Legends & Lattes

Raven reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

Cozy fantasy

5 stars

While I am new to cozy fantasy as a genre, I thoroughly enjoyed my first taste with Legends and Lattes. While I was on edge waiting for action I am so used to getting in fantasy, I was not disappointed when little came. I found myself wanting to try a hand at baking the treats found in the little cafe from Thune. And I am not known for my cooking nor baking skills. I highly recommend for a relaxing read.

mikerickson@bookwyrm.social reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

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2 stars

Maybe it's time to accept that fantasy as a whole just isn't for me. I've tried grimdark fantasy, comedic fantasy, folklore fantasy, and even eastern Wuxia fantasy. Apparently cozy coffeshop fantasy (apologies in advance) isn't my cup of tea neither.

It also feels strange to attempt a review here. I feel like I'm being asked how I liked my sandwich when I was only served a single slice of bread. There just wasn't a lot going on here. Well over half of the front end of this book felt like it could have been a montage and I routinely remember thinking to myself, "okay sis, but we're gonna need a plot at some point..." When an inciting incident threatens to occur however, it's resolved almost immediately, and then we're back to trucking along with vignettes of daily life.

Also feel like I was teased with one aspect; our protagonist, Viv, …

Maybe it's time to accept that fantasy as a whole just isn't for me. I've tried grimdark fantasy, comedic fantasy, folklore fantasy, and even eastern Wuxia fantasy. Apparently cozy coffeshop fantasy (apologies in advance) isn't my cup of tea neither.

It also feels strange to attempt a review here. I feel like I'm being asked how I liked my sandwich when I was only served a single slice of bread. There just wasn't a lot going on here. Well over half of the front end of this book felt like it could have been a montage and I routinely remember thinking to myself, "okay sis, but we're gonna need a plot at some point..." When an inciting incident threatens to occur however, it's resolved almost immediately, and then we're back to trucking along with vignettes of daily life.

Also feel like I was teased with one aspect; our protagonist, Viv, is an experienced adventurer who wants to get out of the life before she winds up dead from it. Routinely we are reminded of her physical prowess and skill as a fighter, but we never see it for ourselves beyond the opening paragraphs of the prologue. I know she was making an active effort not to fall back into her old ways, but it still felt like a Chekhov's Gun that I was waiting to go off and it never did.

I don't feel like I came into this with any unrealistic expectations beyond, "low-stakes DnD-esque mystery with lesbians", which is essentially what's here, but I found it to be a very watered-down version of that. This is the literary equivalent of homeopathy.

Unrelated, and this doesn't impact my overall score, but this is one of those books where the last 20 or 30 pages are an excerpt for the next book in the series, but I didn't know that. So here I was physically holding a good-sized stack of pages thinking I had that much plot to work through, and instead met with an unexpected ending. I hate when books do that.

finktank reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

Cozy, fun story

5 stars

A fun and cozy queer narrative set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, but with a move into non-violence, solving problems through honesty/care, a love story, and so on. Takes place IN a cozy setting and leaves you feeling like you've curled up by the fire in winter. You quickly come to trust that, though there IS tension and danger, you, like the characters, will find ways through that don't toss you back into the violence of traditional D&D problem solving. A fun book, even if you aren't into D&D.

Will reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

Exceeded Expectations

4 stars

Another book I'm reading because of the Hugo nomination. This wasn't quite as much of a "nothing" novel as I was expecting. It has some real heart and a lot of great found family aspects. I did especially appreciate the way the villain was dealt with at the end. This is a very enjoyable book and I look forward to more from Baldree. Like the 4 other nominees I've read this year, this book just doesn't do anything that I feel a "Best Novel" should be doing. I need to write a longer post on that, but the review of the book isn't the place for it.

Rainer reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

Fits the ever-present "cozy" label

4 stars

I liked this book, but I didn't love it like I hoped that I might.

It's definitely worth picking up if you need something that will be a good read, but I wouldn't stock this one on a shelf of "greatest books" or "books that changed my perspective on life"...and not everything needs to go on those shelves, so that's quite alright!

I think my problem coming in to this book is that I was projecting a lot of my hopes for a book that is similar to Becky Chambers' "Monk and Robot" series, which is incredibly cozy and endearing, but also profoundly deep. This one was cozy and endearing, but not particularly deep (although not completely shallow either).

Mela reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

Vorerst mein letztes "Cozy adventure"

4 stars

Der Untertitel "A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes" ist sehr charmant und war mit der Grund zum Buch zu greifen. Der andere war die Hugo-Nominierung. Vom Typ her geht das Buch in Richtung der Bücher "The Magical Bookshop" oder "The House Witch" die ich ebenfalls dieses Jahr gelesen habe. Sie bieten dem Leser ein ziemlich gefahrloses Lesevergnügen.

Gefahrlos und für mich auch ein bisschen langweilig und anstrengend. Am Schlimmsten aus dem Trio der "Cozy"-Fantasystories war für mich "The Magical Bookshop" ... (eine Rezension folgt früher oder später). Dort habe ich nach Buch 1 aufgegeben obwohl ich die Trilogie als günstiges Gesamtpaket erworben hatte. Auch "The House Witch" wird es wohl nicht zu Buch Nr. 2 schaffen. Eventuell gebe ich dem 2. Teil von "Legends and Lattes" "Bookshops & Bonedust" eine Chance ... eventuell auch nicht, weil ich das Thema mit dem "Magical Bookshop" schon mehr als durch habe. …

Der Untertitel "A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes" ist sehr charmant und war mit der Grund zum Buch zu greifen. Der andere war die Hugo-Nominierung. Vom Typ her geht das Buch in Richtung der Bücher "The Magical Bookshop" oder "The House Witch" die ich ebenfalls dieses Jahr gelesen habe. Sie bieten dem Leser ein ziemlich gefahrloses Lesevergnügen.

Gefahrlos und für mich auch ein bisschen langweilig und anstrengend. Am Schlimmsten aus dem Trio der "Cozy"-Fantasystories war für mich "The Magical Bookshop" ... (eine Rezension folgt früher oder später). Dort habe ich nach Buch 1 aufgegeben obwohl ich die Trilogie als günstiges Gesamtpaket erworben hatte. Auch "The House Witch" wird es wohl nicht zu Buch Nr. 2 schaffen. Eventuell gebe ich dem 2. Teil von "Legends and Lattes" "Bookshops & Bonedust" eine Chance ... eventuell auch nicht, weil ich das Thema mit dem "Magical Bookshop" schon mehr als durch habe.

Im Prinzip funktionieren diese "Cozy"-Bücher alle nach einem ähnlichen Strickmuster.

Der Hauptcharakter erfüllt sich einen lange gehegten Traum. Raus aus dem blutigen Abenteurergeschäft oder dem hektischen Alltag einer Analystin und hinein in einen sicheren, gemütlichen, unhektischen Job in einem Buchladen oder einem Coffeeshop.

Warum Einzelhandel oder Gastronomie hier als "gemütlich" verklärt wird, ist mir persönlich unerklärlich und an diesem Punkt bekomme ich schon ein Problem mit meiner "Suspension of Disbelief". Vielleicht habe ich zu oft auf LARPs gekocht, um zu ignorieren, was es für eine Kraftanstrengung bedeutet.

Egal. Im Prinzip verfolgt man also, wie der Hauptcharakter sich seinen Lebenstraum erfüllt und das in jedem quälenden Detail. Von der Suche nach dem richtigen Ort, bis hin ins letzte Fitzelchen der Dekoration. EIn bisschen was darf schief gehen, damit es nicht ganz langweilig wird, aber nicht zu viel. Es soll ja "Cozy" bleiben.

In Legends & Latte geht ein bisschen mehr schief, deswegen ist das Buch ein bisschen interessanter als andere des Genres. Aber so richtig Spannung kommt an keiner Stelle auf, denn das Buch ist komplett vorhersehbar. Und soll es auch sein. Es ist exakt die Art Story, nach der Menschen suchen, die nach "Cozy Adventures" greifen. Ein Genre das in einer Zeit der Krisen durchaus seine Berechtigung hat, von dem man aufgrund seiner Süßlichkeit aber auch schnell zu viel bekommt.

Für mich wird es vorerst das letzte "Cozy Adventure" bleiben und ich brauche jetzt mal etwas Hard Science Fiction oder eine bitterböse Fantasystory als "Gaumenreiniger".

sapphiction reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

I wish I could rate this with hearts instead of stars 💕

5 stars

Can't wait to read the next one

Carolin@buecher.pnpde.social reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

wonderful slice of life

5 stars

I love Thimble so much. ❤️

Kantolope reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

A Cozy Cup of Warmth

5 stars

This is a fantastic January read for when the weather's bad and you're curled up inside. The plot is very slice of life focused, and it's as warm and cozy as the drinks described in the novel itself. Highly reccommend for anyone who feels they need to escape from real life for a couple of hours.

Bryan Redeagle reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

A Fantasy Rom-Com

5 stars

"A novel of high fantasy... and low stakes"

You get exactly as it reads on the tin for this book. It feels to me like a romantic comedy in book form. An orc woman stops adventuring to start a coffee shop. What follows is hi-jinks, suspiciously convenient events, and mostly non-conflicts. Even the worst thing that happens to the main character in the book is not so very terrible in the end.

Unless you are bothered by same-sex relationships, nothing in this book is a game changer for fantasy nor will it challenge your view of the world. Personally, I loved it. It's like a warm cup of coffee in the morning.