Legends & Lattes

A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes , #1

Paperback, 304 pages

English language

Published Nov. 8, 2022 by Tor Books.

ISBN:
978-1-250-88608-8
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Goodreads:
60314494

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4 stars (18 reviews)

Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.

However, her dreams of a fresh start pulling shots instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners and a different kind of resolve.

A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth.

5 editions

Low Stakes Sword & Sorcery? Yes, Please

5 stars

The tagline is "A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes" and then sneakily spends the entire novel showing that when you focus on individuals (including yourself) the little things really do matter.

This was just a fun read. I loved all the main characters, the bits of backstory, the interactions, the bending of coffeehouse stereotypes, and the bits of mystery here and there that never get resolved.

I instantly pre-ordered the next book, and hope this setting spawns many more books. I think this would many an excellent multi-author world, each telling low stakes stories, and would love to see that happen.

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

Dungeons and Dragons and Coffee: what's not to like about this story?

4 stars

A lovely tale of an orc woman who, in the prelude, does one last adventure and, with the treasure she obtained, now goes to lead a totally different life: running a coffee shop in a city that has no idea what coffee is.

With the aid of people she discovers as she sets up shop and runs it, her business grows and expands. But it attracts the wrong kind of attention from a local group of extortionists and from a former acquaintance who also has his eye on her treasure. Against them, she only has the new people she has met and some former members of her adventuring group. When a major crisis happens, she has no choice but to re-evaluate what is important to her and to decide what she wants to do with her life and who she wants to live the life with.

A light, entertaining fantasy …

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

A Nice Change of Pace

5 stars

This book is a very refreshing change of pace in the fantasy genre, just as advertised. It is well written and has a lot of nifty nods to modern culture but couched in setting-appropriate ways. The phrase "Technology, when sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from magic" comes to mind when thinking of how the gnomes, being technical savants of their time, could make versions of the various coffee-making apparatuses that are commonplace to us today. The "magic" of sufficiently advanced technology relative to the time period and setting in which the story is told makes it easy to accept.

The characters are all interesting in various ways, well thought out, and easy to identify with. There are one or two mysteries left unexplained by the end, although not major plot points, which leaves just enough desire for the next tale in the series without being a cliffhanger. This book is (hopefully) …

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

As description: light froth

5 stars

If you are in the mood for incredibly low-stakes and predictable cozy fantasy, this absolutely ticks all the boxes. The few twists are so trope-y they aren't even twists. I'm absolutely sure if this was set in the real world I would find it immeasurably dull.

A Tim Horton's French Vanilla of a book: cloyingly sweet.

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.

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.

avatar for Tak@reading.taks.garden

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Julia@bookwyrm.social

rated it

1 star