cozy – The Obsessive Bookseller

Title: Tales From the Territory

Author: Travis Baldree

Series: Legends and Lattes #3.5

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: There are many tales yet untold . . .
‘GOBLINS & GREATCOATS’: Chaos goblin Zyll is involved in a case of mistaken identity, where she solves a murder at an inn whilst simultaneously stealing all the cutlery.
‘JUST A THIMBLEFUL’: The sweet rattkin baker Thimble finds a new home for his soon-to-be famous cinnamon rolls.
‘PAGES TO FILL’: An act of mercy leads to a life-changing discovery for warrior orc Viv.
In ‘MIROGRAPH’, young succubus Tandri assists a university professor on a mysterious project where art and science collide.
In ‘CAVALIERS & COFFEES’, Viv, now the owner of Legends & Lattes coffee shop, discovers that imitation is not the highest form of flattery. –Goodreads

Niki’s Review:

This collection was an absolute delight! I keep saying I don’t care for short stories, but I may need to re-evaluate, as I was hooked on this right from the first page. It helped that the first story (Goblins and Greatcoats) was about my single most favorite character I’ve met over the last few years: Zyll. This being is hysterical (and slightly unnerving), and her story was every bit as entertaining as the scenes we got with her from Brigands and Breadknives. It also provided a great backstory to how she came to possess a certain item…

And then the Thimble story!! Which was very reminiscent of Ratatouille, but I loved the twist Baldree put on the tale. This was the one for which I felt the largest emotional connection. It also best captured the cozy, day in the life aspect I loved so much about Legends and Lattes. Thimble spoke to my artist’s soul. He had an insatiable drive to refine his culinary confections to perfection without any external appreciation for his efforts. His story arc there was especially satisfying, and I think this is the one I’ll remember most from the collection (which is fitting because it’s the cover image feature on my Broken Binding copy).

Then we get into my least favorite of the collection, Pages to Fill. I found it oddly difficult to follow compared to the other stories and even had to go back and reread a good chunk of it at one point because I was so disengaged. It was almost as if it were missing something, but I can’t put my finger on what it was. The end half of the story was a bit more successful, and I finally found a story element I liked enough to keep my attention. While doing research after finishing the book, I discovered this particular story was written many years before the others in the collection. Interesting, then, that it’s the only one I had a struggle with. I think it signifies just how far the author has grown as a writer since his early publishing days, so I was still able to appreciate it as a good stepping stone.

And finally, a maddening but also heartwarming tale taking us to a time period after L&L with Viv and her coffee house crew. It’s fun to get a “where are they now” update, and I’m certainly hoping this isn’t the last we’ll see of them. Injustices in books, even in cozy books, stress me out, so this was probably the most evoking tale of the bunch. Even so, it ultimately left me with all the right emotions and was a good capstone for the collection.

Overall I’m not sure which story was my favorite, but I can say I think it is worth reading for fans of the series. It added a good bit of roundness to the world for me and I truly cannot wait to see what the author has in store next! I experienced the story both on audio (narrated by the author himself – a narrator by profession, so you know it’s good!) and via the Broken Binding hardback edition. The physical book I read had striking full color illustrations to go along with each story, which definitely enhanced the experience for me. Overall I’m thrilled to add this one to my library!

I’d like to thank Macmillan Audio, Travis Baldree, and Netgalley for the chance to listen to and review an early copy of Tales From the Territory!

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, Leah, and Laura! <3

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by Niki Hawkes

Title: Sea of Charms

Author: Sarah Beth Durst

Series: Spellshop #3

Genre: Cozy Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Marin is a supply runner with her own boat that she sails from island to island, delivering whatever anyone will pay her to deliver: letters, flour, even the occasional enchanted lemur. It’s a lonely life, but it’s hers, and she wouldn’t trade the freedom of the sea for anything. Her only companion is a sea serpent, Perri, whom she saved from a fisherfolk’s net. One day, she sails to Alyssium and discovers the city is on fire. There’s been a revolution, and the empire has fallen. Marin, with Perri, begins transporting refugees, finding them new homes where they can start over. One such refugee is Dax, a composer who refuses to leave behind his instruments, no matter how much she tries to emphasize the gravity of the situation. Intrigued by his stubbornness, his passion for stories, and his charming smile, Marin discovers perhaps she isn’t saving him ― maybe it’s the other way around. –Goodreads

Niki’s Review:

Sarah Beth Durst continues to write stories I wish I’d thought of first. After dazzling me with Race the Sands a few years ago, I’ve been gradually working my way through her works. She’s such a delightful writer – telling stories filled with so many fun fantasy elements that make you feel like a kid again. Everything I’ve read so far has been solid, and I can’t wait to eventually get to all of her books.

In general, I need to read more feel-good stories like Sea of Charms. That said, it did take me about half the book to really get into it. I was missing a little of that slow-burn, day-in-the-life aspect that we got in the first two books (one via starting and operating a jam shop, the other via the daily care and maintenance of greenhouse plants). Both fulfilled a specific craving, which I feel was lacking in Sea of Charms. Just a little more page count dedicated to the care and keeping of the magical ship would have gone a long way. Plus more effort on fleshing out the ship itself, giving it even more magical properties. As it was, with the ship acting as little more than a vessel (ha) from place to place, it felt like an opportunity wasted.

But that was my only negative takeaway from the book. What it lacked in caretaking vibes it more than made up for with adventure. We got to explore more of the many islands in this nation, which was probably my favorite aspect of the story. Also, the story was told along the same timeline as the other books in the series, expanding what we know of this world and where we’ve visited. As we get closer and closer to the source of the main conflict with each book, I feel myself getting increasingly invested. The framework for this whole thing is particularly fantastic because, as each of the islands has it’s own unique and magical properties, the possibilities are endless for future books. And in fact, we’ve already been given some insight into the characters we’ll meet for the next book (The Magical Cheese Emporium), for which I’m incredibly excited!

I initially wasn’t sure if I liked the main characters and their love story. I couldn’t see the what their draw was to one another other than physical attraction at first. But as the story went along, the care they took in creating a safe place for each other, offering support, and prioritizing one another soon became apparent, making this one of the more profound love stories I’ve read in a while. It was really sweet. And the side characters! Durst is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors for great side characters. I thought nothing could beat the rolling cactus in the first book, but Perri, the sea serpent, earned a star from me all on his own. Loved.

Even with all of these cool elements coming together, Durst made it even better by incorporating music into the storyline in a way that wove together the entire plot. Without going full bard-mode, she managed to make the book feel heavily musical… it was downright beautiful. I will probably remember this book more as the music installment rather than the exploration/merchant one, which I don’t hate.

Overall, this was a delightful book that was the exact sort of cozy fantasy I crave between my usual gritty SFF reads. Despite the fact that it has a romance component, I would not lump this into the romantasy category, as its primary focus is on the fantasy elements, there are no sex scenes, and it has completely different vibes than the books I’ve read in the romantasy category. It was an incredibly wholesome read, and I can’t wait to see what the author has in store for us next!

I want to thank Macmillan Audio, Sarah Beth Durst, and Netgalley for the chance to listen to and review an early copy of Sea of Charms!

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, Leah, and Laura! <3

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