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4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
My honest review was provided in exchange for an audiobook ARC on NetGalley. Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for giving me this ARC! And apologies for any character names I may have misheard and/or misspelled.
5/5
Fern is going through a midlife crisis. She’s uprooted her whole life and moved her decades-old bookshop to Thune, but she still feels empty and unmoored. Purpose is a funny and fickle thing, though. Sometimes, it stumbles into you when you least expect it. Or you drunkenly pass out in the wagon of the most prolific swordmistress on the continent and stumble into it.
This is a beautifully crafted story with a delightful and heartwarming end. It’s more action-oriented than Legends & Lattes (Bookshops & Bonedust is on my TBR), but the focus of the plot is still on Fern: rebuilding her self-confidence in the face of her midlife crisis, finding her new purpose, and ultimately, finding happiness. Her struggles feel so all-encompassing and human that it’s hard not to relate.
Which I think is a core strength of this book, and Baldree’s work in general. You have been or maybe you are Fern, wondering what it’s all about and if anything you’re doing is even worth it. But through exploration, community, and small acts of courage, you gain back some of your hope. Before you realize it, you’re (metaphorically) fighting a horde of monsters to save a small town without a second thought. If a provincial, middle-aged bookseller can overcome her self-doubt and ennui to become more than she ever imagined, then maybe you can, too? And maybe the drive to pursue new pastures doesn’t invalidate the meaning your life held before? You can still believe in your cause and life’s work, but recognize you crave and need more. And that growth and change aren’t signs of failure, but of a life and purpose well-fulfilled. It’s a powerful and life-affirming message.
Like Baldree’s previous works, this book feels poppy and light, with the perfect blend of humor and heart. I couldn’t imagine a better conduit for exploring highly vulnerable concepts like meaning, worth, and guilt. And their narration added so much to the audiobook that I’m sad I didn’t listen to L&L, too. Every voice - especially those of traditionally inanimate objects - felt like perfect characterizations.
The same accolades Baldree gets for their other works apply here as well: rich world building, hilarious and lovable characters, and a delightful blend of fantasy and reality. I think this one resonated with me more deeply than L&L, though, which made me love it more.
I will say, I struggled with an early disconnect between my perception of what the stakes would be and what they actually were. For me, it felt like character conversations and Fern’s internal monologue built the world to be more treacherous than it actually was. But l think that structure intentionally mimicked Fern’s internal fear and emotional chaos, which muted as time went on.
Overall, I really loved this book. I think fans of fantasy will really enjoy this. It’s not cozy, but it’s also not super high stakes, so it’s perfect for readers who like plots balanced by action and character growth. It’s definitely not L&L, so it’s important going into this with that knowledge. But it’s 100% worth your read. You’ll come for the heroes journey, and stay for the courage it gives you to keep on.
I absolutely loved returning to this world. Brigands & Breadknives takes everything I adored about the Legends & Lattesuniverse (comfort, found family, and cozy vibes) and layers it with adventure, humor, and just the right amount of chaos.
Fern is such a fantastic main character: grumpy and endearing, fiercely independent but yet still learning (and yearning to!) how to open herself up to others. The crew she surrounds herself with in this book is both absolutely hilarious and heartwarming. I specially adored the chaos-goblin, who completely stole my heart.
This book was just so comforting and cozy, and exactly what I didn't know I needed. Whilst the stakes are real, what matters most in this book are the friendships the characters create throughout the story, witnessing their resilience and bravery and the happiness you feel reading it.
This is another perfect gem of a book; a cozy fantasy that reads so easily and perfect for a rainy afternoon under a blanket.
adventurous
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Brigands & Breadknives was such a joy to listen to. Fern, the sharp-tongued rattkin bookseller, leaves her old life behind for a fresh start in Thune but gets cold feet and after a night with a LOT of drinking, ends up in an adventure she never expected. Soon she’s caught up with a weary warrior, a chaos-loving goblin obsessed with silverware, and a string of enemies chasing them down.
The story has all the cozy fantasy charm I love from Baldree, quirky characters, a dash of humor, and the perfect amount of heart. What made it even better was the audiobook itself. Travis Baldree’s narration is fantastic, giving each character such a distinct personality and bringing out the humor in every scene.
It’s funny, heartfelt, and endlessly entertaining. If you enjoyed Legends & Lattes, you’ll love this one just as much, especially in audio.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for an honest review!
This is Fern’s world, and we’re just along for the ride. While Brigands & Breadknives connects back to Legends & Lattes, it must first take us along with Fern, a Ratkin, through adventures that she had only ever previously read about in books. The cast of characters is delightful, even those that don’t have the best intentions. Watching Fern as she navigates what her life was and what she wants it to be is so relatable, even if it is happening in an entirely different world. There’s also that universal experience of finding out who your friends are and where you find love. All of this comes encased in Fern’s world though – a lot of swearing, a small group of adventurers finding bumps in their road, and more journey than cozy.
Listening to Travis Baldree narrate Brigands & Breadknives is pure bliss. Put on those headphones, sit back, and get carried away in a whole new world. It feels like storytelling at its fullest.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audio copy for review. All thoughts are my own.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
I just love this world so much. Brigands and Breadknives follows one of my favorite characters, Fern, a Ratkin, on an adventure to find herself. While I loved getting more Fern in this story, compared with the other books, this one fell a bit flat. It just didn't have the same level of coziness as the other books, and the adventure wasn't high enough stakes for me to care. I loved the relationships that were built throughout, but it was just missing something for me.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
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:
Complicated
I was not disappointed with the third in the series. It definitely takes a slightly more adventurous route than the previous two but the characters, conversations, and challenges they face are worth it. The author weaves a great story while tackling the difficulties we all feel in life.
adventurous
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
Legends and Lattes is in my top 5 favourite books of all time and therefore I will read anything Travis Baldree releases, especially if it’s anything to do with legends and lattes!
This is the sequel, which after loving Fern in the prequel, I was extremely excited to get to. This book follows Fern and she begins questioning her life as a bookseller and instead “accidentally” ends up on an adventure with a famous elf and a goblin with a large bounty on her head.
Brigands and Breadknives definitely has a lot more at stake than either of the previous books, there’s a lot more action and a lot less of that cosy feeling. This book gave us much more of an insight into Fern, who is an extremely likeable and relatable protagonist! I also loved some of the new side characters from Zyll to Breadlee. I would say anyone who enjoyed either Legends and Lattes or Bookshops and Bonedust is likely to find something they love in this new instalment, it would be criminal to not give it a read!
I have to admit, it probably was my least favourite of the three books so far, sitting comfortably at a 3.5 stars, but that’s only because I hold Legends and Lattes in such high regard, I probably did go in with unrealistic expectations.
The writing is easy to follow and engaging, the story is exciting and although you wouldn’t get all the backstory, absolutely could be read as a standalone. Another good instalment by Travis Baldree!
Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc
This is the sequel, which after loving Fern in the prequel, I was extremely excited to get to. This book follows Fern and she begins questioning her life as a bookseller and instead “accidentally” ends up on an adventure with a famous elf and a goblin with a large bounty on her head.
Brigands and Breadknives definitely has a lot more at stake than either of the previous books, there’s a lot more action and a lot less of that cosy feeling. This book gave us much more of an insight into Fern, who is an extremely likeable and relatable protagonist! I also loved some of the new side characters from Zyll to Breadlee. I would say anyone who enjoyed either Legends and Lattes or Bookshops and Bonedust is likely to find something they love in this new instalment, it would be criminal to not give it a read!
I have to admit, it probably was my least favourite of the three books so far, sitting comfortably at a 3.5 stars, but that’s only because I hold Legends and Lattes in such high regard, I probably did go in with unrealistic expectations.
The writing is easy to follow and engaging, the story is exciting and although you wouldn’t get all the backstory, absolutely could be read as a standalone. Another good instalment by Travis Baldree!
Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes