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earlgreyjedi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Gore, Slavery, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
wickedgrumpy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
chelly_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
chainsawmochi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
As for the plot, it was solid; I was entertained and enjoyed myself while reading. I enjoyed the slow and steady pace. There was some action in areas to break up the easy feeling--to keep one on one's toes, I suppose you might say. The growing danger of the villain was a nice touch. The moments of reading a book within a book were nice as well, giving the reader a good look into the literature of Viv's world. I really enjoyed that bit as it is something you don't normally see in a fantasy novel.
That's really what makes this series, as a whole, wonderful--author Travis Baldree is able to weave and create a world around the characters without being too abrasive about it. The world building is gentle, easy. It feels so natural to learn about the universe held within the series by just taking in small things like town names, the literature, the food, the drinks, and the small shops that Viv visits and eventually owns.
Second come the characters. As I mentioned, in this book, Viv is a little lackluster compared to the older version of herself that comes later. The Viv we have in "Bookshops & Bonedust" is still fresh to the world, so it's understandable that she comes across as a blank slate. She doesn't really know who she is yet, either. Joining her this go around is a cast of characters that are memorable. That being said, I don't feel like they stick in the same way the characters in "Legends & Lattes" do. They are still interesting, but they just don't scratch the itch the same way.
If you are going to read this book, please do yourself a favor and read it before you take a gander at "Legends & Lattes." For those readers that have already read the aforementioned book, maybe skip this one unless you really, really love Viv.
Moderate: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death, Gore, Blood, and Alcohol
caprivoyant's review against another edition
Bookshops & Bonedust >>> Legends & Lattes.
The food allergy dismissal in L&L made the *cozy* vibes decidedly less welcoming to me, so I almost didn't pick this sequel up... I'm very glad I did, though. I think this book was, to me, what L&L was for people who don't have to worry about their food restrictions being believed; and it was very sweet to feel like there would be a place for me in this magical cozy world and I really want Fern to give me a personalized book recommendation now.
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Gore and Blood
birdie_is_here's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The first act was good, but the pacing and tension suffered heavily in the later second and third acts for me. There was also minimal buildup to the final encounter with the Big Bad, which made the climax feel... kind of hollow. It's hard to have great pay off if the setup is lax. I also couldn't pinpoint a 'Dark Night of the Soul' plot beat, which may have been part of the problem? I'm not really sure.
One of the main relationships that makes up the emotional core of the book--
In the acknowledgements, Baldree admits they struggled with finding the story; despite this, the timeline of writing the book was less than six months. In the nicest way possible, it shows. Given a few more drafts, maybe some (more?) developmental editing, and less of a time crunch, this could have been a pretty good book. But, personally, it just didn't hit right.
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Gore
riverofhorton's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
kbairbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
laurao's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Cursing and Abandonment
Minor: Confinement, Death, Gore, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
It has less violence/gore than the average D&D campaign, but it is still central to the plot.vorpaldormouse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Minor: Death, Gore, Violence, and Blood