Viv is a young orc mercenary. Injured in the search for a necromancer she is recuperating, impatiently, in the small seaside town of Murk. Looking for a way to fill her time she ends up befriending a local bookshop owner, helping her rediscover her passion for selling books while also discovering her own love of reading. But trouble is on its way to Murk as a magician fleeing the necromancer arrives in town and the necromancer and her army follow. Viv can only hope she can mange to kill the necromancer before the people she has come to care about or injured or worse.
This was a pleasant book, sort of a cozy fantasy. We have many different types of characters, orcs, dwarves, and elves among them. It is as much a slow character study as it is a standard fantasy. It is a prequel to Mr Baldree’s first book, Legends & Lattes, an origin story for Viv that will have me both acquiring that book and hoping for more stories of Viv and her friends. Recommended

Bookshops and Bonedust really provides the reader with the Viv that we wanted to know and love. We wanted more of her and who she was deep inside and we got it.

Murk is where you want to be, a seaside village with a bakery and bookshop. My perfect day would now include sitting in the bookshop eating a lassie cake, reading a book, petting pot roast, and joking around with satchel. The only thing missing is the bean water…or is it?

Follow Viv as she is wounded in battle and forced to convalesce in the town of Murk where she meets Fern the bookshop owner, her pet pot roast and Maylee the baker who become her friends and loved ones that she finds herself needing to protect from the very evil she was in pursuit of…Varine. Drop a homunculus named Satchel out of the bag, along with a mysterious book, and you get an action packed, humorous, comfy fantasy that will leave you smiling and wanting, yet again, even more.

A big kudos and standing ovation to the epilogue which really brings both books to its perfect completion.

An adorable and cozy prequel to Legends and Lattes!

This book was so good! It was exactly what I needed from start to finish! I read this book by the fireplace while it was raining and it was giving me just the perfect atmosphere to read Bookshops & Bonedust.

If you’re looking for a cozy fantasy book, I highly recommend this one!

Bookshops & Bonedust is a Prequel to Legends & Lattes. This story invites readers to follow the young Viv as she embarks on a thrilling adventure, immersing herself in the world of adventuring gangs. However, Viv becomes injured and in need of rest and relaxation in a seaside town. It is here that she discovers the transformative power of unexpected friendships, particularly with a charismatic bookstore owner.

While the concept of cozy fantasy is not entirely new, "Legends & Lattes" elevated the genre,, earning the adoration of readers and myself with its outstanding storytelling. This began a subgenre of cozy fantasy, featuring queer-found families and individuals finding solace outside the perils of the adventuring life. As a result, "Prequel to Legends & Lattes" faces a challenge in living up to the success of Legends And Lattes.

Although this prequel didn't quite achieve the perfection that garnered "Legends & Lattes", it did possess several noteworthy qualities that I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters, in particular, captured my heart with their compelling depth and relatable journeys. However, I found the inclusion of a romance subplot to be unnecessary, especially considering the pivotal turning point in Viv's life and the knowledge that her path diverges from that of her romantic interest. Rather than adding depth to the story, it became a distracting element, diverting attention from the core theme of found family that resonates so powerfully throughout this book.

Nevertheless, the bookshop setting exudes a cozy charm that effortlessly draws readers into its embrace, serving as the perfect backdrop for the unfolding relationships and personal growth.

Bookshops and Bonedust remain a story that showcases the author's talent for crafting engaging narratives. It is a bittersweet reminder of the power of friendship, even in temporary alliances, and an exploration of the impact individuals can have on one another's lives. With its setting and captivating characters, this book is a worthy addition to any cozy fantasy lover's collection.

Thank you, Net Galley and Tor Books for this advanced Readers Copy. This book will be available on November 7th.

Rarely do I find sequels or prequels that I enjoy more than the original books but OHHH BOY is this one of those rare occasions.

Legends & Lattes was already a 5 star read for me but Bookshops & Bonedust was definitely a solid 6/5. I absolutely adored this book and tore through it as fast as I possibly could.

From the cozy setting, to the character relationships, to the stakes, to the adorable gryphet, I loved everything about this book. It amazes me how Travis Baldree can keep you invested in a mystery/plot while still keeping it cozy and relatively low stakes.

This book made me smile, laugh, cry and everything inbetween and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good cozy fantasy.

To finish up this review, I’d just like to share my favorite quotes from this book.


“Then why does this have to be the end of it?”

“Because I’m headed down the hill, and you’re headed up it. I’m just glad we chanced to meet on the way.”

I’m honestly not sure if I like this more than Legends & Lattes but I really loved this! Viv was amazing (as usual) and even the first half of the book (before the necromancy plot took off) was so fun and cozy! I read this in an afternoon and anytime I had to do something else, all I could think about was jumping back into this wonderful book. I really hope we can get more soon!

An adorable prequel featuring the Viv we know and love as an impatient youth, a newly sparked love of reading, and the blossoming of a first sweet romance? I was delighted to get a deeper peek into Viv's evolution, and while I hope Travis does someday write his fantasy world Murder She Wrote story, I really enjoyed this book.

There is something about the way that Travis writes and understands characters that is so profound, that makes me feel seen as a person in a way that no other author has ever encapsulated for me. Sometimes the human experience is an orc with chronic back pain, and sometimes the human experience is a rat person with executive dysfunction discovering body doubling for the first time. And that's a beautiful thing.

Anyway I'm off to marry a rat woman and her pet pug-bird hybrid now, read Bookshops & Bonedust, thank you

I love this world a lot, it's so familiar and exciting at the same time. I liked the book as much as Legends & Lattes and would highly recommend it to fans of that story and fantasy in general.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)

I really wasn’t sure if I was ready to enjoy a prequel story, since so much of what I enjoyed about Legends and Lattes was the found family aspect, but Baldree reached the same tone again for this one. I found it a more focused book, instead of being more vibes than plot it’s more plot than vibes. Which isn’t saying the cozy vibes aren’t there; Viv spends most of her days hanging around a bookstore and a cafe, she’s just a younger orc here, and one that’s looking for adventure. There’s a bittersweet feeling to all of it though, because she’s finding a potential family that we already know she isn’t going to stay with. Hopefully some of the characters can show up again in future books!

This was a super cute fun time and loved the bookish moments! I just preferred Legends & Lattes because it was heavier on vibes rather than fantasy plot. Thank you so much to Tor for sending me an ARC for one of my most highly anticipated 2023 releases!

A wonderful return to the cozy fantasy world introduced in Legends & Lattes. I loved learning more about Viv's life before L&L, and meeting the new characters introduced here. Hopefully Travis Baldree continues to write about Viv and her friends!

Wounded in her very first battle as a new recruit for Rackam's Ravens, Viv (our orc friend from Legends & Lattes) is left behind in the seaside village of Murk to recover. Once her leg begins to heal and restlessness kicks in, Viv wanders through the village, stumbling into the local bookshop and creating a bit of chaos. To make amends with the rattkin owner Fern, Viv buys a book and gets caught up in an adventure story. And as Viv continues to mend physically, the friendship she develops with Fern (and a romance with local baker Maylee) begins to heal her emotionally as well, and her relationships with the people of Murk inspire Viv to help them out, especially when danger comes to the town gates.

This cozy prequel to Legends & Lattes gives the reader more background for everyone's favorite orc: how Viv began her adventuring, how she met one of her later companions, and what seeds were planted to lead her eventually to her coffee shop in L&L. Viv's friend Fern struggles to keep her bookshop running but hesitates to make changes, swearing up a storm all the while, and yet she thrives on putting the right book in the right hands. (Fern's gryphet, Potroast, provides plenty of comic relief, too.) There's also Pitts, an orc with an appreciation for poetry, and Satchel, a mysterious homunculus who lives to serve.

The plot has a gentle, meandering feel for portions of the book, which may feel slow to some but relaxing to others -- but it picks up with the introduction of a bit of suspense surrounding the necromancer Varine. It also includes an epilogue connecting it directly back to Legends & Lattes and giving the reader hope for maybe more books in this world (we can hope!).

While the reader, like Viv, might regret having to leave Murk, the time spent there will surely be a comfort to many cozy fantasy readers. 4 stars.

Thank you, Tor and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

This honest, big-hearted orc knows what’s good. Wherever Viv is planted, she blooms.

Sidelined from mercenary work due to a bad injury, Young Viv lands in a coastal town called Murk and proceeds to make it less murky. There’s a bookshop. There’s a bakery. There are dear and charming friends to be made. Except for the hilarious character associated with the bonedust of the title, these characters didn’t charm me quite as much as the characters in LEGENDS & LATTES, but I guarantee that when Baldree brings them to life as a narrator, I will love them just as much. I dare not reveal more for fear of spoiling it for you, and I’m not sure what the publisher will choose to reveal in future descriptions.

I’m a librarian, so. A novel in which a major theme is the power of reading to forge connections between people and fuel self-discovery? Yes please.

What is so satisfying about this novel and Baldree’s smash hit LEGENDS & LATTES? I think it’s just the slow creation of a good life, step by step.

Building things. Making friends. Deepening those friendships and improving the things you’ve built together. I want to hammer in the nails. I want to pick up the paintbrush. I want to eat the scrumptious food in the fine company. My pleasure with Viv’s carefully constructed life grows until I’m as pleased as Ichabod Crane taking stock of the Van Tassel superabundance in THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW (Washington Irving, 1820), as content as Ratty in Mole’s burrow in THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS (Kenneth Grahame, 1908), as secure as if I were AT THE BACK OF THE NORTH WIND (George MacDonald, 1861). I’m Mary Lennox again in THE SECRET GARDEN (Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1911) waiting for Dickon to drop by with some adorable animals.

You get the point. Baldree’s work may be modern and inclusive, but it’s also loaded with old-fashioned sweetness like the work of TJ Klune (see my blog about IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS).

Any threats to this fantasy paradise, when they do creep up in these stories, are even more threatening than they would be otherwise: as a reader, I want to jump into the book, take up arms and defend this sweet little community myself. I’m that invested; the pacing of the plot is that artfully done by Baldree. Will lose myself in the audiobook, and also order the book from one of my favorite independent bookstores to go right next to LEGENDS & LATTES on my bookshelf.

This has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it did NOT disappoint! I was super excited to jump back into the Legends & Lattes universe and was mostly just expecting a fun and cozy romp with some new faces, and I was shocked (in a good way) by the emotional depth of the story (I'm actively crying bittersweet tears at my desk as I write this on my break). The new characters and new setting were all a delight, and it was really interesting to glance into the journey that brought Viv to where we left her in the last book!

I loved 'Legends & Lattes' so I very much enjoyed getting to spend more time in Viv's world. This is a bit heavier on the "fantasy" aspect of the "cozy fantasy" genre; there's certainly more action than I remember from the first book. The softening of Viv and the exploration of her first love was really sweet.

I struggled at first with this one. More so than I did Legends & Lattes. It was a little slower in the beginning. Didn't really get attached to many of the characters. Except for Satchel! I do love Satchel. The part that brought this from a 3.5 to a 4 star rating was the epilogue. That is the story I want. Will we get more Legends & Lattes? I don't know. We will see. If we do I want to see the epilogue of this book to be expanded on.

Still would recommend this. Travis Baldree is a great storyteller

Bookshops & Bonedust is a love letter to booksellers wrapped up in a high fantasy packaging. The recognition of the struggles of indie bookstores everywhere touched me deeply; we could all use a Viv (and Potroast) in our stores to keep us going.

It was a delight to return to this world, and get a glimpse into Viv's adventuring life. To meet Gallina in her early days, and spend time in the little seaside town of Murk. Fern was so incredibly relatable, I saw myself in her in almost every scene she was in.