The Book of Perilous Dishes

by Doina Ruști, James Christian Brown (Translator)

1798: A magical, dark adventure. Fourteen-year-old Pâtca, initiated in the occult arts, comes to Bucharest, to her uncle, Cuviosu Zăval, to retrieve the Book of Perilous Dishes. The recipes in this magical book can bring about damaging sincerity, forgetfulness, the gift of prediction, or hysterical laughter. She finds her uncle murdered and the book missing. All that Zăval has left her is a strange map she must decipher. Travelling from Romania to France and on to Germany to do so, Patca’s family’s true past and powers are revealed, as is her connection to the famous and sublime chef, Silica.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romania, Fiction, Romanian Literature, Mystery, Historical

272 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2017

About the author

bio
Novelist: history, memory, and mystery; the fabulous and the raw.
Ferenike, The Book of Perilous Dishes, The Phanariot Manuscript.
DOINA RUŞTI is one of Romania’s most acclaimed contemporary novelists, known for her powerful blend of historical imagination, realism, and political depth. She is the author of fourteen novels and three short story collections, translated into more than fifteen languages and studied in Romanian schools.
Her most awarded novel, The Ghost in the Mill, is a haunting parable of communism. Her Phanariot Trilogy — The Phanariot Manuscript, The Book of Perilous Dishes, and Homeric — reimagines 18th-century Balkan history through fantastical and symbolic lenses. The Book of Perilous Dishes appeared in English with Neem Tree Press (UK, 2022 & 2024), was reviewed in The Guardian, praised by the Historical Novels Society, and selected by Amazon booksellers and international readers’ clubs.
Her recent novels include Zavaidoc in the Year of Love (2024), a bestseller set in interwar Bucharest, and Ferenike (Humanitas, 2025), an autobiographical and politically resonant story of guilt, memory, and feminine resistance.
She has received the Romanian Academy Prize, the Writers’ Union Prose Award, and the Hungarian Writers’ Union Prize for Best Translated Book.

🌐 Website: www.doinarusti.ro
📱 Platforms: Instagram | YouTube

Reviews

[Mirela · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Numai că Silică nu se gândea la femei. Pentru el exista doar mâncarea în care îşi punea energiile, respiraţia şi privirile. O coastă de miel era ca o întâlnire de seară, pe marginea unei ape. Şi, pe cât o împodobea cu pulbere de ardei, cu cât o scălda în vin şi-n alte licori, cu atât întâlnirea era mai bogată în fapte. De la câteva cuvinte duioase trecea la sărutări şi la dezmierdări, încât, spre final, când coasta era rumenită şi îmbătată discret cu grăsimi, bucătarul era şi el golit de toate dorinţele, stors ca după o noapte de dragoste. Nu era mâncare pe care să n-o fi iubit şi a cărei amintire să n-o păstreze în suflet. Pasta de linte era ca o guvernantă bătrână, care devenea desfrânată imediat ce-o acoperea cu felioare de ceapă, prăjite în unt. Când lua prepeliţele în palmă, simţea fiorul pe care ţi-l dă sânul de fată necoaptă. Le mozolea cu miere şi cu ardei iute, le făcea cuib de spanac şi avea grijă să le îmbete cu vin de smochine.
După ce închidea cuptorul, cădea şi el istovit.
Musacaua de vinete îl cobora în haremul secret, muşchiul de porc, frecat cu usturoi şi perpelit pe cărbuni, îi seca pur şi simplu sămânţa.
Femeile nici nu existau pentru el. Nu mai rămânea niciun pic de loc pentru ele.”

[Kealyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Book of Perilous Dishes by Doina Rusti

3/5 stars

I find this a hard book to rate. One part of me really enjoyed it. And another part thinks this book wasn't for me. When I read the premise of the book I was instantly drawn to it. But the writing style wasn't as addictive as I would have liked.

The book starts with Patca seeing her grandmother Maxima get taken away for witchcraft. Maxima urges her to flee and she does so.
She ends up going to Cuviosu Zaval. But she finds him and two of his staff dead. She takes the knife that killed her uncle.

We also see her interacting with Caterina Greceanu. Caterina's cook, Silica, gets taken and they try to get him back.

It takes a little while before the Book of Perilous Dishes is mentioned. And once it gets introduced about 75 pages in (The book has a little over 200 in total, the ePub file) the story really kickstarts. Patca tries everything to get it back.

The book also has a dual timeline. And I really enjoyed that. I also liked the history that is mentioned throughout the book. And I saw that a lot of people disliked it. But I loved the foreign words and figuring out what they exactly meant. I adored how descriptive the book is towards her making potions or all the cooking that takes place in this book.

But I did have a bit of trouble to truly fall away in this book. I don't know if it is due to the translation. But I really had to focus hard to stay in the book. It bordered on costing me a lot of energy to read it. I wish the writing style was a bit more inviting and open. It felt very strict and structured. And while I like that in some books. I wish this one had a bit of an easier structure throughout it.

But all in all a really fun book and I am glad I read it.

[Cornelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - 3.7*

[Jovi Ene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of, dar greu a mai fost...
Nu știu de ce a decurs greu pentru mine cu această carte, deși parfumul epocii fanariote este seducător, iar farmecul unui București vechi, pe care nu îl cunoaștem decât din cărțile de istorie este inedit; deși fantasticul și magia întâmplărilor ne aduc aminte pe undeva de nuvelele lui Eliade; deși tensiunea crește treptat, povestirea trecând, pe lângă istorie și magie, spre un policier de alură clasică; deși Doina Ruști este o povestitoare de primă clasă, un prozator plin de talent și o excelentă mânuitoare a frazelor. Cum s-ar spune în engleză, maybe it's just me.
Așadar, pentru toate aceste calități, s-ar putea să vă placă, să vă doriți să intrați într-o istorie magică, plină de vrăjitoare, rețete miraculoase și ceva gastronomie de secol 18.

[Stil de scriitor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recunosc că în ultimul timp nu prea am mai citit autori români, dar sunt unii la care mă întorc mereu cu drag, cum ar fi Rodica Ojog-Brașoveanu, Zaharia Stancu, Liviu Rebreanu, Mircea Eliade, etc. Dar în lista lor a fost inclusă acum câțiva ani și Doina Ruști, o scriitoare contemporană cu un stil care îmi place și mă intrigă. În afară de Mâța Vinerii, am mai citit o singură carte scrisă de ea, Fantoma din moară, o carte care mi-a plăcut foarte tare. Acum trebuie să recunosc că, deși cele două seamănă un pic la stil, Mâța Vinerii a fost mult mai complicată și dificil de citit. Mi-a plăcut, dar nu aș putea spune că a egalat Fantoma din moară.

http://stildescriitor.ro/blog/2019/09...

[Anasylvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astăzi vă spun câteva cuvinte despre prima lectură a anului 2020, una foarte frumoasă și pe care vreau să v-o recomand. Cu scrierile Doinei Ruști făcusem cunoștință citind romanul Manuscrisul fanariot. Recunosc că m-a captivat acea lectură, un amestec interesant de ficțiune istorică și ceva elemente fantastice, care trebuie să spun că în lectura la care face referire acest articol, anume Mâța Vinerii, predomină.

Acțiunea este plasată tot în Bucureștiul sfârșitului de secol optsprezece, însă cadrul istoric este mai mult un pretext, de această dată, pentru ca autoarea să dea frâu liber uneia dintre cele mai extravagante compoziții care să implice o serie de personaje de-a dreptul ieșite din comun, totul pe fundalul unei capitale valahe descrisă ca un tărâm al miturilor devenite realitate.

Scrisă de această dată la persoana întâi, povestea relatează aventurile unei tinere numită Pâtca, care este de fapt Mâța Vinerii, din tradiția unui soi de magicieni numiți satorini. Aceasta ajunge din Brașov în Bucureștiul natal, convinsă că bunica ei, Maxima Tutilina, a fost executată în urma unei trădări. Ea trebuie să îl caute pe fratele Maximei, moșicul Zăval, un fel de mare maestru printre satorini. Distrasă de nebunia marelui oraș, ajunge prea târziu și îl găsește pe Zăval înjunghiat, la fel ca și pe cei doi servitori ai săi. De aici, un vârtej întreg de situații neprevăzute începe a se desfășura, având-o în centru pe Mâța Vinerii, nume secret pe care nu și-l recunoștea în fața nimănui, trecând printre cunoscuți și străini deopotrivă drept Pâtca.

Mai multe, aici: https://adropofinspiration.wordpress....

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading Women Challenge 2018

#22. A book by a local author or recommended by your local bookstore

I am putting this on hold because I am not feeling the story. The narrative is too fragmented and going in too many directions at once, the first person PoV failing to keep them all together. Still, I will be counting it for the challenge even though I only made it halfway through...

[Stela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mai mai că-mi vine să fac ca Lavinia și să o întreb direct pe autoare: stimată Doina Ruști, cum de reușiți să fiți atît de consecventă în excelență și în același timp atât de versatilă cu fiecare roman pe care-l scrieți?

Cineva spunea că Mîța Vinerii ar semăna cu Manuscrisul fanariot, ceea ce dovedește încă o dată cît de ușor pot păcăli aparențele – e drept că ambele romane au ca fundal perioada aceea istorică în care turcii găsiseră niște vaci de muls prin cartierul Fanar și licitau tronul țării în consecință, dar cam aici se opresc asemănările. Nici măcar stilul nu-i la fel – Manuscrisul... e pîrguit de metafore, tachinînd cititorul cu excesele lui calofilice care mîngîie urechea ca o muzică orientală languroasă, în timp ce Mîța... mizează mai mult pe eufonia și sensurile pierdute ale cuvintelor, pe sonoritatea lor magică:

În răscrucea aceasta se legăna un tecar atât de bătrân, încât, dacă bătea vântul, scârțâia ca o ușă, iar prin tecile din vârf, la care nu ajungea nimeni, trecea vijelia ca printr-o sută de troace.

Sonoritatea cuvintelor este, după cum o știe, sau ar trebui s-o știe pentru binele digestiei sale orice personaj din carte, esențială în făurirea de poțiuni și mîncăruri „rele”, adicătelea care să schimbe comportamentul, locația și chiar existența celui care le degustă, dat fiind că „o mâncare nu este doar nutrețul care face carnea să crească, ci un amestec de fapte și de parfumuri, un timp total.”

Nu-i de mirare așadar că de această cunoaștere depinde soarta atît a protagoniștilor cît și a antagoniștilor, așa cum sînt ei văzuți de ochii eroinei de 14 ani Pîtca, și evocați mult mai tîrziu de o Pîtcă căreia i-au trebuit mai bine de treizeci de ani ca să descurce ițele unei povești cu ingrediente narative la fel de complicate ca acelea amestecate de robul Silică în mîncărurile preparate la curtea domnească după Cartea bucatelor rele.

O astfel de mîncare îl poate determina și pe cel mai zgîrcit om să-și împartă averile, să facă un visător și din sufletul cel mai prozaic sau să transforme Bucureștiul, la propriu, într-un hohot de rîs homeric:

Dar, pe cât ridicam glasul, pe atât și râsul lui Costas devenea mai intens, molipsind servitorimea și ciohodarii, încât de sub arcade, din încăperile nevăzute ale acelei hardughii de palat, auzeam hăhăiala pajilor, chicoteala cameristelor, hohotele nesăbuite ale unor icioglani.

Într-o recenzie excelentă publicată pe postmodern.ro, Adriana Gionea, după ce observă cum s-a transformat Bucureștiul dintr-un „mare timpan” în Manuscrisul fanariot într-un „imens burdihan” în Mîța Vinerii, îi sugerează autoarei să creeze „un cvintet literar, în care fiecare carte să fie dedicată fabulosului receptat de fiecare organ de simț în parte.”

Numai cînd mă gîndesc la ce răsfăț al simțurilor ar promite un asemenea cvintet, în inconfundabila atmosferă de balcanism magic, proprie Doinei Ruști, și-mi lasă, ca să rămîn în aria semantică a romanului de față, gura apă!

[Dianais · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mi-a placut foarte mult impresia de magic a cartii, Bucurestiul fanariot, retetele buclucase si unele personaje dar mi s-a parut ca sunt prea multe fire nedescalcite in poveste, lucruri lasate neclarificate. Mi-as fi dorit sa inteleg mai bine care-i treaba cu Sator (poate am fost eu neatenta?).
In orice caz, un roman pe gustul meu.

[D'ale lui Damian · Rating 3 out of 5]

#readingchallange2021
#nemira
Cerinta22



Mâța Vinerii-Doina Ruști

".......până până la urmă trebuie să pomenesc mutra acră pe care a aruncat-o picioarelor mele desculțe. Cine se uită cu dispreț la omul sărac? Cine isi umfla botul fără respect în fața unui golan? De obicei,bogatul nu-si pierde timpul cu astfel de amănunte, în schimb,când te întâlnești cu un sărantoc cu nasul pe sus,cel mai bine e să te ferești ca de-un câine. Mai devreme sau mai tarziu o sa-si înfigă dintii în tine numai pentru că poate "
..................................................................
"Sunt oameni care nici la 50 de ani nu deschid ochii,dormitand în gogoașă, iar alții care la 14 ani pot deja să răstoarne o lume"
O carte de 3.5☆,a avut un limbaj putin greoi la început, până m-am obișnuit cu el,nu am ghicit acțiunea cărții....mi-a plăcut epoca în care se desf��șoară acțiunea cărții, Santor mi s-a părut înfricoșător..,nu este rea cartea, dar nu a fost pe "gustul meu"

[Io Nuca · Rating 3 out of 5]

M-am bucurat să mă întorc în Bucureștiul fanariot, dar m-au exasperat toate acele rețete 'magice', Sartor, oamenii ăia care credeau că au 'puteri'... deci cam 70% din carte.

[Joel Dennstedt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some writers pull you into their story so easily that you have no time to notice how quickly and deeply you’ve become immersed. Usually, this happens due to exquisite writing or a compelling plot. Sometimes, the reader is treated to both. When the story being told is also magically imbued, the immersion feels much like an invisible spell cast by irresistible words—a literary incantation, if you will. Within such conjurations, single phrases—sometimes disarmingly simple—evoke the most profound emotions. Consider an early observation made by the narrator in Doina Ruști’s exquisitely literate and magical novel, The Book of Perilous Dishes:
“What sadness there is in clothes that no one will wear anymore!”
Within the context of a most remarkable scene, this simple phrase evokes emotions beyond what should be warranted while creating an atmosphere impossible to dispel. At this point, the reader is already spellbound, immersed, and utterly engaged.
The plot of this reality-twisting, imaginative adventure may be simply stated, but no mere words could convey the impressive texture and complexity of its execution.
The difference encountered in discussing plot elements here, compared to other books, is that one must "live" the plot of The Book of Perilous Dishes - speaking literarily, of course - to appreciate its profound impact properly. Suppose one merely engages with the story from the perspective of an outside observer, which is how we often read even highly evocative novels. In that case, one will avoid the incredible experience of submitting to this book's consumptive powers. That would make for a most perilous, neglectful consequence.

[Simona Cosma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Din punctul meu de vedere, o antologie (remarcabilă) a unor (mult prea multe) rețete de bucate boierești gătite după rânduieli oculte, câteva frânturi de realism magic și cam atât.

Mi-e greu să-i dau o notă obiectivă sau cel puțin una dreaptă, fiindcă starea resimțită de mine pe parcursul întregii lecturi a fost aceea de vertij continuu, provocat de topica aiuristică specifică epocii fanariote, (pe care o mai regăsim în vechiul Cod civil de la 1864 ori în textele liturgice ortodoxe), însă reprodusă cu mult mai puțină îndemânare.
Dar știam la ce să mă aștept.
Probabil am să îi dau, cândva, o nouă șansă.

[Grace (alatteofliterature) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of a very unique orphan girl and an eccentric royal cook, with plenty of mystery and magic meals to add vibrancy to an otherwise simple story. It was a challenging book to read. This might be due to its Romanian-to-English translation, or maybe to the many characters and plot points, all subtlety introduced. I found myself rereading parts to keep it straight, especially referring to the character list.

A favorite quote: “While he was still a child, he attached himself to the kitchen, where other discoveries awaited him. The life of a cook was his road to happiness. For a dish is not just the nutrients that make the flesh grow, but a mixture of actions and aromas, a totality of time, teaming with life, with all the meetings, passions, and aspirations of a large number of people. And Silică discovered this truth all on his own.”

I received a free ARC and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Natasha Leighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rich in detail, whimsy and dark magic, and based on historical events, The Book of Perilous Dishes is fast paced (and adventure filled) historical fantasy is definitely a feast for the imagination and will no doubt stay with readers long after it’s finished.

Doina Rusti’s page turning historical, set in Bucharest 1798 and follows fourteen year old Pâtca(initiated into the magical arts) on her journey to her uncle, Cuviosu Zăval to retrieve The Book of Perilous Dishes. The recipes in this magical book can bring about damaging sincerity, forgetfulness, the gift of prediction, or hysterical laughter. She finds her uncle murdered and the book (which rightfully belongs to Pâtca) missing. All that Zăval has left her is a strange map she must decipher. Travelling from Romania to France and on to Germany to do so, Patca’s family’s true past and powers are revealed, as is her connection to the famous chef, Silica.

I really enjoyed reading this, I’ve not read very many translated books (most were well known 19th C classics) so I was very excited to read this wonderfully whimsical (though at times dark) historical fantasy from one of Romania’s celebrated authors.

I loved the world building,blending the backdrop of Bucharest and its tumultuous history with elements of magic and folklore to create an atmospheric and adventure filled story that spans decades and several countries before its charmingly satisfying conclusion.

The recipes were also a favourite of mine, which were expertly woven into the story. On more than one occasion I found myself immersed in their vividly detailed descriptions, anecdotes and folktales connected to each dish —seeing the effects of each dish (and the chaos that ultimately ensues) was also enjoyable, I genuinely didn’t want to stop reading from the eponymous cook book.

Pâtca is our protagonist throughout the book (which is told primarily in the first person) and follows her on two timelines, in 1798-when she first sets foot in Bucharest from Brasov and thirty years later in 1829, recalling her memories of the events that unfolded. I really liked her straightforward narration of events but there were a few moments (and events) that I did grow a little overwhelmed, with info reveals and the numerous cast of characters. I do admit, however, that it worked perfectly to capture the chaotic atmosphere of the city and Pâtca’s own overwhelmed thoughts and feelings in the first days after her arrival.

The expansive cast of memorable and eccentric background & supporting characters was honestly really intriguing and I was impressed by the skill in creating characters just eccentric enough to remember but mysterious enough that they’re occasional reappearance and interconnected story arcs were a pleasant surprise.

Overall, a magically engaging page-turner that historical fiction lovers are bound to delight in.

Also, a massive thanks to Random Things Tours and Neem Tree Press for the arc.

[fridayinapril · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Book of Perilous Dishes by Doina Ruşti
Translated by James Christian Brown
•
The Book of Perilous Dishes is a book that consumes you with its fast-paced narrative and wondrous story-telling. As you follow fourteen-year-old Pâtca in her quest to retrieve the lost book of perilous dishes, you embark on a great adventure across Europe and across her memories.
•
Rusti pens a magical tale that finds an anchor in the long-lost past of 18th Century Romania, and the translator in his great wisdom let you get a feel of it with the many words and expressions that he has left untranslated. It is a great universe, heavy on the fantasy that Rusti creates, and she leaves you in the capable hands of Pâtca the narrator that guides us through the events of her journey. As you encounter, princes, sorcerers, merchants, and spirits you slowly dive into a world that is tethered between the real and the fabulous while yearning for some of the mouth-watering dishes that are peppered here and there.
•
While reading, I could just close my eyes, and see the words dancing in my head, painting a vivid image of the story. I think this book would be the perfect material for a screen adaptation.
•
To sum it up, this is a brilliant book with well-crafted world-building and great storytelling.
•
"Any flight from danger has the taste of sin about it; it turns you into a beggar. Whoever said that running away is a healthy thing was never a fugitive, only a watcher from the sidelines. My fleeing looked like a stain of phlegm that I could never wash off. Anyone could see it on me; every word I spoke was kneaded in it."
•
"No one had any idea what the price of a country should be. But it was not the real value that counted, so much as that ‘yours for only…’, which even today makes people restless, letting it be known that there’s a bargain on offer."
•
"His walnut and fruit-juice jelly cakes would leave anyone gaping too, not just because of their taste, but also for the forms they took, like castles melting under the weight of snowfalls. And he didn’t just make food for ravenous stomachs, but also for desperate souls. Here I might mention the cockchafer beetles, soaked overnight in wine and then roasted on hot coals. He was the godfather of liqueurs, the maestro of afyon, and a sort of pater veneni, who knew elixirs against world-weariness and lassitude but also undreamed-of sauces that were good for the sicknesses of the blood."
•
Thank you @neemtreepress for this eARC.

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Escaping after authorities coming for her aunt Maxima for practicing divination, fourteen-year-old Pâtca heads for Bucharest to take refuge with her uncle Cuviosu Zăval. She arrives to find her uncle murdered, along with his two servants, and a chef's wife at the door asking for a specific bottle from her uncle. After handing it over, Pâtca leaves the house, but ends up getting captured by a moneylender's goons, and is terrified by him until she gets out.

Soon Pâtca is trying to hide her dead uncle's body, is captured yet again, is told by the local church that her uncle's fortune is to be handed over to the church, and keeps running into the moneylender, and getting embroiled in the doings of a wealthy woman, Caterina, who takes Pâtca in, and the local prince Kostas, who has stolen Caterina's chef Silica (Pâtca met his wife briefly).

Silica begins making dishes for Kostas from a cookbook prized and kept secret by Pâtca's family, The Book of Perilous Dishes, which allows one to control the behaviour of others with carefully selected and unexpected ingredients. The effects of the consumption of Silica's strange dishes, of course, range from odd to disastrous. Pâtca decides to get the book back.

I was eager to read this as it sounded like it would be a lot of fun. And there are some terrific moments and fantastical elements in this book, but the pacing kept lagging, as the prose bogged down with too many details. And though there was some sense that a mystery was at work (where's the book?, who killed the uncle?), this story was more about the history of Bucharest and the many complicated interactions people of various cultures had with one another.

I loved the idea of using unusual dishes to perform dark magic, and the cast of characters was fascinating, and some of the conversations Pâtca has with them are amusing, off the wall, and elliptical, suiting the general feeling of this book, which could easily fall under the magic realism label. So, this is a story with plenty of atmosphere, and strange, magical happenings that everyone just rolls with.

I liked many parts of this book, and just wish it had had a tighter narrative.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Neem Tree Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

[Șerban Acasandrei · Rating 4 out of 5]

E frumos în literatură când crezi odată cu vocea narativă că un strat al lumii pare că abia se dezvelește în fața voastră, un strat pe care nimeni altcineva nu-l vede. Consistența reprezentărilor din tabloul vieții Bucureștiului fanariot este mereu proaspătă cu ajutorul undei de mister care se frământă la fiecare nod al poveștii. Copilăria dictează cu un glas puternic ritmul lumii, mirarea și entuziasmul sunt curajul și retorica protagonistei, atât de expresive încât ai vrea să-i dai dreptate și când știi că se păcălește singură. Un roman cu o expresie de valoare exploratorie, un discurs despre o față a secolului XVIII despre care nu pot vorbi multe alte texte. Restituirea valențelor umane magice uitate de timp se face cu atenția necesară încât povestea să pară extrasă dintr-o serie narațiune mai amplă, iar cazul Mâței dintr-o tradiție de mai multe secole în spațiul românesc.

[Tripfiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picaresque novel set in BUCHAREST



The novel opens in the year 1798, when the city and environs were buzzing with a melting pot of people and cultures. Everyone, it seems, is searching for the slave-cook who happens to have a witch’s recipe book in his possession – The Book of Perilous Dishes. Recipes – amazing dishes brought together in this single tome. When suitably consumed they can cause all manner of unexpected after effects, they have power and possibility far beyond the imagination of most mortals.

There is mayhem, mysticism and murder as the rightful owner of the book, 14 year old Pâtea, goes in hot pursuit, clutching a map that her uncle has left her.

The novel has a curious will o’the wisp quality, featuring characters who dance and prance through the pages, whipping up a colourful storm of words, a foment of febrile activity.

The slim novel has fairy tale qualities, darker issues, food and creative storytelling. The novel will appeal to those readers who love a bit of magic and otherworldly elements in their stories.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read many books on or about Romanian culture so this is new to me and is a refreshing and interesting read for me. I found the style felt quite folktale which really suits the story . I loved reading about the setting (predominately Bucharest) the world building and descriptions by the author made me step back in time onto the streets of Bucharest with the smells, the noise and I felt I could be on the streets, in the markets.

I loved the characters, particularly our leading heroine an independent, strong willed 14 year old who claimed my heart and I am certain, will claim yours too. This book is full of great characters, some historical, but regardless of real or fictional they are well written and fully developed characters wether main or supporting characters, which is always the sign of a great author to me.

I did find this a little slow to start, probably my only criticism, but by about a third in I was fully engrossed and this book had its claws in me, I loved the recipes woven into the story, they really added to the journey. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this and thought it was a fantastic read, a great piece of historical fantasy that will appeal to readers of fantasy , YA and historical fiction (and many more), I thoroughly and wholeheartedly recommend this.

Thanks to Random Things Tours and Neem Tree Press​ for a copy in return for an honest review, all opinions are my own and freely given

[Ivona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Întregul roman detectivistic al Doinei Ruști, cu ușoare nuanțe de bildungsroman, este unul cât se poate de savuros. Deznodământul nu dezamăgește, ba chiar rezervă o ultimă surpriză. Un roman istoric plin de atmosferă, o magie gastronomică prin care sunt readuse la viață elemente de folclor românesc în care se strecoară legende ale Bucureștiului. Și ce bun cunoscător al gândurilor și trăirilor oamenilor de diferite vârste și ranguri este autoarea! Un roman dedicat echilibrului în tot și toate; echilibrului dintre frică și curaj, deznădejde și speranță, viață și moarte, sănătos și toxic. Căci nu degeaba rochia preferată a Pâtcăi este galbenă, culoarea cea mai însuflețită, dătătoare de viață, rodnică și care nu poate fi stinsă nici de suflarea lui Sator! Tocmai pentru a proteja prin căldură și a da un echilibru. Un roman în care orice arhaism folosit e pur răsfăț pentru ureche. Eu recomand însă citirea cu un DEX alături sau măcar citirea glosarului de la final. Un roman incredibil de viu și colorat; se simte experiența de scenarist a autoarei. De altfel, singurul lucru pe care îl reproșez e lipsa unor ilustrații. Harta simpatică de la început doar deschide apetitul pentru mai mult conținut grafic.

“Maxima îmi spusese de-atâtea ori că rostul întâlnirii cu cineva e să-l faci pe el să vorbească. Ăsta e scopul vieţii: să asculţi.”

Doina Ruști are abilitatea unui adevărat maestru de a se face auzită. Nouă nu ne rămâne decât să învățăm să nu îl considerăm pe Sator o povară, să învățăm să îl ascultăm, să nu pierdem magia. Căci magia există.

S A T O R
A R E P O
T E N E T
O P E R A
R O T A S

Mai multe despre acest roman am scris aici - http://www.dinmansarda.com/mata-viner...

[Marina Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in both Romanian and English simultaneously and am really impressed by this feat of translation, as the vocabulary used dates from 1798. A great tour de force of storytelling. Full review here: https://findingtimetowrite.wordpress....

[Bojana · Rating 1 out of 5]

A blend of fantasy and historical fiction, set in late-eighteenth-century Bucharest, written by a Romanian author and thus chosen as my Romania pick for a Reading-Around-the-World challenge — this book sounded perfect. Having visited Bucharest myself this summer, I was especially excited to encounter the city refracted through literature, history, and magic. Unfortunately, the novel did not deliver.
My first issue lies with the English translation. While I am fully aware that translation is always an act of interpretation, here it often felt overly literal. There were multiple moments where phrasing sounded unnatural in English — not stylistically marked or deliberately strange, but simply awkward, as if carried over word-for-word from the original. The cumulative effect was distancing: instead of being immersed in the narrative, I was repeatedly pulled out of it by sentences that did not quite work. This is particularly damaging in a novel that relies so heavily on atmosphere, rhythm, and sensory detail.
Pacing compounded the problem. Some sections lingered, which was not always a flaw — in fact, slower passages often contained the book’s strongest prose. Elsewhere, however, the narrative became abruptly discontinuous. Scene transitions often felt underdeveloped, and the story would jump from one moment to the next without sufficient narrative grounding. I frequently had to reread passages just to understand what had happened, not because the material was complex in a rewarding way, but because the connective tissue was missing.
The main protagonist herself was another source of frustration (and, perhaps due to her peculiarity, I felt detached from most of the other characters as well). I found her irritating for much of the book, but I eventually realized that this was at least partially intentional: she does not fully understand what is happening around her, and thus the reader does not either. However, I believe that choosing a first-person narrative was a mistake. Told from the perspective of a fourteen-year-old girl — peculiar as she is, and steeped in mysticism/magic — the story becomes overly confusing rather than intriguingly opaque.
This leads me to what I consider the novel’s most significant missed opportunity. The book constantly gestures toward alchemical elements, yet this dimension remains frustratingly underdeveloped — or, more precisely, obscured behind the mysticism of the Sator. Who is the Sator remains unclear, because at no point does the author explicitly explain any aspect of the mysticism around which the story revolves. I did some research, and the connection between Sator (as in ancient roman religion and mythology) and the Sator Square (Latin palindrome), and Hermeticism is, at best, tenuous. I only fully realized in the final third of the novel that the “magic” we are dealing with is, in fact, alchemy. This raises an uncomfortable question: how is a reader with no prior knowledge of alchemy supposed to understand what is happening at all? Why does the author not fully embrace alchemy as the novel’s mystical framework and invite the reader into it? Personally, I would have loved that. Instead, for much of the book, I assumed this was simply the author’s own invented magical system. In the end, it feels as though the novel gestures toward alchemy without committing to it, substituting depth with a loosely defined mysticism.
Another aspect that troubled me was the repeated use of ethnic stereotyping, particularly in depictions of Arnauts and Serbs, who are consistently framed as violent, dangerous, or morally suspect. I understand that this may reflect historically accurate prejudices circulating in the Bucharest at the time, and I do not expect historical fiction to sanitize the past. Still, the insistence on these portrayals — without sufficient contextualization or narrative distance — felt excessive and potentially harmful. Repetition matters, and when stereotypes are reinforced rather than interrogated, they risk being reproduced rather than critically examined.
In the end, The Book of Perilous Dishes struck me as a novel rich in atmosphere and potential, but uneven in execution. Its setting, premise, and thematic ingredients are compelling, yet they never fully come together into a coherent or satisfying whole. I wanted to love this book — and that may be precisely why its shortcomings felt so pronounced.

[Ioana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Îmbucurătoare întâlnire cu Bucureștiul fanariot, Satorini și Lipscani. Am citit-o mai greu, dar mi-a făcut plăcere. Mi-au plăcut cartea bucatelor rele, elementele de magie și Bucătarul Silică. Voi reveni la autoare.

[Tracy Myburgh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical Fantasy
Dark Magic
Epic Adventure
Mystery

.
Pâtca is a 14 year Romanian girl who is on a mission to find a family heirloom, a magical recipe book titled ‘The Book of Perilous Dishes.

After her aunt is arrested for practising divination, she travels to her uncle’s house but on arrival she discovers that he has been murdered.
Pâtca then tries to hide the body which then sets the story in motion for a weird and wacky adventure

This is a great book for someone who wants to read something completely different. It has a lot of Romanian folk lore and superstitions and the actual magic system is extremely refreshing.
It is quite hard to understand at times and it took me a long time to finish the book..


I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
A huge thank you to Netgalley and Neem Tree Press for this e-arc.

[Manuela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly dose of history mixed with a little bit of fantasy and a side of memoir and just the right amount of nostalgia. Sprinkled with humor. I really liked it.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am citit-o ca pe un basm : cu curiozitate, multă emoție și drag de personaj.
O călătorie plină de acțiune, cuvinte frumoase și arome din tipuri apuse.

[Amina (ⴰⵎⵉⵏⴰ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an imaginative and intriguing novel that blended elements of fantasy, culinary exploration, heritage and identity.
The story follows the journey of fourteen-year-old Pâtca, who heads for Bucharest to take refuge with her uncle Cuviosu Zăval, after her aunt Maxima was arrested for witchcraft. When Pâtca arrives , she finds her uncle murdered, along with his two servants, and a chef's wife at the door asking for an already prepared potion from her uncle. After handing it over, Pâtca leaves the house, but ends up getting captured by Ismail Bina, money lender...
The pace was slow and I didn't connect with the tale until chapter four or five, I kept waiting for action and a lot of things to happen all along which took time off my enjoyment.
As I said, it wasn't until chapter four or five that grasped the essence of this novel and at that moment, I really got transported into its world, where cooking isn't just an art but also a magical and dangerous endeavor.
As some of you may note, it took me more than a month to read the book, not because it's boring or anything, but my reading kept being interrupted by various literary challenges I had to complete, so, it wasn't the book's fault.
The plot is well carved, the author got me where she wanted me to be, the characters are well developped with a vast cast and every sigle one of them had his place and role in the narrative.
Lets talk about the "then and now" element, for a lot of readers usually get lost and end up hating the book for it, in the this novel, it added a special note, as we get to see how all of what happened affected Pâtca and the course of her story.
Overall, "The book of perilous dishes" is a captivating read that will appeal to fans of fantasy, adventure and art of exotic food.
With its richly imagined world and engaging characters, it ends up drowing you in and who knows, you might end up feeling Sator one of these days!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jennifer Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s 1798 and Patca, a young girl who is dabbling in the occult heads to Bucharest to visit her uncle in the hope that she can learn more with the infamous Book of Perilous Dishes. But when the book goes missing and her uncle is found dead, Patca finds herself on a hunt to retrieve the book and finds out more than she could ever know about her past and the powers that she holds.

The story bounces to different times as we go through her memories from her lifetime. It’s a highly descriptive story and she talks a lot about the occult arts, the potions that she makes, the environment around her and the people in her life. The author describes everything in and around her life in eloquent detail. All the little sections tie in together quite nicely together too.

I found that sometimes I struggled with the writing style a little and it did take some time to pick up but once I did I found myself pulled in.

It doesn’t concentrate massively on the historical side but more on her journey into the arts and retrieving the book. Featuring a dash of magic splashed in as well as perils on a regular basis. All the talk of all the different kind of dishes that got thrown in definitely made me hungry too!

It’s a very quirky read and definitely provides the readers with something a little different to your usual historical fantasy. This book I thought was definitely on another level! If you love historical books set in exotic places like Bucharest with some fantasy mixed then check this one out! ‘A Book of Perilous Dishes’ is a dark, enticing and intriguing read!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was provided for review by The Write Reads and Neem Tree Press. Thank you!

The Book of Perilous Dishes is a tale of a young girl's search not just for a particular book but also for her place in the world at large.

When her grandmother is pulled from their home on accusations of witchcraft, young Pâtca is sent to her elderly uncle's home. When she finds him and his servants murdered, she is distraught. Her uncle was to be her caretaker and teacher, and with him gone she is alone. Also gone is a very important book - The Book of Perilous Dishes. Pâtca knows she must somehow retrieve this book as its contents could be used for good or evil.

The Book of Perilous Dishes is one of those books where you go in expecting one thing and are presented with something else. Neither is bad or disappointing, it is just different.

I was quite eager to read The Book of Perilous Dishes because the blurb made the story sound very interesting. And while there are quite a few scenes that really stood out, there were just as many that were disappointing. The pacing was all over the place as well with some scenes being so bogged down by the writing as to be nearly unreadable.

There were also several references that were never truly explained. For instance, there are mentions made of the "cat o' Friday". Pâtca even refers to herself by that name however who or what this "cat" is is never truly explained. It can be inferred from other's reactions to the name what is going on, but again it is never explained. The same can be said for the overall mystery of the story itself - who stole the book and who killed Pâtca's uncle? Again, these things are referred to but not fully explained.

The concept of using strange foods to perform magic isn't a new one but it is one that is interesting. Unfortunately, this concept isn't used to its full potential and it falls by the wayside. Instead, the focus is more on the various characters and their complicated stories.

The Book of Perilous Dishes is the first book by Doina Ruști that I've read and it will likely be the last. As much as I wanted to enjoy this book, I struggled with it the entire time. Some of my readers might enjoy it, and others might not. My advice is to read some reviews other than mine, do some research, and maybe check it out from your public library.