I was only a little nervous going into Bookshops & Bonedust. Travis did such a good job with the first book that I trusted his skills as a writer, but was still hesitant about a prequel. However, I wasn’t disappointed.

What I think this book does best is the handling of it as a prequel. One of my concerns with prequels most of the time is that it will either be “look at this character that is starting where they ended in the original story and then end where they started in the original” (which I find boring) or “we’re just going to repeat the arc they went through in the original story and make that pointless” (which I think is poor writing). Thankfully, this book avoided both. I think it did a good job of providing us a version of Viv, which is hot blooded and eager to prove herself, that grows into a version of herself that suits an older, experienced Viv that longs for a peaceful and simple retirement. The arc itself is almost bittersweet, because you know this simple, conventional life is something she could love and thrive in. She’s just not ready for it yet. It was so enjoyable and so well done.

The relationships in this book were also really interesting and compelling. Seeing these dynamics set up who she becomes later in life. The benefits of these friendships and the lessons they teach her about life and herself is extremely well done. Each one gives her a lesson that shapes not just how she handles the climax of the book, but also gives insight to who she is by the time of Legends & Lattes. Overall it was so well done and there wasn’t a single character I didn’t love by the end of the book.

Overall I think it’s a book with a solid plot that handles Viv’s character expertly. I can’t wait to see what Travis does next.