annieb123's Review of Bookshops & Bonedust (Legends & Lattes, Prequel)

by Travis Baldree

When an injury throws a young, battle-hungry orc off her chosen path, she may find that what we need isn't always what we seek.

Set in the world of New York Times bestselling Legends & Lattes, Bookshops & Bonedust takes us on a journey of high fantasy, first loves, and second-hand books.

Viv's career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam's Ravens isn't going as planned.

Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she's packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk—so far from the action that she worries she'll never be able to return to it.

What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?

Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn't possibly imagine.

Still, adventure isn't all that far away. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.

“Take a break from epic battles and saving the world. This is a low-stakes fantasy that delivers exactly what's advertised: a wholesome, cozy novel that feels like a warm hug. This is my new comfort read.”—Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart, on Legends & Lattes

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Bookshops & Bonedust is a prequel to Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. Released 7th Nov 2023 by Macmillan on their Tor imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

This is such an engaging and appealing fantasy series featuring themes of found family, honor, and courage, and with and a wonderfully three dimensional young female orc mercenary with a heaping helping of brains and heart. She's injured in the intro and forced to convalesce in a backwater town, which soon proves to be more central to events than is comfortable or safe.

There are elements of mystery along with the fantasy and magic. It's firmly a prequel to Legends & Lattes, and as such benefits from being read in the publishing order: Legends first then Bookshops.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours and 1 minute and is very well narrated by the author himself. He has a warm light baritone voice with a hint of southern central USA (but without any intrusive twang, whether by training or design). He voices his characters well and distinctly and between the print and audio versions, the audiobook format gets the edge. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

Four and a half stars for the book, five for the wonderfully nuanced audiobook version. Highly recommended for fans of cozy fantasy. One of the better releases for 2023.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Reading updates

7 January, 2024: Started reading

7 January, 2024: Finished reading

7 January, 2024: Reviewed