Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Author: Travis Baldree
Publisher: Tor Books
Publish Date: November 8, 2022
If you haven't been living under a rock this past year, I'm sure you've heard of Legends & Lattes or at least the genre "cozy fantasy." Legends & Lattes is largely accredited to kickstarting this genre of high fantasy novels with low stakes when it was originally self-published earlier this year. It takes everything you love about high fantasy - the creatures, world-building, getting away from the limitations of the real world - and brings the slice of life aspect to create a cozy little novel that's a great palate cleanser.
I tend to not do a lot of fantasy because while I enjoy all of the above, it wears me out almost and I need a break from all of the heavy stuff that comes along with learning an entirely new made up world. That is why I was so intrigued with Legends & Lattes, and I had to accept when the publisher offered to send me a copy.
Legends & Lattes is slow - it's not meant to be fast, it wants to be this slow, easy pace. And the conflict is pretty mundane stuff, which is why I fell in love with it so much. Viv, an orc barbarian/ex-warrior, decides to leave the life of fighting and move to a completely new town to set up a coffee shop (in a place that has never heard of coffee). Sounds great, right? The first bit of the novel revolves around Viv setting up shop and getting everything needed for a coffee shop. This may be a weird analogy for some but it's like starting a new video game and you have to gather all of your supplies from every random shop in town. You see a lot of the local life and just get immersed in the atmosphere.
The real winner of Legends & Lattes is not the slow build; it's the characters. I have never fallen in love with a wacky group of characters so quickly. Seeing Viv navigate how to handle problems without her trusty sword is inspiring. She's not my favorite character though nor does that spot lie with Tandri, the artistic barista Viv hires to help her run the shop. My favorite character is Thimble, the rattkin baker who barely spoke and loved lattes. Thimble is the reason I kept reading. Don't get me wrong, the book is great, but I could not wait to see Thimble's next appearance. I would do anything for Thimble. I also loved the secondary characters. Cal has a special place in my heart and Pendry was the sweetest. Viv's interactions with them just made my heart melt.
I will say there is only a little romance in this. Don't go in expecting a lot because you will just be disappointed. It is barely there, and I do wish it was expanded on a bit more.
Legends & Lattes is atmospheric. You sort of fall into the world of Thune and Viv's coffee shop (aptly named Legends & Lattes ha!). Everything melts away and you are just a customer at Viv's shop listening to Pendry's music, drinking an iced latte, and eating a cinnamon role. Reading Legends & Lattes is like receiving the warmest, coziest hug on a wintry day. I found myself getting lost in this world. When I wasn't reading and had to run errands or something, I was thinking about this book. This will definitely live on my shelves for many years to come.
I highly recommend you read Legends & Lattes. There's a lot of hype around it currently, but you might just find you're next favorite read. I know I did. And I'm already making progress on my Winter TBR - go me!
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