Hardcover, 356 pages
English language
Published Nov. 5, 2023 by Pan Macmillan.
Viv’s career with the renowned 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 struggling bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted. Even though it may be exactly what she needs. Still, adventure isn’t far away. A suspicious traveller in grey, 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.
Sometimes, right things happen at the wrong time. Sometimes, what we need isn’t what we seek. And sometimes, we …
Viv’s career with the renowned 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 struggling bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted. Even though it may be exactly what she needs. Still, adventure isn’t far away. A suspicious traveller in grey, 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.
Sometimes, right things happen at the wrong time. Sometimes, what we need isn’t what we seek. And sometimes, we find ourselves in the stories we experience together.
Set twenty years before the events of Legends & Lattes , Bookshops & Bonedust is a standalone cosy fantasy by BookTok sensation Travis Baldree about the power of good bookshops, great friends and the unexpected choices along the way.
This is a prequel book so you can read it before Legends & Lattes, but only until the epilogue and best to read L&L through. Such a nice relaxing story to see how Viv changed and grew before L&L, and how even in the middle of a quest there can be peace and growth.
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.
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.
