Tag: Travis Baldree

Blurb Book Review: Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

Cover image from Goodreads.com

Fern, a rattkin, is dissatisfied with her life so she moves to Thule to be closer to her friend Viv. Viv helps her set up a bookshop right next to her coffee shop Legends & Lattes and Fern is successful, yet still feels discontent. In a drunken moment, she decides to hide under a tarp in an elf’s cart rather than talk to Viv about her dissatisfaction. The trundling cart wakens Fern and begins an adventure, alongside an elf and goblin, that she never dreamed could happen.

I admit, I was expecting this novel to feature Viv even though the cover art and inside flap description told me something different. As usual, I opened the novel without reading the flap (to see if I could sus out the plot and characters) so I was disappointed to find this story about a rattkin instead.

Once I let go of my expectations, I enjoyed the journey of the novel. Fern is sensible and delightful and her adventures are realistic, fun, and just enough tension to keep me turning the pages. The ending is neatly tied up with a delightful twist about the bounty on the goblin, but still left things open for a sequel involving the same characters.

While the author’s first novel felt too sparse on description, and the second novel just the perfect amount of description, I felt this novel inserted description in a way that took away from the story instead of adding to it. This novel felt wordier, somehow, without being as rich as the previous one. The plot in this one felt a bit too stretched out as well, with a lot of dithering from Fern in between stops on the journey. Having said that, I did enjoy it enough to hope the author continues the series.

Blurb Book Review: Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

Cover image from Goodreads.com

This novel is a prequel to Legends & Lattes, where the reader gets to meet a young Viv who is just starting out in the mercenary business.

Viv is injured during a battle with her mercenary group Rackam’s Ravens and is tucked away in Murk to heal. With limited mobility due to her injury and frustrated at the slow process of healing, Viv sets out to check out Murk. She finds a cluttered bookshop run by a foulmouthed rattkin named Fern, and a bakery run by a dwarf named Maylee. Fern convinces Viv to try reading a book and while Viv is initially skeptical, she ends up devouring the words.

A tiny bit of adventure comes to town in the form of a figure wrapped in grey and smelling of necromancers, a whole lot of skeletons, and a summer fling with Maylee.

This novel could also be labelled “high fantasy, low stakes” like its predecessor. The tension is light, the descriptions are vivid and immersive, and the characters unique and delightful. The author did exactly what I was hoping for after the first novel: bulked up the narration with descriptions to help keep me in the world.

I wanted to live inside these pages. I adore the world that the author has created. The characters are delightful, the plot is simple, and the narrative voice is compelling. I’ll be buying a copy of this book and the previous just so I can revisit them whenever I please.

Blurb Book Review: Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

Cover image from Goodreads.com

I don’t normally read a lot of fantasy, but the “high fantasy and low stakes” remark on the back cover caught my attention. I ended up loving this book so much that I wanted to crawl in between the pages and live there. The author’s narrative style was engaging and made for an easy read. My single and only complaint is that some scenes could use a little fleshing out. They felt a bit bare-boned in places and I craved just a tiny bit more padding between bits of action and dialogue.

The author did well in describing the different characters so I had an idea of what a hob or rattkin was despite my lack of fantasy background. I particularly enjoyed how the author presented each species as more than the expected criteria. Like the main character, Viv, is an orc but isn’t bloodthirsty and violent. Although she can and will wield a sword when needed. This was wonderfully refreshing.

There’s the teensiest bit of romance as well. Once Viv settles into running the shop she realizes she has warm feelings for Tandri, a succubus who has been helping with advertising and general management of the shop. These feelings don’t come to light until near the end and the author did a wonderful job in building their relationship so the warmth felt natural.

The stakes are, indeed, low. Viv opens a coffee shop in Thune after living a life slaying beasts and receiving bounty. She gets a hold of a Scalvert’s Stone, which the superstitious believe to have the ability to bring fortune and success. She buries the stone in her new shop and marvels at the wonderful people that come into her life. Cal the hob helps her renovate an old livery, Tandri the succubus helps her with advertising and running the shop, Thimble the rattkin becomes her baker, and a dire-cat comes and goes as she pleases.

Viv worries about the stone often enough that it never leaves the reader’s mind. An old party mate, Fennus, comes around to sniff it out, and the Madrigal’s group of thugs warn of payments needed to keep the peace.

These threats are present, but not the focus. The gentle pace of the novel created a soft world, one of delight and joy, with only enough stress to make the joy seem balanced.

The novel also featured a short story in the back, “Pages to Fill”, which gave some insight into the turning point for Viv. She’s in the midst of a quest when she decides she wants something more from life. More than beating people up, more than hunting down bounties, more than bloodshed. For me, it was like a last sip of the world before I had to let it go.

I recommend this novel to anyone who plays D&D, or perhaps would like a softer tone on monsters and mayhem.