Legends & Lattes
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4.4 • 235 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
"Even nonfantasy listeners will enjoy hanging out at the intersection of coffeehouse culture and Dungeons & Dragons, and hope that Baldree fails to shake his new writing habit." - The Seattle Times
This program is read by the author.
The much-beloved BookTok sensation, Travis Baldree's Legends & Lattes is novel of high fantasy and low stakes.
Come take a load off at Viv's cafe, the first & only coffee shop in Thune. Grand opening!
Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv, the orc barbarian, cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.
However, her dreams of a fresh start filling mugs instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners, and a different kind of resolve.
A hot cup of fantasy, slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth.
A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.
Customer Reviews
Purrrfect
That review title will make more sense later. This book felt… well… drinking a cup of coffee while reading a book in a nook by a window on a cold day. I’m not going to say anything of the plot because books are better when read blind, especially this kind of book. And, well, you’ve already read all the other reviews so I’ll just say this. I’m not sure whether Travis is a better writer or a voice for audio books… but he’s great at both.
I was enjoying this book until…
I realized that (at the 48% mark of the audiobook) that Tandri is a coward and a moron. She’s clearly projecting her own fear of herself onto the MC, and belittling Viv in the process. Other than showing up for a job advertisement, and some drawing skills, she doesn’t actually bring anything to the story, or the shop.
Viv is a fully fleshed out character with agency, who spent her life putting together the resources pursue her passion and to start this shop.
Viv tracked down a legend, found the truth of it, found the right place to apply it, and did the labor to literally build it from the ground up.
And, frankly, it’s just sad that the author couldn’t come up with a better conflict for the Viv than to harness her with a “best friend” (air quotes highly emphasized) who serves as a foil to prevent Viv from using her hard earned skills, intentionally undermines the independent character she’s presented as from the first moment, and literally serves as a reason why Viv can’t fight because “the algebra of the fight has changed.”
This so-called “supportive friend” advises Viv to just give up, pay the protection fee, and put up with being abused.
Why would Viv listen to this person she’s known for a few days over the friends she’s known for years? It just undermines all the work that had gone into presenting Viv as a strong independent female Orc.
The slice of life story is great. The hook is incredibly satisfying. The main character, Viv, is fantastic: creative, willing to take help when unsure, and kind to those around her.
And that’s all great for 48% of the book, but I’m not going to stick around to watch such a well-crafted character get undermined by her “friend.”
A Great Read
My new favorite book! Friendships, coffee, cats, and growth!