I doubt there’s a single one of you reading this who has not heard of this book. It has to be one of the most popular, widely discussed books on the bookish internet in the past year – not just in the circles who read fantasy books, but amongst everyone. I’m not one for much in the way of fantasy, so I discounted this at first. But after hearing about the 500th rave review of it, I gave in and got it from my library to find out for myself what all the fuss was about. And wow, do I ever get it.
It’s a fantasy book in the sense that it’s set in an unnamed, untimed realm that has a sort of old-timey feel, and it’s full of fantastical beings – two of the main characters are an orc and a succubus. But it’s also just a really lovely, heart-warming, cosy story about someone who is looking for a new start in a new place with people who don’t know who she used to be.
Viv, the main character, is an orc who spent the majority of her life thus far on the road working as a mercenary. She still has her trusty sword and a healthy mistrust of strangers, but she is also holding onto a small ember of hope that there’s more in life, even for someone like her. After discovering coffee in a dwarf town and becoming fascinated by it, she decides to take her savings and set up her own coffee shop in a town that has never even heard of coffee before, let alone an orc who isn’t threatening and who wants to provide comforting warm beverages and delicious snacks.
In order to make her dream a reality, Viv is going to have to break the solitary habit of a lifetime and bring on partners – someone who can help her renovate an old building into a coffee shop, someone who can help her run it, someone with an amazing talent for baked goods, and even a rather large and imposing guard-cat. But Viv (either naturally, through her experience or due to mystical causes) is a great judge of character, and finds exactly the partners she needs. As the book progresses these relationships become the most important part of her whole endeavour, and she learns valuable lessons from them about friendship, trust and human (etc.) nature.
I adored this book. It was a quick and easy read, a lovely cosy experience, but one I imagine I will return to over and over again. It’s got the very best of all worlds and everything I could look for in a cosy book. I loved the characters, I cared about the plot and I was incensed by the antagonists. There was even some LGBTQIA+ romance that didn’t make me roll my eyes. I don’t care if you have never read a fantasy book you liked, if you don’t like coffee, or if you’re not a fan of orcs – you should still read this book, because it’s delightful.
After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.
The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won’t be able to go it alone.
But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed. – Goodreads
Book Title: Legends & Lattes
Author: Travis Baldree
Series: Yes
Edition: Audiobook
Published By: Tor
Released: February 22, 2022
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Cosy
Pages: 296
Date Read: January 30, 2024
Rating: 8/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.16/5 (166,753 ratings)
2 thoughts on “THE SUNDAY REVIEW | LEGENDS & LATTES – TRAVIS BALDREE”