*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: November 11. 2025
Publisher: Tor Books
Pages: 336
Genre: Cozy Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
The third book in the Legends & Latte series completely swept me away as we adventure with Fern as she is struggling with a midlife crisis. Fern is the loveably brash character from Bookshops & Bonedust and I fell even more in love with her character in this book. The world that Travis Baldree has created is so rich and fulfilling in the scope of it. And when you add in his incredible characters that are so distinct and complex it creates the best reading experience.
A lot of my enjoyment of this book came from the characters Fern meets along her journey. Of course we have our favorites like Viv and Tandri’s crew of people but I was shocked at how much I absolutely adored the new ones we are introduced to in this installment. I don’t want to say too much about them since discovering all their personalities was such a thrill but I was laughing out loud at multiple points in this story.
All the books in the Legends & Latte series involve some kind of self discovery but it is not often where books tackle the feeling of being stuck and lost in a life you have created for yourself. I found the grief and shame that Fern is going through to be so heart wrenching and truthful. The small quiet moments of introspection were well balanced out with action and an unexpected amount of fights. I never knew where this story was going and throughly enjoyed watching everything play out.
While Brigands & Breadknives is grittier than the past books in the series it is also balanced out with so much heart and humor that I know I will be remembering these characters for years to come.
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