It is very possible that I love this book more then Legends and that is saying a lot since I loved Legends. I love the settings in these books. They're so well done that it makes you feel like you are there soaking up every bit of it. I think the real gem of this series is the characters. I adore the characters and how well their personalities come through in Baldree's writing. Their development and relationships with each other feels genuine and relatable. I can't wait to see what will be in store for this series.

This was just as delightful to read as the first one. Keep them coming!

Thank you Tor Books for giving me the opportunity to read this.

This was cute but not as good as Legends and Lattes. I just don't think this series needed a sequel to be honest. I liked it but I didn't love it.

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Seems like there is a divide in the fandom-some prefer the debut more than the prequel and others the opposite. I for one definitely enjoyed this one more! I loved the book-related angle. Flew right through it! One of my favorite scenes was when the tavern keeper was asked about washing the same mug over and over.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about a prequel, since I loved Legends & Lattes so much, but this was a really lovely look into Viv's past, into the fierce warrior she used to be (as well as the dumb, impulsive kid of the group), and the epilogue had me WEEPING. If you enjoy Baldree's work, this will surpass all your wildest expectations and leave you wanting more.

I'm going with a 4-star rating as I think if you enjoyed Legends and Lattes, you'll enjoy this book as well. It serves as a prequel novel, following our beloved Orc Viv from an earlier time. She is injured after battle, and has to rest up in a small coastal town. As you can imagine, this town is cozy with its own bookshop, bakery, and local flare. Like it's predecessor, it uses fantasy and cozy mystery tropes to tell a cozy fantasy story. It does involve some necromancy to provide a mystery to solve, but definitely nothing too dark or terrifying. I personally think I can only read these when I am in the mood for something cozy, as it's nothing mind-bending or super surprising. It's more so about enjoying the characters and how they creatively decide to solve common real-life problems, but it's somehow adorable because these high fantasy creatures probably never had to think about how to market old books.

I loved Legends and Lattes and wasn't sure how a prequel would fit into Viv's adventuring past while still being a cozy fantasy, especially with a romance we know can't last, but Bookshops and Bonedust definitely pulls it off. It was nice getting the glimpse back with the other book's characters at the end, but I loved the new characters enough that I never found myself missing the other cast. Highly recommended.

"See you in the story past the story," said Fern.

It's strange for someone with my level of anxiety to be okay with a book that doesn't have that "uh oh" moment. You know, when the worst case scenario has come to fruition, the other shoe has finally dropped, and the bad news just gets worse. And while this book did have its little ups and downs, you don't ever see the other shoe drop.

The second book in the Legends and Lattes series and I liked it more than the first. While it's a prequel to Viv's life as a cafe owner, it did a better job of putting together a fantasy story that satisfies the fantasy nerds and also the cozy vibes you're hoping for. And wow, this book was cozy. It's partly because this book appeals to the readers with Viv working at a small bookstore in a town where she's recovering from a pretty nasty battle. The bookstore was everything you love about bookstores; messy books all over the place, an eccentric bookseller that's hoping to find you the perfect read. There was even a bookstore dog!

And as Viv recovers from her battle wounds and reads these books about epic battles and even more epic romances, you can see Viv change, grow, become someone more than just the battle-hardened orc who is only here for a quick stint before linking up with her crew and resuming her search for a necromancer name Varine. This introduction to Viv is exactly what I needed to understand her motivation to own a cafe in the first book. Why cozy after so many years of battling it out with whatever bounty she came across? Well, the answers are written on these pages and you can't help but to push Viv to live the life that she wants.

The characters were also so great in this one. I mentioned the bookseller and the cute dog (which was actually part dog, part griffin), but there was also the gnome who wanted to join Viv's gang, the skeleton homunculus owned by the necromancer but hoping to be set free, the gate guards, the doctor, the lumberjack. Honestly, it was a plethora of fun characters that really made this world much bigger than it is. I had a hard time keeping track of what each character was, but that's my own personal problem.

I even loved the conflict. As in the case with all cozy-style stories, there has to be some conflict and this one was well put together. Instead of explaining everything right at the front, it was introduced slowly bringing a small amount of mystery to the story that made me happy to see play out. Of course, it's very low stakes so whatever worries you may have about following along or the level of death, rest assured that it'll be enough to get the blood going, but not enough to step away from the book.

And as I read the end of the book with the tunes of The Velvet Underground playing in the background, I had a smile on my face. The courses of Viv's life before she owned the coffee shop punctuated with "O Sweet Nuthin'" felt like the final scene of a movie, where there's nothing but smiling faces that everyone got what they wanted and then some. Maybe some are a little more worse for wear and others walk away without what they truly want, but if that's not a metaphor for life, I don't know what is. It's not a perfect book, but it's perfect enough.

I physically hugged this book many times while reading. Travis Baldree you have done it again <3. I really hope this isn’t the last we see of Viv and friends!

A delightful entry to Baldree's cosy fantasy world. A joy to read about Viv again in her younger years as a merc; would absolutely read more set in this world.

I wrote about this on The Storygraph and on Goodreads and sent links to various social media sites. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6306827470 Really a 3.5

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Cute and quick read! Not as strong as the original Legends & Lattes though. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

Another delightful cosy fantasy from Baldree - I was happy to see that it was a prequel, that it actually felt like a prequel, but that it had the same magic as the first. I may have actually liked it better - Satchel is a favorite, and I felt it was a little less literal than the Pratchett-esque "let's fantasy-reinvent a coffee shop" of the first (which please understand, I did enjoy a lot.)

i loved this one just as much, if not more than, Legends and Lattes. Such a warm cozy read, but with the perfect amount of danger. Truly will read anything Travis Baldree writes!

Bookshops & Bonedust was the perfect cozy fantasy read and a truly beautiful way to bring things together with Legends & Lattes. The book took me on a roller coaster of emotions - it had me laughing and crying. It was so wonderfully written and came together in such a lovely way. Travis Baldree did an amazing job of bringing the two books together. Bookshops & Bonedust is the perfect bridge and is one of the best prequels I've ever read. I would highly recommend the book to anyone looking for a cozy read that will keep you engaged and invested in the characters well after the last page is read.

The prequel to Legends & Lattes. Viv has been injured in battle, and is posted up in the small town of Murk. She befriends Fern, a bookshop owner in desperate need of a rebrand. She also uncovers a new enemy in her midst.

I enjoyed this, but definitely not a much as Legends & Lattes. I listened to this on audiobook, and think the narrator did such a great job in capturing these vibes. I really liked watching Viv find her love for reading in this. I loved the friendships that Viv made during her time in Murk. The side characters are so lovely, and I especially ADORED Fern and Potroast. Fern was so funny, and made me giggle a few times with her foul mouth. Satchel was definitely my favourite character though, he was so much fun. The only complaint I have is the romance, I just didn't care for it in this one and much prefer the romance in Lattes.

I’m so sad that I didn’t enjoy this one. I think having the story told as a prequel removed the stakes for me. The MC felt less developed, since she hadn’t gone through the transformation we see her undergo in book one, and I wasn’t invested in the characters who seemed to be only a temporary blip on our MC’s radar. I’m VERY excited to see future installments and hope the series moves in a forward direction.

Another enjoyable cozy queer fantasy book! While this one didn't grab me as much as Baldree's previous book, it was still sweet, fun, and a nice escape.

2022’s Legends & Lattes made waves by acting as a wormhole for many readers into the wide world of cozy, low-stakes fantasy. In our review, we praised the book, adoring its mellow narrative and simple, heartfelt messages. This year, author Travis Baldree followed his landmark hit with Bookshops & Bonedust, a prequel story emblematic of Baldree’s improvement as a storyteller.

Bookshops & Bonedust follows Viv, the orc coffee shop owner and ex-barbarian of Legends & Lattes fame. In this prequel, we meet Viv when she’s a wide-eyed mercenary, running with a company called Rackam’s Ravens. Viv’s eagerness to prove herself turns painful when an enemy spears her leg and renders her useless. Rackam drops her in the seaside town of Murk to recover, promising he’ll return to fetch her once the Ravens track down and incapacitate the necromancer Varine. Viv explores Murk as her leg recovers, unearthing hidden gems, making new friends, and discovering threatening secrets.

I first want to commend Travis Baldree for this exquisite follow-up. Bookshops & Bonedust inched its way to the “top” of my TBR box (it’s actually the far left), and I felt…trepidation. Legends & Lattes was a charming and delightful book, but its prose was somewhat mechanical. I don’t blame Baldree for this, knowing the book was written for National Novel Writing Month and that it was his first published work. I also remember Legends & Lattes being so low stakes I struggled to remember much of it, instead allowing the story to drift out of my brain like the cartoon scent of a windowsill pie.

Bookshops & Bonedust quelled all of these worries with plenty of panache. Baldree’s writing has drastically improved from good in Legends & Lattes to great in Bookshops & Bonedust. There are still some hiccups, some weirdly repeated words, and awkward turns of phrase. Despite this, I found the book breezy and readable, with a few gems of glowing prose in some segments.

Baldree also gives himself some wiggle room to up the stakes. In the first book, the worst threat to Viv’s well-being was losing her shop. In Bookshops & Bonedust, there’s a distinct (if distant) villain who poses an actual threat to Viv and her comrades. This is by no means the focus of the novel, but it serves a crucial purpose. With the looming threat of the villain on the page, Bookshops & Bonedust has a brisk pace that its predecessor couldn’t achieve. Here for the coziness? Not to worry; Baldree offers it in droves, centering Viv’s exploits on a ramshackle seaside bookshop in need of an upgrade.

I also found Baldree’s character work significantly improved here. Viv develops sweet and unique relationships with the denizens of Murk, including Maylee, a dwarf who laid down her mace and opened a bakery. Then there’s Fern, the foul-mouthed rattkin owner of the bookshop, and Gallina, a feisty gnome who wants Viv to put in a good word with Rackam when he returns.

Viv also gets an upgrade in this novel, with an actual internal conflict to grapple with. She grows attached to her friends in Murk while her impending return to the mercenary life lurks in the back of her mind. She struggles to reconcile her eventual departure with the feelings of those she will leave behind. It’s a touching message that feels unique to Viv and endlessly relatable at once.

Despite my early misgivings (for which I have only myself to blame), Bookshops & Bonedust was a fitting end to a great year of reading for me. It was my final book of 2023, and it felt in many ways like a love letter to readers.