Charming Cozy Fantasy, or Boring Debut? You Decide.

A Review of "Legends & Lattes" by Travis Baldree

Cover belongs to respective owners. Image taken from Amazon page.

STAR RATING: ☆☆☆☆
Spoiler-free review.

This book is perfect if it’s what you’re looking for. If it’s not, then you’ll be bored to death. I know that’s the case for every book, but it’s especially the case here with Baldree’s debut NaNoWriMo novel Legends & Lattes.

Legends & Lattes is set in a D&D style world where our protagonist, long-time adventurer and orc Viv, decides to forego her life of killing and opens up a coffee shop. Coffee is relatively unknown to the people in this world, so with the help of a merry little cast, she introduces it to the town. Friendships are made, love starts to kindle, and the whole town seems to come together. It’s a light-hearted story for fantasy readers who need a break from evil warlords, wicked kings, and beheadings.

With everything going on in the world and all the newfound stress in my own life, this book was exactly what I needed. I found myself more drawn to it than any of the high-stakes world-shattering dark fantasies I’ve been reading lately, and I couldn’t put it down. Viv was a likable protagonist that I found myself rooting for, and I loved every whimsical character that entered her life. There were villains–every story needs a villain–but they were dealt with calmly and got what they deserved, with some of them ending up as unlikely allies.

If you aren’t interested in a calm cozy read, then you might echo what others have said; boring, no stakes, no character development, no plot, etc. etc. While I disagree, I do think you need to be in a certain headspace to read this book. If you want action, adventure, and a thrilling tale then this book isn’t for you…at least not right now. But for what it is, Legends & Lattes did a great job at keeping me entertained.

Great read. I want seven more.