A review by massmassmarket
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

emotional relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No
I enjoyed the Bookshops. Could've done without the Bonedust.

There's DNF-ing a book, but you ever heard of DNFin' an entire character? I refused to read any paragraph or line of dialogue related to a certain gnomic, author-mandated "comedic" sidekick and nothing of value was lost. The narrative was still easy to understand. That is a problem, and Baldree seems talented enough he should've known better than to phone it in like this.

I loved all the cozy bits, the developing relationships, and was hugely invested in the survival of the Thistledown bookstore. This book should've had the courage of its conviction and committed fully to the bit. The adventure/mystery plot was just paint-by-numbers boring, so why bother including it at all. Did his editor insist on it?