Bookshops and Bonedust follows Viv as she tries to take it slow and heal from a wounded leg in a small beach side town. She begrudgingly befriends the owner of a rundown bookstore and some other residents and her recuperation evolves into helping bring the bookstore back to life (haha) while also keeping an eye out for the necromancer that injured her. 

I was so excited to get back in to this book universe and learn more about Viv! I was also once again so incredibly hungry while reading all of the descriptions of the delicious food stuffs. The stakes aren't quite as low as in Legends in Lattes, but it's still a relaxed read, befitting of a small town. This book is bittersweet, but not in any way that you aren't aware of from the beginning and the epilogue had me tearing up.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

Bookshops and Bonedust follows Viv as she tries to take it slow and heal from a wounded leg in a small beach side town. She begrudgingly befriends the owner of a rundown bookstore and some other residents and her recuperation evolves into helping bring the bookstore back to life (haha) while also keeping an eye out for the necromancer that injured her. 

I was so excited to get back in to this book universe and learn more about Viv! I was also once again so incredibly hungry while reading all of the descriptions of the delicious food stuffs. The stakes aren't quite as low as in Legends in Lattes, but it's still a relaxed read, befitting of a small town. This book is bittersweet, but not in any way that you aren't aware of from the beginning and the epilogue had me tearing up.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Tor Books for the free copy of this book.

 - What a joy to be back with Viv! Look, if you liked LEGENDS & LATTES, you're gonna like BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST as this prequel is simply more of that, which is exactly what I wanted.
- I think I actually liked the mystery in this book better than the one in LEGENDS. Or maybe that's just because it had to do with a necromancer and I could imagine a Gideon the Ninth crossover.
- Anyway, this book is made for reading with a fuzzy blanket and a warm coffee. And pastries, you will need pastries while reading this, trust me. 

This has such a lovely vibe to it, the atmosphere of this book was much cozier than I was expecting it to be.  I loved the story and the narrator did a wonderful job with bringing each character to life.

I actually haven't read Legends & Lattes yet but after this am definitely going to have to pick it up.  I loved the worldbuilding and the character development, the writing style was so pleasant.  This is the type of fantasy for me, there wasn’t a bunch of character names I needed to learn on the first page, and the plot was slow-paced in such a good way.  I was able to fully follow along and everything unraveled really well, the ending really brought in all the feels and I couldn’t be happier with it.  This book was amazing.

     

Thank you so much to the author, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (5/5)

Release Date: 07, November 2023

POV: Third Person

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Rep: Queer (MC)

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillian Audio for this audiobook ARC of Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree in return for an honest review!

In Bookshops & Bonedust we meet young Viv, an orc merc with a love of bashing skulls, in what at first seems like the lowest moment of her career. Injured and feeling abandoned, Viv is healing from a stab wound in the sleepy seaside town of Murk while her associates in Rackam's Ravens are off trying to hunt down a dangerous necromancer. As luck would have it, Viv's uncanny ability to make friends puts her firmly in the middle of a cozy business restoration (readers of Legends and Lattes will find this familiar, but no less charming) as well as in the crosshairs of trouble. 

The book brings all the cozy fantasy energy that Legends and Lattes was praised for, with a more adventurous and involved plot. The bookshop elements up the cozy and familiar factor for readers in the best possible way, and with the lovable characters that fill the shops walls, it's easy to cheer for the inevitable happily ever after. 

Travis Baldree's ability to create a fantasy world that feels believable without getting lost in the weeds of unnecessary/ excessive world-building is commendable and makes it easy for any reader to enjoy the novel without feeling out of depth. Readers need not enter into the book with a vast knowledge of fantasy creatures and tropes, as while the inclusions are fun for those familiar, it is primarily set dressing for the warm story of interpersonal dynamics. 

This is the perfect prequel to Legends and Lattes and can be read before or after the cozy coffeeshop fantasy. I highly recommend this read to anyone looking for a read that will make them feel warm and well cared for. This book, much like Legends and Lattes, is the literary equivalent of a blanket and cozy fireplace on a cold winters' night. 

You got me with the bookseller who just wants to connect people with books, honestly. That angle was absolutely my favorite part of this one, as Viv gets into all of the books that she's recommended. It's honestly quite adorable!

This book has the same cozy vibes as [book:Legends & Lattes|61242426], with the epilogue bringing the two full circle. I would definitely continue to read stories set in this world because it's just so cozy and fun and a delight to read. Loving the fact that cozy fantasy is making the mark that it is.

Also, Travis Baldree reads the audio and does a fabulous job, honestly. Sometimes it's hit or miss with authors reading their own books, but he has a great narration voice. I would listen to more books with him as the narrator!

Another excellently cozy low-stakes, high-fantasy read — this time with a save-the-bookstore theme that's absolute catnip (griffit-nip?) for book lovers.

Originally a little disappointed that this was a prequel, I quickly revised my opinion. Viv is as fun to follow here as a rash young orc convalesing in the seaside town of Murk as she was in Legends & Lattes as a battle weary orc taking a chance on changing her career and building her second act. With an open-minded knack for gathering interesting characters around her, she and her diverse group of new friends fix up a rundown bookstore, win the affections of the bookshop pet, drool over amazing baked goods, and maybe save the world from a necromancer. Not too shabby for a side quest!

Also, I could read a whole book about Satchel, a skeletal Terry Pratchett-esque gentleman homunculous. More than a whole book, actullly. If he ever decides to, say, solve a series of cosy mysteries, I'm in!

As context, I haven't read Legends & Lattes, to which this Bookshops & Bonedust is a prequel. B&B's story felt fully self-contained to me and I didn't feel I was missing anything for not having read L&L.

And it was kinda fun.

Perhaps a bit simple in some ways compared to many fantasy adventure stories, but still a nice fun entertaining read about a young impetuous orcish mercenary (not nearly as animally brutish as that might sound in some fantasy worlds) and, while recuperating from the injuries of her recent impetuousness in a small town, the varied new relationships she formed, lessons learned, and unexpected threat fought.

Easy read, fun story, and enough to make me consider picking up Legends & Lattes at some point.