Delicious in Dungeon, Volume 5

This is a transition volume in the series as the last book's victory is swept away by misfortune, setting up a new quest to be undertaken by our harried and hungry band of adventurers. Time that should have been spent on a few more monster recipes was given over to fleshing out a previously introduced team of rivals that will apparently play a bigger role during the next few books. This is a decent outing with some amusing bits and a little action, but I hope to see things back on track next volume.

Having finally recovered Falin, our adventuring party almost immediately loses her to a mysterious and powerful magician. After barely escaping with their lives, the group realizes they were facing the mad wizard who controls the dungeon.

Although they want to find out where Falin has gone, they realize that they must return to the surface to restock supplies before setting out again. The mad magician is too strong for them to defeat now.

As they continue on, they begin to uncover more about the history of the dungeon and meet with another large group of adventurers who have been orbiting them for some time.

The cooking aspects of this one were a teeny bit less impressive than in the past, but the plot just keeps getting better and better and BETTER!

Still so good. A volume more focused on the plot and drama of the world, it doesn't neglect the humor or any character. Everyone should be reading this series.

This Kabru guy makes me want to hiss like an angry cat. I just think he's creepy, okay?!
More plot is happening. More food is happening.
Falin is ???? The weird lunatic is even more ?????

I really want to know what's next.

The tone of the story is starting to get darker, but it’s still enjoyable and still has the moments of lighthearted comedy and cooking that first caught my interest. I’m excited to see where the story goes from here!

The art continues to be beautiful and the story is getting angstier, and overall it's quite enjoyable. Ryoko Kui's writing continues to impress.