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zombiezami's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
Cute and cozy. Not much to it, but it's nice
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Excrement
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Excrement, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
maeverose's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
2.75
I keep going back and forth on if this is a 2.5 or a 3 for me.
It’s pretty much what you’d expect: a story about someone starting up a coffee shop from scratch in a fantasy setting. Very little happens outside of that. There’s a hint of a romance but it’s really not a big focus at all. There’s also a point of conflict mostly towards the end, but that’s it.
It was just alright for me. I wouldn’t go as far as saying I was bored, but it was just very mildly entertaining. And I’m not really someone who needs plot to enjoy a book, a lot of my favorite books are very slow paced and character focused. So idk why this one didn’t really work for me. I didn’t dislike anything. In theory I should’ve liked it more. But it was very meh throughout.
In hindsight, I think I like slow books more if there’s some sort of social commentary or message to it, rather than literally just a slow slice-of-life story with nothing to say. Becky Chambers is a good example, while her books never go very deep into the social commentary, it’s always there. Her books often explore humanity, communism and environmentalism in subtle ways alongside the slice-of-life character focused story.
It’s pretty much what you’d expect: a story about someone starting up a coffee shop from scratch in a fantasy setting. Very little happens outside of that. There’s a hint of a romance but it’s really not a big focus at all. There’s also a point of conflict mostly towards the end, but that’s it.
It was just alright for me. I wouldn’t go as far as saying I was bored, but it was just very mildly entertaining. And I’m not really someone who needs plot to enjoy a book, a lot of my favorite books are very slow paced and character focused. So idk why this one didn’t really work for me. I didn’t dislike anything. In theory I should’ve liked it more. But it was very meh throughout.
In hindsight, I think I like slow books more if there’s some sort of social commentary or message to it, rather than literally just a slow slice-of-life story with nothing to say. Becky Chambers is a good example, while her books never go very deep into the social commentary, it’s always there. Her books often explore humanity, communism and environmentalism in subtle ways alongside the slice-of-life character focused story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Cursing, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Fatphobia, Excrement, Murder, and Alcohol
*about the gore: It’s only in the prologue (which is skippable) and it’s fantasy non-human gorebooksthatburn's review against another edition
funny
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? Yes
4.5
LEGENDS & LATTES pronounces itself high fantasy with low stakes, and it absolutely delivers. Viv has given up adventuring and now worries about things like building her coffee shop, attracting customers, explaining what coffee is, and other small intricacies of running a business in a new place, doing the everyday work that builds a cozy space for all who enter it peacefully. I love its take on a café cat.
As an orc, Viv deals with some conversational bumps as people tend to assume that the only thing she can be is the profession she’s left behind. Leaving adventuring as suddenly as she did left some hard feelings, and occasionally people from her former life show up whether she’s ready for them or not.
The worldbuilding assumes at least a passing familiarity with a D&D-style setting, and offers a lovely breath of fresh air which is something more exciting than the life of an NPC and less tumultuous than that of an adventurer… in the form of a former adventurer whose goal now is to build and run a coffee shop. It’s not a trouble-free endeavor, but the logistics are quieter and the problems are solved with tasty treats instead of violence. Sometimes Viv struggles with the temptation her sword offers, for some problems which arise have a more violent solution available to her.
The only thing stopping this from being the metaphorical embodiment of a fuzzy blanket, a requested hug, and curling up with my favorite beverage is a couple instances of ableist language, the kind of thing I routinely note and dock half a star for, but which don’t mar my overall enjoyment of the book.
It begins and ends with the fiddly and interesting process of designing a space for a purpose, full of details about floor plans, furniture, carpentry, and soothing conversations. Viv proceeds from step to step in a soothingly methodical manner, quietly surprised when she succeeds in building a calm and welcoming space, and even more surprised when she gets friends along the way. This is a delight to read and a breath of fresh air.
As an orc, Viv deals with some conversational bumps as people tend to assume that the only thing she can be is the profession she’s left behind. Leaving adventuring as suddenly as she did left some hard feelings, and occasionally people from her former life show up whether she’s ready for them or not.
The worldbuilding assumes at least a passing familiarity with a D&D-style setting, and offers a lovely breath of fresh air which is something more exciting than the life of an NPC and less tumultuous than that of an adventurer… in the form of a former adventurer whose goal now is to build and run a coffee shop. It’s not a trouble-free endeavor, but the logistics are quieter and the problems are solved with tasty treats instead of violence. Sometimes Viv struggles with the temptation her sword offers, for some problems which arise have a more violent solution available to her.
The only thing stopping this from being the metaphorical embodiment of a fuzzy blanket, a requested hug, and curling up with my favorite beverage is a couple instances of ableist language, the kind of thing I routinely note and dock half a star for, but which don’t mar my overall enjoyment of the book.
It begins and ends with the fiddly and interesting process of designing a space for a purpose, full of details about floor plans, furniture, carpentry, and soothing conversations. Viv proceeds from step to step in a soothingly methodical manner, quietly surprised when she succeeds in building a calm and welcoming space, and even more surprised when she gets friends along the way. This is a delight to read and a breath of fresh air.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Death, Racism, Violence, Blood, and Excrement