First watched this review when it was released and it caused me to put me off reading this book, despite my love for Legends and Lattes. Since then I’ve seen more positive reviews and decided to give it ago. Just finished it and awarding it five stars. Bookshops and Bonedust maintained the charm of the first book and I enjoyed the setting, characters and plot. If you enjoyed Legends and Lattes, I recommend giving Bookshops and Bonedust a chance as it might just delight you as it did me.
I honestly completely disagree with you on this. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I’d almost say I liked it more than the first. Very excited for more from Travis Baldree
I actually really enjoyed Bookshops & Bonedust, but I also really enjoyed your review. After listening to it, I can understand your point of view.This one was not as cozy as Legends & Lattes. I did enjoy Fern and the bookshop. I actually would love to hear a story from Fern's POV.
Shoulda just been about another main character. I didn't read the extra chapter/ epilogue of legends and lattes because I wasn't interested in Viv's past, so I wasn't really excited about this book. L&L sounded like something I would love since I really like slice of life. Unfortunately, it was just ok.
Yeah I didn't want to read it because lots of the compliments other people gave it are turn aways for me. "Cozy" = boring and "slice of life" = lazy character development with no struggle that has any stakes. Just my opinion tho :)
@@DaveMustaineMaybe Yeah cozy is boring but I think slice of life is great if done correctly. That just wasn’t the case for this story. So I agree lol.
It’s weird how often I find myself feeling the same about a book as you do, Matt. All of your points are true for me as well and, most of all, I found myself zoning out of the plot. I wondered why that is, since it’s not hard to follow and the writting and narration is basically the same as in Legends and Lattes. I think it mostly has to do with the lack of motivation and the fact that the stakes were neither low nor high. Almost as if Baldree couldn’t decide on how high the stakes should be. All in all, I enjoyed the first book Legends and Lattes very much, even I gave it 5/5. I think the answer is that cozy fantasy works best when the main character drives the plot the entire time. The issue here was that Viv was aimlessly swept up in everyone else’s whirlpool without a direction of her own, which can work with an epic fantasy setting that’s several books long, but not here. 3/5 from me because I liked Satchel.
Your review matches up perfectly with my thoughts on this book. I was very hesitant going in because of it being a prequel, and your issues hit the nail on the head.
You actually can read Bookshops & Bonedust first. It's what I did, because I didn't realise it was released after L&Ls. I actually found the experience to be better and LOVED B&B, it felt like it enriched L&Ls for me. I also enjoyed the plot of B&B more, which I think again has a lot to do with having read it first.
I couldn’t disagree more . Bookshops and bonedust is an amazing follow up to legends and lattes. I can almost say I even like it better. The relationships are just as heartwarming. The setting is fantastic. The antagonist is great. The representation is fantastic. I gave it 5 out of 5 for sure. Couldn’t put it down .
Right in agreement with you on all points, really enjoyed Legends and Lattes but everything fell flat about this prequel. He should've written a new character for this book, and I hope he considers that in the future, Viv's story is told in its entirety in my mind.
I almost bought this because I like going to bookstores .I didn’t know it’s was a prequel.I’m not much for prequels..the first book was good because it had a unique setting in fantasy ..so thank you for your review .love watching reviews on this channel and helps make a list of good books to get
Sorry you didn’t enjoy this one. Thanks for the heads up. I really enjoyed Legends and Lattes, and will likely read this one, but it helps to have your perspective on it.
I actually disagree with you. I really liked B&B, more so than L&L (which I also really liked). I work in a small bookstore in northern Denmark and so many of the scenes were so relatable
Not surprised. Legends & Lattes was cutesy but not interesting at all. Theres a reason the good slice of life stories have more going on than just slice of life. Its boring.
Hey Matt, I also read Discworld books as palet cleansers. They are just perfect for that. I also don't see how I would ever get through the series otherwise. Also, thanks for always being honest. I'm still going to read Bookshops & Bonedust, despite your review, haha. With all the other heavy reads on my TBR, I can always use more palet cleansers :) Thanks!
I never read the first one when I heard that it was lgbt. Nothing against lgbt, it's just not my thing. I've read a ton of books with gay characters without issue, but im just not into that stuff. I'm glad books exist that they can relate with, but I'll stick to reading the books i relate with. I love Travis Baldree as a narrator, but i highly doubt ill ever read his books. To be clear, i have nothing against the lgbt or books being made that appeal to them.
Just finished this book, and yea, I didn't care for it, so I tried to look for any similar opinions (how I found this video) L&L was a simple/straight-forward plot centric story, where every chapter was in service of that central goal of establishing that business (with the few section not focused on that being the weakest parts of the book, like some of the rom between Viv/Tandri). The characters were simple as well, leaning towards one-dimensional, but that is fine as they are also in service of the plot. The writing style/prose was simple/easy to read as well. What this meant was that at the start of each chapter, you had a clear direction as to where it was going to go, as it pulled you through to the next chapter. All of this contributed towards its "cozy" reputation. I liked L&L for what is was (palette cleanser), but there really isn't much to it. As a Fantasy Slice-of-Life though, it didn't really do much of anything with its Fantasy setting. With Fantasy SoL, the appeal usually comes from how people go about living in said fantasy world, and how the fantasy aspects affect that. With L&L, it mostly just uses its Fantasy setting for plot convenience. The "make a book within a month" thing makes sense, as it kind of feels like the type of book that could be written quickly. Whereas with B&B feels like an unfocused mess with its different plot threads, and the pacing is worse for it. It doesn't help that, tonally, the Varine plotline undermines/contradicts the tone of the Bookshop plot. It meant that in order to realize/not undermine one, the other would suffer. Which meant that the whole Varine plot didn't get the climax it needed. It feels as though it starts off wanting to be more character-centric around Viv and the others, what with how Viv goes about meeting everyone in town and how the story introduces them. The problem with that goes back to what I said about the characters earlier. Viv isn't a bad character, but she isn't a good enough one to really care about or to carry the story. It was probably written with the fact that you are likely inclined to have investment in her character from L&L. But the investment there comes more from the events, rather than Viv herself. You are invested in her by proxy. Most of Viv's backstory (How she met some characters or How she got her sword) didn't matter, as that simply wasn't important in the first place. Maylee is written in service of her role to be a rom subplot for Viv, and the relationship is sort of flat and uninteresting. The problems with writing characters like that is character interaction likely aren't going to be as dynamic/interesting. Its attempt as being "cutesy" come across as vapid, with some repetitive word choices occasionally dragging it down. Plus, the fact that this is a prequel heavily undermines any interest in their relationship. It could potentially be interesting, if it served more to explore the depths of each character... but that would require more focus on that alone. This relationship was one of the worst parts of the book, with a special mention for how it was introduced roughly halfway into the book, and had like, 3 chapters dedicated to establishing it, taking away attention from the other plots, thus dragging the pacing hard. Fern is sort of the biggest issue, as she starts off with a good first impression and a nice initial premise. The reader is initially inclined to sympathize and want better for her because of the state of her business. Her introduction does a good job establishing her. Viv breaking things as she enters, justifies Fern's "angry" response and shows off her cussing in a natural and comedic way. Unfortunately, her cussing trait seems like a lazy, occasionally inorganic means of writing dialogue... or even a means to get *around* writing it. The first impression made me think I would like her, but the between her dialogue and the split focus on different plots/characters, I wound up finding her annoying and dislike her most of the time :/ Viv learning to like reading is a neat idea, as it gives you the excuse to write some potentially interesting short stories and use them as means of framing/connecting to the main plot. But this starts to drag, as anytime it showed up, it felt like I was expected to stop and read some different story before I was allowed to get back to what I was already reading. It doesn't help that I don't think this concept gets pushed far enough in this book... again, focus is all over the place, and consistently stripped away investment with this book. The best things I can say about it is that some of the ideas are interesting, even if not well handled on the whole, and it does a bit more with its "fantasy" premise. Side note: After reading it, the "Afterthoughts" section makes sense of the problems with the book. The writing process was a mess and it sort of shows in the structure of this one.
Agree with everything you said, this book was so bad I could not finish it. He almost defined the genre of cozy then this which is just a disaster. I think he tried to expand the simple cozy that people wanted and he doesn't have the skill.
I havent read legends and lattes yet! A bit disappointing to hear your didn't like it, But the good news for me is that I will try to read this prequel FIRST and then legends and lattes perhaps that way I end on a high note!!!
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First watched this review when it was released and it caused me to put me off reading this book, despite my love for Legends and Lattes. Since then I’ve seen more positive reviews and decided to give it ago. Just finished it and awarding it five stars. Bookshops and Bonedust maintained the charm of the first book and I enjoyed the setting, characters and plot. If you enjoyed Legends and Lattes, I recommend giving Bookshops and Bonedust a chance as it might just delight you as it did me.
I honestly completely disagree with you on this. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I’d almost say I liked it more than the first. Very excited for more from Travis Baldree
I actually really enjoyed Bookshops & Bonedust, but I also really enjoyed your review. After listening to it, I can understand your point of view.This one was not as cozy as Legends & Lattes. I did enjoy Fern and the bookshop. I actually would love to hear a story from Fern's POV.
Unpopular opinion : The first one was just about average for me :) , so not quite surprised.
Shoulda just been about another main character. I didn't read the extra chapter/ epilogue of legends and lattes because I wasn't interested in Viv's past, so I wasn't really excited about this book.
L&L sounded like something I would love since I really like slice of life. Unfortunately, it was just ok.
Legends and Lattes did not need a prequel or any other installments at all. That first book was so overhyped for no reason imo
It was extremely boring
Yeah I didn't want to read it because lots of the compliments other people gave it are turn aways for me. "Cozy" = boring and "slice of life" = lazy character development with no struggle that has any stakes. Just my opinion tho :)
@@DaveMustaineMaybe Yeah cozy is boring but I think slice of life is great if done correctly. That just wasn’t the case for this story. So I agree lol.
But the Consoomers can relate to Coffee snobbery and lol-so-random “fun” mishaps.
It was so bad. Way over hyped. Made me angry.
It’s weird how often I find myself feeling the same about a book as you do, Matt. All of your points are true for me as well and, most of all, I found myself zoning out of the plot. I wondered why that is, since it’s not hard to follow and the writting and narration is basically the same as in Legends and Lattes. I think it mostly has to do with the lack of motivation and the fact that the stakes were neither low nor high. Almost as if Baldree couldn’t decide on how high the stakes should be. All in all, I enjoyed the first book Legends and Lattes very much, even I gave it 5/5. I think the answer is that cozy fantasy works best when the main character drives the plot the entire time. The issue here was that Viv was aimlessly swept up in everyone else’s whirlpool without a direction of her own, which can work with an epic fantasy setting that’s several books long, but not here. 3/5 from me because I liked Satchel.
It’s called glazing.
Your review matches up perfectly with my thoughts on this book. I was very hesitant going in because of it being a prequel, and your issues hit the nail on the head.
Oh God…… if the first one was such a dud (in my opinion), this one might actually kill me. Thanks for saving me, Matt! 😅
lol
@justjuanreader I love Travis as a narrator but I couldn’t be bothered to check out the first book. The concept just didn’t interest me.
You actually can read Bookshops & Bonedust first. It's what I did, because I didn't realise it was released after L&Ls. I actually found the experience to be better and LOVED B&B, it felt like it enriched L&Ls for me. I also enjoyed the plot of B&B more, which I think again has a lot to do with having read it first.
I couldn’t disagree more . Bookshops and bonedust is an amazing follow up to legends and lattes. I can almost say I even like it better. The relationships are just as heartwarming. The setting is fantastic. The antagonist is great. The representation is fantastic. I gave it 5 out of 5 for sure. Couldn’t put it down .
I didn’t like Legends and Lattes. So I won’t be reading this.
I agree, this review is exactly how I feel to a T.
That's what I was afraid of, which is why I didn't put on my TBR list. L&L was cute as a standalone and that should have been that.
Thanks for your sacrifice Matt, I'll be cancelling my library hold for this one, you saved me a few hours of my life 🙌
Right in agreement with you on all points, really enjoyed Legends and Lattes but everything fell flat about this prequel. He should've written a new character for this book, and I hope he considers that in the future, Viv's story is told in its entirety in my mind.
I suspected this could happen. Maybe I will check out the audiobook if I have a spare credit.
I almost bought this because I like going to bookstores .I didn’t know it’s was a prequel.I’m not much for prequels..the first book was good because it had a unique setting in fantasy ..so thank you for your review .love watching reviews on this channel and helps make a list of good books to get
If I want to feel cozy about reading books, I’ll read books. 😅
Travis Baldree sounds like it’s just not for me.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy this one. Thanks for the heads up. I really enjoyed Legends and Lattes, and will likely read this one, but it helps to have your perspective on it.
I actually disagree with you. I really liked B&B, more so than L&L (which I also really liked). I work in a small bookstore in northern Denmark and so many of the scenes were so relatable
i can't even finish it.
Thanks for always being honest!!! Even when it's hard! It's partially why we love the channel!
Not surprising!
oh that's disappointing. After all the buzz on L&L
maybe it carries on with the "soggy second" book trend in trilogies?
For the live of me I don't get the appeal of those books.
Not surprised. Legends & Lattes was cutesy but not interesting at all. Theres a reason the good slice of life stories have more going on than just slice of life. Its boring.
I was worried this might happen. 🥺
L&L is a very sweet book but not a strong enough base for a literary franchise in my opinion.
Shame.
Appreciate your honesty! Enjoyed watching as always
Hey Matt, I also read Discworld books as palet cleansers. They are just perfect for that. I also don't see how I would ever get through the series otherwise. Also, thanks for always being honest. I'm still going to read Bookshops & Bonedust, despite your review, haha. With all the other heavy reads on my TBR, I can always use more palet cleansers :) Thanks!
I never read the first one when I heard that it was lgbt. Nothing against lgbt, it's just not my thing. I've read a ton of books with gay characters without issue, but im just not into that stuff. I'm glad books exist that they can relate with, but I'll stick to reading the books i relate with. I love Travis Baldree as a narrator, but i highly doubt ill ever read his books. To be clear, i have nothing against the lgbt or books being made that appeal to them.
Just finished this book, and yea, I didn't care for it, so I tried to look for any similar opinions (how I found this video)
L&L was a simple/straight-forward plot centric story, where every chapter was in service of that central goal of establishing that business (with the few section not focused on that being the weakest parts of the book, like some of the rom between Viv/Tandri). The characters were simple as well, leaning towards one-dimensional, but that is fine as they are also in service of the plot. The writing style/prose was simple/easy to read as well. What this meant was that at the start of each chapter, you had a clear direction as to where it was going to go, as it pulled you through to the next chapter. All of this contributed towards its "cozy" reputation.
I liked L&L for what is was (palette cleanser), but there really isn't much to it. As a Fantasy Slice-of-Life though, it didn't really do much of anything with its Fantasy setting. With Fantasy SoL, the appeal usually comes from how people go about living in said fantasy world, and how the fantasy aspects affect that. With L&L, it mostly just uses its Fantasy setting for plot convenience. The "make a book within a month" thing makes sense, as it kind of feels like the type of book that could be written quickly.
Whereas with B&B feels like an unfocused mess with its different plot threads, and the pacing is worse for it. It doesn't help that, tonally, the Varine plotline undermines/contradicts the tone of the Bookshop plot. It meant that in order to realize/not undermine one, the other would suffer. Which meant that the whole Varine plot didn't get the climax it needed.
It feels as though it starts off wanting to be more character-centric around Viv and the others, what with how Viv goes about meeting everyone in town and how the story introduces them. The problem with that goes back to what I said about the characters earlier. Viv isn't a bad character, but she isn't a good enough one to really care about or to carry the story. It was probably written with the fact that you are likely inclined to have investment in her character from L&L. But the investment there comes more from the events, rather than Viv herself. You are invested in her by proxy. Most of Viv's backstory (How she met some characters or How she got her sword) didn't matter, as that simply wasn't important in the first place.
Maylee is written in service of her role to be a rom subplot for Viv, and the relationship is sort of flat and uninteresting. The problems with writing characters like that is character interaction likely aren't going to be as dynamic/interesting. Its attempt as being "cutesy" come across as vapid, with some repetitive word choices occasionally dragging it down. Plus, the fact that this is a prequel heavily undermines any interest in their relationship. It could potentially be interesting, if it served more to explore the depths of each character... but that would require more focus on that alone. This relationship was one of the worst parts of the book, with a special mention for how it was introduced roughly halfway into the book, and had like, 3 chapters dedicated to establishing it, taking away attention from the other plots, thus dragging the pacing hard.
Fern is sort of the biggest issue, as she starts off with a good first impression and a nice initial premise. The reader is initially inclined to sympathize and want better for her because of the state of her business. Her introduction does a good job establishing her. Viv breaking things as she enters, justifies Fern's "angry" response and shows off her cussing in a natural and comedic way. Unfortunately, her cussing trait seems like a lazy, occasionally inorganic means of writing dialogue... or even a means to get *around* writing it. The first impression made me think I would like her, but the between her dialogue and the split focus on different plots/characters, I wound up finding her annoying and dislike her most of the time :/
Viv learning to like reading is a neat idea, as it gives you the excuse to write some potentially interesting short stories and use them as means of framing/connecting to the main plot. But this starts to drag, as anytime it showed up, it felt like I was expected to stop and read some different story before I was allowed to get back to what I was already reading. It doesn't help that I don't think this concept gets pushed far enough in this book... again, focus is all over the place, and consistently stripped away investment with this book.
The best things I can say about it is that some of the ideas are interesting, even if not well handled on the whole, and it does a bit more with its "fantasy" premise. Side note: After reading it, the "Afterthoughts" section makes sense of the problems with the book. The writing process was a mess and it sort of shows in the structure of this one.
Agree with everything you said, this book was so bad I could not finish it. He almost defined the genre of cozy then this which is just a disaster. I think he tried to expand the simple cozy that people wanted and he doesn't have the skill.
I havent read legends and lattes yet! A bit disappointing to hear your didn't like it, But the good news for me is that I will try to read this prequel FIRST and then legends and lattes perhaps that way I end on a high note!!!
Didn't like the first book too much, definitely not gonna read this one after your review.