This was so lovely and charming. If you liked Legends and Lattes, then this is a must. I actually liked it a bit more I think, because it's got more action than L&L, so I guess it depends on what you're looking for, although it has made me want a L&L reread! It's still got a lot of peaceful downtime though and lovely descriptions of baked goods, reading interesting books (I actually want to read some of the books Viv did) and renovating a shop, a small community, found family, definitely very cosy and lovely. Hopefully there will be more, either prequels or sequels would be great!

This is a great prequel to Legends & Lattes. Another cozy fantasy with characters you don’t want to leave behind and a story you don’t want to put down!

This book had me very relaxed whilst also engaged in the story and intrigued by the mystery. I loved the sleepy seaside village and the friendships Viv develops with the locals while recovering and finding ways to pass time in Murk. It was very much a cozy fantasy and I couldn't wait to get home each day to read more! Would highly recommend this book, it has everything a good story should have; some action and adventure, strong and diverse characters, locations made interesting with rich detail, a mystery to be solved, and personal growth of the main character. I also really loved just reading about Viv in the bookshop and picturing it in it's original state then transformed with Viv's help. Great book, would read it again.

LOVED THE AUDIOBOOK! #
the narration makes this book so much better and cosier for reading!
I also prefer this book to the first one, can tell the writer has matured in his craft. The storyline and the characters feel a lot more complex in this prequel and the ending made me go aawwww

Yes 👏 Yes 👏 Yes 👏

If you loved Legends & Lattes you will double love Bookshops & Bonedust.

I mean. It has books, for a start.

And there’s more has mouth-watering baked goods - dwarven baked goods to be precise. There’s also a foul mouth rattkin, a feisty gnome, a nasty as heck necromancer and a walking, talking (sweeping and sorting) humunculous. And of course, everyone’s favourite Orc, Viv.

This is another super cozy, high-fantasy, low-stakes masterpiece from Travis Baldree. The bookish vibes are strong with this one.

I felt like the plot was an exciting insight into Viv’s earlier life before she opens her coffee shop in Thune.

After being injured on the hunt for a powerful necromancer, Viv is shipped-off and cooped up in a remote seaside town called Murk to recover. Viv was never going to be able to just sit quiet whilst she regains her strength and heals!

The epilogue was the piece de resistance for me! It tied things up and wrapped them in a neat little bow - and… perhaps… was it setting us up for book three? I for one hope so!

Huge thanks to Tor Books, Travis Baldree and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

For a first journey into the world of High Fantasy I really quite enjoyed this.

At first I struggled with trying to visualise chapters but later, once a picture of each character had formed, I found it much easier to get into the storyline. The descriptive writing really helped with this too.

I love that there are a lot of strong female roles in this story with each playing their own part. After a great deal of build up I was a little underwhelmed by Viv's encounter with Varine the Pale though. I think I was personally expecting a lot more exciting battle scenes.

That aside, I will likely read Legends and Lattes as well, it didn't take away from the enjoyment too much.

Bookshops and Bonedust is a wonderful prequel to Legends and Lattes, the brilliant, cosy fantasy novel written by Travis Baldree. The story takes place when Viv is much younger and slap bang in the middle of the, often violent, lifestyle she said goodbye to at the beginning of L & L.


During the book there are a couple of familiar faces and a plethora of new ones. Set in a sleepy, coastal town with a bookshop, a bakery and a cosy inn, Bookshops... is another dose of the warm hug that Legends prescribed and a very welcome hug it is too.


There are some elements of violence, just like the first, but most of the story dives back into friendships, tasty baked goods, and a lot of love.


Some of the new characters are fantastic and, without wanting to divulge too much, I would die on my sword for Satchel.


Bookshops and Bonedust will have many fans, of that I have no doubt, and I do hope we get to hear more tales. Thanks to Tor Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So satisfying, simultaneously wanting to read it to completion whilst wanting it to last forever.
An absolutely perfect book for practicing escapism, I could happily visit this world on a regular basis. I’m hoping that the author find something another story to tell soon. He’s a master storyteller and weaves a wonderful narrative of high fantasy and low stakes.
Satchel was my absolute favourite character, with Potroast coming in a close second.

I've heard great things about Legends and Lattes, but haven't yet gotten to it on my TBR. When I saw this was a prequel to that book, I thought it would be a great opportunity to dive into the 'verse and introduce myself.

The attention Travis Balder has received over the last year is well deserved - this was a wonderful slice of cosy fantasy. In my reviews I often pick out and pay close attention to world building, and that's because it's often such an integral part of a book - particularly a fantasy book - to me. I need the world to feel real and whole, and Bookshops and Bonedust completely manages that - I could so clearly visualise Murk and I wanted to be wandering the shops myself.

The characters feel whole and fleshed out, with complex personalities and backstories - and I love the inclusion of races beyond the usual fantasy norm. My only downside is that certain parts left me feeling unfulfilled - and I suspect that is on purpose, but I did really want more from some of the relationships - the ending felt almost a little sudden.

Overall, a lovely comforting read, and I will definitely be turning to L&L soon.

Bookshops & Bonedust
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was lucky enough to get my hands on this as an arc, so thank you so much Pan Macmillan.

I don’t know how he does it, but Travis is truly able to transport you into a cosy, fantasy world like no other. I loved legends and lattes and this one was honestly, just as good.

It’s so innocent, so wholesome and made me feel like I was wrapped in a big, fluffy blanket. The characters are so endearing, the writing is easy, but still so well done and I couldn’t get enough of the ‘found family’ vibes within this little book.
It was so nice to get to know Viv and go along on her adventures before she set up her coffee shop and I felt it really added depth to her as a character.

This was so enjoyable and, as always I feel so happy and warm when I finish one of Travis’ books. Let’s hope for another!

I absolutely adored Legends and Lattes, so I was equal parts excited and anxious about Bookshops and Bonedust - a second book by a favourite author is always nerve wracking! But there was absolutely no need because B&B was everything I could have wanted!

There was an adorable (foul mouthed) sidekick! There was a tiny griffin! Slow burn romance! A tiny little bookshop! I mean, what more could you ask for?

If you’re looking for another low stakes cosy fantasy, definitely pick up Bookshops and Bonedust. It’s a hug in a book; a cosy blanket on a cold day. Simply perfect.

I enjoyed this a lot, it is cosy and relaxed, but it has a very interesting plot behind it with a very evil and powerful villain. 
In this one, Viv is younger and full of confidence and eager for adventures and fights, but she finds herself injured and stuck in a small town with nothing to do. 
We can see here how her good hand with business had nothing to do with magic in legends and lattes and all to do with her.  
We see how Galina and her meet and also meet some new old friends very varied, from a quite different kind of ratkin from what we are used to, a funny pet and a very formal skeleton, and of course a new love interested. 
Great read, with the same ingredients that make legends and lattes a favourite. And I can say that maybe I even liked this one a little bit more?? 
And the epilogue was perfection

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy.

I've had this on preorder for so long as the book looks so stunning. I am so grateful to receive the early copy.

I really enjoyed Legends and Lattes so I knew this would be great too. It did not disappoint. It's like a warm cosy hug, perfect for this time of year.

The characters are great and the writing is brilliant.

4.5 stars.

Loved, loved, loved this book!!
If you loved Legends and Lattes, you will also love this one. This is definitely a cosy fantasy for book lovers! Included the same tropes that we saw in the first book - cosy vibes, found family, sapphic romance, magic, and adventure!

I loved the bookshop element of this story and Viv's journey into discovering reading and falling in love with reading.
This was just perfect and I read it in one sitting.

Such an enjoyable cosy fantasy, with some amazing and loveable characters. Each character within this book was full of life and had such depth to them. The plot was interesting, and well written. I could have read 100 more pages of this story for sure!

I was provided with an advanced reader and audio copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The audio copy is narrated by the author who does a fantastic job making each characters voice distinctive and unique. Listening to it while reading really brought the story to life for me.

Viv is a fantastic character and it's good that we get to see her grow as a person as she falls in love with the written word. It was fantastic that excerpts from whatever story Viv was currently reading we the reader got a glimpse of it too. Loved that


To be honest all the characters are absolutely brilliant and well thought through. I loved each and every moment spent with Viv and the rest of them in Murk.

And of course along with wonderful and memorable characters we also had a well crafted story that kept me wanting to see what happened next. What more could a reader possibly ask for. Pure fun and heartfelt down to the very last word.

4.5* rounded up

Thank you to Tor Books and Netgalley for providing a DRC of "Bookshops & Bonedust" (Released November 2023) in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

I finished this prequel to Legends & Lattes with a very happy smile and a satisfied sigh. I loved it for all the ways that it was similar to L&L and also for all the ways it isn't.

This prequel introduces us to a young Viv, an Orc at the start of her career still trying to find her place in the world. After an injury in battle she ends up in Murk feeling lost and restless and over the course of her convalescence ends up making a found family, indulging in a summer sapphic romance and of course seeking to save the day.

For those who felt frustrated at the true cosiness of L&L and felt it lacked stakes and action, then this instalment should be far more satisfactory. Yes it cosy fantasy but there is definitely more action on offer (related to the Bonedust) and definitely ongoing suspense.

At the same time though the heart of what made L&L so wonderful is present here. Viv meanders into finding new friends, a love interest and a project (the Bookshop of the title). I loved Fern, the foul mouthed rattkin owner of the bookshop, a sharp contrast to Thimble and his pastries and here delectable baking is still woven throughout with Viv's dwarf lover, Maylee, providing the delicacies.

For me I wish there had been a little more cosiness though. I loved the reading interludes and its relation to the story but part of what won my love in L&L was the focus on the growth of the coffee shop and its inhabitants. The situation here, though a really fun and interesting set up, is the focus and so feels much more at the forefront of the story meaning sometimes the development of the found family and the Viv/Maylee relationship is left in the background.

Despite that I still loved this book. It's completely charming, fun and heart-warming in so many ways. It was wonderful to get Viv back and to see her in action in her younger days. I don't know if we're getting any more stories from this world, I hope we do but in the meantime I'll treasure these two books as my go to reads for when I need to smile and just outright enjoy what is a truly lovely duo that should be treasured.

The prequel to the enormously successful 'Legends & Lattes' sees Viv, our erstwhile orc, back in her adventuring mercenary days, beginning her journey of growth and acceptance with a new found family in a bookshop. Baldree provides the same effusive warmth here that he did in Legends, focusing on the power of connections and stories to help people heal, change, and grow..

The peculiar thing with prequels is knowing where our hero ends up, and while certain lovely relationships and dynamics must conclude by book's end to move Viv forward, lending a touch of melancholy to an otherwise sweet story, there is at least some resolution in a lovely epilogue that ties together both novels.

Bookshops and Bonedust is a wonderful prequel to one of the biggest, brightest books of 2022, and while it never hits those same wholesome highs (for me), it's still an incredibly well-crafted, well-written story about found families and the power of books to change a life. A true delight of a book. Now let's get new, current-timeline stories with Viv and all the characters please!

I absolutely love Viv the orc.
Was so excited to get another book about this character and it did not disappoint.
There was a little bit more plot to this one which I really enjoyed. Just fabulous to get an insight into Viv’s life pre- Legends and Lattes.

I loved Coffee and Legends. It was such a perfect cosy fantasy perfect for a found family trope fans, so I was looking forward to this prequel. If you’re looking for a cosy read that’s low stake, you will not be disappointed. But is it as good as C&L? I personally don’t think so. I think it’s because this is prequel, so I knew what happens to VIve in the end. That alone takes away excitement unfortunately. But I still enjoyed this as a cosy autumn read and I finished in two day!😃

3,5-4 ⭐️