I found this story to be good overall, but not as interesting as Legends and Lattes. It definitely hit the cozy fantasy vibe, but it felt more like a first draft of book one that was discarded in favour of a more compelling narrative.

When Viv is saying over and over how bored she is, how iching she is to return to her adventuring, I felt it. Same girl.

Due to being a prequel, this book was limited by the expected future. The protagonist can't grow or change in the way that she did in the first book or the person she is at the start of that story would be different, so the character driven arcs aren't as satisfying. Due to the similarities to the first book, the overall question becomes what if Viv had the opportunity to learn the same lesson as she does in L&L, except this time it doesn't stick.

What I did appreciate is that the side characters were all unique and interesting. They had lives and motivations, each unique and really fun to explore. The style of fantasy this book has is really compelling.

If you weren't blown away by Legends and Lattes, then this book could probably be a skip.

I am excited to see more from the world, but in the future and not the past.