A story about an adventuring orc retiring and opening a coffee shop is exactly as cozy as you’d expect. It’s a feel-good story with some great emotional moments that restored some of my faith in humanity. For a story that doesn’t feature any of them, it’s very human and I think captures that essence perfectly.

Viv is retiring from adventuring after finding the object of her desire, a scalvert stone. It’s said to bring good fortune upon those that acquire it and she wants to use it to start a business. She returns to a city from her adventures, purchases a building and begins turning it into the coffee shop of her dreams. She contracts a local goblin to help with construction and a succubus as an employee. As the story progresses, business does well but Viv can’t figure if it’s through her own efforts or the stone’s influence. This insecurity makes her a little weary, but she continues trying to establish her livelihood. More and more people become regulars at the shop and she finally starts to feel at home. Unfortunately, the local gang takes an interest in her profits as well as a previous party member, so not everything is smooth sailing. For the most part though, there’s not a central antagonist and the story is about transitioning from one stage of life to another and trying to find happiness during that adjustment. You’ll see Viv and her friends figure out new ways to make the cafe better and solve some problems together, which gives the reader a sense of belonging. It’s a group of people working together to help another achieve their dreams. It’s lovely.

Viv is a well-balanced character; her main struggle is trying to find a way to solve problems without violence. It’s not really a character-centered story as the journey is the most important aspect. Community and belonging, along with embracing change are the central themes, so character development (minus Viv) isn’t as prevalent here. The others didn’t need any development as they are already established in the world and know what they want. Tandri (the succubus) does have some great moments as she’s initially reserved, but opens up throughout the narrative. Viv seems to draw out the inner thoughts of those around her as she’s trustworthy and earnest; but is that because of the stone?

Though this story has some antagonists, the focus of it is not to overcome them, but rather focus on relationships and building a life for yourself that has meaning. It’s a story that is all too relatable as the world likes to focus on commercial success and popularity, rather than substance. Getting to know the denizens of the coffee shop and see Viv realize her dream was inspiring. I felt right at home with this cacophony of humanlike creatures as they were more human than many people I’ve known. It’s earnest, heartfelt and inspiring and I loved living in this world. I recommend this story to anyone who needs that push to go for it and lovers of the slice of life genre.