By SHYLEE GRAF
Imagine: the year is 1386 in the city of Thune, and a burly-looking orc has just moved to town and introduced “coffee” to the city dwellers. You’re skeptical at first, but after some consideration, that orc is really onto something with this bean water drink. And the best part? You get to watch this stranger make some unexpected connections and find home in the city in the most wholesome way possible.
Have I got your attention yet? If so, check out Legends and Lattes, Travis Baldree’s debut novel. This high fantasy story isn’t like any you’ve read before, and I highly recommend picking this book up on your next bookstore outing.
The novel is centered around Viv, an orc who aims to turn her life around and open a coffee shop in the fictional city of Thune. In the process of renovating the old livery and opening her business, Viv forges unexpected connections with unexpected people who help her redefine herself. Her past left her with many battle scars, and she had countless enemies. She needed something new, something fresh. Viv wanted to settle down, find a home, and explore her passions. And that is exactly what she did.
This book has been on my to-be-read list for a long time now, and this is the review to get it on yours, too. The story is high fantasy, but doesn’t spend a long time on worldbuilding. It’s a cozy read and fits into the found family trope, perfect for the busy college student. I was hooked immediately, and the plot consumed me. I connected with one character early on, and I think that anyone reading the novel will connect with at least one character at some point along the journey.
I’ve heard people say that this book is really mid, arguing that the characters aren’t well-rounded or developed. While this has a ring of truth to it, I disagree with that rating. The novel is supposed to be a short story focused on the plot and not worldbuilding or character backstory. Some people can’t get past that, and if you’re one of those people, I truly feel sorry for you. The lack of backstory does not in any way take away from the character growth in the novel, which is actually the entire point of the book.
While characters from Viv’s past popped up continuously throughout the novel, her past was pretty well left in the dust, where it belongs. She is the ultimate proof that connections from a tangled past can coexist with new connections, and that left me feeling hopeful and warm inside.
I cannot recommend this book enough, and anyone who wants a quick and easy read and is into found family and high fantasy should pick this book up as soon as possible. Seriously. Go. Right now. Believe me, you won’t regret it.
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