Brigands & Breadknives

Fern, as a 47 year-old rattkin, has just completely upended her life, leaving her bookshop in Murk to start a new one next door to Viv's coffee shop in Thune. Fern is optimistic that the change in scene is exactly what she needs to deal with her growing discontent with her life. But when the new shop opens, the discontent is still there. While downing liquid courage to tell Viv about it, Fern falls asleep in the back of a wagon and accidentally ends up tagging along with a renowned elf adventurer, her talking sword, and the goblin who the elf is taking across the Territory to earn the bounty being offered. Tagging along with the duo, Fern is still completely unsure what she wants to do with her life but the further away she gets, the show more less sure she is she ever wants to go back.

Travis Baldree delivers yet another excellent cozy fantasy novel and I adored every second of it. All of the characters are a delight, although I was particularly fond of Zyll the goblin (and her knife). There's plenty of humour and a dash more adventure than might typically be anticipated for the subgenre but friendship and character development remains the core of the book. Watching Fern grow as a person (again) is a delight and while Viv is more of a background character, it's delightful to see her living her happy ending. Highly recommended for fans of the first two books in the series. I think this one is my new favourite of the three books, if that's any inducement to give it a try. show less

IN A NUTSHELL
Probably the best book in the series so far. An exciting adventure, run through with humour, played out across a richly imagined fantasy landscape and grounded by a thoughtful internal quest for identity and purpose. Travis Baldree's narration was pretty good too.

I’m so glad that 'Brigands & Breadknives' wasn’t just a recycled version of ‘Legends & Lattes’. I loved that book, but changing towns, opening a shop and accumulating a supportive found-family can't be everyone's road to happiness, can it? I wanted something fresh and different. Fortunately, so did Travis Baldree.

Fern’s story is not a repeat of Viv’s story. 'Legends & Lattes' had Viv giving up a life of travelling and mercenary mayhem to live a show more settled life she'd long dreamed of. It was a great story. It was a static story, with violence and threat being used mainly as accent colours in the book's palette.

I liked that 'Brigands & Breadknives' started with violence and stayed with violence most of the way through the book. The world Fern lives in is a dangerous place. Unlike Viv, Fern doesn't have a dream life that she's trying to realise. Rather, she has realised, a little late perhaps, that the way she lives is no longer enough. She wants more and different, but she doesn't know what that means. So she does what many people do, she got drunk and found somewhere to sleep it off. And that was the accidental start of her adventure.

Fern is falling into her future. She's on a journey to an unknown destination, through a hostile environment in the company of people she didn't choose and doesn't know. Fern's external journey is matched by an internal one where she is trying to discover how to break through her own ennui.

Part of Travis Baldree's magic is that, while delivering a thoughtful, sensitive book about replacing existential panic with a strengthened sense of identity, purpose and personal worth, he managed to let us all have some fun. Fern's journey was an exciting adventure, filled with as much action as humour. There are lots of fight scenes and swashbuckling acts of derring-do. Moments of tension and pathos, and even a startling plot twist

Best of all, Travis Baldree kept surprising me. His characters were travelling a well-trodden path in epic fantasy, but their choices were often atypical and always character-driven. And yes, 'Brigands & Breaknives' did manage to raise my spirits just as ‘Legends & Lattes’ did.

I read the previous books in the series as ebooks because I've had bad experiences listening to authors read their own work. This time, I went with the audiobook because I liked the sample, even though Travis Baldree read it. Then I had one of those slap-my-palm-against-my-forehead moments, when I looked Travis Baldree up and found that he's a professional narrator. So, not surprisingly, he did a great job with 'Brigands & Breaknives' show less

I know this is the third book in the series, but if it weren't for being inhabited by several of the same characters I would not be so sure. Yes, the humor is still there, but there seems to be an undertone of seriousness about this one I don't remember sensing in the first two. I loved Astryx, the Oathmaiden character. She's a warrior elf, but she's not like one of Tolkien's elves. She sweats, she gets cranky, and she certainly doesn't like to sing by starlight. That said, she is a spectacular fighter. Plus she's has a talking sword!

I really can't say too much without giving away some major plot points. I actually had a bit of a hard time getting into this one initially, but once I did... oh boy! This might be my favorite of the three show more books so far. I really can't wait for more. In fact I'd be happy to see the Oathmaiden get her own volume with her back story explained.

Highly recommended, especially if you enjoyed Legends & Lattes. show less

Delightful. I always wonder how Baldree will follow up on previous books -- because they can't all be the same plotline or it wouldn't work at all -- and thus far I have not been disappointed. This one wanders a bit, because existential crises are challenging to articulate and even harder to work through, but the characters, the adventure, the sheer delicious ridiculousness are present and accounted for in every page. Breadley is amazing. Fern's salty pronouncements and Zyll's bizarre Zyll-ness are epic. I continue to love this world and the stories that it spawns.

Advanced Readers Copy provided by Edelweiss.

Fern the rattkin is dissatisfied, and uproots her life, heading off to Thune to set up shop next to a certain coffee shop.

Absolutely adorable. A lovely, cosy read following Fern, who is possibly even more foul-mouthed in middle age. Delightful characters show up, some new and some old, and the story itself is very sweet, albeit rather more adventures than previous instalments in the series. I find Fern extremely charming, and I really hope she will return as a main character in future novels. Where is the Legends & Latte TTRPG? At least give us a lore book! Take my money!

4 Stars

If you’re a fan of this series then have no fear, for Baldree still brings a low stakes story with lots of charm, some magic, varied creatures, and a consistently thoughtful look at the eternal chase of finding personal happiness and fulfillment.

So, that’s where we find potty mouth rattkin Fern. Introduced to the reader in Bookshops & Bonedust, she’s decided to move her bookstore right next to old friend Viv’s coffee shop. Everything’s running smoothly and going as planned, but no one is more devastated to realize than Fern herself, that she’s pretty sure that she doesn't want to do this anymore. When she drunkenly falls asleep in a wagon and wakes up very far from home accompanying an elven mercenary on her way to show more deliver her bounty, Fern has no choice but to ride along to the next town to catch a ride back home.

Of course, that’s easier said than done.

Narrated by Baldree himself, he’s a genius at various voices, and this tale was a treat for the ears. I loved the found family vibes and was endlessly entertained by duty bound elf Astryx, her goblin “prisoner” Zyll (whom one may have met previously in Goblins & Greatcoats which is also highly recommended), as well as a talking sword named Nigel, and a cutlery knife named Breadlee. There's fights, revenge, and betrayal, along with plenty of humor and difficult self contemplation.

Overall, maybe not as cozy as Legends & Lattes but certainly more fun. This was another wonderful addition to this feel good, easy going series!

Thank you to the author and Macmillan audio for a copy to review honestly show less

Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Legends and Lattes series. I borrowed a copy of this on ebook from my library.

Thoughts: This was an amazing follow-up to Legends and Lattes and follows Fern, from the Prelude book. I really enjoyed that this went from more of a cozy fantasy to an adventure fantasy (with some coziness of course). I thought Fern's struggles felt very real and was hoping for her to find her path and happiness. It was incredibly relatable.

Fern relocates her bookstore to Thune and gets set up with the help of Viv, Tandri, and Cal. However, she isn't happy. Fern finds herself panicking when she realizes this move to Thune didn't fill the empty spot in her. For a solution, she has a night of hard drinking and show more then wanders around town, inadvertently falling asleep in the back of a wagon. Unfortunately, she wakes up on the road with a famous warrior elf, the elf's odd captive goblin, and no money whatsoever. Now Fern is on an adventure that will test her courage and make her question what she really wants out of life.

I really enjoyed all of the adventuring in this book. It is different from previous books in this series, but I enjoyed the change. The adventure is exciting and life-threatening at times, but still stays cozy feeling too.

I also really enjoyed all of the characters here. Fern is a foul-speaking Ratkin in a tough spot but she tries to be as helpful as possible and really is struggling to find her happiness. The elf warrior she joins up with is a creature of habit, she's been a merc for centuries and can't imagine doing things any other way. The captive goblin is pure chaos, and it's tough to figure out if she's actually a captive. In the end, they all end up being what the other party members need. They all end up pushing each other out of their comfort zones. The antics here were humorous, fun, and thought-provoking.

This was very easy to read and I enjoyed it. It is quite different from the last two books in this series in format and tone, but I thought that was a good thing. It was still a cozy and thought-provoking read. This was incredibly well written, and I breezed right through it and enjoyed every minute of it.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this new installment in the Legends and Lattes series. The format is different this time around with a lot more adventure, but I liked the format even better than the previous books. We do see a bit of Viv and Tandri, but the story really focuses on Fern and a cast of new amazing characters. If you enjoy thoughtful adventure fantasy with some coziness, I think you will enjoy this. If you enjoyed the other two Legends and Lattes books, I think you will enjoy this as well, just keep an open mind and go along with the adventure. show less