Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Bookshops & Bonedust

Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

47 reviews

chainsawmochi's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

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

"Bookshops & Bonedust" unfortunately suffers from the sequel (or in this case, prequel) syndrome of being good but not as good as the original. While I did enjoy getting to know a younger version of the main character, Viv, I felt like she was much flatter in her characterization than she was in "Legends & Lattes." The cast of supporting characters were loveable, but not as loveable as those found in the previous book.

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.

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hayleyvem's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

themichellegray's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

Travis Baldree delivered yet another cozy fantasy set in the 'Legends & Lattes' world! This time it was a love letter to books and the connections readers make with one another. Unfortunately, its difficult not to compare this book to its predecessor.

While I really enjoyed the lore behind Viv's greatsword and friendship with Gallina, this story was lacking some of the warmth that L&L provided. The newly introduced characters were lovable enough but didn't charm me in the same way that Cal and Thimble did. The pacing was VERY slow and often felt as-if nothing was happening; the goals were secondary and the dangers weren't fully explained.

Despite my critiques, this was still an average read that felt safe to return to each day and I really appreciated the epilogue!

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tea_coffee_sam's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective 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

4.5

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steph_weigle's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

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riverofhorton's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad 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? No

5.0

As with Legends & Lattes, I absolutely loved this book. Over 300 pages and the only thing I can find to fault it on was the technicality of poisonous toads, so much of it was good. I particularly liked Satchel, which seems weird with only a basic explanation of the character.

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luxton's review against another edition

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reflective 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? No

3.0

This book was... fine. I felt similarly about Legends and Lattes, but hoped maybe the second book would have improved in the first. I can't say it connected with me any more this time. The interactions between characters were witty in a way that sometimes came across as trite, and the detailed descriptions of the layout of rooms got tiring after awhile. I do wonder if some of this is because I'm jaded after reading a lot of books in the cosy/hopeful genre though, perhaps someone newer to the trope would get more out of it.

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