Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Legends & Lattes

Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

25 reviews

iane_reads's review against another edition

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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

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greycifer's review

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing

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

4.0

A charming story about finally finding the family one deserves; a well-rounded cast of characters that can resonate with any Island of Misfit Toys citizen.

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litliz's review

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-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

5.0

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bmpicc's review

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-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? N/A

4.0

So, is COZY FANTASY an actual genre? If so, I may have found MY fantasy style! Gnome coffee, a cat in the coffeeshop, queer love with the sweet relationship beginnings between an orc and a succubus, friendship with a human, the cutest baker... This had enough hints of fantasy to keep it fun, and no insane worldbuilding to stress me out.

My favorite take away was this reminder: “Things don’t have to stay as what they started out as.”

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delandjessica's review

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book was just a pleasant experience from start to finish. It advertises itself as “A novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes,” and it absolutely delivers on that promise. I didn’t realize I was reading a “cozy” novel until about halfway through, but by then I was so invested in the characters that I didn’t even care.

If you have any background in Dungeons and Dragons or the Dragonlance book series, the world in this book will feel very familiar to you, but the great thing about it is that it’s not necessary in order to understand and enjoy the story. Pretty much the entire book boils down to an orc woman decides to give up being a bloodthirsty adventurer for hire and establish her own coffee shop. There’s very little conflict, tension, or stakes involved, and mostly just follows the orc as she figures out how to build and run the shop and how to make it successful, including them going through a whole charade of “discovering” modern coffee shop things like adding ice or pairing it with biscotti. It’s a lighthearted jaunt into the personal world of this one character and presents such a refreshing angle on a story universe that’s usually so focused on killing and plundering and adventuring and the like.

The characters are unique and relatable, and I found myself getting excited with them whenever they had a win. However, I knocked off a star because the ending was really unsatisfying. The author went through all the effort of setting up a villain of sorts, who does a terrible thing near the end of the story, but then there’s no final confrontation of any kind between him and the main characters. They essentially just deal with the problem he causes, and then leave things up to karma to deal with, which does happen in a very contrived epilogue at the end. It just left me feeling discontented, but it wasn’t enough to ruin the rest of the book since I enjoyed it so much.

Also, please note that there is some strong language in this book that just kind of comes out of nowhere starting at around the 2/3 mark. It personally felt really out of place in this traditional fantasy world. The book also features a LGBTQ+ relationship, so if that’s not something you’re interested in, this isn’t the book for you.

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mattiedancer's review

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted 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

Writing: 4.25⭐️/5

I think the writing serves the story extremely well. At moments, Baldree chooses to include extraneous details, which sometimes feel interesting and sometimes feel unnecessary, but these moments are short-lived and do not get in the way of the story. I really liked how he combined the lightness of the story with the starkness of the world, and I found really vibrant moments of beautiful prose.

Characters: 4.5⭐️/5

I really loved the dynamics of the characters. An orc who wants to give up adventuring and open a cafe, but is still bound by her need to keep to herself? A brilliant character. I loved our love interest, and her dynamic with the MC. Where I wanted a bit more from the characters was with Viv’s old crew. I felt a distinct lack of understanding of what drove them, other than their need for adventure. For a group of people who spent a lot of time together, they were relegated to a small role and little screen time.

Plot: 4.75⭐️/5

I really loved the plot. While I wanted a bit more from our adventuring party to fully understand their connection with Viv, I loved the cute way this story progressed. I really enjoyed how the story started with the end of a final adventure, how we slowly uncovered her plans, and how we saw her work hard towards her goals. I thoroughly enjoyed the choice to go against the grain with this work of high fantasy as well. Normally, we see the epic adventure, but I enjoyed the chiller story and plot, the after-the-adventure story. Well done.

World 4.75⭐️/5

The world is well understood and conveyed. It felt big and bright, without being overwhelming with its detail. I really loved how Baldree chose to introduce us to the world, jumping right in while adding a little detail when necessary. I think it’s a cool world that I enjoyed reading about.

Who Should Read This Book?

Fans of D&D
Fans of high fantasy novels looking for a change of pace
Someone looking for a chill, cozy read with a cute romance

Content Warnings?

Fire, fire injury, blood, violence, injury, injury detail, grief, sexual harassment, bullying, stalking, emotional abuse, toxic friendship,

Post-Reading Rating: 4.5⭐️/5

Aw. Cute. Love Viv and Tandri. <3

Final Rating: 4.5⭐️/5

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mobymaize's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0

The tagline “High Fantasy, Low Stakes” applies in such incredible fashion for this novel. I’ve read so many stories with combat & bloodshed at their core, so reading a calming story about a gay orc & gay tiefling making a coffee shop is a very nice departure from that stress.

ALSO I LOVE THIMBLE SO MUCH MY SWEET BABY BOY AAA

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dwager's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted relaxing

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

This is a very sweet fantasy novel, with an ogre introducing coffee to a town by opening a coffee shop. The characters are wonderful and challenges are met in sometimes surprising ways.

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green_amaryllis's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

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tifftastic87's review

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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? Yes

4.5

Viv is ready to hang up her sword and with the help of a small stone, some new friends and bean water she does just that. But will her old life come for her anyway?

I really enjoyed the found family in this story and the perseverance to change lifestyles. Viv is a really great character, she has flaws and humanity as well as an air of determination that made her very relatable. All the side characters are well rounded and really contributed to the story.

I did feel like the love story background was unnecessary or needed to be done up more. Overall it was really enjoyable though.

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