Review: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

High Fantasy with a double-shot of self-reinvention

Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.

However, her dreams of a fresh start pulling shots instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners and a different kind of resolve.

A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth.

• Title: Legends & Lattes
• Author:  Travis Baldree
• Publisher: Cryptid Press
• Publication Date: 22 February 2022
• Genre: High Fantasy, Cosy Fantasy 
• Source: Audiobook
• Targeted Age Range: YA
• Content Warnings: Arson, stalking violence, fantasy themes
• Rating: ★★★

If you play Dungeons & Dragons, you are going to love this book. In fact, the cover is almost reminiscent of one of the playbooks you’ll find in the store. It mixes the fantasy elements of a TTRPG (tabletop roleplaying game) with the slow, warming presence of a cosy video game. Sadly, this just wasn’t the mix for me. While I am no D&D veteran, I have played in a two-year campaign and am in the process of writing one myself (if you’re reading this and you are one of my players, I promise it is coming soon), so I fully expected to like this book. In fact, the roleplay element is my favourite part of the game, so why didn’t I like it? In all honesty, I felt as if this book focused more so on vibes over content, and that’s where it lost me.

Fresh from a reading slump, I needed a book that would grip me from start to finish, and unfortunately that just didn’t happen. I listened to this book via audiobook while finishing my workday, and while it was somewhat entertaining, it almost felt too long for what it was. Goodreads shows it is only 318 pages, but it dragged and dragged and dragged, and it almost felt like a chore towards the end. I wasn’t invested, I didn’t really like any of the characters, and I didn’t see the purpose in chapter after chapter detailing how coffee is made. I own a Nespresso machine, so I’m familiar with the process. 

Our story follows Viv, a retired orc barbarian warrior settling down in a small town to open a coffee shop. From the first page Viv makes it very clear that she is turning over a new leaf, finding her place in the world outside of being a warrior, and how she doesnt want to be known just as violent – and that’s it. That’s all we really get from her from the entire book, even when the big plot points happen. She doesn’t seem to have much personality, and when she was given chances to grow, it never seems to happen. She was pretty boring, and it’s a shame I didn’t like her more. Similarly, I felt the same about her love interest, Tandri. We don’t really learn anything about her, and I’m left wondering why I’m supposed to care. For me, the romance wasn’t needed, but I can see why Baldree added it. For others it will be a nice little addition to an otherwise mundane story, but for me, it just felt like it was chucked in to please the content quota. 

Baldree is a great writer, and I think that’s where Legends & Latte’s strength lies. The world in which this story is set is carefully planned, plotted and written, and I do wish I could visit the town of Thune. It was charming, and while we didn’t get to spend much time outside of the cafe (appropriately named Legends and Lattes), it seems like Baldree has set a good foundation for future works to be written in the same universe. Baldree’s writing lended itself to some interesting side characters, all whom I lost track of throughout the book. Maybe it’s because I listened to it rather than physically reading it, but I found myself questioning my own knowledge about who is who. Names got muddled up and backstories, on the rare occasion there was one, didn’t help clarify it either. I wish Baldree took more time developing the essential characters first before padding out the world with extras. Again, it feels like a quota was trying to be met, rather than have them serve a purpose. 

I have no complaints regarding audiobook production. The version I listened to was narrated by Baldree himself, and it was delightful. It was great to hear it come to life the way he wrote it and, after a quick look on his website, it turns out he is a narrator outside of being an author, so he has real experience bringing text to life. Honestly, if you were going to read this book, I would recommend the audiobook. 

All in all, Legends & Lattes missed the mark for me. I wish it had more to keep me entertained, and while it’s billed as low stakes, I wish it just had… something. I think you’ll enjoy this if you want something easy, and something that is a quick stop on the way to your end of year goals. Legends & Lattes is a great way to get your Dungeons and Dragons fix without physically rolling for initiative – it just left me wanting more.

Links for Legends & Lattes: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound