Week 31 Review: Bookshops & Bonedust

From Goodreads:

When an injury throws a young, battle-hungry orc off her chosen path, she may find that what we need isn't always what we seek.

In Bookshops & Bonedust, a prequel to Legends & Lattes, New York Times bestselling author Travis Baldree takes us on a journey of high fantasy, first loves, and second-hand books.

Viv's career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam's Ravens isn't going as planned.

Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she's packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk—so far from the action that she worries she'll never be able to return to it.

What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?

Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn't possibly imagine.

Still, adventure isn't all that far away. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.

My Review:
This was a really fantastic read! I really enjoyed Legends & Lattes, so I was looking forward to another low stakes fantasy novel, and that's exactly what I got, when Viv was pretty new to the mercenary gig, but got injured, and was just hanging out in this town until she healed, and the band swung back around.

It's a bit bittersweet, honestly. Because this is set before Legends & Lattes, I'm fairly certain none of these characters that we meet just in this book were mentioned there. And Viv really had collected a great group of found family around her, and it's sad that in the space between this book and that one, they probably weren't anymore. 

The fact that Viv gets caught up into reading like she does in this book was just adorable. To be given books that were tailored to her interests, and progressively brought her out of her comfort zone of fighting, was just really great! 

And oh, the plot with the bonedust, that was really entertaining as well! That this threat and mystery, all tied up together, while Viv is trying to heal, while she's also connecting with all of these town shop keepers with such vibrant personalities, yeah, it was all a delight to read! 

This was a fantastic read, and if we get more books set in this world, I'll definitely read them! 

Author: Travis Baldree
Series: Legends & Lattes #0
Read: August 1st, 2023
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love his writing and this world and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2023 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Expected Publication: November 7th 2023

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars