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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
This was a fun read! Well written. I love the characters and the book was so easy to read. Viv gets injured and has to lay low in a nearby town while the rest of her mercenary group continues to hunt a powerful necromancer. To pass time, Viv helps out at the local bookstore and eats at the local bakery. As she heals she becomes more familiar with the town and its people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Violence
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As a prequel, it helps to have read Legends & Lattes first, as you can really see the change in Viv between the two books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood
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:
No
I liked this one much more than Legends & Lattes. There’s a bit more excitement and adventure, without compromising the comforting ambience of this world and its characters. Both are very much cozy fantasy, this one just feels less lazy. Perhaps it’s also explained in part due to me being a voracious reader and bookshop frequenter, plus a hater of all things coffee. I stumbled upon a comment recently that we need a cozy game set in the Legends & Lattes world - I could not agree more!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A stranded orc builds a bookshop and a community while waiting for her ship to sail.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
The pace was a bit uneven at times and the climax is very neat and tidy, even for a cozy, but overall this was a sweet story about friends, first loves, finding oneself, and figuring out how to say goodbye to people and places a big part of you would rather not leave. The characters come to life delightfully, and it's hard to pick a favorite.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death, Sexual content
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this was a nice prequel. i enjoyed getting to see viv’s origin story. how she got the sword and her love for books. i liked the characters she met and i loved how it was tied together in the epilogue, set after the end of the first book.
simple, easy-read.
simple, easy-read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death, Blood, Alcohol
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another nice fantasy story with lower stakes and comfy characters.
I wasn't sure how I felt about the book the whole way through but Baldree really aced it with the ending in my opinion, which made the book worth it to read. I think there were a few too many character plot points floating around, one in particular didn't really add much to the story in my opinion and slowed things down. But at the end of the day, it was a nice read, and if you enjoyed Legends & Lattes, I think you'll enjoy this one, too.
I wasn't sure how I felt about the book the whole way through but Baldree really aced it with the ending in my opinion, which made the book worth it to read. I think there were a few too many character plot points floating around, one in particular didn't really add much to the story in my opinion and slowed things down. But at the end of the day, it was a nice read, and if you enjoyed Legends & Lattes, I think you'll enjoy this one, too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Medical content
Minor: Slavery
adventurous
hopeful
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:
Yes
this book was so cute and just so good. i loved legends and lattes, so i was really excited to read this one, and bookshops and bonedust did not disappoint. i loved the characters, i loved the little town of murk, i loved thistleburr, i loved the plot, i loved everything. getting to see how this book ties into legends and lattes in the epilogue was really nice. i'm also very happy that viv and tandri got married omg! anyways this book was a really good time, and i highly recommend it along with legends and lattes!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Violence
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
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I had such a good time with this book! I liked it even better than Legends & Lattes, which was cute but a little too cozy to really fall into the “love” category for me. Sure, I adored the characters, and who doesn’t swoon over a cute story about found family and pastries? But I do tend to like a little more substance to my reads.
Bookshops & Bonedust has the best of both worlds. It’s a prequel, taking place while Viv is still making a name for herself with Rackam’s crew. But don’t worry, there isn’t a bunch of orc sword fights here; Viv is injured and recovers in a cute little seaside town. I do think this book still feels like it belongs in the cozy category, but it’s more novel-length (versus novella) and has a more substantive plot and a bigger bad guy. Still lots of found family vibes and plenty of pastries, and this time, also a bookstore!! So what’s not to love?
If you liked Legends & Lattes, even if it wasn’t a favorite, I think you’ll like this one. Give it a shot.
I had such a good time with this book! I liked it even better than Legends & Lattes, which was cute but a little too cozy to really fall into the “love” category for me. Sure, I adored the characters, and who doesn’t swoon over a cute story about found family and pastries? But I do tend to like a little more substance to my reads.
Bookshops & Bonedust has the best of both worlds. It’s a prequel, taking place while Viv is still making a name for herself with Rackam’s crew. But don’t worry, there isn’t a bunch of orc sword fights here; Viv is injured and recovers in a cute little seaside town. I do think this book still feels like it belongs in the cozy category, but it’s more novel-length (versus novella) and has a more substantive plot and a bigger bad guy. Still lots of found family vibes and plenty of pastries, and this time, also a bookstore!! So what’s not to love?
If you liked Legends & Lattes, even if it wasn’t a favorite, I think you’ll like this one. Give it a shot.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
“Because I’m headed down the hill, and you’re headed up it. I’m just glad we chanced to meet on the way.”
➽ Bookshops and Bonedust is a prequel to Legends and Lattes, following Viv back in her adventuring days! Following a grave injury during a quest, Viv is forced to take the time to recover and rest in a small seaside town called Murk. She's not happy about it at all, growing restless and frustrated with her predicament. Viv wants to join up with her colleagues as soon as possible and to keep up with her training. The lesson here is of course that your body needs time to rest in order to properly recover. Meanwhile, Viv finds herself connecting with the townsfolk!
➽ I loved that Viv discovered her love for reading and decided to help out a struggling bookshop! She has always focused on physical exercise, but now that she has to rest, Viv finds reading to be a good way to pass the time. She was never one for books, so it was lovely to see her fall in love with stories and the escape that reading can provide! She becomes a regular at Fern's bookshop and is set on helping her attract more customers. Viv also grows closer with Maylee, a talented baker and Gallina, an aspiring adventurer pestering her for advice! I loved all the found family aspects, but also the theme of meeting at the wrong point in your life. As much as Viv loves her new friends, she's not at a point where she wants to give up her adventuring. It's the bittersweet knowledge that you have found great people, but can't stay with them. The ending was hopeful though 🥺
➽ Bookshops and Bonedust is a prequel to Legends and Lattes, following Viv back in her adventuring days! Following a grave injury during a quest, Viv is forced to take the time to recover and rest in a small seaside town called Murk. She's not happy about it at all, growing restless and frustrated with her predicament. Viv wants to join up with her colleagues as soon as possible and to keep up with her training. The lesson here is of course that your body needs time to rest in order to properly recover. Meanwhile, Viv finds herself connecting with the townsfolk!
➽ I loved that Viv discovered her love for reading and decided to help out a struggling bookshop! She has always focused on physical exercise, but now that she has to rest, Viv finds reading to be a good way to pass the time. She was never one for books, so it was lovely to see her fall in love with stories and the escape that reading can provide! She becomes a regular at Fern's bookshop and is set on helping her attract more customers. Viv also grows closer with Maylee, a talented baker and Gallina, an aspiring adventurer pestering her for advice! I loved all the found family aspects, but also the theme of meeting at the wrong point in your life. As much as Viv loves her new friends, she's not at a point where she wants to give up her adventuring. It's the bittersweet knowledge that you have found great people, but can't stay with them. The ending was hopeful though 🥺
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Blood