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zgreyz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
shadereads'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
4.5
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
foxclcves'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? No
4.0
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Death, Racism, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
rinku's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Alcohol
gmamartha's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Murder, Lesbophobia, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Fantasymlovesbooks'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
4.75
Moderate: Death, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
astropova'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? It's complicated
5.0
It was great to get to see what Viv was like when she started out. Fern is amazing, Potroast is a treasure, and I loved Satchel! All of the characters, from the main to the supporting (like Pitts!!), were all so vibrant and fun.
I also really loved how well this book depicted books and their impact on people. Even those who may not consider themselves readers can have their lives changed by the right story at the right time. Viv's words in the epilogue really drive that point home. I loved the epilogue!!! Especially how it leaves the "story past the story" so open to more joy and friendship.
Comparing B&B to L&L, I like how this book shows the beginning of Viv's career as a mercenary, just as L&L shows its end. From the opening scenes in each we can already see a marked difference in Viv's actions and attitude. It would be cool to see more of Viv's growth during that interim, but also these two books feel like a complete story.
I also like how the endings of the two books contrast so well. Where B&B ends in goodbyes, emphasizing that the chapter of Viv's life in Murk is ending, L&L ends in a beginning instead.
My favorite theme that is traced across both novels is that idea of sometimes not being the right person at the right time, and that's ok. I think that acceptance, that comfort with growth and rejection of the fear of missing out, is what truly makes this a cozy book/series.
Minor: Violence 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
hypofocus'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? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death
indoctrine'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
Minor: Cursing and Injury/Injury detail