Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree Series: Legends & Lattes #0
Published by Tor Publishing Group on November 7, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Action & Adventure, Fiction / Fantasy / Gaslamp, Fiction / Fantasy / Romance
Pages: 288
Format: eBook
Source: Amazon
An Instant #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Indie Bestseller
A Barnes & Noble Best Fantasy Book of 2023
An Amazon Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of 2023When 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, Travis Baldree's Bookshops & Bonedust takes us on a journey of high fantasy, first loves, and secondhand 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
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
My Review
I was so excited to pick up this book for a new book club that I joined. I read Legends & Lattes last year and absolutely loved it, but Reader, I have to say that I loved Bookshops & Bonedust even more. If you want a super cozy fantasy series, then this is absolutely for you. Legends & Lattes revolves around a coffee shop, and Bookshops & Bonedust revolves around a small coastal town and its bookshop. I mean, seriously, what is not to love?
In this prequel, we are following a younger Viv who has recently been injured in battle while on the hunt for a necromancer. Viv is running with a notorious mercenary company, Rackam’s Ravens, and once she is injured, they take her to a small, sleepy seaside town called Murk. The town is not anything special, but she will be safe while she is trying to heal from her leg wound. The leader promises to pick her back up on his way back through in a few weeks. In the meantime, Viv is expected to rest and recover. When she first arrives, she is out of it and tries to choke out the elf doctor while he is treating her. Needless to say, once she is in her right mind and ventures out and about, she meets this doctor again and sees the bruising around his throat. She is embarrassed when she realizes she is to blame for the marks. Viv is not pleased with this arrangement of being dropped off in the town, but she sticks it out nonetheless.
This small town does not have much to offer in terms of things to do, but what it does have is a run-down little bookstore that is in desperate need of repairs. Viv ventures in one day and is greeted by Potroast, a gryphet who is a dog-like character, and Fern the Rattkin. Fern is not at all what one would think and is absolutely nothing like the Rattkin in Legends & Lattes. Fern talks like a sailor and puts up with no crap. She has taken the bookshop over from her father, and it seems that no matter what she does, it just does not seem to pull customers into the store. Fern and Viv start talking and develop a friendship. I love how Fern is able to spark interest in reading for Viv and constantly recommends books. Just because Viv is a battle-hungry Orc doesn’t mean that there is not more to her character, which we discover in this story. Fern and Viv’s friendship is unlikely, but that does not make it any less sweet. Fern, however, is not the only character we are introduced to in this story. There is Maylee, a dwarf who used to swing a mace but laid it down to open a bakery, Gallina a feisty gnome who desperately wants to run with Rackam’s Ravens, Sachel a magical skeleton, and a poet-loving Orc named Pitts. These, however, are not all the characters in this cozy story but only some. The friendships that Viv made and the romance as well are just too sweet. Mr. Baldree did a wonderful job of creating the characters and their relationships with Viv.
There is some angst in the story when a man in gray appears, and Viv can smell something off about him. Something that one would smell in relation to a necromancer. This character does not make a good impression on Viv when he attacks Potroast in the bookstore. This then later leads to a run-in between the two characters, with Gallina coming to aid in the situation. Having this man in town makes Viv worry that Varine (the necromancer) is nearby. How are her friends going to stop her? They are not prepared for such evil. She is not ready for them to become injured or, worse, die. Meanwhile, Viv is still not fully healed from her last run-in with one of these followers. What is an Orc to do?
I very much enjoyed this story, and as I said above, I even loved it more than Legends & Lattes. I think that Travis Baldree has a way of writing the coziest of cozy settings, not to mention the best kinds of characters living their everyday lives of working, friendships, and love. This is a world in which I am eager to crawl back to time and time again. Reader, if you are looking for a cozy fantasy with a little angst, fantastic characters, and a great setting, then please give this one a go because I do not think you will be disappointed. Please tell me if you decide to pick this one up because I am most curious to hear your reactions and opinions on it. Until Next Time, Reader, Happy Reading.
Trigger Warnings:
- Minor Violence
- Injury To Leg And Recovery
- Alcohol Consumption
- Murder (off-page)
- Stalking
- Animal Injury And Death
- Anxiety And Nightmares