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chainsawmochi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Cozy fantasy. Those are two words not often associated with each other, especially not when it comes to novels. At least, if it is, it isn't associated enough. "Legends & Lattes" offers up something unique and beautiful--the what comes after.
Main character Viv, a battle worn Orc, hangs up her sword in order to open up a cafe in a bustling riverside city. This is after years and years of fighting, of adventuring and questing. One might think of her as a Dungeons and Dragons playable character--one that has seen enough blood and bone for multiple lifetimes. Now, she is looking for more; she is looking for an actual life for herself. Something she had own, and hold, and love without having to fight off monsters and mages.
Within the pages of "Legends & Lattes" lies the story of Viv's happily ever after. It isn't so easy as that, however; soon she finds herself entangled with foes old and new. Yet, through it all, she begins to collect a loving found family around herself--and discovers that some things are really worth fighting for.
Travis Baldree is a master of storytelling. I can honestly say that I enjoyed every moment of this novel. It had moments of being perfectly raw and loving, along with moments of pulse-pounding intrigue. Viv's journey becomes more than just opening a coffee shop; it becomes a testament to discovering what makes you feel good, feel purposeful and fulfilled. There are beautiful moments of calm within the narrative. These reflective moments are nothing to skip over; they are just as important to the story as the parts with action and tension. There is an ebb and flow that reminds me very much of cozy mystery novels.
"Legends & Lattes" has opened up a whole new world of fantasy to me. I am already craving more cozy fantasy. Hopefully I will be able to find something that is as decadent as this splendid, coffee-flavored story.
Main character Viv, a battle worn Orc, hangs up her sword in order to open up a cafe in a bustling riverside city. This is after years and years of fighting, of adventuring and questing. One might think of her as a Dungeons and Dragons playable character--one that has seen enough blood and bone for multiple lifetimes. Now, she is looking for more; she is looking for an actual life for herself. Something she had own, and hold, and love without having to fight off monsters and mages.
Within the pages of "Legends & Lattes" lies the story of Viv's happily ever after. It isn't so easy as that, however; soon she finds herself entangled with foes old and new. Yet, through it all, she begins to collect a loving found family around herself--and discovers that some things are really worth fighting for.
Travis Baldree is a master of storytelling. I can honestly say that I enjoyed every moment of this novel. It had moments of being perfectly raw and loving, along with moments of pulse-pounding intrigue. Viv's journey becomes more than just opening a coffee shop; it becomes a testament to discovering what makes you feel good, feel purposeful and fulfilled. There are beautiful moments of calm within the narrative. These reflective moments are nothing to skip over; they are just as important to the story as the parts with action and tension. There is an ebb and flow that reminds me very much of cozy mystery novels.
"Legends & Lattes" has opened up a whole new world of fantasy to me. I am already craving more cozy fantasy. Hopefully I will be able to find something that is as decadent as this splendid, coffee-flavored story.
Content Warnings
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Stalking, and Violence
boba_n_books's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Spice Rating: ๐ซ / 5 ๐ถ๏ธ
Legends & Lattes was such a cute and fluffy cozy fantasy novel that helped me escape the world for a little bit.
Viv is a retired warrior looking to settle down and start a coffee shop. The only problem is that no one knows what coffee is and she's relying on a potentially fortuitous stone to help her through. Things seem to fall into place as Viv meets Cal, who helps her build up the shop; Tandri, who helps her advertise and serve the customers; and Thimble, who is constantly creating delicious new baked goods. Together, this band of four just might be able to create something so special it can succeed.
Going into this novel, I expected no plot and just vibes. There were definitely a lot of good vibes, found family, and friendship; but there was a bit of a plot with getting the coffee shop up and running as well as Viv's old gang coming back to town. The sapphic romance was a huge slow burn, but it was so sweet and worth the wait. I loved the vibes and the way the story showed how you can start over without forgetting your past.
Legends & Lattes was such a cute and fluffy cozy fantasy novel that helped me escape the world for a little bit.
Viv is a retired warrior looking to settle down and start a coffee shop. The only problem is that no one knows what coffee is and she's relying on a potentially fortuitous stone to help her through. Things seem to fall into place as Viv meets Cal, who helps her build up the shop; Tandri, who helps her advertise and serve the customers; and Thimble, who is constantly creating delicious new baked goods. Together, this band of four just might be able to create something so special it can succeed.
Going into this novel, I expected no plot and just vibes. There were definitely a lot of good vibes, found family, and friendship; but there was a bit of a plot with getting the coffee shop up and running as well as Viv's old gang coming back to town. The sapphic romance was a huge slow burn, but it was so sweet and worth the wait. I loved the vibes and the way the story showed how you can start over without forgetting your past.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence and Sexual harassment
alphawolfe13's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Listened to the book on audio and it was such a blast. Ended up listening to it more often than not! A bit of romance in it but subtle enough to not hit you over the head with it. Recommend for any DND peeps put there!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Cursing
Minor: Stalking and Violence
leexpenandpages's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
๐ SYNOPSIS:
A retired orc adventurer builds a fantasy-style Starbucks and learns the power of friendship (and love).
๐กโค๏ธ๐จโ๏ธ๐ฅฏ๐๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฅ
๐๐ป RECOMMENDATION:
๐ READ it! It's a quick and heartwarming story that makes an excellent palate cleanser.
๐ฌ FAVORITE QUOTES:
[PENDING]
๐ FORMAT:
๐ง
๐ COMMENTS:
โข This is cozy, slice of life fantasy at its finest! Most of the plot features fairly mundane and low stakes events, and the characters move about their daily lives with surprising regard for one another. Grab a cup of coffee (or tea or cocoa) and let the warmth wash over you.
โข It's a fairly short read, but it still could've been shorter with how little plot or character development actually occurs. The fantasy is also more flavor than an actual setting, and it's hilarious (in simultaneously good and bad ways) to encounter a Starbucks being built in a Dungeons & Dragons setting. The story lives in its atmosphere and themes.
โข The characters are flat but quirky, featuring races you'll recognize if you're a D&D fan. The romance follows a slow pace, coming across as written by someone who has not experienced a sapphic relationship firsthand, but that should be expected given how blatantly butch an orc protagonist sounds. On that note, stereotypes and racism are key elements directly addressed by the text.
โข The menu motif is heartwarming. Even as someone who doesn't drink coffee (sorry!), it's charming to read/hear the menu growing as the characters develop new items to offer their customers.
โข Reminds me of Restaraunt to Another World. Yummy!
A retired orc adventurer builds a fantasy-style Starbucks and learns the power of friendship (and love).
๐กโค๏ธ๐จโ๏ธ๐ฅฏ๐๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฅ
๐๐ป RECOMMENDATION:
๐ READ it! It's a quick and heartwarming story that makes an excellent palate cleanser.
๐ฌ FAVORITE QUOTES:
[PENDING]
๐ FORMAT:
๐ง
๐ COMMENTS:
โข This is cozy, slice of life fantasy at its finest! Most of the plot features fairly mundane and low stakes events, and the characters move about their daily lives with surprising regard for one another. Grab a cup of coffee (or tea or cocoa) and let the warmth wash over you.
โข It's a fairly short read, but it still could've been shorter with how little plot or character development actually occurs. The fantasy is also more flavor than an actual setting, and it's hilarious (in simultaneously good and bad ways) to encounter a Starbucks being built in a Dungeons & Dragons setting. The story lives in its atmosphere and themes.
โข The characters are flat but quirky, featuring races you'll recognize if you're a D&D fan. The romance follows a slow pace, coming across as written by someone who has not experienced a sapphic relationship firsthand, but that should be expected given how blatantly butch an orc protagonist sounds. On that note, stereotypes and racism are key elements directly addressed by the text.
โข The menu motif is heartwarming. Even as someone who doesn't drink coffee (sorry!), it's charming to read/hear the menu growing as the characters develop new items to offer their customers.
โข Reminds me of Restaraunt to Another World. Yummy!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Racism
Minor: Cursing
jojothefool's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Very cute slice of life. Iโm not a big DND player so I feel like some of the lore and world building were confusing for me or just didnโt hit the way it might for others. But overall, an adorable concept that was well put and very very cute and heartwarming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Violence
theeoldbear's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
After finishing up a really tough read previously, I chose to listen to this story as an audiobook while also reading another fantasy graphic novel (though not at the same time), and this was a perfect pallet cleanser. Low-stakes storytelling with likable and relatable characters the story is a really great way to brighten your mood!
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence and Fire/Fire injury
ashylibrarian's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence and Sexual harassment
clovetra's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
this book was very out of my comfort zone! a book whose sole goal is to be warm & cozy? a foreign concept to me, seeing as my favourite book is battle royale by koushun takami, but this was quite nice to dip my toes into the relaxing genre.
i will say, my major "issue" with this book is the amount of exposition needed that doesn't exist. im sorry because i had no idea what was going on lore-wise, i had no idea how to envision certain characters such as amity, cal, or thimble. granted, this could be a skill issue on my end! but it did still affect my reading experience negatively :(
i will also say viv felt incredibly one-dimensional, as did most other characters. i understand a book can have many minor characters and not suffer, but i felt like in this book it did. every time i was introduced to a recurring character i hadn't read about in a while i either had to flip back throughout the book or use good ol trusty google. my brain is too small to comprehend the vast amount of characters.
i will say tho this book was quite nice! i did enjoy not shitting my pants because the stakes werent so ridiculously high! i also loved that thecomplete minuscule of conflict present was so anticlimactic!!!! lowkey i got a bit mad when some drama was starting because i was like 'wtf this is a cozy book'.... but then! the conflict! went nowhere! /pos
i will also say the pleasant edition of tandri & viv's relationship was enjoyed on my end!!!also the random yet understandable sapphic relationship???? SIGN MY ASS UP!
honestly tho i think the main reasons i couldn't get into this book were because i had no idea wtf was going on! i had no idea about the universe! like i was wondering quite often if this was like. a sequel. like you cant tell me this book is a stand alone (if this book did have required supplemental reading that i didn't do i will kick myself so bad im so serious)
also i know i praised the book above for its relaxing atmosphere but. i got bored. like sure i would want to read it when i picked it up but.... because there were no stakes i wasn't prompted to pick up the book that often. like ok when the only stakes are if they get customers....... i got bored. this sounds so incredibly dismissive of baldree's writing and i don't mean it to be! i think this is just me learning that i need my books to have tension or else my little rat brain starts begging to read an incredibly fast-paced adventure story.
um i think i will defo read the little short story "pages to fill" as my edition has that at the end but.... i don't know if ill be reading the prequel sadly :/ only time will tell though!
i will say, my major "issue" with this book is the amount of exposition needed that doesn't exist. im sorry because i had no idea what was going on lore-wise, i had no idea how to envision certain characters such as amity, cal, or thimble. granted, this could be a skill issue on my end! but it did still affect my reading experience negatively :(
i will also say viv felt incredibly one-dimensional, as did most other characters. i understand a book can have many minor characters and not suffer, but i felt like in this book it did. every time i was introduced to a recurring character i hadn't read about in a while i either had to flip back throughout the book or use good ol trusty google. my brain is too small to comprehend the vast amount of characters.
i will say tho this book was quite nice! i did enjoy not shitting my pants because the stakes werent so ridiculously high! i also loved that the
i will also say the pleasant edition of tandri & viv's relationship was enjoyed on my end!!!
honestly tho i think the main reasons i couldn't get into this book were because i had no idea wtf was going on! i had no idea about the universe! like i was wondering quite often if this was like. a sequel. like you cant tell me this book is a stand alone (if this book did have required supplemental reading that i didn't do i will kick myself so bad im so serious)
also i know i praised the book above for its relaxing atmosphere but. i got bored. like sure i would want to read it when i picked it up but.... because there were no stakes i wasn't prompted to pick up the book that often. like ok when the only stakes are if they get customers....... i got bored. this sounds so incredibly dismissive of baldree's writing and i don't mean it to be! i think this is just me learning that i need my books to have tension or else my little rat brain starts begging to read an incredibly fast-paced adventure story.
um i think i will defo read the little short story "pages to fill" as my edition has that at the end but.... i don't know if ill be reading the prequel sadly :/ only time will tell though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Violence
aurora4847's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Moderate: Murder and Xenophobia
Minor: Stalking, Violence, and Racism
iane_reads's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Grief
Minor: Death, Blood, Dysphoria, Toxic friendship, Murder, Violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Bullying, Racism, Stalking, and Xenophobia