Bookshops and Bonedust

I had not expected the prequell to be so good. Nearly or maybe completely as good as Legends & Lattes. A lovely cozy fantasy, in a way definitely still slice-of-life-y. I love that Viv helps rebuild a bookshop. And Satchel is so lovely! I definitely thought of Veo Corva while reading this. Their books have similar vibes. And just now I realize how close two book titles are... Bookshops & Bonedust vs. Books & Bone. I cannot say too much without giving spoilers, but one character in Bookshops & Bonedust reminds me of a favourite character in the Tombtown books by V.

Sometimes you need something cozy and heartwarming where a dwarf and an orc can fall in love over pastries and 'moist' books. These books are the literary equivalent of a comfortable chair in front of a cheerful fire with a good story in your hand and a mug of coffee and some sweet treat on the table beside you while a pleasant rain tinkles to the ground outside. Cozy and warm and lovely.

Of course, now I need to immediately re-read Legends and Lattes.

I really well enjoyed the accompanying book Legends and Lattes which was published first. I of course needed to pick up its prequel. I found I enjoyed this book even more than the first. A little more action than the previous book but I would still solidly place this book in the cozy fantasy genre. I found myself breezing through the pages and reading during breaks at work just to finish. I again would recommend this for a relaxing read.

I was pleasantly surprised.

My takeaway from Legends & Lattes was that it was a cozy fantasy adaptation of a modern concept àla Pratchett, but I didn't get a particular feeling of depth.

With Bookshops & Bonedust, it's the converse - I felt like it was mainly a story about Viv and her forced journey of self-discovery, while all the rest of it was just set dressing.

Leider hat der zweite Teil bei mir nicht funktioniert und das obwohl ich sicher noch mehr auf Bücher aufspringe, als auf Kaffee. Es wollte kein Funken überspringen, so gar nicht. Die Story plätscherte, so gut es Baldree geschafft hatte, die Leidenschaft für Kaffee in Worte zu fassen, so wenig funktionierte es bei Bücher. Hinzukommt, dass die auch der einzige Unterschied zwischen den Geschichten ist. Beim ersten Teil war die Story schon dünn, aber der Zauber groß. Ohne Zauber bleibt nur die dünne Story. Schade.