can totally see the appeal but this was not my vibe. i’d say the plot was missing in action but there was no action. worldbuilding was implied most of the time, which i didn’t mind too much since the classic dnd adventurer tropes were the basis of characters and motivations. low stakes is 100% accurate. i can see this being a comfort read, maybe something i would continue with the prequel for a vacation book but i was just yearning for any tension or conflict in this for most of it

and the burning of the shop was interesting enough that i would’ve almost that had happened at the end of act one or something, and spent more time with the rebuilding process