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lacrimaeignis 's review for:
Legends & Lattes
by Travis Baldree
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
If you want a relaxing slice-of-life style fantasy novel about someone who decides to completely change their life's path then give this book a try. The main character Viv is an orc who decides to retire her sword and mercenary lifestyle and decides to open up a coffee shop in a city. The only problem is that no one knows what coffee is where she decides to set up shop. The novel is mainly about building the shop from the ground up (literally) and the connections Viv makes along the way and how she learns to expand her business.
The story was cute and I enjoyed my time at Legends and Lattes with the cast but the story was way too low stakes for me. As such, it took me quite a while to read because it wasn't an attention grabber but I couldn't stop smiling every time I picked up the book (and I carved coffee/pastries every time I picked this up so yes, I did actually end up reading portions of this at a cafe definitely recommend trying that to add to the ambience of the novel).
I wish we had been given more about Viv's life when she was working as a mercenary and what led her up to deciding to open the shop. I was thankful for the extra story about her adventures before but I felt like it would have been better as a lead up to the events in the novel rather than as a bonus. But still, the novel was well written and it is such a rarity to find a book where the characters actually talk things out and strive to understand where others are coming from instead of drawing their own (often wrong and/or biased) conclusions. It was quite refreshing and I can't wait to read the next installment!
The story was cute and I enjoyed my time at Legends and Lattes with the cast but the story was way too low stakes for me. As such, it took me quite a while to read because it wasn't an attention grabber but I couldn't stop smiling every time I picked up the book (and I carved coffee/pastries every time I picked this up so yes, I did actually end up reading portions of this at a cafe definitely recommend trying that to add to the ambience of the novel).
I wish we had been given more about Viv's life when she was working as a mercenary and what led her up to deciding to open the shop. I was thankful for the extra story about her adventures before but I felt like it would have been better as a lead up to the events in the novel rather than as a bonus. But still, the novel was well written and it is such a rarity to find a book where the characters actually talk things out and strive to understand where others are coming from instead of drawing their own (often wrong and/or biased) conclusions. It was quite refreshing and I can't wait to read the next installment!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Blood, Fire/Fire injury