31st December 2023

In this prequel to the author’s first novel, Legends and Lattes, we meet a young Viv, early on an adventuring career, and forced to take a convalescent sea-side holiday.

The ensuing plot will be little surprise to readers of the first novel and this one’s title, although there are some great new characters to meet and get to know.

It feels like something aspects of the story are very much drawn from the author’s real life experience of bookshops, and this makes for some of the most amusing passages.

I felt overall that it’s not quite recaptured the same charm as the first novel, but that was a lot to live up to, and it’s still a solid cosy fantasy novel to curl up with.

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4th March 2023

“Cosy fantasy” is the term that has been coined to describe this novel, and it fits perfectly. This is the tale of a retiring D&D-style adventurer and her plans to start a new, less physically risky, venture.

It’s a lovely character-driven tale about friendship, and sets up a wonderful little world that definitely feels like it’s inviting me back for another visit in future.

I’ve already been searching for more similar low-stakes reading to add to my list.

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