Legends & Lattes

A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes

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 (39 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.

11 editions

reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Cozy fantasy

5 stars

While I am new to cozy fantasy as a genre, I thoroughly enjoyed my first taste with Legends and Lattes. While I was on edge waiting for action I am so used to getting in fantasy, I was not disappointed when little came. I found myself wanting to try a hand at baking the treats found in the little cafe from Thune. And I am not known for my cooking nor baking skills. I highly recommend for a relaxing read.

Review of 'Legends & Lattes' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

This was an absolute delight to read. It's super cozy and sweet, and the cast of characters is so diverse that you'll find yourself loving them all for different reasons. I wish it was longer, because I'd love love love to read about the further calm adventures of these lovable folks, but I also think it's just as long as it needs to be to tell the story it tells.  

Needing an ‘extra shot’ to get beyond an OK–good

4 stars

I came to this book knowing that it is described as ‘cosy fantasy’ and they’d be few surprises. I didn’t know what cosy fantasy is but do now. Here, we have light-hearted, but not sexual, romance embedded in a fun slice of life story about Viv, an orc, opening a café (complete with a cook to make cinnamon buns and biscotti) perhaps, or perhaps not, with a little magical help. The other characters comprise those enlisted to help in the cafe endeavour, as well as a few rogues and the members of DnD-style adventurers’ troupe that Viv previously belonged to. The trouble is there’s just not much here world- or character-building wise, and the book itself is very short. The only person we really learn anything about is Viv, and apart from a few references to height and strength, she might as well be human. One to enjoy on a …

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

Fits the ever-present "cozy" label

4 stars

I liked this book, but I didn't love it like I hoped that I might.

It's definitely worth picking up if you need something that will be a good read, but I wouldn't stock this one on a shelf of "greatest books" or "books that changed my perspective on life"...and not everything needs to go on those shelves, so that's quite alright!

I think my problem coming in to this book is that I was projecting a lot of my hopes for a book that is similar to Becky Chambers' "Monk and Robot" series, which is incredibly cozy and endearing, but also profoundly deep. This one was cozy and endearing, but not particularly deep (although not completely shallow either).

Vorerst mein letztes "Cozy adventure"

4 stars

Der Untertitel "A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes" ist sehr charmant und war mit der Grund zum Buch zu greifen. Der andere war die Hugo-Nominierung. Vom Typ her geht das Buch in Richtung der Bücher "The Magical Bookshop" oder "The House Witch" die ich ebenfalls dieses Jahr gelesen habe. Sie bieten dem Leser ein ziemlich gefahrloses Lesevergnügen.

Gefahrlos und für mich auch ein bisschen langweilig und anstrengend. Am Schlimmsten aus dem Trio der "Cozy"-Fantasystories war für mich "The Magical Bookshop" ... (eine Rezension folgt früher oder später). Dort habe ich nach Buch 1 aufgegeben obwohl ich die Trilogie als günstiges Gesamtpaket erworben hatte. Auch "The House Witch" wird es wohl nicht zu Buch Nr. 2 schaffen. Eventuell gebe ich dem 2. Teil von "Legends and Lattes" "Bookshops & Bonedust" eine Chance ... eventuell auch nicht, weil ich das Thema mit dem "Magical Bookshop" schon mehr als durch habe. …

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 …

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) …

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.

Review of 'Legends & Lattes' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

4.5
o inicio foi bastante lento, pero logo volveuse unha historia super amena, cunha ambientación cozy e personaxes carismáticos. todo o que ocorre a partir do 80% fíxome volver crer na humanidade. definitivamente un confort book, entregoume un escapismo que nin era consciente que necesitaba.
nótase que o autor traballou en videoxogos, porque a estrutura e o estilo da escrita son moi propios do medio.

só un apunte: teño algúns mini problemas co mundo, pero iso ten máis que ver coas fantasías medievais tipo D&D que con este libro en específico.

quick and comforting

5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this. There's just enough tension/conflict to keep me engaged, but not so much that I felt stressed for the character. It read really fast; I finished it in an evening. I appreciated how smartly Baldree wove in the world-building so that environment felt enormous without long exposition - this is my favorite way an author gives me setting. I can't say I really felt the romance angle, but this was a minor distraction. Some of the characters are so well done, that I found myself wanting to do fan art. This is rare for me, and I think a fairly high indicator of how lovable they were. (looking at you, Thimble)

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