Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

A quick but enjoyable read. I've read Legends and Lattes before, but it's been so long that I don't remember much of the plot. I actually think this story works better as a graphic novel because from what I remember of the novel, there isn't much worldbuilding anyway.

That said, you do have to give up some suspension of disbelief because, for example, it's literally a Breville espresso maker but make it slightly fantasy. There's a lot of modern items and assumptions with a thin fantasy layer on top. The story never dives into the history and cultural significance of coffee and coffee houses, which has been criticized in the past. That is also not addressed here.

The artstyle was pleasant to look at and the story had decent flow for the most part. Some characters felt like they popped up out of nowhere (mostly the direcat) and then disappeared without much regard (the old wizard), but sometimes graphic novels tend to have a quickened pace that lacks deeper explanation or exploration. So it wasn't a huge distraction, but it did interrupt the flow of the story.

Overall, it's a cute, cozy, and queernormative story. It can feel a little shallow even though it touches on found family and finding your path in life because of how little it explores anything outside the immediate happenings on the page. Honestly, if I didn't know about the romance aspect beforehand, I would be surprised at how quickly it develops at the end of the novel (mostly because of the time jumps and lack of on page buildup between the couple). However, it truly is the definition of cozy (and one of the OGs of the subgenre, I'd argue). If that's what you're looking for, absolutely check this one out.

DNF @ 11%

Male male male. Corded muscle. Broad. Big hands. Male. Strong. Male. Muscle.

I cannot do an entire book of this, especially when the FMC is setup as a General and yet she folds less than five minutes into meeting our MMC. Because of his fingers??! Girl, stand up. PLEASE. 😭