Legends & Lattes

For me, this was like cotton candy. Airy, uncomplicated, and uniformly sugary. Do I normally prefer more nuanced desserts with varied textures and contrasting bitterness? Absolutely. But sometimes I want some cotton candy at the fair, and it's sticky-sweet and short-lived, but enjoyable enough in its own way.

Other 3-star reviews cover my feelings pretty well. I'm not upset that I read this - it was charming if insubstantial. I would certainly be interested in a different take on the same setup, where the characters were more fully drawn, and the protagonist had to learn, unlearn, and/or use various skills that got her out of her comfort zone as a warrior.

Legend & Lattes by Travis Bladree is a fantasy story wrapped in a warm hug with a side of scones and a perfectly creamy dark roast latte. Travis Baldree, the famous audio narrator, has offered a gift to the reading world with an un-schmaltzy story that even the hardest of grimdark readers can get behind.

“it was like drinking the feeling of being peaceful. Being peaceful in your mind. Well, not if you have too much, then it's something else.”

The story follows Viv, an Orc, as she leaves her bloodstained warrior days behind her. She came to a moment where she knew she would never find happiness in her current profession. Plus, there was that magical cup of wonder she had at that gnomish city a while ago. It was time for her to set down the sword, pick up the dish towel, and hopefully find some peace.

She finds a city that is not too large, not too small but is a perfect size. She finds a property in disrepair and goes to work. Firstly, no one but her knows what coffee is. They drink tea here, for shame. Secondly, she has no staff; thirdly, her “coffee house” is a horse stable. She is going to need some help.

And I think that is the point, she no longer has to do everything alone; she can make relationships and does. Great ones. Viv stumbles here and there, but her friends help her get through the worst things using their best skills. I like that Bladree shows that people can change and can grow.

While this is a hopeful fantasy, hope punk, if you will, there is still conflict. This slight conflict kept the story from going too sticky-sweet. Instead, the variance of the story helped balance out the elements. Travis Baldree knew what to do to make the story balance out.

If you enjoy cozy stories that warm even the coldest and deadest of hearts, read Legend & Lattes. Use it as a refresher between bouts of Mark Lawrence or Joe Abercrombie. Sometimes the world is not as heartless as we think and a warm, perfectly made cup of coffee is all it takes to make everything all better.

Pages ‘n Pines Grading Scale:

5 - Amazing
4 - Really liked it
3 - Liked it
2 - Okay
1 - Didn't like

What a warm read! The perfect book for my first read of autumn. A blend of loveable characters, low stakes, slice of life moments, and a dash of LGBTQIA+ romance, this story was as sweet as a cinnamon roll and as warm as a fresh latte.

This one was nice and slow, taking time to get to know the habits of a character before introducing another. Every character seemed to fall into place, which ironically, is kinda what the story was going for. By the end of the book, I found each character likeable and many felt like old familiar faces I'd known for some time.

I appreciate that the romance was a very slow burn and not made the focus of the latter half of the novel. If anything, the actual “romance” is really only hinted at, eluded to.

For such a slow, low stakes story, I was very surprised by the climax! It was shockingly far paced and oddly tense/gut wrenching, no doubt thanks to the bonds you develop with all the characters throughout.

Overall, a very nice and cozy read, perfect for fall as I said in the beginning. If you like slice of life books/anime, DnD, or even just stories with happy endings, do yourself a favor and give this one a read.

Viv is an Orc who is tired of fighting and just wants to open a coffee shop in Thune. First she has to convince everyone that they will love it. She makes friends with a succubus and finds a baker and her shop is off to success but some do not want her to succeed.

This is a strange sort of book that is hard to characterize it is sci-fi but not heavily. More of a cozy feel to it. No terrible mystery involved either. But it was an enjoyable read nonetheless. Perfect for a day you just want something feel good.

This book is just delightful. An orc warrior is tired of swinging her huge sword (it's hard on the back) and decides instead to open a shop selling burnt-bean water, something gnomes call coffee.

Yes this is a tale of a coffee shop being invented, bit by bit in a fantasy world. It is told with warmth, humour and a cast of adorable, yet interesting characters - each one a misfit in their own way, yet each bringing something to the team.

There is a serious moral woven through the story, though it was just there - part of the characters being themselves - never preachy.

A lovely, warm and funny book. I very much look forward to future tales from this author.

i think this book is the perfect example for a cozy fantasy book. it really delivers on everything that you would want from that kind of book

as a dnd nerd i if course loved the world but i think it is still good for someone who has never even heard of dnd. the book has its own universe, magic, creatures and lore. i absolutely enjoyed the combination of classic fantasy with more modern concepts, it worked so well and doesnt break the immersion at all. just a lovely world that feels real even if the reader only gets to see a small portion of it.

the characters were also all so lovely and interesting. this is the aspect that makes or breaks a cozy fantasy book in my opinion. if the reader doesnt like the characters then they wont want to bother reading about their slice of life adventures. i adore viv and having her as the protagonist brought me many moments of joy but also strong sympathy. i think many people will be able to relate to viv and her story, i sure did! everyone else was also great, i was excited about every new character that was introduced - and boy oh boy when those found family vibes start showing up it just made me emotional. you can just feel all of the love and care that was put into this book!!

i highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and wants to see what a hero might be up to after they stopped their adventuring lifestyle.

Came down my Library hold and wasn't sure what to expect but it had been on the goodreads fantasy awards so i had placed it in my queue. Well it was a very pleasant surprise., especially from a new author. It is a very simple tale, and coming off the heels of reading Becky Chalmers, I enjoyed the fundamentally positive tale

I decided to try this because it seemed popular and inoffensive, although it's not ideally suited to me because I don't drink coffee!

It makes pleasant light reading. It's a very simple story similar to children's fiction, although not about children. The story might normally make a novella, but it's filled out into a short novel by including all the details of building and setting up and running a coffee shop, as it might be handled in a computer game on the subject.

The coffee shop is made a bit more interesting by being placed in a typical fantasy setting, so that most of the main characters are non-human, and there are some magical effects.

I think the book is somewhat overrated by other readers, but at least it does make pleasant reading, so I'll try another one in the series.

Do you want to annoy your DM by sidequesting your D&D party into creating a coffee shop using vaguely medieval methods? This is the book for you. Otherwise, I'd skip it. There's no real tension, the characters are basic cut-outs, and the writing is just fine. It made me miss Terry Pratchett because it's a very Discworld concept (the super modern thing in a high fantasy world), but if Sir Terry wrote it, it would also be a witty but scathing indictment of colonialism. This is just a side quest that for some reason lasts over 200 pages.