Bücher und Barbaren

I read the first book but listened to this one. I think I prefer reading them, no offense to Travis Baldree. I liked this book significantly more than Legends and Lattes. It is still cozy fantasy while adding more action, more character growth, and honestly, I was just significantly more invested. The characters were great, the world building, etc. Cozy fantasies aren't always my favorite but this one is solidly written and I was engrossed in the story the whole time. Can't really ask for more.

I loved it. I enjoyed the general setting - a quiet seaside town in a fantasy world - a lot. The characters are great, too. They have their outlooks and motivations and their little quirks and it's all presented in a well-paced manner that doesn't feel forced. I loved how this is also a book about books and bookshops. The excerpts of the books from this world were fantastic and were woven well into the overall story. That story was also really nice and captivating. I adored the cozyness and how accepting everyone was. An early highlight of the year for me! The audiobook is narrated by the author who does a great job with it.

I don't know what else to say about this book beyond comparing it to Legends & Lattes. It's more of the same; that's all I wanted. Great work, A+, understood the assignment.

I had not expected the prequell to be so good. Nearly or maybe completely as good as Legends & Lattes. A lovely cozy fantasy, in a way definitely still slice-of-life-y. I love that Viv helps rebuild a bookshop. And Satchel is so lovely! I definitely thought of Veo Corva while reading this. Their books have similar vibes. And just now I realize how close two book titles are... Bookshops & Bonedust vs. Books & Bone. I cannot say too much without giving spoilers, but one character in Bookshops & Bonedust reminds me of a favourite character in the Tombtown books by V.

it's good the characters were always true to themselves, even though I at times wanted them to be truer to me.

I also loved the moments that felt almost like found family.

The epilogue sealed the deal though, and got some sand in my eye, surely.

A fun prequel to the author's previous book, this one concerns the adventures of Viv the Orc when she was just starting out in the 'hack and slash' business with a group of mercenaries. Injured during a battle against a necromancer, Viv is bundled off to recover in a seaside town in the middle of nowhere.

With nothing else to do, Viv wanders into a bookshop, where she discovers an owner with a very discerning eye for readers, who recommends to her a series of books that Viv is startled to discover she enjoys. Viv then returns the favour by helping the owner to clean up the shop and help advertise it to visitors. Viv also gets acquainted with the owner of a bakery, which turns into a summer fling while she waits to rejoin the mercenaries.

Things take a dark turn when a creepy visitor turns up at the town, leading to a fight between the visitor and Viv. This would begin a series of events that would lead the necromancer Viv was fighting to the town, and it would need all of Viv and her friends' bravery to put an end to the necromancer.

The book might be called a 'cozy fantasy', as the story is more about friendships and romance, rather than heroics and fights, the usual tropes in fantasy stories. It is also a good lead-up to the author's previous book, showing the readers more about Viv's background as a fighter and why she eventually chooses to quit it and turn to running a coffee shop instead. It also shows a fantasy world where people are not judged by what they are (an orc, dwarf, elf, etc.) but by their actions. And, of course, interspecies romance would be in the air.

A light and fun read.

I didn't like this as much as the og Legends and Lattes. It was still good. But it felt like too much being crammed in with too many details.

I do ever so much want a book that follows Satchel around, though. He was the highlight of this book for me.

Sometimes you need something cozy and heartwarming where a dwarf and an orc can fall in love over pastries and 'moist' books. These books are the literary equivalent of a comfortable chair in front of a cheerful fire with a good story in your hand and a mug of coffee and some sweet treat on the table beside you while a pleasant rain tinkles to the ground outside. Cozy and warm and lovely.

Of course, now I need to immediately re-read Legends and Lattes.

I was a bit unsure as to why a prequel was needed. Viv's retirement was pretty straight-forward in 'Legends'.

This book ends well, but I expected an immaturity in the main character that wasn't really there. She seemed very similar to the first book (years and miles later).

Bookshops and Bonedust is a such a delightful prequel that takes us on an adventure of high fantasy, first loves, and second-hand books.

The book starts with Viv, a battle-hungry orc, finding herself recuperating in the sleepy beach town of Murk after being wounded during a hunt for a powerful necromancer. Easily bored with no battles to wage, she spends her time at an old bookshop, forging an unlikely friendship with its foul-mouthed proprietor, a ratkin named Fern. The story then unfolds with eager gnomes, delicious baked goods, suspicious travelers and another unexpected friendship.

Baldree continues to build a cozy fantasy world as was done with the predecessor book, Legends and Lattes. The story told and the character building continues to be heartwarming and oh so satisfying.

A fun slice-of-life adventure story, and an interesting peek into Viv's past. Less romance-focused than Legends and Lattes, but there is a small element of it.