Before that, he spent decades designing and building video games like Torchlight, Rebel Galaxy, and Fate. I would recommend this one to readers looking for a nice pallet cleanser between grimdark fantasy and other depressing reads.

It attaches a fascinating history to her as each person she comes across in Murk changes her, some only in little ways, others in big ones. and if we do decide to close that door and lock it, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the moment of living inside that room for a tiny bit of your life - and that doesn’t make anything lesser, or greater, but it can create happiness and memories that you really can take with you during every adventure in life. Whatever the reasons, since the release of Legends and Lattes, I still haven’t found many cozy fantasy books or series that attract my interest as much as Legends and Lattes did.Some readers can argue that writing a fantasy story about finding and savoring the joy of reading is cheating.

decidedly warm and cozy" despite the "hint of danger in the wind," summing up the story as "[w]arm and wonderful. fern (the rattkin bookseller) really felt like a once in a lifetime character for me, because she really embodies the feeling and the power of seeing someone fall in love with books and reading and how special it feels when maybe you played a little part in that. we even get to see little parts of the books that viv is reading because of fern’s recommendations and i was obsessed every time! She made it up by degrees, hauling her butt onto the bedframe and sucking air through her teeth as she swung her damaged leg around. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others.

Here we meet a loving and lively cast of characters, all with their own interesting lives and stories. It took me a little while to become invested in this story, but once I did I couldn't leave this wonderfully crafted world. and 4 stars - This is a pretty darn successful follow up to the smash hit debut that was Legends and Lattes.

There may be danger, magic and adventure going on in the background - a sinister stranger turns up, there are rumours of a necromantic army and city gate warden Iridia is on high alert and Has Her Eye On Viv - but there are also baked goods to be eaten, books to be read and discussed and flirting to be done. The innocent joy of Viv and Fern’s love is delightful and Baldree’s formula of placing low-stakes stories in high-fantasy settings remains good fun. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. However, reading our unspoken emotions and words written by other authors eloquently, or feelings spoken by characters who feel the same passion about reading, can feel good.Ben Aaronovitch, author of Rivers of London It's the rare prequel that beautifully adds depth, power, and love to the lore. Someone had wrestled the strawtick mattress onto the floor, and though her legs still went off the end, they’d positioned her pack so her foot was propped, keeping the wounded leg elevated. Baldree has mentioned three more standalone fantasy novels in this series will be written and published, and the first one is slated to be released in 2025. It made me feel like every scene between Viv and the love interest was crammed in for filler material and I was beyond bored.

I don't think it was bad, simply dully mediocre, and I guess I set my standards too high for Baldree's writing after his first smash hit. After the indie author's breakthrough success with LEGENDS AND LATTES, everyone was eager to see what he would do next and a lot of people were suddenly speaking of a new subgenre in "cozy fantasy. It does the impossible: showing us a character twenty years before her story, and making us hold our breath to see what happens next.

Read by the author, a talented and animated fantasy narrator who also voiced Legends, the book presents a colorful cast of new and familiar characters that is sure to ensorcell and delight listeners. In the first book, I was invested in Viv building a life for herself, but in this one, I knew she wasn't going to stay so I didn't care as much about her relationships that she was forming. 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. i dont want to give too much away, but if the author is setting up things the way i think he is, i am going to be begging tor every time for an arc because truly this series will probably become my favorite setting of all time. Young Viv is still fiercely loyal and protective, and of course there is trouble on the horizon, but the shining heart of the story is the friendships.