Bookshops & Bonedust
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4.6 • 108 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
An Instant #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Indie Bestseller
A Barnes & Noble Best Fantasy Book of 2023
An Amazon Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of 2023
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.
“Take a break from epic battles and saving the world. This is a low-stakes fantasy that delivers exactly what's advertised: a wholesome, cozy novel that feels like a warm hug. This is my new comfort read.”—Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart, on Legends & Lattes
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In this prequel to Travis Baldree’s breakout cozy fantasy debut Legends & Lattes, a wounded orc makes new friends while recuperating in a small beach town. Viv is a young, rash orc who charged too far ahead when battling a necromancer’s army and got herself stabbed in the leg for her trouble. Left to heal in a tiny coastal town, lonely and desperately bored Viv builds a friendship with a failing local bookstore’s owner, as well as a tentative romance with the flirtatious town baker. She absolutely intends to rejoin her crew once she’s healed, but what will happen to the town then, especially if necromancer Varine the Pale returns? This sweetly snuggly book is perfect for sword-and-sorcery fans seeking a warmer, fuzzier form of escapism.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Baldree's cozy standalone sequel to Legends & Lattes shows that even a battle-hungry orc can find happiness in life's simple pleasures. Orc Viv devotes herself to the mercenary team she works with, Rackam's Ravens. While hunting a powerful necromancer, she's gravely injured in battle and is forced to stay in a nearby small town to recuperate. The quaint village of Murk is initially far too quiet for her—until, while exploring, Viv stumbles upon a run-down bookshop overseen by a loud, foulmouthed rattkin (a mix of a human and a rat) named Fern. Fern grew up in the bookshop and hasn't noticed how dilapidated it's become, but does have a gift for matching books and customers. After Fern picks the perfect book for Viv, she falls in love with it and the bookshop—and possibly Fern as well. She offers to help make the shop more presentable, finding unexpected contentment and purpose in doing handiwork. The peace doesn't last, however; the necromancer's reach extends into the town after the discovery of a mysterious body and a satchel full of bones. The innocent joy of Viv and Fern's love is delightful and Baldree's formula of placing low-stakes stories in high-fantasy settings remains good fun. Series fans will eat this up.
Customer Reviews
Sooooo gooood!
Another remarkable, cozy story with lovable characters, I just couldn’t put down. Sad it’s over, I just want to be emerged in the world of Val and her adventures. I hope for more but if not, I can see myself rereading bother Bookshop & Bonedust, and Legends & Lattes <3
Up
Still a Wonderful Bit of Fluff
This review was first published on Kurt's Frontier.
Synopsis:
Years before Legends & Lattes, a young orc named Viv has started her career as a mercenary with Rackam’s Ravens. She ends up packed off to a sleepy beach town called Murk to recover from wounds received at the hands of a powerful necromancer’s minions. Recovering from her injuries, Viv is bored. After stumbling into a bookstore, a ratkin bookstore owner befriends Viv.
But her adventures are not just waiting in books. A gray stranger heralds the necromancer returning, looking for what belongs to her.
Review:
After enjoying Legends & Lattes, I decided to pick up the prequel novel. Did it live up to Legends & Lattes? After all, trying to take a successful story and spin a sequel (prequel, in this case) is difficult. Travis Baldree keeps his gift with interpersonal relationships and unlikely characters doing unlikely occupations. However, it doesn’t quite live up to Legend’s and Lattes. I cannot fault the conflict resolution. The author did the final conflict very well. However, it repeats a pattern of reading and repairs, bogging the story down. In this instance, the cozy nature of the story gets a bit stale.
It is still a fun read and “a wonderful bit of fluff.”
Heartwarming Novel in the World of Legends & Lattes
“Bookshops & Bonedust” is the 2023 second novel by Travis Baldree, who is better known in literary circles as a full-time audiobook narrator. It’s a classic alternative world fantasy that takes place in the same world as his groundbreaking “Legends & Lattes.” It has all the trappings of a fantasy novel with swords, magic, orcs, gnomes, and many other fantasy races. However, it is a very different and refreshing novel within this genre. Like his first novel, it’s a warm and cozy read.
The main character of this novel is an adventurer, a female orc known as Viv. She has been injured in battle with a necromancer’s legions, and has come to the small town of Murk to heal.
She finds a bookshop run by a rat-kin known as Fern, who has an adorable gryphlet called Potroast. Fern introduces her to the worlds to be found between the covers of books, which helps Viv during her convalescence. In return, Viv helps her new friend fix up the bookshop, which she inherited from her father. She soon meets a gnome who wants to become an adventurer, and a dwarven baker who used to be one.
There are obstacles to be overcome, and issues both internal and external that must be dealt with. But with the help of her new friends, Viv deals with these challenges. This is a heartwarming book, that draws you into a very different fantasy where the world doesn’t need to be saved, or the dark lord defeated. It tells the story of Viv and her friends coming together to create a special place for themselves and the people of Murk. It’s a great story!
This is a tale set in the world of “Legends & Lattes” but before the events of that book. So, technically it’s a prequel. However, it seems completely free-standing, and could be read without having read the previously published novel. I highly recommend both books.