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A review by novella42
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
emotional
hopeful
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? No
5.0
One of my new comfort reads. Between the descriptions of coffee and pastries, and the lovely juxtaposition of a fighter learning comfort for the first time in her life, it's just such a cozy tale.
There's a review on the back from Cassandra Khaw that's apt: "A big-hearted story about the small things in life, and a lovingly written ode to the genre." It reminds me of playing D&D with my friends, and during the isolation of the pandemic the nostalgia of that was dear to me. I LOVE the audiobook narration, there's something excellent about author-read audiobooks, but for this one to have been written by someone who'd made a career of narrating others' books... to write his own? It makes this such a special thing to enjoy. I also picked up the paperback because when I really need a comfort read, it helps to have my phone far away from me. The hardcopy was really good, too. In either format I felt transported.
If you read fantasy partly for escapism, for the richly described setting that comes alive and feels so much a part of the story that it may as well be its own character, then this will probably be your thing. I heard a friend call this "a Hufflepuff's wet dream," and well... they're not wrong. (Gotta find a better word for that.) Anyway, if you relax by watching HGTV home makeovers, this will also probably be your thing. If you want 1000-page epics that have space for continent-wide quests, a sociocultural history of dragons, intricately woven character backstrokes, etc, then this book is probably not for you.
The found family theme resonated wonderfully for me, especially with the slow-burn queer love story. I was a mite frustrated by the ableism in the way a food allergy is depicted, and in the way a character's name is deliberately changed to tick them off. But on the whole those are my only complaints.
I will say that the first chapter is the OPPOSITE of cozy, but it serves it's purpose to give you context of the protagonist's pervious life. I just wanted to be sure to mention it because it was jarring to me since everyone told me "it's the coziest!" and the very first line of the book contains not one but two of my primary PTSD triggers. On a re-read I decided to write down those particular triggers and page numbers on a sticky note so I know they're coming and can brace myself. (See spoilers hidden below.) The rest of the book really is SO COMFORTING! It's worth it to me to be able to enjoy it.
CW for broken bones:
- prologue: high definition D&D violence, broken bone, blood, gore
- pg 6: broken bone threat
- pg 130: broken bone mention, joke
- pg 135: broken bone mention
- pg 140: broken bone mentions, skulls, threat
- pg 141: broken bone mentions, legs, threat
- pg 145: amputation mention
There are other CW in the book but they're more to do with the plotline of the book. These were important to me, and I'd already written them down, so I figured I may as well share in case someone else benefits from it as well.
There's a review on the back from Cassandra Khaw that's apt: "A big-hearted story about the small things in life, and a lovingly written ode to the genre." It reminds me of playing D&D with my friends, and during the isolation of the pandemic the nostalgia of that was dear to me. I LOVE the audiobook narration, there's something excellent about author-read audiobooks, but for this one to have been written by someone who'd made a career of narrating others' books... to write his own? It makes this such a special thing to enjoy. I also picked up the paperback because when I really need a comfort read, it helps to have my phone far away from me. The hardcopy was really good, too. In either format I felt transported.
If you read fantasy partly for escapism, for the richly described setting that comes alive and feels so much a part of the story that it may as well be its own character, then this will probably be your thing. I heard a friend call this "a Hufflepuff's wet dream," and well... they're not wrong. (Gotta find a better word for that.) Anyway, if you relax by watching HGTV home makeovers, this will also probably be your thing. If you want 1000-page epics that have space for continent-wide quests, a sociocultural history of dragons, intricately woven character backstrokes, etc, then this book is probably not for you.
The found family theme resonated wonderfully for me, especially with the slow-burn queer love story. I was a mite frustrated by the ableism in the way a food allergy is depicted, and in the way a character's name is deliberately changed to tick them off. But on the whole those are my only complaints.
I will say that the first chapter is the OPPOSITE of cozy, but it serves it's purpose to give you context of the protagonist's pervious life. I just wanted to be sure to mention it because it was jarring to me since everyone told me "it's the coziest!" and the very first line of the book contains not one but two of my primary PTSD triggers. On a re-read I decided to write down those particular triggers and page numbers on a sticky note so I know they're coming and can brace myself. (See spoilers hidden below.) The rest of the book really is SO COMFORTING! It's worth it to me to be able to enjoy it.
- prologue: high definition D&D violence, broken bone, blood, gore
- pg 6: broken bone threat
- pg 130: broken bone mention, joke
- pg 135: broken bone mention
- pg 140: broken bone mentions, skulls, threat
- pg 141: broken bone mentions, legs, threat
- pg 145: amputation mention
There are other CW in the book but they're more to do with the plotline of the book. These were important to me, and I'd already written them down, so I figured I may as well share in case someone else benefits from it as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Gore
Minor: Ableism