Occasionally I like to challenge myself to read something that isn't quite in my comfort zone, so when the opportunity to be part of this blog tour came up I jumped at the chance to approach Romanian literature - one I definitely can't say I know all too well.

The Book of Perilous Dishes starts from an interesting premise that instantly captured me. We meet young Pâtca as she departs in haste and secret from her hometown as her grandmother is accused of witchcraft and arrested, making her way to Bucharest to her uncle. Except, when she arrives in the city, she finds her uncle and his staff murdered and a series of misfortunes awaiting her. Soon, Pâtca meets an eccentric cook who is sought after by the richest and most powerful people in town, becoming embroiled in a net of secrets, intrigue and occult powers.

I enjoyed the vivid setting and the historical elements incorporated into the story, as they made me feel closer to the action and gave me a chance to learn something new - always a bonus in my view! The recipes and the folklore elements connected to them also added a nice touch and enriched the narrative, and I liked immersing myself in the food preparations.

However, I have to admit that I really struggled to get into this book. The narration lost me in several places, leaving me feeling overwhelmed with events, information and character names that I had a hard time remembering or placing in the narrative aside from the main characters. The cast is varied and eccentric, but the first-person narration didn't always work well for me, nor did the dual timeline (even though the timeline shifts were very clear, which was super helpful!). Things did start to pick up around halfway through, but by that point reading already felt much more of a struggle than it should be for me and definitely hindered my enjoyment of this book. 

I received a digital review copy of this book for free from the publisher as part of the blog tour organised by The Write Reads. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.