Blurb:

When an injury throws a young, battle-hungry orc off her chosen path, she may find that what we need isn't always what we seek.

Set in the world of New York Times bestselling Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree's Bookshops & Bonedust takes us on a journey of high fantasy, first loves, and secondhand books.

Viv's career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam's Ravens isn't going as planned.

Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she's packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk―so far from the action that she worries she'll never be able to return to it.

What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?

Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn't possibly imagine.

Still, adventure isn't all that far away. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.

Review:

I read Legends & Lattes over a year ago. Since Brigands and Breadknives was just announced, I didn’t think twice before diving into this much anticipated prequel. 

Another reason to read this one was because I had a very busy week, and wanted a cozy companion alongside me. That begs the question— is Bookshops & Bonedust as good as Legends & Lattes? Better? A worthy prequel?

NOTE: This review contains spoilers. 

What I liked:

I’ll start by saying that I have a softer corner for bookshops than I do for cafes. Which meant I was all the more excited to read this one.  

Like Legends & Lattes, Baldree’s immersion into this fantasy bookshop setting was as cozy as expected. From Viv’s first interaction with Fern and the Thistleburr Bookshop, to her gradual falling in love with the stories that she reads while recuperating, to her helping Fern fix up her shop, everything unfurled in a familiarly cozy manner. Almost made me want to start my own bookshop, or help a friend to run theirs. As someone who’s haunted bookstores since he was ten, there was a lot of aesthetic and nostalgic elements in Bookshops & Bonedust to offer a warm, comforting experience.  

Baldree has employed a lot of bold choices in this prequel, and I really appreciate how he didn’t fall back into a formulaic approach. Bookshops & Bonedust—for all its coziness and comfort—is very different from Legends & Lattes. Where Legends & Lattes reads like those casual management games, Bookshops & Bonedust reads more like a lazy summer vacation novel. Viv is incapacitated after a job, and has to spend weeks recuperating in Murk. Naturally, she finds her way into the world of books, which begins a domino effect that eventually leads her to establish Legends & Lattes (the coffee shop). From how she acquired Blackblood, to the first seeds of her wanting to give up her mercenary life, to even her first taste of running her own business, Bookshops & Bonedust is a beautiful prequel that answers a lot of questions that may have arisen in your read of the legendary first book. Yet, reading Legends & Lattes isn’t mandatory to enjoy the prequel. In fact, going into the prequel without any expectations might even offer you more enjoyment.

Another thing that I found interesting is the “bonedust” part of the novel. SPOILERS: 

Bookshops & Bonedust doesn’t deliver a cozy fantasy with low stakes. If anything, the stakes are quite high. There’s a necromancer on the loose, one that commands an army of wights. With this looming threat in the background, it’s hard to just sit back and relax with a book, no? However, the way Baldree spins this narrative thread and makes it fit perfectly with the bookshop aesthetic is truly impressive. While Viv is recuperating, spending her time reflecting on her life choices, Varine the Pale too is just looking for her ‘time’, which she wants to spend in better ways. I’ll admit, I wasn’t a fan of the Varine plot, up until the end, where things fell into place and the plot concluded with catharsis.  

All in all, Bookshops & Bonedust is quite the enjoyable read. Very different from its predecessor, but cozy nonetheless. 

What I didn’t like:

I will start by saying that a lot of these complaints are, in retrospect, a symptom of my expectations. I expected a certain kind of book, and was disappointed to an extent for not receiving it. With that in mind, let’s continue…

If I’m being honest, the opening itself made me take a step back. The opening felt a little too slow to me, compared to the previous entry. It took me much longer to feel lost in this world. 

Secondly, the book isn’t as simple and direct as Legends & Lattes. In fact, Viv’s engagement with the bookshop doesn’t come with intent so much as random chance. Her love for reading felt passive and second-hand. As comforting as it was to read about Viv’s slow falling in love with stories, it didn’t quite stir the emotions in me like the coffee shop setting. Adding to that, the excerpts of the books she read didn’t appeal to me the way the food descriptions did, which there are ample of in this one as well. Also, the main success of the Bookshop is Fern’s, not Viv’s; she’s just aiding this newfound friend in salvaging a dreamlike business. Maybe that minor disconnect further added to my diminished enjoyment of this prequel.

Also, there seemed to be a little more focus on alternate plots, which distracted me from the main Bookshop story. I didn’t really care for Rackam’s Ravens, or Highlark, or even the Perch. Gallina and Maylee were fun additions, but the Grey Man and Varine plot did more to diminish the coziness, something I did not anticipate.

Let me be clear, this is in no way a bad book. In fact, the book is a really good example of cozy fantasy. It just doesn’t hold a candle to the awesome Legends & Lattes, which has a special place in my heart. I read that one during a difficult time as well, and it almost magically uplifted my mood. Bookshops & Bonedust almost did it, but not quite the same. 

Conclusion:

Bookshops & Bonedust is an enjoyable prequel to the iconic Legends & Lattes. Despite a few bold choices that make it quite different from its predecessor, this one is sure to scratch your cozy itch.