BOOK REVIEW: Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree

The prequel to Baldree’s smash-hit, cosy fantasy novel “Legends and Lattes” finds Viv many years before she opens her cafe in Thune.

This prequel lands more firmly in “fantasy” than it does “cosy” and, as a massive fan of Baldree’s first, I found that I missed that dynamic. The introduction of Necromancers and wights allowed Baldree to flex his writing skills at times, but it wasn’t the story I went into the novel wanting to find.

I didn’t find anything to be bad about the novel. In fact, I still found myself enamoured by Baldree’s ability to write memorable and loveable characters and settings. However, where the novel stumbled most compared to its predecessor, is that ultimately the titular bookshop is not Viv’s own passion the way the cafe was. As such, I didn’t feel as strong a connection to its success and it fell by the wayside to the more fantastical story elements.

I did, however, enjoy the story’s central lesson that sometimes you’re going to meet people in your life who mean a lot to you but you just didn’t meet at the right time. One of you is travelling uphill and the other down and that’s okay. It’s a nice message and it’s portrayed well.

B&B is still a fun novel to read, but don’t expect the same experience you had with L&L.

Final score: 3/5