Legends & Lattes is a perfectly delightful book. I read it because it had been described as such and, you know what, it delivers in that respect. What’s this book like? If you can see the cover art, then that’s it. That’s exactly what it’s like. No one could have designed a better, more fitting cover for it. Truly, dear cover artist and designer: Job well done!
I guess the best way I can review this book is to say, the day after we watched Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, we went to a birthday party for a kiddo in our family. Seeing a family member there – a total fellow nerd who is always trying to get us to really consider a D&D campaign (which I’m not going to do, thanks, give me a one-shot TTRPG or a one-pager and I’ll hop on it but gtfo with your long campaigns!) – I ran up to him and said, “OMG, we just saw Dungeons & Dragons and it’s DELIGHTFUL and you need to see it.” I couldn’t stop describing it as “delightful,” and as I had to explain that, “No, really, it was good and funny and had great effects and, honestly, is way better than any D&D movie deserves to be” I mentioned “I’m reading this book right now that’s totally that same vibe.” He asks me what the book’s about and I answer: An orc decides to hang up her sword and open – get this – a coffee shop and that’s it. It’s about 200 pages of building a coffee shop from scratch and making friends. And my friend responds (emphatically), “THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I NEED RIGHT NOW.” And then he tells me that what he’s been itching for is a day in the life book, “like an anime light novel” but with fantasy underpinnings.
Well, Friend, have I got a book for you! (And I do, by the way. I’m forgoing putting this one in a Little Free Library because it already has an eager second home.)
There isn’t much else to say about Legends & Lattes because, really, nothing much happens. And that’s not a bad thing. That’s exactly the kind of book you need sometimes. There are good and not so great things about it, sure. It reads not as fast as I’d like. Honestly, nothing much happens. There’s what I would consider a totally unnecessary will they or won’t they subplot. But, honestly, it’s a book about an orc opening a coffee shop. It packs no action, nor should it. It’s a feel good story without being contrived or pulling your heartstrings.
Note: This book is totally appropriate for all ages. Though it’s likely shelved with adult collections in libraries and bookstores, it could easily be picked up by an 11 year-old or a 16 year-old as much as 45 year-old. It’s short – about 230 pages – and easy to read. It’s absolutely a light novel-esque book with fantasy underpinnings.