Review of Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

Bookshops & Bonedust occurs chronologically BEFORE Travis Baldree’s intensely popular debut novel Legends & Lattes. In both books, we follow Viv who is an Orc swordsman for hire but we find a much younger and more impulsive Viv in Bookshops and Bonedust, whose reckless behavior leads her to be left behind in the town of Murk by her band of fellow mercenaries to heal from a severe leg injury. As she gets to know the Murk townsfolk and develops beautiful relationships, we meet a quirky group of companions: Fern the ratkin with the mouth of a sailor, Gallina the gnome who is persistent in her desire to be accepted by Viv, Maylee a dwarf baker who may be interested in being more than friends with Viv, and my personal favorite, Satchel  who is significantly more than the satchel of enchanted skeleton he seems to be.

The only aspect of this book that I wasn’t overly fond of was Fern’s swearing. It was a bit jarring at first and while I did get used to it by the end and could see the use of her language as a humor device, I think her cursing could have been dampened.

Other than that, I was enthralled with the mystery and the cozy feel of Viv carving friendships in the seaside town of Murk. While this prequel is less cozy and feels like a higher stakes plot, Baldree certainly has mastered the found family feelings in this series. I loved the description of food, as well as the books that Fern recommends to Viv.

At this point, I would say you could read either book in any order, but as readers are told to expect to see Fern again soon, the order may become more important as Baldree progresses through this series.

The audio version provides a phenomenal reading experience, as it is narrated by Baldree himself (as audiobook narration is his career).

Please note that you will find the following in Bookshops & Bonedust: same gender relationships, cursing, violence, dark magic such as necromancy

Thank you to Travis Baldree, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC.