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jesshudzik's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I listened to the Audiobook book of this, read by the author, and it was excellent. The book was a cozy read, although it did get tense at times and there was a prolonged scene w a fire, so check the CW. There was plenty if mystery and just enough adventure to keep things interesting while still being a relaxing read.
The MC has had enough of adventuring and quite literally hangs up her sword in the interest of opening a coffee shop in a new town. She quickly needs to make friends with some locals to help make her dream a reality and somw friendships blossom into more.
There is a wide variety of characters of lots of different fantasy races and many offer nods to the existence of real world racism as the characters all kind of acknowledge having dealt with prejudice in their pasts.
The characters all form heartwarming bonds, sometimes where you least expect it, and the MC finds there is more to life than adventuring and coffee.
And there is a giant cat!
The MC has had enough of adventuring and quite literally hangs up her sword in the interest of opening a coffee shop in a new town. She quickly needs to make friends with some locals to help make her dream a reality and somw friendships blossom into more.
There is a wide variety of characters of lots of different fantasy races and many offer nods to the existence of real world racism as the characters all kind of acknowledge having dealt with prejudice in their pasts.
The characters all form heartwarming bonds, sometimes where you least expect it, and the MC finds there is more to life than adventuring and coffee.
And there is a giant cat!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Gore, and Violence
rachelpacz's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Blood and Alcohol
litpagesgetturnt's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A welcoming cast of characters in a cosy setting. A perfect weekend read I found easy to escape into.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing and Fire/Fire injury
pumpkinmallow89's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing
barbarianmissy's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Ouch, this was TOO CUTE! I loved it, it was like a warm, dungeons-and-dragons-coded hug.
Cozy fantasy is a genre I can really get into.
Cozy fantasy is a genre I can really get into.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
abbey_marie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I really liked this book once I got into it. As the book jacket says, “High Fantasy, Low Stakes.” It fits that description perfectly and is an incredibly cozy, relaxing read and perfect for fall!
Things I Loved:
- The Food! Cinnamon rolls, coffee, chocolate - this book has all the cozy deliciousness with detailed descriptions that will make your mouth water. I’m not lying when I say that I am now craving a cinnamon roll as big as my head! (And I would LOVE to have a real Legends and Lattes somewhere to go get one!) I also loved that no one had ever heard of them before, because that was just charming and added a bit more magic to the story and the detailed food descriptions.
- The Characters! I loved how Viv was a strong female lead, Tandri too, and the diverse cast of characters that created a community around Viv as her cafe grew and thrived. Val and Thimble were perfect! Thimble especially with his soft-spoken demeanor and baking genius! Not joking - Baldree should totally make a stuffy of him because all the members of my book club would probably buy it lol.
- Slice of Life! This book is perfect for those readers who love slice of life novels. This goes relatively day-by-day and is slow-medium paced, picking up more in the middle. I’ll admit that at first it took me a while to get into it, but once I did it was a cozy book I really wanted to return to at the end of the day under a cozy blanket with a warm bevvie in hand!
- The Setting! Thune was so cozy! It feels almost like a rural, medieval-like Scottish or Irish village, but in a fantasy setting. I really enjoyed the descriptive writing style used by Baldree and the way it drew you into the story. I think it added an extra layer of warmth and coziness to the story.
- Queer Rep! 🏳️🌈 Just love the love story and how it unfolded. I honestly wasn’t expecting it at first and then really grew to love it as a smaller side plot. And the ending! 🥹🥹🥹 IYKYK
Things I Liked:
- The Fantasy. I’m not a high-fantasy reader, so this genre kind of caught me off guard in some ways since I didn’t really know what to expect going into it. I wasn’t familiar with many of the different types of characters (and am still not super well schooled on them now lol), but this book made me like high fantasy and want to learn more about it. I usually shy away from the genre because I don’t know a lot about it and it seems complicated, but this was a great introduction.
Things I Didn’t Like:
-This book is made to be low stakes, so I understand that, but I do feel like the main conflict with the Madrigal was resolved too quickly. I almost wish there had been more tension there and the conflict with Fennus had been cut, even though it did add to the story. I actually loved how the community rallied around Viv after that, but I still feel like the main conflict arc could have been developed more and the tension could have been held onto more before coming to a resolution.
- The beast killing scene at the beginning was a little too gory for me. Maybe it was expectations—I went into the book thinking it would be super cozy and start super cozy, after Viv had gotten the Scalvert’s Stone, and it kind of caught me off guard. I’m not big on gory fight scenes, so it just felt misplaced for me and I honestly skimmed it. (Had to come back to it later obviously lol, since I didn’t know some names.)
-I wish we saw more of the seemingly magical, time-traveling dwarf! My book club said this too and I totally agree, I would have loved to see more of the little guy because I feel like there’s a story there!
Overall, this was an awesome book! I would totally recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy readmaybe minus the slightly gory prologue lol or a relaxing book perfect for fall! Definitely for a lover of cinnamon rolls! 🧡🍁☕️ (Also, why is there no cinnamon roll emoji?! Someone needs to get on that!)
Things I Loved:
- The Food! Cinnamon rolls, coffee, chocolate - this book has all the cozy deliciousness with detailed descriptions that will make your mouth water. I’m not lying when I say that I am now craving a cinnamon roll as big as my head! (And I would LOVE to have a real Legends and Lattes somewhere to go get one!) I also loved that no one had ever heard of them before, because that was just charming and added a bit more magic to the story and the detailed food descriptions.
- The Characters! I loved how Viv was a strong female lead, Tandri too, and the diverse cast of characters that created a community around Viv as her cafe grew and thrived. Val and Thimble were perfect! Thimble especially with his soft-spoken demeanor and baking genius! Not joking - Baldree should totally make a stuffy of him because all the members of my book club would probably buy it lol.
- Slice of Life! This book is perfect for those readers who love slice of life novels. This goes relatively day-by-day and is slow-medium paced, picking up more in the middle. I’ll admit that at first it took me a while to get into it, but once I did it was a cozy book I really wanted to return to at the end of the day under a cozy blanket with a warm bevvie in hand!
- The Setting! Thune was so cozy! It feels almost like a rural, medieval-like Scottish or Irish village, but in a fantasy setting. I really enjoyed the descriptive writing style used by Baldree and the way it drew you into the story. I think it added an extra layer of warmth and coziness to the story.
- Queer Rep! 🏳️🌈 Just love the love story and how it unfolded. I honestly wasn’t expecting it at first and then really grew to love it as a smaller side plot. And the ending! 🥹🥹🥹 IYKYK
Things I Liked:
- The Fantasy. I’m not a high-fantasy reader, so this genre kind of caught me off guard in some ways since I didn’t really know what to expect going into it. I wasn’t familiar with many of the different types of characters (and am still not super well schooled on them now lol), but this book made me like high fantasy and want to learn more about it. I usually shy away from the genre because I don’t know a lot about it and it seems complicated, but this was a great introduction.
Things I Didn’t Like:
-
-
-
Overall, this was an awesome book! I would totally recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy read
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
deadly_kitten777's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
It's defiantly worth a read but seriously did not live up to the hype, the plot was messy and kind of all over the place and the characters felt rather flat and hard to relate to along with having a lot of humour mixed into the plot that wasn't my favourite like when they solve the mafia problem by giving them baked goods or perhaps I just didn't understand it fully, the coffee also felt a lot like cultural appropriation
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Gore
erikagibson126's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Cursing
readwithria's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Legends & Lattes is the epitome of cozy fantasy.
As a D&D lover, and a fantasy lover, this book ticked so many boxes for me. The found family was amazing, both in terms of Viv’s adventuring party and her new coffee shop family. I also really loved how much care was in this book, and how everyone in the community that Viv built had a perfectly shaped place for themselves.
I definitely have a soft spot for Thimble, but all of the characters are lovely! This is definitely a book where the ensemble shines, and they all add something to the story.
I will definitely be reading more from Travis Baldree, and also listening to more of his narration. I’d highly recommend the audiobook, he is incredible! 4 stars
As a D&D lover, and a fantasy lover, this book ticked so many boxes for me. The found family was amazing, both in terms of Viv’s adventuring party and her new coffee shop family. I also really loved how much care was in this book, and how everyone in the community that Viv built had a perfectly shaped place for themselves.
I definitely have a soft spot for Thimble, but all of the characters are lovely! This is definitely a book where the ensemble shines, and they all add something to the story.
I will definitely be reading more from Travis Baldree, and also listening to more of his narration. I’d highly recommend the audiobook, he is incredible! 4 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Cursing, Racism, and Sexual harassment
lucyatoz's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
"High Fantasy. Low Stakes. Good Company."
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree is such a cosy fantasy novel that you could almost fall asleep to it! Almost...
Viv, a battle-hardened Orc, is giving up life with her crew, laying her sword Blackblood down, to opening a coffee shop in Thune, where no one has ever heard of the hot drink. She soon finds friends in hob carpenter Cal, succubus Tandri, who creates decorative signage, and ratkin Thimble, who is a master baker! However, her last battle with the Scalvert Queen, has one of her former crew plotting revenge as she tries to build her new life...
I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on Spotify. It is narrated by the author, which I enjoyed. I read this for prompt 2, Bibliosmia: a smelly book, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree is such a cosy fantasy novel that you could almost fall asleep to it! Almost...
Viv, a battle-hardened Orc, is giving up life with her crew, laying her sword Blackblood down, to opening a coffee shop in Thune, where no one has ever heard of the hot drink. She soon finds friends in hob carpenter Cal, succubus Tandri, who creates decorative signage, and ratkin Thimble, who is a master baker! However, her last battle with the Scalvert Queen, has one of her former crew plotting revenge as she tries to build her new life...
I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on Spotify. It is narrated by the author, which I enjoyed. I read this for prompt 2, Bibliosmia: a smelly book, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing