Pages: 320
Publisher: Tor
Released: 10th of November 2022
High Fantasy with a double-shot of self-reinvention
Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.
However, her dreams of a fresh start pulling shots instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners and a different kind of resolve.
A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth.
What I Have to Say
This was just what the fantasy genre needed. A nice refreshing tale about an orc who opens a coffee shop, this book hit the spot quite nicely and made me crave coffee and cinnamon buns in the process. I would love this to bring new stories to the fantasy genre, because there's so much scope for slice of life stories in fantasy and sci fi books. It's a chance to explore worlds in more calm relaxing ways without the protagonist being whisked off to save the world. I just absolutely love this idea.
The story itself was great too, though it was probably the uniqueness that made me rate it so highly, it had a strong plot and a really loveable cast of characters. My favourite was Thimble the rattkin, but the other characters are notable as well. It was really easy to see the friendship and camaraderie that formed between the characters.
If I had to make one complaint it's that the romance wasn't introduced until really late into the book. I'd have liked a stronger romance especially since it was sapphic which is always my favourite type of romance and the two characters worked so well together. If it had been a little more slow burn this book would have been absolutely perfect.
5 stars
My thanks go to Netgalley and Tor for providing me with this copy for review.
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