Legends & Lattes

While I am new to cozy fantasy as a genre, I thoroughly enjoyed my first taste with Legends and Lattes. While I was on edge waiting for action I am so used to getting in fantasy, I was not disappointed when little came. I found myself wanting to try a hand at baking the treats found in the little cafe from Thune. And I am not known for my cooking nor baking skills. I highly recommend for a relaxing read.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it like I hoped that I might.

It's definitely worth picking up if you need something that will be a good read, but I wouldn't stock this one on a shelf of "greatest books" or "books that changed my perspective on life"...and not everything needs to go on those shelves, so that's quite alright!

I think my problem coming in to this book is that I was projecting a lot of my hopes for a book that is similar to Becky Chambers' "Monk and Robot" series, which is incredibly cozy and endearing, but also profoundly deep. This one was cozy and endearing, but not particularly deep (although not completely shallow either).

If you are in the mood for incredibly low-stakes and predictable cozy fantasy, this absolutely ticks all the boxes. The few twists are so trope-y they aren't even twists. I'm absolutely sure if this was set in the real world I would find it immeasurably dull.

A Tim Horton's French Vanilla of a book: cloyingly sweet.

As lovely and fun as I'd been hearing.

"A novel of high fantasy... and low stakes"

You get exactly as it reads on the tin for this book. It feels to me like a romantic comedy in book form. An orc woman stops adventuring to start a coffee shop. What follows is hi-jinks, suspiciously convenient events, and mostly non-conflicts. Even the worst thing that happens to the main character in the book is not so very terrible in the end.

Unless you are bothered by same-sex relationships, nothing in this book is a game changer for fantasy nor will it challenge your view of the world. Personally, I loved it. It's like a warm cup of coffee in the morning.

This book is super cozy! If you need a fantasy pick for a reading challenge and don't really like fantasy, I'd highly recommend it!

Cute book with some slice of life elements and of course lots of coffee. It feels like the pace is a bit strange, but I don't quite know how to describe it. 3.9/5, rounded up to 4.

What a lovely time! It left me feeling refreshed and joyful.

Friends running a café. Very sweet. Lots of descriptions of pastries, so don't read it while hungry! 😉