I’ve heard so much about Legends & Lattes for the last year or so, and how cozy and delicious this fantasy story was. I don’t think of myself as a contrary person by nature, but it was almost enough to turn me off from reading it. So it was a little begrudgingly that I finally picked it up on a recent sleepless night, figuring that I’d either get to knock it off my TBR or it would put me to sleep and solve the more pressing issue.
And you know what? It was delightful.
Viv is an orc whose escapades with her adventuring crew has let her save up a tidy sum. But she’s been dreaming about another line of work, so after her last job, she takes a rare artifact instead of the expected payout and leaves the adventuring life behind. In a small costal city, she finds a rundown stable, as well as a carpenter willing to attempt the seemingly impossible: turning it into a coffee shop.
That the people of this fair city have never heard of the goblin delight that is coffee is only a minor speedbump for Viv, who is sure the drink will speak for itself. Business is slow, even with the suggestions of Viv’s new barista, Tandri, on how to better market the cafe. But it’s the hiring of an odd little baker, Thimble, that really starts bringing in the customers with his new inventions like cinnamon rolls and biscotti (excuse me: thimblets), and soon Viv has a dedicated clientele for both food and drink. Still, there’s a lot to threaten Viv’s new and growing venture, including a disgruntled member of her former crew and the local syndicate demanding payments for “protection” on all local business. Viv has sworn off violence, but caffeinated beverages can only go so far in solving problems like these.
This isn’t “serious” literature. It’s D&D but the DM is longing for PSL season. It’s a light book channeling the dream of someone who alternately binged Gilmore Girls and Game of Thrones in the same day. And it is as lovely as a hot cuppa on a cold day. It’s a story about friendship and about new chances. And it doesn’t try, or need, to be anything more than that.
I think sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the meaning of art, including literature. I appreciate when art can carry a heavy load. I love learning about myself and others through art. I love that it can be entertaining and didactic at the same time. And I don’t think it always has to do that. Nothing about Legends & Lattes is going to change the world, but it’s comforting and uplifting. It made me smile. Apparently, it makes a lot of people smile, and that’s plenty valuable all by itself.
Then again, maybe it can change the world, just a little. It’s just as easy to lose sight of important things when we live in as volatile a time as we do. Things like friendship, and the power of a really good pastry. Maybe a reason there is such an appetite for cozy fantasy and other comforting reads is because it reminds us that, even if things are bad outside and we can’t—and shouldn’t—just ignore the bad things, there can still be good things, too. There can still be steaming mugs and warm croissants. We can decide to be better versions of ourselves at any time. Real friends are things to be treasured.
There’s a lot of good in that.
Ring Reads 