Legends & Lattes is a cozy fantasy about an orc lady who retires from the warrior life to open a café. Along the way, she makes some friends and learnLegends & Lattes is a cozy fantasy about an orc lady who retires from the warrior life to open a café. Along the way, she makes some friends and learns to rely on others sometimes.
It was, for the most part, very wholesome. I absolutely adored Thimble, and the sapphic romance was also cute. But there was nothing beyond that. The messages were nice, if a bit superficial. It tried to have a sort of plot and some action towards the end, but the way it was done was so cartoonish that I would've preferred it to be left out entirely in favor of more character work. I think it was a shame that we didn't delve into Tandri's past more - the only character that actually got some depth to their story and resolved a personal conflict in the end was Viv. I likewise didn't love the inclusion of modern café items as new inventions in this fantasy setting; it just felt so corny to see the characters invent iced coffee and cinnamon rolls.
“I don’t know. I kind of like it. It’s more exotic that way.”
“Try the EXOTIC Gnomish Sensation”
On that note, the framing of how Viv found out about coffee and decided to sell it was a bit... weird. So coffee comes from a different land where it was invented and continues to be made by gnomes, and our main character just decides to take it and sell it somewhere else? Why not apprentice with the gnomes and work at one of their cafés for a while at least? Or hire gnome workers. And where is she getting coffee beans from in this fantasy land? It just felt a bit icky knowing the real-world context, and it was completely unnecessary to boot. Viv could've opened up a café in a town that didn't have one even if coffee wasn't just an "exotic" gnome thing.
I also felt that the epilogue was unnecessary. So yeah. A bit disappointing for such a cool premise but cute overall....more
[First read, November 2023] I thought I'd love this based on the blurb, and I was right. 5 stars
[Re-read, September 2024] Not as rereadable as I thought[First read, November 2023] I thought I'd love this based on the blurb, and I was right. 5 stars
[Re-read, September 2024] Not as rereadable as I thought it would be, but I still liked it....more
A modern fairytale that I want to reread already. (just please give us a better cover, I'm begging)
Nettle & Bone begins with a young woman in the woodA modern fairytale that I want to reread already. (just please give us a better cover, I'm begging)
Nettle & Bone begins with a young woman in the woods sewing together a dog out of bones and wire as her hands bleed. Then we get a backstory of how this mostly unwanted and unwilling princess came to be there. I have to admit I was a bit annoyed at Marra's naiveté and slowness in grasping things or reading between the lines at first, but then I realized that I shouldn't really see it as unrealistic and instead as just how she is. Soon after, I got to the part where she sought out the dust wife, and from there on I was hooked.
I noticed that some people were confused by the shifts in tone from the silly puns and found family dynamics to the more horror-like elements, but that's exactly what classic fairytales are like; and I, for one, love this kind of storytelling that blends hopeful and light themes with incredibly dark ones. So I might still call this a cozy fantasy overall, but it's definitely a cozy fantasy for adults.
Oh, and it's dedicated to a chicken, or more precisely: “dedicated to Strong Independent Chicken, a bird in a million.” And who wouldn't want to read a book dedicated to a one in a million chicken....more
This book was such a fun time. The authorial intrusions were a bit annoying sometimes, and I do think some parts could have been skipped over like theThis book was such a fun time. The authorial intrusions were a bit annoying sometimes, and I do think some parts could have been skipped over like they were in the movie (mainly just the slap and the part about gathering ingredients for the miracle), but it was still a great time overall. Below are some of my favorite parts (it's probably obvious from those, but Inigo is my absolute favorite).
Everything is after taxes.“Buttercup’s mother whirled on him. 'Did you forget to pay your taxes?' (This was after taxes. But everything is after taxes. Taxes were here even before stew.)”
Jealous plants.“(Originally, jealousy pertained solely to plants, other people’s cactus or ginkgoes, or, later, when there was grass, grass, which is why, even to this day, we say that someone is green with jealousy.)”
Your Prince.“I am your Prince and you will marry me,” Humperdinck said. Buttercup whispered, “I am your servant and I refuse.” “I am your Prince and you cannot refuse.” “I am your loyal servant and I just did.” “Refusal means death.” “Kill me then.” “I am your Prince and I’m not that bad—how could you rather be dead than married to me?”
A matter of perspective.“He’s gaining on us,” the Turk said. “That is also inconceivable,” the Sicilian said. “Before I stole this boat we’re in, I made many inquiries as to what was the fastest ship on all of Florin Channel and everyone agreed it was this one.” “You’re right,” the Turk agreed, staring back. “He isn’t gaining on us. He’s just getting closer, that’s all.”
The famous meme scene.“He’ll never catch up!” the Sicilian cried. “Inconceivable!” “You keep using that word!” the Spaniard snapped. “I don’t think it means what you think it does.”
The other famous scene?“I cannot make it. In all the world no one can but you, and you say no. Which means I have gone back on a commitment. Which means I have lost my honor. Which means that since honor is the only thing in the world I care about, and since I cannot live without it, I must die. And since you are my dearest friend, I may as well die now, with you, basking in the warmth of your affection.”
Boss baby.“I, Inigo Montoya, do challenge you, coward, pig, killer, ass, fool, to battle.” “Get him out of my way. Move the infant.” “The infant is ten and he stays,” Inigo said. “Enough of your family is dead for one day; be content,” said the noble. “When you beg me for your breath, then I shall be contented. Now dismount!”
Two wizards.“'You cannot tell it,' he said then, 'because I wear a cape and mask. But I am smiling now.' 'Why?' 'Because I’m not left-handed either,' said the man in black.”
Motherly wisdom.“Life is pain,” his mother said. “Anybody that says different is selling something.”
I have to agree with his wife.“At this point in the story, my wife wants it known that she feels violently cheated, not being allowed the scene of reconciliation on the ravine floor between the lovers.”
Everyone is the Dread Pirate Roberts.“You see, I am the Dread Pirate Roberts.” “I fail to see how that is possible, since he has been marauding for twenty years and you only left me three years ago.”
Gasp, she doesn't want to die with her twue wuv.“'I can live without love.' And with that she left Westley alone.”
He almost got me here.“Buttercup woke up screaming. She was in her bed. Alone. Safe. The wedding was still sixty days away. But her nightmares had begun.”
This slimy fish! I should have known.“Because when she died of murder on their wedding night, it was crucial that all Florin realize the depth of his love, the epochal size of his loss, since then no one would dare hesitate to follow him in the revenge war he was to launch against Guilder.”
So, uh, this got real dark real fast.“I feel quite invigorated,” the Count said as he and the Prince began to ascend the underground staircase. “It’s a perfect question. He was telling the truth, clearly; we both know that.”
But what's death in the face of true love.“Westley lay dead by the Machine. The Prince kept the dial by the twenty mark long long after it was necessary, until the Count said, 'Done.'”
Don't mess with Fezzik and his rhymes.“You’re not going anywhere until I know those rhymes” and the sound of his own voice was really very impressive, deep and resonant, and who was this snake anyway, getting in the path of Fezzik when there were rhymes to learn”
Brute Squad salary.“Have you got any money, Fezzik?” “Some. They pay well on the Brute Squad.” “Well I just hope it’s enough to buy a miracle, that’s all.”
So meta.“I wish I could remember what it was like when I was dead,” the man in black said. “I’d write it all down. I could make a fortune on a book like that. I can’t move my legs either.”
He's a poet.“That was below your heart. Can you guess what I’m doing?” “Cutting my heart out.” “You took mine when I was ten; I want yours now. We are lovers of justice, you and I—what could be more just than that?”
Good plan.“To be together. Until one of us dies.” “I’ve done that already, and I haven’t the slightest intention of ever doing it again,” Westley said. Buttercup looked at him. “Don’t we sort of have to sometime?” “Not if we promise to outlive each other, and I make that promise now.”...more
Loading...
