Review By: Francesca Miesner
Published: 2023
Genre(s): Fantasy, Romance
Audience: Grades 10–12, Adult
Content Warnings: Alcohol consumption, Anxiety, Stalking
Goodreads Link: Bookshops & Bonedust
Summary:
Bookshops & Bonedust follows Viv, a battle-hardened orc mercenary sidelined by injury and sent to the sleepy seaside town of Murk to recover. Expecting boredom, Viv instead discovers community, friendship, and love while helping to revive a failing bookshop—and perhaps realizing there is more to life than endless quests.
Review:
Bookshops & Bonedust finds the main character, Viv, longing for battle and adventure. However, when she gets injured, she is forced to go on leave to recover. What she thinks will be a boring vacation turns out to be filled with mystery, romance, and action.
This novel is perfect for someone looking for a romantasy. The romance, while prevalent, is not the focal point. There is a diverse cast of characters, of varying genders and sexualities, as well as different fantasy races. Viv is a female orc who does not fill traditional gender roles. She is a tough fighter who cannot imagine settling down. After a mistake outside of her bookshop, Viv meets Fern. She is a rattkin, part rat and part human. She is not very good at hard labor, so Viv decides to help her make the bookshop cozy. Viv meets Maylee, a dwarf who has a passion for reading and owns a bookshop. They become close over Viv’s time spent in town.
It is an interesting position for Viv to be put in. She is forced to hang up her sword and retire from mercenary work. Once settled, she realizes that relaxing is not so bad after all. However, trouble finds her when a mysterious figure rolls into town. Viv makes solving the mystery and protecting the sleepy, cozy village she has grown to love her responsibility.
Bookshops & Bonedust is the prequel to Baldree’s first novel, Legends & Lattes. The main character of both novels is Viv, who readers will love. The illustrations on the cover are gorgeous. My students would not pick up this book, as it is a bit too old for them, but any student who loves fantasy would enjoy this cozy take on a usually chaotic world.
