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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
My last book of the year! I was coasting into the new year on fumes so it took me way too long to get through this. And I'm SO SAD I didn't complete my goal of 25 books for the year.
That said, onto Bookshops & Bonedust.
I was ridiculously excited to have another cozy, low stakes adventure in this world. Unfortunately, I don't feel like it lived up to the hype I had for it. It's 4 stars, but I would have given it a 3.75 if I had the option.
It just didn't grab me the way Legends & Lattes did. It didn't have that magic. That spark that made it special. Heck, I wouldn't even say that this is low stakes! Personally, there were some pretty high stakes in this book compared to L&L. All I could think back to was how Baldree said (somewhere, I forgot) that he had 2 or 3 completely different other books on the cutting room floor before he settled on Bookshops & Bonedust. That tells me that he wasn't exactly sure about where he wanted to go himself with this.
That said, it wasn't horrible! I still really enjoyed it. That's why I'm ok rating a 4 star. It deserves that. It's a good story and worth the read. And it had some great, memorable characters you can love. The setting was great, and I loved the feel of discovery with books the same way L&L had that feel of discovery with coffee. No, it doesn't have the same magic as the book that follows it in story, but it would've been really hard to nail that atmosphere again.
I'll get more into detail on my thoughts on my blog. I'm going to keep up with that more so look for it to be updated there sometime in the near future.
That said, onto Bookshops & Bonedust.
I was ridiculously excited to have another cozy, low stakes adventure in this world. Unfortunately, I don't feel like it lived up to the hype I had for it. It's 4 stars, but I would have given it a 3.75 if I had the option.
It just didn't grab me the way Legends & Lattes did. It didn't have that magic. That spark that made it special. Heck, I wouldn't even say that this is low stakes! Personally, there were some pretty high stakes in this book compared to L&L. All I could think back to was how Baldree said (somewhere, I forgot) that he had 2 or 3 completely different other books on the cutting room floor before he settled on Bookshops & Bonedust. That tells me that he wasn't exactly sure about where he wanted to go himself with this.
That said, it wasn't horrible! I still really enjoyed it. That's why I'm ok rating a 4 star. It deserves that. It's a good story and worth the read. And it had some great, memorable characters you can love. The setting was great, and I loved the feel of discovery with books the same way L&L had that feel of discovery with coffee. No, it doesn't have the same magic as the book that follows it in story, but it would've been really hard to nail that atmosphere again.
I'll get more into detail on my thoughts on my blog. I'm going to keep up with that more so look for it to be updated there sometime in the near future.
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love Baldree's low-stakes fantasy and I enjoyed this book almost as much as Legends&Lattes. But I knew I would as soon as I read that a struggling bookshop in a sleepy beach town was involved.
adventurous
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
relaxing
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:
Yes
Last year one of my favorites reads was "Legends and Lattes" one of the first Cozy Fantasy books i read and lead to me getting hooked to this genre. Now this year the prequel "Bookshops and Bonedust" has come out and Travis Baldree continues to deliver another excellent cozy fantasy. I hope this isnt the last we have saw of Viv and this world, as i love every page spent experiencing it.