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booksoversecondbreakfast's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
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
5.0
I just loved this book so much!! It's definitely a cozy fantasy, so don't expect something fast-paced and thrilling, but it's just so sweet and full of so much well thought out lore and intrigue.
It's a story of a retired mercenary & adventure orc, Viv, and her journey building a business and a community. There's a secondary plot that features a romance between Viv and one of the other characters, but it's not as central as the community-building plot of the book. I had hoped that there would be more romance to this book, because I really enjoyed it, but I can't penalize the book for not having as much of as I'd have preferred, especially because it was so tastefully written and the rest of the plot was so interesting otherwise.
All in all, this was totally a 5-star book! Especially for fantasy! The characters were all so interesting and loveable, the setting left me wanting to explore the world and visit Viv's coffee shop, and the magic system seemed well thought out and interesting. It was such a wonderful found-family story, which I'm a total sucker for, and I loved how this author made that work in such an interesting and well-written fantasy world. We totally need more books like these! I borrowed this book via ebook from the library, but I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy of this book for my library, because I expect to comfort-reread this several times throughout my lifetime.
It's a story of a retired mercenary & adventure orc, Viv, and her journey building a business and a community. There's a secondary plot that features a romance between Viv and one of the other characters, but it's not as central as the community-building plot of the book. I had hoped that there would be more romance to this book, because I really enjoyed it, but I can't penalize the book for not having as much of as I'd have preferred, especially because it was so tastefully written and the rest of the plot was so interesting otherwise.
All in all, this was totally a 5-star book! Especially for fantasy! The characters were all so interesting and loveable, the setting left me wanting to explore the world and visit Viv's coffee shop, and the magic system seemed well thought out and interesting. It was such a wonderful found-family story, which I'm a total sucker for, and I loved how this author made that work in such an interesting and well-written fantasy world. We totally need more books like these! I borrowed this book via ebook from the library, but I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy of this book for my library, because I expect to comfort-reread this several times throughout my lifetime.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Death, Genocide, Gore, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Gaslighting
midsummernoodle's review
adventurous
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? Yes
5.0
Love!!!! This is the kind of book I will be itching to reread the next time the weather is cooling. So sweet and relaxing, even the conflict feels gentle because the characters are so solid. If that makes sense. I trusted them all to get through it because I just trusted them to be there for each other? So sweet. So soothing. A beautiful bedtime book, or a book to have with a cup of coffee. š
Explanation about a content warning: I said that there is racism in this book, which I stand by, but I want to note that it is racism against fictitious races (hobgoblins, succubi, orcs, etc.). The allegory may still be upsetting to people, so I felt the need to mark it.
Explanation about a content warning: I said that there is racism in this book, which I stand by, but I want to note that it is racism against fictitious races (hobgoblins, succubi, orcs, etc.). The allegory may still be upsetting to people, so I felt the need to mark it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Racism and Sexual harassment
abbey_marie's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? No
4.5
I really liked this book once I got into it. As the book jacket says, āHigh Fantasy, Low Stakes.ā It fits that description perfectly and is an incredibly cozy, relaxing read and perfect for fall!
Things I Loved:
- The Food! Cinnamon rolls, coffee, chocolate - this book has all the cozy deliciousness with detailed descriptions that will make your mouth water. Iām not lying when I say that I am now craving a cinnamon roll as big as my head! (And I would LOVE to have a real Legends and Lattes somewhere to go get one!) I also loved that no one had ever heard of them before, because that was just charming and added a bit more magic to the story and the detailed food descriptions.
- The Characters! I loved how Viv was a strong female lead, Tandri too, and the diverse cast of characters that created a community around Viv as her cafe grew and thrived. Val and Thimble were perfect! Thimble especially with his soft-spoken demeanor and baking genius! Not joking - Baldree should totally make a stuffy of him because all the members of my book club would probably buy it lol.
- Slice of Life! This book is perfect for those readers who love slice of life novels. This goes relatively day-by-day and is slow-medium paced, picking up more in the middle. Iāll admit that at first it took me a while to get into it, but once I did it was a cozy book I really wanted to return to at the end of the day under a cozy blanket with a warm bevvie in hand!
- The Setting! Thune was so cozy! It feels almost like a rural, medieval-like Scottish or Irish village, but in a fantasy setting. I really enjoyed the descriptive writing style used by Baldree and the way it drew you into the story. I think it added an extra layer of warmth and coziness to the story.
- Queer Rep! š³ļøāš Just love the love story and how it unfolded. I honestly wasnāt expecting it at first and then really grew to love it as a smaller side plot. And the ending! š„¹š„¹š„¹ IYKYK
Things I Liked:
- The Fantasy. Iām not a high-fantasy reader, so this genre kind of caught me off guard in some ways since I didnāt really know what to expect going into it. I wasnāt familiar with many of the different types of characters (and am still not super well schooled on them now lol), but this book made me like high fantasy and want to learn more about it. I usually shy away from the genre because I donāt know a lot about it and it seems complicated, but this was a great introduction.
Things I Didnāt Like:
-This book is made to be low stakes, so I understand that, but I do feel like the main conflict with the Madrigal was resolved too quickly. I almost wish there had been more tension there and the conflict with Fennus had been cut, even though it did add to the story. I actually loved how the community rallied around Viv after that, but I still feel like the main conflict arc could have been developed more and the tension could have been held onto more before coming to a resolution.
- The beast killing scene at the beginning was a little too gory for me. Maybe it was expectationsāI went into the book thinking it would be super cozy and start super cozy, after Viv had gotten the Scalvertās Stone, and it kind of caught me off guard. Iām not big on gory fight scenes, so it just felt misplaced for me and I honestly skimmed it. (Had to come back to it later obviously lol, since I didnāt know some names.)
-I wish we saw more of the seemingly magical, time-traveling dwarf! My book club said this too and I totally agree, I would have loved to see more of the little guy because I feel like thereās a story there!
Overall, this was an awesome book! I would totally recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy readmaybe minus the slightly gory prologue lol or a relaxing book perfect for fall! Definitely for a lover of cinnamon rolls! š§”šāļø (Also, why is there no cinnamon roll emoji?! Someone needs to get on that!)
Things I Loved:
- The Food! Cinnamon rolls, coffee, chocolate - this book has all the cozy deliciousness with detailed descriptions that will make your mouth water. Iām not lying when I say that I am now craving a cinnamon roll as big as my head! (And I would LOVE to have a real Legends and Lattes somewhere to go get one!) I also loved that no one had ever heard of them before, because that was just charming and added a bit more magic to the story and the detailed food descriptions.
- The Characters! I loved how Viv was a strong female lead, Tandri too, and the diverse cast of characters that created a community around Viv as her cafe grew and thrived. Val and Thimble were perfect! Thimble especially with his soft-spoken demeanor and baking genius! Not joking - Baldree should totally make a stuffy of him because all the members of my book club would probably buy it lol.
- Slice of Life! This book is perfect for those readers who love slice of life novels. This goes relatively day-by-day and is slow-medium paced, picking up more in the middle. Iāll admit that at first it took me a while to get into it, but once I did it was a cozy book I really wanted to return to at the end of the day under a cozy blanket with a warm bevvie in hand!
- The Setting! Thune was so cozy! It feels almost like a rural, medieval-like Scottish or Irish village, but in a fantasy setting. I really enjoyed the descriptive writing style used by Baldree and the way it drew you into the story. I think it added an extra layer of warmth and coziness to the story.
- Queer Rep! š³ļøāš Just love the love story and how it unfolded. I honestly wasnāt expecting it at first and then really grew to love it as a smaller side plot. And the ending! š„¹š„¹š„¹ IYKYK
Things I Liked:
- The Fantasy. Iām not a high-fantasy reader, so this genre kind of caught me off guard in some ways since I didnāt really know what to expect going into it. I wasnāt familiar with many of the different types of characters (and am still not super well schooled on them now lol), but this book made me like high fantasy and want to learn more about it. I usually shy away from the genre because I donāt know a lot about it and it seems complicated, but this was a great introduction.
Things I Didnāt Like:
-
-
-
Overall, this was an awesome book! I would totally recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy read
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
technobabbletime's review
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved this book. The characters are really well written and I love all of the allusions to D&D. It makes me think a lot more about my D&D characters and what they want. -0.5 because I would have loved a little more about Viv's relationship with some of the characters, especially her old adventuring party.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual harassment
cieratara's review against another edition
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
perfectcupoftea's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual harassment
cymbal_curtain's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Pretty chill story. Very straightforward plot. A book that is difficult to read when you aren't drinking a cup of coffee because you'll wish you were. I did expect more legends, that the main character would talk to her customers about her adventures, but what it actually was was still a good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Stalking and Sexual harassment
Minor: Violence
on_ree_'s review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is a very relaxing and easy to enjoy book. Itās a great mix of cafe culture, ye olde tavern vibes and mythology lore. There are definitely conflicts with an antagonist but mostly itās just really nice.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual harassment
* Please note the s harrassment is mild and more so a display of how that character that says it is bad and that the main character would never allow it to continue or escalate. * There is arson, if that triggers you then be mindful of that but it isnāt overly graphic or particularly threatening.fionamclary's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was a good one to read while going through a complicated move. Not the most thrilling, but reassuring and warm. Plus, there's a giant cat!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence and Stalking
Minor: Racism and Sexual harassment
httponyo's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
I'd give this more than 5 stars if I could !! I'd been on & off about putting this on my tbr and made a last minute decision when I saw the book at the library and boy am I glad I read it. Perfect 10 outta 10 .
Where to even start? The plot line is great, you don't need to know anything about fantasy-type characters to enjoy this. Baldree does an excellent job of naturally slipping you into the story, especially with how it starts. I'm usually not for stories starting at the end of a journey but the anime Frieren and this book has changed my mind! Oohh and the characters, I love everyone,save for Fennus but even he was pretty well written. and the relationships that are built along the way. The romance also didn't feel forced and I was routing for them by the end of it . Shout out to the MVP Amity <3 If you're on the fence like I was then, I highly recommend reading this and finding out for yourself!
Where to even start? The plot line is great, you don't need to know anything about fantasy-type characters to enjoy this. Baldree does an excellent job of naturally slipping you into the story, especially with how it starts. I'm usually not for stories starting at the end of a journey but the anime Frieren and this book has changed my mind! Oohh and the characters, I love everyone,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Stalking and Sexual harassment
Minor: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail