I enjoy books far more than I do coffee, so it’s a bit funny that I liked Bookshops & Bonedust a little less than I did Legends & Lattes. But that’s only because Lattes felt like such a breath of fresh air, whereas Bonedust feels much more familiar. Still welcoming, to be sure, but somewhat less spellbinding.
Even so, I found that this worked well as a companion piece to the first novel, further elaborating on its themes of found families and fresh starts while navigating its own motif established by the book’s epigraph: “Because the right things happen at the wrong time.” In Bonedust we find a Viv that is not only comfortable in her current circumstances, but thriving. Then when something happens which puts that life on hold, she’s understandably despondent. But the incident places her in the appropriate position to reconsider her prospects, and with the help of new companions — new perspectives — Viv begins to realize that her life will probably not always look the same, but that that may not be such a bad thing after all. Could, in fact, one day be desirable. And thus a foundation is laid.
I love the world Travis Baldree has conjured up for this series, but even more so, I love the characters he’s populated it with — these larger than life personalities full of wisdom and warmth. I will gladly revisit any time we are invited back.
ricardo reading 