Bookshops and bonedust is my most anticipated book of the year, i was lucky enough to get this book early and have already devoured this book twice. And upon reread realised that this is in my top 5 books of all time.
This prequel is even better than Legends and lattes, Baldrees writing has gotten better since his first debut, with delightful characters, and such a cosy world. I want to work in Fern’s bookshop so badly.
Our favourite Orc Viv gets injured and is made to stay in Murk, a small town, where she finds herself working at the local bookshop, taking her time to recover from a serious injury. I loved seeing this side of viv, the one that longs for adventure, over Legends and Lattes viv who is ready to settle down into a quiet life.
This story adds so much to the original story, with Fern and potroast the Gryphet quickly becoming lifelong favourite characters.
This book has the perfect balance of cosy and excitement, the mystery in this novel contains high stakes that kept the book fast paced and interesting. Every character adds to the overall stakes, and with this added conflict it makes the story even more astounding and fun to read, while being the cosiest book ive ever read.

"Then why does this have to be the end of it?"
"Because I'm headed down the hill, and you're headed up it. I'm just glad we chanced to meet on the way."

This book is a love letter to the reader, for every bibliophile that read this book feels like they are getting a hug from the author. Its all about finding your home, about the right people at the wrong time, and about growth. That some people will impact your life forever in the best way, even if you have to leave them behind.

Endings are not always the ending.

Please please please never stop writing Travis Baldree, you have truly written a masterpiece.


See you in the story past the story.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

2.5 stars.

Viv is injured in battle and deposited in the town of Murk to recover. There she fills her time helping Fern the local bookshop owner and making friends with Maylee, the town’s baker.

I do not see the point of this prequel. I’m gutted to say it because I quite liked the first one but I just didn’t see why we needed this story. In the acknowledgements the author tells us his original idea for what this book would be and I thought that one sounded really interested!

In my opinion this book moved too slowly with too much description. I wasn’t invested in the relationships building between Viv and the townsfolk because I know what happens in legends and lattes. The extracts from books didn’t work because we weren’t given details of those stories. It took me an embarrassingly long time to finish for such a short book.

If L&L was your number 1 book of last year then maybe you’ll love this but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

An absolute pleasure to read! It was lovely to hear more of Viv's adventure in Bookshops & Bonedust, a prequel novel. You by no means have to have read Legends and Lattes, though I strongly recommend you should.

This cozy fantasy had a lovely array of unique characters, a low-stakes mission to save an ailing bookshop and a dash of romance! A truly joyous read.

I really enjoyed this book. I had not read Legends and Lattes but this did not prevent me enjoying finding out about a younger Viv and her adventures in Murk. Having been wounded as part of Rackam’s Ravens she is left in Murk to convalesce. Here she meets Fern, the owner of a second hand bookshop and becomes a reader. Still an adventure beckons with a suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling and a satchel of bones!

A cosy fantasy - a little bit of romance and action!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this very quirky book

now this was a strange read but one that hooked me early on and i cant think how.... there were goblins and other things and a bookshop oh and lets not forget a necromancer....

but this is also a book about hope... for all of them and their dreams though they dont know it yet...

ohh and i loved satchel he was amazing...

Bookshops & Bonedust takes us back to Viv's adventuring days, except she is forced to take a break in a quirky seaside resort.

Whilst the premise for this did feel a little bit contrived, and therefore this does have the vibe of a prequel that was written just for the sake of writing a prequel, if you overlook that and just go along with it, this is a fun and charming story.

It was great to spend more time with Viv and meet the new cast of characters - my particular favourites were bookshop owner, Fern, and Potroast, her pet owl-dog.

I also really liked the little post Legends and Lattes epilogue with Viv and Tandri.

Overall, I think that anyone who enjoyed Legends and Lattes and the surge of cosy fantasy it inspired will also enjoy this!

I was absolutely loving this book!! But it’s just going on for too long and I can’t finish it. I struggled to get to 200 pages despite enjoying it and can’t even force myself to pick it up to read the last 100 pages. It’s great but too long, so I’m officially DNFing now. I normally give all my DNFs a 1 star but as I was enjoying it a lot, just can’t make myself finish it, I’m giving it 2 stars instead.

This was everything that I had hoped for when I heard Travis Baldree was writing a sequel/prequel to Legends and Lattes.
There was such a risk that bringing a new story and new characters into the mix would muddy the waters, or lose some of the charm and warmth from L&L - however, I should not have doubted!

This book is a great way of spending more time with Viv and getting to know a new host of characters, without diluting any of the impact of L&L - it makes complete sense why the plot of B&B wouldn't have been mentioned in L&L, so there isn't any whiplash or dissonance for the reader.

B&B ups the stakes slightly, with an ominous villain lurking through the pages, but the story remains cosy and sweet and fresh.

Loved it, more please!

I enjoyed Viv the orc’s journey from a bloodthirsty warrior to a small town temporary bookshop employee, where she is stuck while recuperating from an injury. I was a fan of the first book in the series, Legends and Lattes, and while Bookshops and Bonedust has a slightly different, less cosy autumnal vibe, it still has many of the ingredients I liked in that first book: funny, interesting characters (and creatures) that build a community; a gentle sense of mystery and intrigue; and a little world that’s a pleasure to spend time in.

Nice entry in the cozy fantasy genre.
I haven't read Legends and Lattes, but I liked this prequel. It probably has a bit more action that L&L, but I was hoping for even a little more. There were long stretches where nothing really happened that I found somewhat boring, probably because, while I liked the characters, they didn't have as much depth as they could have, they were sketched more than explored deeply, and slow books need to have compelling and complex characters for me to get invested. My favourite was Satchel.
A good book, but not my favourite cozy fantasy.

This book was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed learning more about Viv and her backstory. It was very cosy and full of love for books and reading. It was a perfect prequel to Legends & Lattes. I did find the pacing was off, though, and it didn’t engage me a whole lot in parts. Overall, though, I liked it a lot.

I admit it; I haven't read Legends and Lattes. I know; I'm fired from reading books. But as this is a prequel, I thought I'd try it anyway. Surely everything I need would be explained here?

Well, mostly. As the main character was injured and recuperating, she was meeting everyone for the first time, so I didn't have to worry about preexisting relationships. However, some of the creature classes were new to me and I would have liked more description. That's a very tiny complaint, though.

This kind of feels like the book equivalent of those Hallmark movies where the busy big city person ends up in a small town where everyone knows each other and they all help out (but somehow they need the big city person to save something or other). I mean that in the best way; this is a nice, gentle, easy read, which is something we all need occasionally.

I'll be looking out for L&L now, and I recommend this if you're looking for a nice, gentle read. Don't be put off by the fantasy mentions; these are all just people being people.

If you loved the Legends & Lattes, then you are in for a treat!

In a prequel to the first book, the plot follows a younger wounded Viv on her way to recovery and helping to give new life to a worn down bookshop whilst making new friends along the way. The way in which Baldree writes makes for a really easy read and much like the first in the series, Bookshops & Bonedust is the perfect cozy fantasy for this time of year.

I can honestly say I have never wanted to visit a place as much as I have with this small town. All of the characters are very lovable and unique (my favourite might have to be Satchel) each with their own stories to tell.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an arc of this wonderful book in exchange for my honest review.

Bookshops & Bonedust is the hotly anticipated new release from the king of cosy fantasy Travis Baldree and it certainly does not disappoint. If you loved Legends & Lattes you are in for a treat. Set years before the first book, here we meet Viv as a young mercenary, incapacitated on one of her first quests and forced to recuperate in the small village of Murk. While she dreams of returning to her band, Rackam's Ravens, as they hunt down a powerful necromancer, the reality is she is will have to find some other way of passing time until her injuries heal. The last thing she expected was to discover a passion for reading, but with some choice selections from local bookseller Fern she is soon hooked and even finds her horizons broadening. So, that is the bookshop from the title but how the bonedust fits in is a key part of the story and introduces one of my favourite characters, though to say any more would spoil the fun for readers.
This book can absolutely be read as a standalone, but readers who are already familiar with Viv will enjoy seeing this younger version of herself and it does give some insight into how and why she grew into the character that we all loved so much in Legends, and where her love of pastries comes from. Once again there is so much comfort in the reading experience with this book, and the characters soon start to feel like friends. I found that there was more of a plot here, with ever so slightly higher stakes, though since it is a prequel we can be pretty assured that the outcomes will not be too devastating. Reading this book feels like being wrapped up in a soft blanket, in a bubble away from the real world, and that is an experience to treasure.
I read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to Travis Baldree, Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for allowing me to read this for an honest review.

I squealed when I was approved for this ARC, I was obsessed with Legends & Lattes and couldn't wait to hear more of our loveable Viv's story.

This part of story Viv's life has more adventure and mystery to the first book by Travis Baldree. There's more baddies and more fighting; while I was hoping for a more cute and cosy story like L&L I didn't mind how it was balanced out with Viv's new friend who has a bookshop, and new love interest who has a bakery.

For it having some action, and being more plot driven, I do wish the storyline was a little faster paced. Especially as we know from L&L where Viv goes and ends up, it almost takes that suspense away from later in life.

Overall, I loved the read and B&B was a great instalment in this universe!

Viv the orc finds herself recovering from a battle injury in the sleepy seaside town of Murk. In order the pass the time while her wounds heal she pops into a struggling bookshop where she ends up finding more than she bargained for.

Really enjoyed this prequel to the fabulous Legends and Lattes, it’s the ultimate cosy fantasy and perfect for curling up with at this time of year.

This author certainly knows his audience with lots of clever bookish references, plus enough action, humour and even a little romance to keep you thoroughly entertained.

I received a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review

YAASS travis baldee does it again in this prequel to Legends and Lattes, immediately you are sucked back into the cosy story of Orc retirement, witnessing Viv begin her eventual ascent to cafe owner from a nice vacation in a bookish town and the one before Tandri. What is next? Folklore and fetes? Chimaeras and Cul-de-sacs?

Legend & Lattes was kind of a phenomenon last year. It didn’t invent the cosy fantasy genre, but it certainly popularised it to a large group of people. So of course this prequel has garnered a lot of attention and I suppose the main thing you’ll want to know is if it’s as good.

Yes, it is.

Taking place at an earlier point in Viv’s life when she’s laid up recovering from an injury, this novel features a new crew of fantasy creatures, this time centred around the titular bookshop. I won’t spoil how the bonedust comes in. Also baked goods.

The stakes are higher this time which I personally enjoyed, and the character work is more assured. It feels like Travis Baldree is getting into his stride as an author, which is nice to see.

If you like your fantasy with a dollop of romance, this will also serve you - though of course, being a prequel, we already know it will be bittersweet.

Overall, a highly satisfying follow up that’s sure to please fans of the original.

Travis Baldree has a knack for writing the most wholesome and lighthearted fantasy books out there.

I don’t usually love prequels, but after reading Legends and Lattes I knew I would read anything else even remotely related to this series.

The characters, the story, the atmosphere - what’s not to love?

In Bookshops & Bonedust we meet a younger Viv, starting out her career and desperate to prove herself to legendary band of mercenaries Rackam’s Ravens.

Unfortunately, things don’t quite go to plan. While fighting a necromancer’s skeletal army Viv makes a rookie mistake and her leg is wounded. Being of no use on a hunt in her state, the group leave her (against her will, I might add) in the sleepy seaside town of Murk to recover, and so begins Viv’s journey to healing.

She is so far from any action that she worries she’ll never be able to return to it, but after visiting Murk’s struggling secondhand bookshop and its surprisingly foul-mouthed owner, Viv realised that despite her injury she is able to immerse herself in different kinds of adventure - both through books and in life - and that Murk may not be quite as sleepy as it seems…

My thoughts:

Bookshops & Bonedust is not just a prequel to Legends & Lattes but a testament to the power of good friendships and - perhaps more importantly - good bookshops.

I adored Legends & Lattes and all the things I loved about it (The unlikely friendships! The celebrations of little wins! Charming ratkins!) are there in abundance. I didn’t devour this one in the same way as I did with L&L, but it still felt like a warm hug from an old friend. I very much enjoyed getting to know more about an earlier Viv, as well as meeting the new friends she makes along the way, and seeing books used as a form of escape was totally relatable.

Bookshops & Bonedust is the perfect choice for any fellow cosy fantasy fans looking for a low stakes comfort read to curl up with this autumn. The book is out now - a huge thank you to @netgalley and @torbooks for the e_ARC.