A review by purplepenning
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

Another excellently cozy low-stakes, high-fantasy read — this time with a save-the-bookstore theme that's absolute catnip (griffit-nip?) for book lovers.

Originally a little disappointed that this was a prequel, I quickly revised my opinion. Viv is as fun to follow here as a rash young orc convalesing in the seaside town of Murk as she was in Legends & Lattes as a battle weary orc taking a chance on changing her career and building her second act. With an open-minded knack for gathering interesting characters around her, she and her diverse group of new friends fix up a rundown bookstore, win the affections of the bookshop pet, drool over amazing baked goods, and maybe save the world from a necromancer. Not too shabby for a side quest!

Also, I could read a whole book about Satchel, a skeletal Terry Pratchett-esque gentleman homunculous. More than a whole book, actullly. If he ever decides to, say, solve a series of cosy mysteries, I'm in!

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