Summary:
For the first time in hardcover, this luxe edition of the #1 New York Times bestselling Bookshops & Bonedust will feature new chapter art, beautiful new endpapers, and special stenciled edges.
When an injury throws a young, battle-hungry orc off her chosen path, she may find that what we need isn’t always what we seek.
Set in the world of New York Times bestselling Legends & Lattes, Bookshops & Bonedust takes us on a journey of high fantasy, first loves, and second-hand books.
Viv’s career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam’s Ravens isn’t going as planned.
Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she’s packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk—so far from the action that she worries she’ll never be able to return to it.
What’s a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?
Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn’t possibly imagine.
Still, adventure isn’t all that far away. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.
“Take a break from epic battles and saving the world. This is a low-stakes fantasy that delivers exactly what’s advertised: a wholesome, cozy novel that feels like a warm hug. This is my new comfort read.”—Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch’s Heart, on Legends & Lattes
Review:
Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree is a real treat. It’s like a warm pastry fresh from the shop given to you by a pretty girl that you are reasonably sure wants to be more than friends. And like that feeling—you want it to last forever. Sadly, as this book points out, sometimes we just get fleeting moments and that is all we can ever have.
Bookshops and Bonedust is related to Travis Baldree’s acclaimed Legends and Latte’s a fact, having failed to read that book, I didn’t realize until the end. I knew the world was shared, but I wasn’t aware of the way the plot and characters were related. In a way, reading this book first made that moment even better because now I really want to see what has happened to a character I’ve come to care deeply about.
The plot of this book centers around Viv, an orcish mercenary, as she is sidelined by an injury during her time with a famous mercenary group. With a former mercenary as the protagonist, this book seems to have more action than Legends and Lattes, what with the fight against an evil Necromancer, but that is not the point.
What is the point?
Books. Books and friendship.
And I loved every moment of it. This is a book full of fantastic characters—my favorites were Pot Roast and Satchel. It’s the relationships between all of the characters that make this book work so well. Viv’s friendship with Fern the bookstore owner was a particular highlight. It was amazing to see Fern guide Viv into a love of reading that reminded me of trying and failing to get students to read. Sometimes it takes a bit of prodding and convincing, but those moments when I succeed, oh boy. Those are the moments when I feel like Fern did upon snaring Viv with the first book she lent her.
The story centers around that relationship and the way it impacts both characters’ lives. For Viv, we see the seeds of change that continue long after this story ends and become the foundation for another story. For Fern, another favorite character of mine, we see her grow in confidence both as a person and as a business owner. There is a lot of cozy fun as they progress as friends and Viv starts a relationship with another side character (no spoilers).
The one thing I wish we had was more development of Viv’s romantic entanglement. I guess that’s the point because as is pointed out, we often only get a moment or two in someone’s life, but I felt like Viv’s love interest could have used a bit more fleshing out especially when you consider her development compared to other characters.
In a book like this, you would be forgiven for assuming it would be a light breezy read, but one of the things I most appreciate about Travis Baldree’s work is the ability to subtly work beautiful prose and truth bombs into what is fundamentally a simple story. I did not expect to come out of reading this story with my perspective on life challenged, but here we are.
I found myself at the end of this book being reminded of another favorite of mine. And like Fern, I’m going to suggest you read it. The themes and overall message of this work reminded me a lot of Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Though very different types of books, they both do what all good books do: remind us of our humanity. After all, life is what we make of it, and it is only we who get to decide what to do with the remains of the day.