Thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
I truly enjoyed Baldree’s first book, Legends & Lattes, and I think he’s made another wonderful cozy fantasy for everyone who loved Viv’s story in the original. Bookshops & Bonedust is a prequel rather than a sequel, so we get to see Viv before she settled down in Thune.
Viv is young and eager to prove herself to the group of mercenaries she’s just joined, but during a battle with a powerful necromancer’s wraiths, she’s wounded and has to be left in Murk, a quiet seaside town, to recuperate. Viv worries her group will never come back for her. To distract herself, she decides to explore and surprisingly makes some new friends, but she quickly learns the sleepy town of Murk might be more exciting than she expected when a mysterious stranger shows up and starts causing trouble.
I’m a fan of high-stakes fantasy and horror stories, but sometimes it’s nice to read something light and fun. Bookshops & Bonedust certainly meets that criteria while also keeping your attention. I don’t think there was one character I didn’t like, including the main villain of the story. The book also manages to have that same comfortable feeling as Legends & Lattes while still having some unsettling moments to keep the reader on their toes. On the other hand, there were a couple of moments that dragged for me, where I would have liked to see a little more action. That being said, Baldree is excellent at world-building. He makes everything about his fantasy land seem completely natural. ( )

A lovely follow-up to Legends & Lattes! ( )

Cute LGBTQ story
I did not read all the way through
Lost interest in the romance. ( )

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree. A prequel to Legends & Lattes, this story follows the life of Viv at the beginning of her sword slinging days. After making some rash decisions leads to her being left behind by her company to recuperate in a small and sleepy town, Viv meets new characters and begins to form attachments with the locals. This creates an internal war when she knows she'll be leaving them behind once her company returns. As with Legends & Lattes, this book is best described as cozy and heart warming. There is a slow burning mystery to solve with stakes even higher than before. Highly recommend for any fantasy lover who wants a quick and light-hearted read. 5/5 stars. ( )

Saw Legends & Lattes in the bookstore a few months back and knew I'd want to try it one day. Decided to get it yesterday, but, hmmm, not available now. But here's the prequel. Bought and started to read. A day-and-a-half to finish and didn't read anything else (odd for me). A light fun read with good emotional underpinning. Highly recommend for anyone who likes light fantasy.—Paul ( )