Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

40 reviews

onegalonelife27's review

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adventurous funny 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

5.0

 This is such a delightful prequel, it’s interesting to see Viv-itching for a fight, ready to attack verusu the Viv we were introduced to in Legends & Lattes, ready to settle down. As its said in the book, a seed was planted in Viv on this journey that takes root. 

Oh to be able to read by the ocean~

This one does have more excitement, more action than in Legends and Lattes with a necromancer on the loose and a mysterious man running around...

I also love the idea a fictional world having its own fictional stories-like when do we hear about the kinds of stories that D&D characters sit down and read? There’s been a bit more in media, but little peeks at the kinds of stories a world tells itself is great! Also love Viv’s reaction to some of the more spicier recommendations. 

I also love Fern, the swearing book shop owner that becomes Viv’s friends through her time of healing. I’m a lover of a heavy swearer and someone who keeps a dream going as hard as it is. Viv provides a breath of fresh air to the old shop, coming up with ideas to add more customers and fix up the shop too. I work in a bookstore so I’m quite familiar with some of their ideas-well minus the fresh coat of paint. 

A lovely book that you want to just curl up with! 
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chelly_reads's review

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adventurous emotional 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

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abby_can_read's review

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adventurous funny 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

4.0

📖
This was an amazing book. I loved it. I like the worldbuilding. I adore Viv. 
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rinku's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.5

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nutmegandselkie's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious 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

3.5

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chainsawmochi's review

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • 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

"Bookshops & Bonedust" unfortunately suffers from the sequel (or in this case, prequel) syndrome of being good but not as good as the original. While I did enjoy getting to know a younger version of the main character, Viv, I felt like she was much flatter in her characterization than she was in "Legends & Lattes." The cast of supporting characters were loveable, but not as loveable as those found in the previous book.

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.


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themichellegray's review

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hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-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

3.0

Travis Baldree delivered yet another cozy fantasy set in the 'Legends & Lattes' world! This time it was a love letter to books and the connections readers make with one another. Unfortunately, its difficult not to compare this book to its predecessor.

While I really enjoyed the lore behind Viv's greatsword and friendship with Gallina, this story was lacking some of the warmth that L&L provided. The newly introduced characters were lovable enough but didn't charm me in the same way that Cal and Thimble did. The pacing was VERY slow and often felt as-if nothing was happening; the goals were secondary and the dangers weren't fully explained.

Despite my critiques, this was still an average read that felt safe to return to each day and I really appreciated the epilogue!
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fatherprozac's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • 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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paigehf's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad 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

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riverofhorton's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad 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

5.0

As with Legends & Lattes, I absolutely loved this book. Over 300 pages and the only thing I can find to fault it on was the technicality of poisonous toads, so much of it was good. I particularly liked Satchel, which seems weird with only a basic explanation of the character.
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