Reviews with content warning for Blood - Legends & Lattes

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

121 reviews

angorarabbit's review against another edition

adventurous funny 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? No

4.0

Ethnicity, some gender, and orientation diversity. Most of the violence is in the prologue and the short story that follows the main story in my edition of the book, These can be skipped with little lost to the main story. There is a little kissing but no spicy stuff.

TLDR: The last chapter is the chef’s kiss.

Context: This was my 3rd book choice for the Kindle Series Pioneer Spring 2024 challenge.It made up for Tress of the Emerald Sea.

So let’s compare Legends and Lattes (Legends) to Tress of the Emerald Sea (Tress) shall we?

The basic plot is similar. A woman goes on a quest. She does not know how she will achieve her goals but she sets off anyway. On the way others join her because she is a good person. With the help of others the woman achieves her goal after vanquishing an opponent.

So Tress is a 2 star and L & L a 4 star to me.

Two things: writing style and characterisation.

Legends has no narrator asides telling you that Viv is remarkable, or humble, or so like other girls that no other girl is like her. You taste the Midnight Crescents because Tandri puts it in her mouth. Tress tells you that Charle eats a pie. Tress has to tell you that sexism has no place in business, Legends just shows men and women working. Legends trusts the reader.

With apologies to Fort, Tress’ characters are backdrops to Tress. They have few initiatives of their own, even the narrator. Charlie in particular felt like a hot mess of tropes to me. On the other hand Legend’s characters seem to have lives of their own. I can imagine Thimble going back home after a baking day and sipping a cold drink pleased at everyone’s reactions to his newest creation. Calamity sitting back with a warm soup and an ice pack on aching muscles reflecting on a job well done.

Also I love the idea of a studious non-violent orc. I am looking forward to the further adventures of Viv, Cal, Tandri, and Thimble.

Also also the elf deserved what he got, elves spend way to much silver on hair care products.

Lastly I am rethinking my aversion to Amazon’s KPD. Thank you to tor.com and all the booksellers out there for making this available to non-Kindle-Unlimited readers.

Content Warnings

zydecovivo's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.5

I first saw this book on StoryGraph and then started seeing it everywhere, convincing me it must be overhyped. It seemed to me like a DM (or wanna-be-DM) just wrote out their D&D campaign and managed to get it published. Nevertheless, I put my name on the waitlist at my local library. Over a month later (!!!), I finally got the chance to borrow it. I started it after a long workday, just trying to read a few pages to keep my reading streak alive. I could not have been more wrong about the premise.

Don’t get me wrong, it is probably (most definitely) D&D fan fiction. However, the story itself is probably the best Coffee Shop AU I’ve read so far. I was quickly charmed by Viv’s no-nonsense but fair treatment of total strangers, nose-to-the-grindstone attitude, and willingness to seek a life change on her own terms. She has had a rough life, probably the result of someone’s D&D campaigns. But after one final quest, with the help of a so-called “lucky charm,” she goes in search of her heart’s desire: opening a coffee shop in a town that had never heard of coffee. She gets more than she bargained for, mostly in the form of a new group of friends who truly support her, as well as a love interest (who I hope is asexual, but right now, unconfirmed). Viv’s old campaigning party even comes back to help, showing that she is still loved for more than her strength and sword skills. If it’s not obvious, I love Viv, her new friends, and the way they carve out their new community and niches in the coffee shop. There is some drama (gotta have a plot after all), but it only serves to teach Viv that she is (and always was) enough for her friends. It is a beautiful story about found family, friendship, and finding a new place in the world, things we all seek in our own lives.

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paigehf's review against another edition

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emotional 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? No

5.0

Content Warnings

chainsawmochi's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

Cozy fantasy. Those are two words not often associated with each other, especially not when it comes to novels. At least, if it is, it isn't associated enough. "Legends & Lattes" offers up something unique and beautiful--the what comes after.

Main character Viv, a battle worn Orc, hangs up her sword in order to open up a cafe in a bustling riverside city. This is after years and years of fighting, of adventuring and questing. One might think of her as a Dungeons and Dragons playable character--one that has seen enough blood and bone for multiple lifetimes. Now, she is looking for more; she is looking for an actual life for herself. Something she had own, and hold, and love without having to fight off monsters and mages.

Within the pages of "Legends & Lattes" lies the story of Viv's happily ever after. It isn't so easy as that, however; soon she finds herself entangled with foes old and new. Yet, through it all, she begins to collect a loving found family around herself--and discovers that some things are really worth fighting for.

Travis Baldree is a master of storytelling. I can honestly say that I enjoyed every moment of this novel. It had moments of being perfectly raw and loving, along with moments of pulse-pounding intrigue. Viv's journey becomes more than just opening a coffee shop; it becomes a testament to discovering what makes you feel good, feel purposeful and fulfilled. There are beautiful moments of calm within the narrative. These reflective moments are nothing to skip over; they are just as important to the story as the parts with action and tension. There is an ebb and flow that reminds me very much of cozy mystery novels.

"Legends & Lattes" has opened up a whole new world of fantasy to me. I am already craving more cozy fantasy. Hopefully I will be able to find something that is as decadent as this splendid, coffee-flavored story.

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iane_reads's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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monicalaurette's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book was fun and gave me exactly what I expected from it. I wanted a fantasy book that didn’t have a lot of high stakes, and that’s what I got. I also got a little bit of a found family (after the family of Viv’s prior crew) and enjoyed how everything came together.

I’ve seen some people complain about how often Viv had to explain coffee to someone, but I honestly didn’t think it happened much and each time Thimble came up with a new food item I was so happy for him. I think he might be my favorite character out of all of them.

“Things don’t have to stay as what they started out as.”

Not much else I can really say about it without spoiling anything but I’m glad I finally picked this up and interested to see if the prequel story is equally as fun to read.

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ziracrow's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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dragonaion's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted tense 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

5.0

I was unsure what to expect when I saw this book, but kind-hearted fantasy was just the thing I was looking for. Halfway through the book, I found that I couldn't put it down.
This reads exactly like a one-on-one D&D campaign, whose main adventurer reached the end of the main campaign, maxed leveling, and said to their DM, "I don't want to stop playing... But I don't wanna adventure anymore."
This book is the DM smiling, leaning forward against their screen and saying, "Do you remember the coffee you found in that last city?"

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refrejarator's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny 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? No

3.5

Very sweet - a nice, low-stakes read for quiet days with a cuppa.

Content Warnings

readingelli's review against another edition

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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

3.5

A very light hearted easy read- I thought it was cute. I love the idea of a retired orc opening a coffee shop!

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