This book is very polarizing in reviews, because it has a lot of parts, esp the humor, that you either dig or you don’t. Well, I dug. It has a sort of “written to market” feel, but it’s like that market is specifically me. The comparison to Legends and Lattes is very obvious and there’s a lot of nudge-nudge wink-wink about d’n’d type tropes, references, and memes. Also one reference that feels like it was plucked right out of this sub. The fourth wall is practically non-existent and the narrator often talks to the reader. That’s all stuff that I’m sure can fall flat for a lot of people but I found it hilarious and had to send screenshots to all my friends.
It’s a short book, I read in almost half of it in one go, and it was funny and light, great for taking my mind off my regularly scheduled evening anxiety. I haven’t even played that much d’n’d but I am a sucker for tabletop rpg parody bits and found them super fun.
The main character felt very much like a reader insert. Yes, I would love a huge bookshop fully stacked and reading by the fire to my tall muscular barbarian-hired muscle (in this situation repeating muscle a few times in a single sentence is warranted, trust me). She’s alright as a character, very sensible at times, and has a mysterious past she’s hiding.
The barbarian is lots of fun. She’s got that super direct “you people are weird let’s just fight it out” vibe and always considers violence the best option.
The plot was nice and low stakes, lots of book reading, being cozy, a sprinkle of arch-nemesis and getting to know the townfolks, which were alll pretty fun characters.
Bingo squares self-pub, pub in 2023, queernorm HM, mundane jobs HM
Another cozy book you might like is Their Heart a Hive by Fox N. Locke