty quickly, so much so that it didn't feel earned. They were still pretty endearing together and some of Nik's romantic gestures were very tender, but there was so much potential for more.

The side characters were cute but I guarantee you that they'll disappear from my memory tomorrow. I only really liked Fernand, but Blai and Chantal were okay, I guess. They exist! Huzzah! There were little side relationships buried in the plot, but they add absolutely nothing to the story. Which really sucks because it could have been really cool if the book chose to focus on them. The main antagonist was just a moustache twirling villain. Given who he is, I would have expected a lot more from him, but he does his job as a super evil guy, so there's that.

I really liked the magic system, and the cooking contest was really fun to read about. It's fast paced, and the writing is decent for a debut. There was clearly a lot of love for baking and the the arts. Anna Mercier does a good job at addressing the importance of artistry for people, and how art isn't just found in paintings or sculptures. I just felt like the scope of what the author was trying to accomplish was too big for a single book. We didn't have much time to stew in anything. I'm also half convinced that the author barely knows anything about politics.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC; all thoughts are my own.

[Emily]

Rating: DNF 15%

My Thoughts:

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Okay, let me start by saying that this is very much a me problem. I don't actually think this is a bad book, and I don't have any major complaints or rants like I have with some of my recent DNFs. I honestly think that either A) I'm in a reading slump, or B) this just wasn't the right book for my current mood.

From the very beginning, the story dives heavily into the political landscape and its unique magic system, and I found myself feeling pretty confused. I could somewhat understand what was being discussed, but I kept hoping that if I just continued reading, everything would eventually click into place. Unfortunately, the more I read, the more lost I became, and eventually I reached a point where I simply stopped caring about what was happening.

Like I said, I'm fairly certain I'm the issue here. The author seems like a talented writer, and I don't think the book itself is poorly done. I just don't think her writing style was clicking with me at this particular moment.

That said, if you enjoy fantasy with heavy political intrigue, intricate magic systems, and a touch of baking, I think there's a good chance you'll really enjoy this one. For me, though, it's a pass for now.

[Ari ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ✨
🫑

All We Hunger For was overall enjoyable. I enjoyed the politics mixed with magic. I think the author really excelled in the politics and rebellion, as well as the characters themselves. Elara was definitely my favorite of the cast. She was head strong and she really develops into herself throughout the book. But unfortunately, the romance fell super flat for me. The chemistry just wasn't there. It also took me a bit to get into the book, but once I did it flowed well.

I would still recommend this to someone who wanted a book that really dives into the politics and problems of a world and has a dash of magic. The baking magic was charming.

[The Bookish Elf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some fantasy novels open with a map and a prophecy. This one opens with a poster of a dead woman who will not stop smiling, a contest nobody from the slums is meant to win, and a girl who has trained herself out of hoping. That gap, between the sweetness a city dangles in front of its poor and the rot it actually feeds them, runs through every page of All We Hunger For by Anna Mercier, a debut that wears a baking competition like a velvet glove pulled over a fist.

The premise, without spoiling the filling

Elara Rousseau gets by south of the Joyaux River, in the Restes, the quarter where "talentless" is just a polite word for the work the rich refuse to dirty their hands with. When the ruling Souverain of culinary arts dies, the city stages its grand Objet d'Art contest to crown a successor, and twenty lucky chefs receive enchanted coats and a shot at the council that runs everything. Elara is not supposed to be one of them. Then a brooding figure from her past sneaks her into the contest, and she finds herself baking for her future in front of the very people who would have her killed if they learned her real name.

It is a clean, sharp hook: a contestant hiding who she is, a sponsor hiding what he wants, and a city where art decides who eats and who starves. Mercier keeps the stakes personal even as the politics widen.

What you are actually getting

A few things the book pulls off straight out of the oven:

Magic you can taste. Food magic runs on a simple, memorable rule here. Powerful intention plus powerful emotion makes powerful magie, which turns every bake into a small confession.
Cruelty with a system behind it. The villainy is structural, dressed in white coats and gracious rules, and that lands harder than a single bad man ever could.
A found family that earns its warmth. Elara's odd little household quietly delivers some of the story's best, softest beats.
A city built on appetite

Anespérer is split by a river and ruled by seven Sociétés, each governing a branch of art, each sorted into four ranks from lowly Aspirant up to untouchable Souverain. Mercier does not drown you in lore. She lets the world arrive through the senses: stale flour in a near-empty pantry, a stained-glass bird flitting up from a smashed wine bottle, officers outnumbering customers in a market that used to hum. The class politics are not subtle, and they are not trying to be. The point of All We Hunger For by Anna Mercier is that hunger gets engineered, that hope itself can be a leash, and the food writing makes you feel both the want and the brief relief of a good meal.

How the magic works

The system rewards feeling over technique, which suits a story about people taught their whole lives to swallow what they feel. An Aspirant can only follow recipes, while a Professionnelle can create, and the gap between the two becomes one of the book's quiet heartbreaks. It is a tidy bit of worldbuilding that doubles as theme.

Two narrators on a knife's edge

The book alternates first-person chapters between Elara and Nikolas Dupont, and the split works because the two voices actually differ.

Elara, all flint and bravado

Elara is quick with a jab, allergic to optimism, and secretly tender about a mother she lost and a café that exists only as a doodle in a recipe book. Her cynicism reads as armor rather than pose, and watching her lower it inch by inch is the spine of the whole story.

Nik, the boy who collects secrets

Nik is colder on the surface and far more fragile underneath, a young man who hoards other people's secrets because affection was never once offered to him for free. He spends much of the book trying to shape Elara into a pawn for a father whose approval he cannot stop chasing. Seeing each narrator misread the other is half the fun.

The romance: enemies, embers, and a shared fork

The romance is a slow burn, and it earns the slowness. There is a quiet scene over a single slice of cake and two forks that does more for these two than a dozen grand declarations could. The chemistry comes from need rather than fate, two people who learned to survive alone and are unsettled to find they would rather not. Readers who like their love stories laced with guilt, suspicion, and the constant risk of betrayal will be well fed.

Where the recipe wobbles

For all its charm, this is a four-star book and not a flawless one, and the places where All We Hunger For by Anna Mercier stumbles are worth naming.

The middle sags. The competition trials lean on a repeating rhythm of scheme, lie, and reveal, and a few stretches feel like the same beat replayed with fresh frosting.
A couple of turns arrive on cue. Genre-seasoned readers will likely guess a central secret well before the characters do, which softens its punch.
The setting's French dressing is mostly surface. The names and titles are lovely, but the culture beneath them stays thin, more flavor than substance.
The chief antagonist tips toward one note. He is genuinely chilling, yet his cruelty rarely complicates into anything harder to read.

None of this sinks the book. It keeps a very good debut from being a great one.

The author's voice

Mercier writes in short, percussive bursts, dropping a one-word line to land a gut punch after a long sweep of description. It is a young adult fantasy voice with real confidence, wry where Elara is wry, raw where Nik is raw. All We Hunger For is Mercier's first novel, so there is no backlist to send you toward yet, but on this evidence her next one is worth watching for. The food scenes alone suggest a writer who has spent real time with flour on her hands.

The final taste

All We Hunger For by Anna Mercier earns its place on the shelf beside the books that inspired it. It is sweet without being soft, political without lecturing, and romantic without losing its teeth. The seams of a debut show here and there, in a baggy middle and a twist you may see coming, but the voice, the food, and the ache underneath it all carry the day. Come for the magical bake-off. Stay for the girl who refuses to stop wanting more, and the boy slowly learning he is allowed to want at all.

[bibi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy to read!

2.5-3 stars I haven’t entirely decided yet, here is my super long review
-

Let me start by saying this premise has a lot of potential. A culinary arts based fantasy with a subplot romance sounds really cool and unique, but unfortunately there were a lot of issues I ended up noticing that sort of damaged the execution.

I wish there had been some sort of glossary provided in the book. Most of the main terminology is not in English and it’s not explained as to what they are, you kind of just have to guess based on who is referred to by what title, etc. but even then it’s a bit confusing. This was one of my main gripes all throughout the book. I guess you could just google everything but yeah 👍

Yes, you are thrown into the story with characters who obviously already understand the world they live in, but you as the reader don’t know any of it and there is not as much world building as you might expect to help you understand.

I get that it would feel a bit counterintuitive for the characters to explain things that they obviously already know, so I think something at the beginning or end of the book solely for the reader to at least get a sense of what the world-specific terminology means would be helpful.


Now for my thoughts on the actual story. Overall, it was not BAD, the rebellion storyline with the baking competition is interesting in theory but the stakes felt oddly low at least for the competition part despite the things happening throughout because it never feels like Elara is going to lose. Her opponents have little to no dialogue, shes the center of attention more often than not and obviously she’s the main character. It started to feel like it didn’t really matter and the plot as a whole for me really started to unravel at the 75% mark.

There is this big emphasis on characters having secrets and how there’s going to be this tell-all about the truths from the past. Most of Elara’s character is based around the fact that she is held back by her mother’s actions in the past, and her development comes from breaking free from that.

Her mom was a part of/led a group of rebels that wanted to retaliate against the government. The act of them doing so is a huge thread that runs through the entire books, and a lot of it is because of how it reflects on Elara, who is seen as the daughter of a rebel leader, to the point where even just in the first few pages you are shown that no one in town wants to be associated with her. She has to operate under a different name to even get a chance at making a life for herself. All of the other characters get past this quite quickly once they find out about it with the exception of Nik but he really isn’t upset about it for long.

Nik’s initial intentions are to mislead and manipulate Elara, but he gives up on that pretty early on because he likes her determination and wants to keep his father from harming her. I think it’s quite established that Nik is no longer doing things solely for his benefit, he’s actively trying to bond with Elara despite his own emotional conflicts and storyline.

However, when things about Nik are revealed to Elara by the person they both agree not to trust, she immediately believes everything, says Nik has lied to her, and all of the other characters are also suddenly on board with that line of thinking?? I found it really annoying that the last quarter of the book is Nik being treated like some monster who incited every terrible action in the book because of a choice HIS MOM MADE. When elara’s entire character is based around her mom having made “bad” decisions and her not wanting to be known for that. It felt like a very convenient yet forced way to cause division between Elara and Nik in the third act when they haven’t even been together long enough to consider it a “break up”.

Additionally, Elara recognizes that he’s lying to her literally from the first time they meet. They understand that about each other and yet the concept of Nik ever lying becomes this huge deal when he’s already been quite honest with her by that point. And the stuff the third act conflict is based on ends up being mostly a lie told by Nik’s father which.. why did Elara even believe him in the first place? 🫩


All in all, I liked the side characters, I liked the general concept, and the writing was fine. The romance wasn’t really a standout to me, but it wasn’t a detractor or anything.

It’s not a bad book by any means, like I said it has a lot of potential. I think it will definitely appeal to some people for the cooking and fantasy aspects!

[OneMadReader · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 45%

The plot and most of the characters had potential. The plot was engaging and I wanted to finish solely for that purpose, but there was some strong language and LGBTQ representation that I wasn’t comfortable with to continue reading. Since the book would have been promising without the some of the content, I did decided to give the book one star.

Rating: DNF but ⭐️ (for the plot)
Spice: At 45% nothing much had happened in the romance but there were a few vague mentions of sec
Language: !@#
Drug/Alcohol Content: 🍺
LGBTQ: One major side character goes by they/them pronouns and flirts with people of both genders

*I received an advanced review copy for free from Net Gallery and the publisher, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Emily Stearns · Rating 5 out of 5]

A debut novel & worth the hype - for lovers of The Hunger Games & other revolutionary YA stories. In a world of magie, Elara Rousseau is snuck into a baking competition with lots on the line, as a class rebellion brews below the surface. There's romance and heartbreak, excitement and yearning... all of which you'll want to devour.

[Sierraaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

first, i would like to thank NetGalley, Anna Mercier, and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for this ARC!

this book was such an interesting read. it’s not the usual type of fantasy book i reach for, but i found the magic system to be fun and unique, and the characters had good depth to them.

in All We Hunger For, we follow Elara as she enters a magical baking competition in order to help an old “friend” and escape her tragic past. but things get dicey when she meets Nikolas, her patron for the competition who unbeknownst to her sees her as the enemy and just wants to use her for his own gain. but as the competition progresses and secrets as revealed, the two will be forced to work together to survive in a world who sees them as lesser humans all because they were born and raised in the southern portion of the city. can these two find it in them to put their differences aside to save their city from a civil war?

i really loved Elara’s character! she may have been viewed as naive and selfish by most people in her life, but she was nothing more than an orphan doing her best to survive in a society that doesn’t want her to. and as for Nik, i enjoyed how he slowly lerned to open up more, especially to Elara. i thought they were very cute together and made a nice duo for the revolution

the side characters were mostly great too! Chantal gave off the perfect older sister vibes, and i really enjoyed Gaetan being the father figure Elara never had. Blai and Fernand were awful though so i’m just going to forget about them🫣

overall i think this was a fun read, i just wish the epilogue could have been longer to show Elara and Nik making up with each other. but it was a good ending nevertheless, and i enjoyed getting to read and review it early.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read an early version of this, as I am friends with the author *hair flick* - I am so thrilled everyone will get to meet her characters, and experience this rich world, and fall in love as much as I did ❤️ Anna is one to watch, folks!

[Emily Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adored this one! Rtc

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

‘All We Hunger For’ is much more than what may seem to be a cozy baking challenge; it’s also commentary on social classes. It doesn’t just dip its toes into the treatment of the working class, this story is about actually about rebellion and a brewing change, which was a surprising treat to see handled. The author did not hold back in how blatantly some characters could believe an entire group of people were inhuman, deserving of nothing at all.

(Note, there is clearly French roots/inspiration taken from by names and places, even the history of their own rebellion due to the divide between the aristocracy and the working class in 1789)

This was a surprising read that had amazing descriptions when it came to the cooking/baking and just describing scenes in general. It was also easy to understand our two main characters, their goals believable even if you didn’t necessarily agree. Both our main characters are from the Restes, the poor working class, but both have somewhat different motivations. Elara a rebel in her own way who just wants her own bakery in the Restes, while Nik has shoved any notions of rebellion aside believing he can change things by climbing the ladder of the aristocracy.

This was a solid YA fantasy with a romance subplot, though insta-love, it was an easy book to sit and feel engrossed in as it moved quick. I saw a lot of comparing this book to bake off shows and I definitely agree, though the “trials” did not feel overdone like the trope currently is as there was more to this book than trials.

The romance for me was the weakest part, as it didn’t feel like there was really any foundation for the two of them to trust or feel so strongly for the other, but again, that’s the woes of insta lust lol. And the fact this is a standalone so I don’t think there was enough time to build that foundation. (I honestly wanted Elara to get back with her ex, I felt more tension between them lol)

Some scenes towards the middle and end felt a bit fast and discombobulated at times so i found myself confused a bit. But I really enjoyed the ending, it was a realistic conclusion.

I enjoyed Elara’s growth in this book, I think her story arc alone is a good reason to read this book, there was a lot of meaning behind the plot of this book.

*ARC courtesy of netgalley*

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This dual-POV narrative follows Elara and Nic, two individuals from the least desirable district striving to rise above their circumstances in a strictly hierarchical society, each driven by their own unique and secret goals. The story forces a balance between the glamorous demands of the baking competition and a growing rebellion in the lower district, as the two MCs and their friends grapple with the tension between doing what is right and pursuing their own personal ambitions.

The unique magic system and underlying themes held a great deal of promise, but the worldbuilding felt underdeveloped. I found myself wanting more historical context and regional depth to truly ground the plot. The pacing was inconsistent at times, making it difficult to remain fully immersed. Some developments felt rushed, and the romance lacked the necessary buildup to feel like a genuine relationship.

As a genre note: I would not categorize All We Hunger For as a cozy read; it aligns more closely with the tone of The Scarlet Alchemist or a lighter take on The Hunger Games.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co., and NetGalley for the eARC.

[m y r · Rating 4 out of 5]

★ ★ ★.75

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-Arc!

I do love a good book that fights against tyranny and for social justice/change <3 I loved how this book did so not only through rebellion, but through food too and the deeper meaning it brings to the poor vs rich.

All We Hunger For had such an interesting premises, following Elara (a daughter of a rebel) with a passion for baking and cooking. She finds herself in a competition to become the new Souverain of the council but quickly discovers there's a real opportunity in her position to make change for a better world and society.

I loved the unique magic system; putting magic into food to create different outcomes with each taste. But where the book fell a little flat for me was the romance that became suddenly insta-lovey, as well as the political dynamics in the second half of the book started to feel a bit bombarding which took me out of the story at times.

Other than that, I really like the concept of this book and felt like it was an easy read with interesting politics, magic, and again I love a book with rebellion against the rich <3

[Andrea Romero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, thank you NetGalley for providing me with this e-ARC!

Okay. This book was kind of overwhelming and I’m still not exactly sure what to rate it but I’m leaning towards 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

All We Hunger For is a fantasy filled with politics, corruption, rebellion, and morally complex characters but please don’t go into this expecting a cozy fantasy. This world is brutal, ambitious, and packed with layers of conflict, which at times made the story feel overwhelming.

One of my biggest struggles with this book was the beginning. We are immediately thrown into this world with very little context, making it difficult to fully understand the rules, history, and dynamics of the society. It took me a while to become invested because I felt like I was trying to piece together a world I didn’t yet understand.

This ties into my biggest critique: the world-building. There were many moments where I found myself wanting more explanation. How did magic come to exist? Are people born with these abilities, or are they granted somehow? Who established the seven societies, and what events led to the world becoming what it was? The foundation of the world felt very underdeveloped, and I think having those answers would have made the world feel much richer and more immersive!

Elara was undoubtedly the strongest aspect of the book for me. She is a deeply complex FMC who carries a great deal of resentment toward her mother and the consequences of the choices she was forced to inherit. Her internal struggles, anger, and growth made her compelling to follow.

Nik, however, was a character I struggled to fully connect with. While I enjoyed his dynamic with Elara, I found myself wishing we had been given more insight into his motivations and more layers to his personality.

As for the romance, I typically dislike insta-love, and at first I worried this relationship would fall into that category. However, I would describe it more as instant attraction. What helped me appreciate their relationship was the fact that they challenged one another, argued, and even hurt each other’s feelings. Their midnight meetings, where they slowly opened up and revealed more of themselves, showed the beginnings of a deeper connection. However, I do think some of their emotional development happened off-page unfortunately and was *told* to us rather than fully *shown*, which made their transition from attraction to love rushed.

[Jewnifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished All We Hunger For and overall I thought it was a good, entertaining story. I did feel like the book lacked some clarity at times, and the shorter length didn’t leave much room for deeper world building. The romance also felt a little rushed for me. Honestly, Fernand, her mom, and Gaeten could’ve had an entire book of their own.

One of my favorite parts was the cooking competition and the way food brought out emotions and memories. That concept felt really unique and added a lot of heart to the story.

For a debut YA standalone, I think this was a strong start, and I’d definitely read more from this author. I’m interested to see how her writing grows and develops in future books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Michelle (easy.vesey.reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️!

I enjoyed this book and I think it had a lot of potential, but ultimately fell flat for me. I think it started off with so much promise and I liked the writing style but then things went downhill. I also loved the unique magic system and the concept of a magical baking competition but the rest of the plot was just kind of ok. Like something was missing for me and yet I can’t quite figure out exactly what it was that was missing. I think I was just expecting more!

Thank you to Henry Holt/Fierce Reads for the advanced copy!

[Hannah Grace Whitmill · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This book was a really good fantasy and I enjoyed the story immensely. I liked the themes that seemed almost dystopian at times. The beginning was kind of slow, but it really picked up in the middle and the ending was phenomenal. I definitely enjoyed this book. My only complaint is I felt the romance was kind of forced. Like there wasn't really any chemistry between the characters in my opinion. And I felt the side characters were very flat. Other than that? I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend.

[Jude Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Mona · Rating 2 out of 5]

hank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for this arc!

All We Hunger For...should've been right up my alley. A competition, a rebellion, magic and best of all...food. What more could I ask for? Turns out, I should've asked for a lot more. The premise is very intriguing: a girl from the lowest caste of society enters a food competition via deceptive means while our other protagonist seeks to manipulate her into being a puppet. However, things become complicated when they start to catch feelings and a bigger web begins to untangle. It sounds so good on paper; watching as a girl who does not want to be involved with the rebellion any longer start to become more involved while also being at the whim of the rich and powerful...

Unfortunately while the execution didn't live up to the promise, there was some things I did like. I liked the cooking aspect of it and how magic interacted with food. The descriptions that went into the competition were very vivid and chaotic, which matched the atmosphere that I think the author was trying to make. There are also world building details that I really liked! I liked how the author explained how the powerful expanded their influences in other countries to become more powerful in the one they live in. It felt like a neat detail to bring in different characters from different backgrounds while still focusing on one setting. It also adds more to the competition when ingredients from other nations are brought in. The other thing I liked were the side characters, even more so than the MCs themselves (with one exception). They felt like they belonged in this world and had an impact on it.

But that's really all I can say I liked about this book. As I understand it, this book is supposedly a 'cosy romantasy' but at the same time, its also about a rebellion. In my opinion, there is nothing cosy about this book apart from the fact that the FMC and MMC live together away from a lot of the chaos. Frequently there are mentions of police brutality and open revolts, not to mention the bombings that impacted so many, including the MCs. And to clarify, none of these are bad things to write about, but I find the way the rebellion itself to be written was...lacking. It felt like it was there not to add to the world, but to give background noise in between the competition rounds, and as a way to pressure the MCs. It just didn't feel built up enough, which does make sense somewhat considering the history of the setting, but it feels lackluster with what it could've been with more build up.

And this problem leaks into the MCs and by proxy, Fernand. Multiple times, we are told Fernand is a bad influence, that he is no good. We are told he would sacrifice members of the rebellion to fuel his plans...but it just doesn't make sense when the first plan we do see him make, he tries to get Elara out of it. He doesn't want her participating in the competition, even though it would presumably help him more if she did. He puts her in a situation that she can't get out of, even if she tried, and then blames her for it. And he's not even grateful for her help. This is the great leader that people want for the rebellion? He just doesn't make sense to me as a character. I don't think making the rebellion somewhat unlikable is wrong; I think it could make for an interesting plot in fact. But the fact is that he's never questioned on his actions, never pushed to re-examine his ways. It is frustrating, because it feels like we have no other choice but to side with him because...well, he's on the side of the people right? And even though he can make questionable moral choices for the sake of the rebellion, Elara doing it suddenly makes her worse than him. It's pathetic.

And then I get onto the MCs themselves. Firstly, the dual pov nature of this point just doesn't work. There's supposed to be some sort of mystery, some suspense, but then things are revealed way too quickly to the reader in Nik's chapters. I genuinely think if we only had Elara as our main point of view, it would've worked better because ultimately, it is her story. I get the intent behind Nik and why we're shown his point of view, but I'm afraid it just eliminates a lot of the intrigue. Not to mention, I personally feel like his behaviour didn't go deep enough. He's supposed to be this character from the same caste as Elara who has been groomed by this rich powerful person and he's supposed to believe this narrative about the rebellion very deeply. The issue is that he changes so quickly and it doesn't feel like there's this room for him to actually grow because we have to move on to the next stage of the competition and he needs to fall for Elara and anything else can just be brought back when needed. It just didn't work for me, he just felt too superficial.

Elara on the other hand...I think there was a lot of potential in her character. She has a lot of ideals and while she has been worn down by time, she never really gives up on them. I don't think she's a bad character, I just think she was badly used. From start to finish, it always feels like she has to rely on others to get herself out of a situation, and even then, she somehow manages to make those situations worse. There are things she does that OBJECTIVELY make no sense, but she does them anyway. She wants no part of the rebellion, but she still ends up relying on them, which could've been interesting but I don't think it was handled well in execution. Especially when a lot of her own past is told to us and not shown.

All in all, I personally was disappointed, but I still think there could be an audience out there for this book. It's easy to read and can be fairly interesting at times! It just didn't the mark for me and that's okay.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

All We Hunger For by Anna Mercier completely surprised me—in the best way. I expected a light fantasy romance and got a beautifully layered story about art, ambition, and class divides, wrapped in lush writing and slow-burn chemistry. Elara is a heroine you can’t help but root for—flawed, driven, and deeply human—and her connection with Nikolas feels natural and earned. The worldbuilding is rich without being overwhelming, and the magic-through-baking concept is so good with fun Katniss Everdeen twists. Overall it’s an enchanting, heartfelt read that lingered with me even after I finished.

[Emma Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read this book early, and it was such a delight! Mercier crafts such a vivid fantasy world that I could clearly picture in my mind from the very first pages. The descriptions of the magical baked treats are so visceral and captivating...and these CHARACTERS! I fell in love with them and was rooting for them all the way through. They have some truly sweet moments in between all the action that I found myself wanting to reread. I loved every minute I spent with this book!

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book with an adorably cute romance. Elara gets shunned because of her mother lead a rebellion against the government. I loved that there was a baking contest in the novel. Gives her a chance to prove her worth and get away from the family name. It was enjoyable and I can’t wait to see if there is gonna be more written. I loved all the characters and side characters.
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and share my thoughts.