A review by itsmeeryn
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

Bookshops & Bonedust brings us Viv, who has been hurt on a job with her group of travelling mercenaries, and left to heal in the town of Murk. While recovering she helps a local bookshop get back on its feet, and makes connections with the local town-folk, learning about them, where they come from, and why they are where they are, and discovering more about herself, and her future, in the process. 

As someone who has yet to be able to make it through Legends & Lattes (not because I dislike it, just because of scheduling issues) this book made me so incredibly excited to eventually be able to pick it back up, but I also didn’t feel as though I was missing anything from not having read the book, it stood on its own incredibly well. 

Viv was such a fun protagonist. It was refreshing to have a main character who knows exactly what she wants in the moment, but also be so open to experiencing something new. While this was a book about self discovery, Viv still knew who she was at her core, and didn’t let anyone take that away from her. The supporting cast was some of my all time favorites, and I hope the author once again revisits them in the future, perhaps jumping off the epilogue.

The message of this book comes through beautifully. It’s a book about beginnings and endings and how sometimes the right people come around at the wrong time and that’s okay. “Sometimes, it'll never be the right time. And sometimes, we aren't the right people yet.” I think sums it up perfectly, giving us a  bittersweet ending, that is not shied away from, from the very beginning. Overall an incredible novel, and I cannot wait to read the rest that Travis Baldree has to offer.