Legends and Latte — Book Review

Charming and adorable are the words that come to mind.

I picked up this book after reading some interesting reviews about it. I was in the mood for something different and hearing ‘orc opening a coffee shop’ perked my ears right up.

The tagline of this book is low stakes, high fantasy. It’s genuinely the story of an orc with a mysterious past and low self-esteem trying to open and maintain a coffee shop in a faraway fantasy town. She makes friends and hires employees, including a succubus server, all while trying to navigate the everyday hassles of running a cafe, and making friends.

This book is so charming. It’s well written and all the characters are likeable, except the characters you aren’t supposed to like. It’s fun seeing ideas develop and then click in your mind as ‘oh that’s what that is.’ They rename many coffee houses staples into fun fantasy names.

The tagline says low stakes, and that is true. There are certainly no life-or-death battles or anything like that. But he does manage to find this middle ground where the stakes exist and they feel real. You care about the hurdles and how the characters will overcome them. And you feel…