Slice-of-life fantasy just might be my very favorite genre. I mean, people figuring out their lives and minds while doing ordinary things against the backdrop of the magical and the extraordinary? Give me all of that! Unfortunately, I don't often get to enjoy these stories in book form. I tend to get my kicks in the realms of audiodrama podcasts and webcomics, and I find it eternally weird that there are so few slice-of-life fantasy novels. What is it about books as a medium that doesn't lend itself well to telling stories of this sort? Nothing! Absolutely nothing, books are perfect for telling these stories, they're just weirdly underused.

Anyway! I was overjoyed when I discovered that Legends & Lattes exists, and it was even better to actually read it. This book is everything I want slice-of-life fantasy to be. Just like the cover promises, the stakes are delightfully low and down-to-earth; instead of epic battles and heroic victories, we get the story of establishing a coffee shop in a fantasy city, with a big focus on the character and her mental health. Viv is a former adventurer who wants to start over; to build and create something instead of constantly hitting things. I think she does a great job.

There are lots of colorful characters in this story, lots of coffee and baked goods, and a plot that, in all honesty, could use just a little bit of tightening up, but was still delightful throughout. It took me a couple of chapters to get into the author's writing style for some reason; once I got used to it, though, I remained hooked into the story throughout.