Hannah
Too many needless perspectives giving me whiplash trying to get into the flow of the story. I think there's something great here but I struggle with multi-POV books when done masterfully. Need to put this one down for now, still trying to pull myself back into a reading habit.
Did not enjoy the paedophile perspective. At all. Why? I'm sure something comes of it later but ew. The writing style was fine enough to read but the story itself just felt too mundane and I couldn't get interested. None of the characters were interesting to me, or loveable. Even when the vampire attacks somebody there was no excitement there, I didn't feel gripped, no suspense. I was just bored. Decided not to waste my time further. It may well pick up but many books to read, little time!
Read the Island of Doctor Moreau but didn't really care for the story or the writing so don't really have much interest in the other two stories right now.
That was great! Wow. Inspired by a short story called “The Willows” by Algernon Blackwood, somebody who inspired the likes of H.P. Lovecraft, T. Kingfisher weaves an absolutely bonechilling story of other worlds that appear in the walls of her strange but king Uncle Earl's Wonder Museum, full of bizarre taxidermy and other such artifacts.
I'm still stewing on it, really, but I can say that it takes a lot for horror to get under my skin these days, but The Hollow Places creeped me out. And I love every moment of it. Nothing felt out of place, or bland. Kingfisher writes with so much colour and knows the perfect moments to tone it down and... damn. The atmosphere.
Read this if you're a fan of horror, particularly the Weird.
Going into The Liar of Red Valley I had certain expectations. Maybe this would be some kind of American gothic Eldritch horror tale about how Sadie, suddenly dealing with gaining this primaeval blood magic, crosses the King, an entity as old and shadowy as the land itself. However, Walter Goodwater has instead crafted a story that refuses to be boxed in by genres, for better or for worse.
Sadie the Liar
Sadie is our protagonist and she doesn't have too much in life. She lives outside of town with her mother in a broken-down old house, working as a waitress at the diner in town and has one friend, Graciela. I really liked Sadie as a character, she's spicy. She stands up for herself when she needs to and won't back down from doing what she perceives to be the right thing, but she will hide when she recognises it's necessary.
Her mother is the hated and feared Liar, who contains the power to rewrite truth. For instance, changing somebody's hair colour, taking away a terrible memory, or even bringing back a beloved pet - though all of these things are not real, by giving a little of their blood and paying the Liar's Price which takes time off their lives for every lie told, everybody in Red Valley believes the lies, they become the truth. It's tough to describe but it makes sense in the book, trust me.
When Sadie's mother dies suddenly, she finds herself needing to work out how to be the Liar, and fast, because the ledgers that contain everybody's lies are wanted by forces that Sadie cannot deal with on her own. She does not want them to fall into the wrong hands, which she fast learns are basically everybody's but her own. Rightfully so, she is afraid, but also stubborn.
Atmosphere is Everything
My first impressions of The Liar of Red Valley were that it was almost as though Neil Gaiman wrote True Blood, and I think that is still partially true having finished the book. It has a very gothic dark fantasy vibe, and Goodwater has the strange imagination that Gaiman also holds, with just a hint of magic and wonder that I was not expecting. He's very good at setting a scene and the whole book is very atmospheric.
“Telling a Lie will become easy, with time. Too easy. Never forget that once it is told, there's no taking it back. Once it escapes from your head into the world, it has a life all its own.”
Of Magic and Monsters
Too Fast or Just Right?
Coming to the End (No Spoilerinos)
The King in Yellow is an early collection of short stories that explore a fictional play called The King in Yellow that brings misfortune and madness upon those who read its cursed second act. Its Weird tales inspired the likes of H.P. Lovecraft and something about it has always fascinated me. So I finally got my hands on a copy and found it actually more accessible than Lovecraft's writing, but perhaps a little underwhelmed overall. That said, I am fascinated still to explore what it has inspired, whether this particular lore has expanded with other authors. We shall see!
4.5 stars - Originally posted to dragonsandwhimsy.co.uk
Over the past few years, I have been delving more and more into the horror genre. At one time I couldn???t get enough of it but I was too young to watch or read most things. Then I developed an anxiety disorder and found myself too easily frightened. However, my love of the genre never really went away. There is something about a dark, creepy story that gets under your skin. I still don???t know what it is, but I started keeping an eye out for horror novels when I checking the Kindle sales and that is how I came across My Best Friend???s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix.
That Cover Art, Though
Of course, the first thing you notice about this book is the cover. I suppose you can say the same for any book but this one, in particular, grabbed my eye. I???ve been finding myself enamoured with the 80???s retro vibe a lot of shows have been embracing the past few years, from Stranger Things to GLOW.
I just love the colourful nature of 80???s fashion, the big curly hair and the amazing pop music, the rise of some truly great horror and alternative music and fashion??? yes, the ???80s was a terrible decade in many ways, but there???s something to be said for it. And the cover art for My Best Friend???s Exorcism screams ???the 80???s does horror, and here???s the VHS from the back of your dad???s cupboard???. So of course my first thought was: ???oh hey, I wonder if this will scratch that Stranger Things itch,??? and the short answer is: no. It won???t. But it does many other things really, really well.
A Friendship Like No Other?
The shining jewel of this novel is the friendship between Abby and Gretchen. They met as kids at Abby???s E.T. themed roller-skating party when Gretchen was the only other kid from class who showed up. They???ve been thick as thieves ever since. Gretchen is there for Abby when her dad loses his job and they fall into poverty, and Abby is there for Gretchen when her parents??? discipline turns violent. Beautifully, what divides them only seeks to make them stronger. Then comes high school when they have more friends, but they are still each other???s BFF. Until something changes and Gretchen starts acting really weird and then withdrawn until Abby loses hope of ever calling Gretchen her friend again.
Gretchen raised her head and looked at her bedroom door. ???I???m going to kill her,??? she whispered. Then she wiped her nose and looked up at Abby. ???Don???t ever tell I said that.???
The Midway Slog
The Horror is There
Who Should Read My Best Friend???s Exorcism?
Gods of Jade and Shadow is a very sleepy fantasy. I expected a little more action from a story about a god of death on a quest to reclaim his throne after brotherly betrayal, and there was a little, but mostly the story meanders through moments, quietly weaving its myth. I found it a very calm read. I had no anticipated that but it was really nice and while I felt some of its events could have had a little more ‘oomph', maybe drawn out just a little bit longer, perhaps packed a little more emotion, by the end I was still in tears and kinda wanting to hear more from these characters.
This book is a slow burn for sure. And it is lovely.
This felt more like a contemporary fantasy thriller with horror elements than horror. I went in expecting a haunted house horror and felt a little thrown off by what I got, as such... I think my expectations clouded my overall enjoyment of the book and around about 70% it started feeling off for me.
Still, there were some great moments and Chuck is definitely a great writer. If you go into this one, just drop any expectations you have.
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko is a West-African inspired fantasy novel following Tarisai, the girl from Swana confined to her childhood home, Bhekina House, invisible to outsiders, where she learned everything aside from who she was and how the emperor and his councils worked. When she is sent to the capital of the Aritsar empire with nothing but her ability to see people???s memories, longing only for the mother who remained distant from her entire childhood, she is amazed to find a new family, one who loves her and wants her.
Having struggled to read much of anything for the past few years, I came to a realisation that if I were to rekindle (no pun intended) my love of reading and kickstart a new reading habit, I was going to have to come at it a little differently. No more reading things because I felt I should or I was told a book was great. I???m a big mood reader, so this time around I???d find a book I???m in the mood to read, and read it. The idea is to attempt reading more during the day, rather than at night when I end up making excuses and procrastinating instead. So I picked up my Kindle and just picked something at random, something that looked intriguing and landed on Raybearer, which I believe I picked up in a Kindle sale back in January. Eleven days later, I???d finished the book, and heck it was a great read!
When I???m looking for a book, I need a few things. Primarily, the characters have to have some depth. If I don???t love the characters, the story will be a grind. I also need the writing to flow around the story, showing me the world and everything within it. If I can feel the story, the writing is spot on. And of course, the world, the magic, and the story itself need to enchant me. Raybearer did all of this and more.
Ifueko???s prose weaves a tale as beautiful as though it were told by Am the Storyteller themself, often leaving me in awe of the lyrical nature her words can take, and scattered throughout were folk songs sung by the locals of the Arit empire, creating a very real sense of a world and its beautifully diverse cultures, which is effective in making you care about what happens to its people, how they are treated, and what happens to them.
The characters were complex and interesting. I did grow frustrated with Tarisai at times, though she acted like a teenager who was still discovering who she was, working through years of emotional abuse. Sanjeet was adorable in his determination to protect the ones he loved most. Kirah provided a spark of sisterhood that Tarisai always needed in her life. And Ekundayo is the sweethearted young boy that you want for Tarisai, his kindness, and attempts to do right always a comfort. Then there???s The Lady, Tarisai???s mother, I hate her and how she treated Tarisai her entire life and there was a moment late in the story when Tar is talking about abusive parents with another character and I???ll admit, it spoke to me and my own relationship with my own mother, it really hit home. The Lady, though heinous, does have a history and reasons for being the way she is. It doesn???t excuse it and we know that, but she???s an interesting character, for sure.
I read so much medieval European inspired fantasy that the entirety of the Arit empire was like a breath of warm but fresh air. It actually woke me up to the diversity I???m lacking in my fantasy reading and I???m dying to read so much more fiction inspired by all sorts of worldwide cultures now. The way each country is described is wonderful, but none so wondrous as Swana???s savannah with it???s little specks of light from the tutsu sprites, the fae creatures within, the trees, the people. It feels alive and very real and I long to go there. I was utterly enchanted by the world Ifueko has created.
The magic system is an interesting one. There is magic that can be learned, though many do not. Most of the magic comes from the emperor???s ray and people???s Hallows, a random ability granted at birth. Tarisai???s ability to see people???s memories, take them, grant them, is her Hallow, and each member of the Emperor???s Council must have their own, as well. From healing magic to illusions. It is fascinating. Learned magic is more elemental in nature, and I dearly hope we get to experience more of it in future books.
There were a few moments, maybe halfway through, where I felt some of the dialogue and the reasons behind things felt a little contrived but this didn???t last too long before I was drawn right back into the magic of that beautiful prose once more.
Overall, I loved this book. It was just what I needed after such a long reading slump and I absolutely went ahead and preordered the follow-up, Redemptor, due for release in August. I recommend Raybearer to anybody looking for something a little bit different and hey, the brief asexual representation was wonderful too. But no spoilers from me!
Originally posted to dragonsandwhimsy.co.uk
Marca Nbaro grew up on City, ???the greatest orbital in Human Space.??? Her life up until this point has been traumatic, to say the least, growing up in City???s Orphanage as a ward of the state, a place for kids orphaned by their parents who died in service and we fast learn that it???s being run by a crook who gives them the bare minimum. Nbaro is able to escape by the skin of her teeth, though she has angered somebody very powerful and it???s her hope that out in space, they can???t get to her. And so she gets onto the greatship Athens, one of 9 magnificent and very old spacefaring vessels that exist to ensure the mercantile nature of the DHC can continue, particularly with its most important cargo: xenoglas, a mysterious and highly valuable material traded with the only other aliens that humans have come into contact with, the Starfish, a non-bipedal squid-like species that live in ammonia rich atmospheres who nobody has ever communicated with.
At first glance, I assumed Artifact Space would be about a stowaway trying to flee her past life while trying to remain undetected among the lower tiers of the spacecraft, but ultimately becoming a part of the ship???s ecosystem as pirates or a mysterious alien race threatened their existence, and while I was wrong with my assumptions, as I often am, I wasn???t disappointed with what the story did provide.
Nbaro is a black woman dealing with her past trauma as she pretty much tries to ???fake it ???til she makes it??? on the Athens, and very quickly is taken back by how welcoming and kind the crew really are. She???s used to being surrounded by dirtbags. In fact, her skipper, Trueknor, tells her that she is part of the Athens now, so long as she gets to work and does as she???s told. The crew itself is militaristic, and Nbaro understands that. We get the joy of watching her grow from this frightened, downtrodden girl who escaped the Orphanage and always felt the need to watch her back, to a smart and confident woman able to lead. In doing so, she finds her family among the crew of the greatship and her friendships with them all were for sure my favourite thing in this book.
I did have a few issues with Artifact Space, however, I will admit that I???m unsure if some of this is my relevant newness to the science fiction genre, especially as a reader. Case in point, the first few pages were like torture for me and I couldn???t tell you if I was struggling because I???m just generally not used to ???sci-fi jargon??? or if some of the terms could have been explained a little better. My husband informed me it was worldbuilding to get you into the mindset of the world and that???s something I can certainly get behind. Regardless, it was only the first few pages before I was hooked, even if some of the quantum physics (and other such things) descriptions went way over my head. I still barely understand how ???insertion??? (this book???s term for ???hyperspace jumps???) works, but it???s okay.
However, there are a lot of pages wherein Nbaro is learning things and going through the motions that felt a little lethargic. I felt these could have been condensed somewhat, though they were not a deal breaker for me because when chracters interacted and the action happens, Artifact Space really shines.
I loved how much ???life on the ship??? there was throughout the book. You get a lot of time to know the characters, and see the bonds forming between them, and understand why the greatships are so important. So when things begin heating up, and believe me they sure do, you understand the stakes and heck, there were moments in the story that brought me to tears. That is really rare for me. All I want is to spend more time with these characters!
The book also handles LGBTQ+ people pretty well, in my opinion. People are gay or asexual and it gets just as much attention as the straight people get. There are also ???androgynes???, who are androgynous people, as you may be able to guess. I was a little bit confused over whether they were born as a result of living upon the orbitals within Human Space or if it???s part of the gender spectrum as we know it, but either way, it was neat to see a lot of gender-neutral language for a few of the characters.
If you pick up Miles Cameron???s Artifact Space, expect a lot of subterfuge and unknown forces working from all angles, as well as an interesting look at capitalism and class divisions from the perspective of people around 700-800 years in our future. Or, just a really neat space opera story about merchants working hard and working together to make sure they don???t get destroyed.
Reading this book, I???ve learned that Miles Cameron is a great storyteller with some fantastic worldbuilding chops, and I can???t wait to read the follow-up and get into his fantasy books.
City of Glass is the third installment in Cassandra Clare???s Mortal Instruments series and also happens to be the one that made me a fan of hers. I found City of Bones an enjoyable enough read at the time, and City of Ashes was fine. They were easy reads and were exactly what I needed at the time, but I felt as though City of Glass brought it all together and almost went down a high fantasy route, which is always my jam. I had read that this one was due to be the last in the series but Clare ended up continuing with 3 more books, which makes a lot of sense as City of Glass feels like a natural end to this story.
You may have noticed that I skipped out on reviewing City of Ashes, which I read between this one and Raybearer. I enjoyed reading it but I really didn???t have a lot to say so decided not to bother. It was a book I???d started reading more than a year ago and picked back up over 100 pages in for an easy read to prevent slump from settling back in, and it did its job. In fact I enjoyed it enough to pick up City of Glass right after, which I almost regretted (apparently I can???t read a series in sequence right now) but ultimately, I had a great time reading, aside from a couple things which I???m not sure I want to talk about as they get into spoiler territory.
We have some dark moments in City of Glass, some actions that make me want to yell at the characters, and I did at some points (boy do Clary and Jace frustrate me), and some tropes, some of which I didn???t mind, while others grated on me a little. There are also plenty of twists and turns in this book, many I saw coming, but a few I actually did not, which was a really nice surprise. I also found the story took a while to pick up. The entire first part, actually, felt slow to me and contained situations that I wasn???t enjoying reading and was almost reading to put the book down and move on. I didn???t though, and I???m glad for it because once it picked up, I enjoyed myself a bunch.
What really stood out to me in this book were some of the side characters. I believe Magnus Bane is pretty widely beloved so it???s likely no shock that I loved his character. I felt like he was given more depth in City of Glass, more life, and he actually made me laugh out loud a few times which always helps. Plus I love me a magic user, that???s no lie. I also loved seeing Simon???s growth as a character, how mature he is about situations that in other YA romance books the guy would have flipped out and gone full angst, but Simon just doesn???t do that. He takes the punches and grows, and ends up being a great friend for Clary. We love a non-toxic relationship!
Then in the other column, we have the book???s villains. I despised Sebastian. I didn???t trust him, he was obviously evil, and hoo boy is he slimy. Then we have Valentine, who genuinely seems to believe his delusion that he is doing the right thing somehow, when what he???s really working towards is genocide and his own personal glory. He???s frustrating. And this is a good thing, in my eyes! Yes I love a lovable villain, but villains you can really hate and root against? They are well written villains, simple as.
Finally, I want to talk about the writing. Honestly, when I first started reading the series I wasn???t sure. The writing style was good enough to pull me in but with all of the clich??s and stupid actions from the characters, I was concerned that the Mortal Instruments books were yet another example of teen paranormal romance pushed out to hit an audience rather than because they???re actually any good. I have read my fair share. Yet here I am praising book three, so to past me: you were wrong. Clare???s writing style is actually really interesting. It???s simple enough to immerse you and be enjoyable to follow, even if you???re struggling with focus and such like I do, and yet she has these moments in her prose where she paints a beautiful image with her words, very reminiscent of Clary and her mother???s artistry. It???s pretty clever, frankly.
The book also utilises multiple points-of-view which ordinarily I despise. I find most books do not gain anything from using a different character???s perspective, all it does is give me narrative whiplash and make me feel frustrated. Yet in Mortal Instruments, I enjoyed them. Each POV added something to the story without feeling needless. Moments that we would never have seen, making later moments in the story pack a much harder punch. And yes, a break from Clary???s stressing was honestly refreshing.
And the ending of the book. Wow. It does not rush itself, rather, it takes its time, making sure to wrap up each loose thread and build up such a rise in tension that when the story comes to the climax, it feels so satisfying. It actually feels epic.
So those are my thoughts on City of Glass by Cassandra Clare. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this book. It???s not perfect (what book could claim to be anyway?) and certainly not for everybody, but if you don???t mind a little teenage angst and some trash Nephilim just trying to do right in the world, you might enjoy it too. Now I???m going to give the series a small break so I don???t burn out but I do have books 4 and 6, so at some point I???ll absolutely get into those, and probably the other series in the same world as well.
Audtion to me is a great exploration of the unreliable narrator within a horror-thriller setting. Aoyama falls for Asami lightning fast and becomes blinded by his feelings for her. We see her through his eyes, a beautiful, vibrant angel of a young lady. To us, there is nothing to doubt. And yet everybody around him finds her suspicious, and warns him to be careful or even get away. But aside from a couple of weird things which in everyday life I wouldn't necessarily flag as particularly alarming, we do not see any reasons to doubt her. Because we see her through the eyes of a besotted middle aged widower.
For a moment I just kinda forgot I was reading a horror. It spends the entire book following the setup for Aoyama losing his wife, working through his grief, going through the fake auditions for a movie that mask his true purpose of finding a wife, meeting Asami and falling for her.
It's very clear that he and the friend that gets the audition set up are not nice people, too. And then everything gets turned up to 11. It's wild.
Kagen the Damned is a great example of a novel that I heard next to nothing about. I first came across the book back in 2022 when I was doing my huge upcoming speculative fiction releases posts and it caught my eye then. Since then, I'm sure I've only seen one other person even mention the book. Yet it has stuck in my mind. Sometimes I catch a vibe from a book and I just know I need to give it a try. Very often I end up loving these books. Call it intuition or call it good taste, whatever you like. ???? And yes, it has happened again with Kagen.
So to be frank, I had completely forgotten the premise of Kagen the Damned over the months and ended up going into the read blind. I can recommend against doing this for most readers. You see, this is grimdark, with a smattering of horror. Cosmic horror.
In the first 200 pages we see so much sexual assault and brutal violence that poor old Kagen becomes traumatised and falls into the loving embrace of a wine-enduced stupor. While personally I feel all of this serves the story, showcasing how devastatingly nasty the Hakkian forces are, and how dark the world becomes in the time since the fall of the Silver Empire, and how utterly destroyed Kagen is over what he has been through, it could prove too much for you and that's okay. Know your lines, check the content warnings. Seriously.
That said, watching Kagen's rise from rock bottom feels SO good. He has so much fuel for what's to come and we do really root for him.
Kagen isn't the only character we get to know, however. He's not even in my top 3, truth be told!
We also follow Ryssa, a 15-year old nun-to-be from the destroyed and outlawed faith of the Garden, as she is led from the ruins of Argentium on the fateful night of the Empire's fall and across the lands to mysterious ends by Miri, a nun who pretty quickly leaves her faith behind her. I didn't care too much for these characters but their story plays a vital part and it is fascinating to watch the mystery unfold.
Then we have the new emperor, the Witch-king of Hakkia, an evil sorcerous leader wiped out around 1500 years ago by the Silver Empire, and his chamberlain, Lord Nespar, and the necromancer Lady Kestral. You see, magic was outlawed by the Silver Empire, once a force that came from evil gods and serving no good. Or so they said, at least. And now we begin to see magic returning to the world. Particularly through Lady Kestral and the Witch-king, although their use of magic is certainly for evil, particularly as they prepare for the coronation that will make the Witch-king's reign as emperor legal. And oh it's so fun to read about. I love Lady Kestral so much.
By far my three favourite characters, however, have to be Filia alden-Bok, a friend and sometimes lover of Kagen's who is just an utter badass woman. She isn't especially “attractive”, and yet.. she still gets laid and gets to kick some arse. What a concept! Then Tuke of Theria, a large dark-skinned man who Kagen becomes familiar with. I don't want to go too much into his character as he's a little way into the book but he's such a fun character to have around, and also a badass. And last but not least, Mother Frey. An old lady and nun, revered for her work, and head of an order within the faith of the Garden that seeks out magic in the world. She is a very interesting woman.
The only thing I perhaps didn't care for was the fact that I pretty much worked out all of the twists ahead of time. I'm not sure if that's because they were really obvious or if I'm just getting better at working these things out, but I do love an “oh my god, I didn't see that coming!” moment, and I just didn't have that here. Still though, it's a damn good story and a world that I just want to devour. It's dark and gritty, it's got that mythic quality to it I always long for in my epic fantasy, with lost civilisations thousands of years in the past and strange forces the people have forgotten about, and of course, a hearty lick of cosmic horror. Incredible.
Just taking too long to really get started, the characters are not doing it for me, they're too real in a very “grimy” kinda way... Only characters I liked were Maggie and Lou, and poor Lou is fat, and we are told just how fat he is every damn time he's mentioned. To the point where the way he's described at times feels fatphobic, you know? And it's SO much. Jesus. Charlie Manx, also, very interesting villain. But again, it took way too long to get to the point. We get dribs and drabs here and there (I stopped at 43%, it may have picked up after this point but I'm so mentally checked out) and the narrative is so ... jagged. Lots of POV hopping, and changes in time period and such. It's messy. I just don't think this one is for me. Sadly. I was so excited, too.
Stalled out halfway through because it got too bogged down in details and lost the magic that the first third or so of the book had. Specifically, a third of the book should not be taken up by the files of the Mayfair Witches if they aren't fun to read...
Really have to be in the right mood for young adult fiction unless it hits the right spot, this one just hasn't in a while.
A nice quick read and a classic for a reason, Carrie tells the legendary story of Carietta White, the daughter of a crazed fundamentalist Christian woman who is fiercely bullied at her high school and the repercussions this life has.
Only lost points because the random mid-sentence thought brackets were very off-putting, occasionally would switch scenes with absolutely no indication towards doing so, and the numerous references to racist caricatures (while yes, a result of the time period) were unnecessary and gross. I'm aware these kinds of things come up in King's early books but they very much do affect my ratings.
Otherwise, enjoyed the reading experience immensely.
Woohoo! Another book down. I do have some issues with this book, but I loved it!
Many, many errors. So many that I lost count. A couple POVs that I feel could have led to more interesting reveals if we didn't follow their perspectives in this book, though I loved Rylan, Lorelei, and Rhiannon was interesting. Rylan was my favourite, of course. He's the most interesting character here. I do wish the ending had a little more time in the oven, perhaps? There were moments that I felt weren't given quite the gravitas they could have and others that were a little rushed, but it did a great job of pushing the action and delivering on some really cool scenes.
Obviously, my favourite things here were the dragons and how each colour differs from the next, the whole thing surrounding bonding and the tethers. This was really well thought out and executed across the board. And the Holt, in general. The absolutely gargantuan Citadel trees and the cities built within their boughs, the Kin that call it home and what that means for them with the Empire on their doorstep, and the magic system. It spoke to my inner Druid so much.
I can't wait for the continuation of this series! I want to spend more time with some of these characters and see how they grow and change and interact, who else we get to meet, explore the book's threat further and unlock more lost lore. I am an absolute sucker for ancient lost lore being recovered in this way. Chef's kiss.
If you're looking for a fun high fantasy book, this was a joy. Definitely going to go back and pick up Beaulieu's other works now! I do have the airship one on my Kindle but I'll try and get hold of Twelve Kings and the novella for Book of the Holt, for sure.
Travis Baldree has some interesting projects to his name. To begin with, he is a game dev veteran of Torchlight, Fate, and Rebel Galaxy, and in 2017 he began narrating audiobooks. He???s perhaps most well-known for his work on Will Wight???s Cradle series. Then in 2021, he took part in NaNoWriMo and somehow in less than 3 months got his edits done and whatever else needs doing to send a young novel out into the world and that novel is, of course, Legends & Lattes. Of course, the book was published through indie publisher Cryptid Press so I presume he had some help there but still, colour me impressed. This is a wonderful little book.
I saw Legends & Lattes floating around my Twitter feed a fair bit in late January. I follow a lot of TTRPG nerds, bookworms, and video gamers so there is a lot of crossover interest in a book advertised as a ???cozy fantasy novel about an orc barbarian-ess who retires to open a coffee shop???, alongside that absolutely beautiful cover art. I immediately knew I had to keep my eye out. The thing is, come 22nd February I was between books and whoopsadaisy, my finger slipped. Usually, I like to wait for reviews to come around when I???m purchasing so I can make a judgement but I couldn???t resist. The world needs a ???cozy fantasy??? genre and I had to check this out.
Oh my god, you guys, this book is actually the feeling of drinking a nice hot beverage (shall we say??? coffee?) on a rainy day. Relaxing and blissful. Most of the novel is literally just about building Viv???s coffee shop, a quirky Gnomish thing that most of this world has no idea about, making new friends in this new city after hanging up her adventuring sword (literally), and growing the business. And somehow it???s lovely. Yes, I usually like a little more action in my books but sometimes a little banter between an Orc Barbarian lady and her new Hob friend as they turn an abandoned livery into a coffee shop is just what you need.
The entire cast of characters, too, are an absolute delight. Viv herself is nervous about this new venture, after hacking and slashing her way through dungeons and monsters for years, and she takes a few magical precautions to help her along. She doesn???t exactly believe in herself, but she certainly believes in the idea and that draws some wonderful people to her. First off, Cal, the Hob who helps her build up the shop. He is so willing to help, and while he comes off a little wary at first, he???s really taken by Viv???s drive and I always smiled when he entered the scene. Then we meet Tandri, a sweater-wearing succubus who longs to live her life without the reputation of her ancestry constantly following her around. She is an excellent business partner and seems to understand exactly what the coffee shop needs. Her and Viv???s friendship is so lovely too. I may have liked to see a little more growth between them but I think what we do get is really sweet. There are other people Viv ends up befriending as well, some fantastic regulars, including a massive smoky dire cat who turns up exactly when she wants to.
Don???t assume there is absolutely nothing happening within Legends & Latte, however. Yes, the stakes are low and it maintains its cosy feeling from beginning to end, there are a couple of threats Viv and her friends need to deal with and by the end of the story, they have. I really enjoyed getting a little look into this new fantasy world and how the city of Thune works, so much so I???d love to see more of it. Heck, I???d love to get an epic fantasy adventure within this world! Or perhaps, more cosy fantasy books in different areas. I think Travis has a great talent on his hands for worldbuilding and storytelling and I???d love to see what else he can do!
This book is fantastic. I'm so glad I accidentally bought it. Now I just need the next one.
Something about the style of the story just didn't catch my reading mood and now we're off season and I really don't feel like finishing it. Maybe pick it up physically someday.
