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A review by bangiebangs
Welcome to Fae Cafe by Jennifer Kropf
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5*
This book... when I picked it up I thought this would be a sort of fae-human meet cute with a rom-com type story. I was wrong.
Kate accidentally kills a fae and a group of fae assassins come after her, led by a cold and cruel prince. They want her dead and try their best, but... things happen. Spells backfire. Fairy godmothers intervene.
This book was SUCH a roller coaster! The world-building is pretty straight-forward, but it's a richly populated world with a kind and wise grandmother, a fae world on the brink of war, and lots of coffee.
+ the humor! What happens when fae come to the human world and try to make sense of it, let alone live in it? Hilarious!
+ the emotions! I rarely cry when reading but there is one scene (iykyk) that just got me. A quiet, intense one. So well done, and so well-fitted into the story.The relationship between Cress and Thelma could be my favorite thing about this book.
+ the ending! Like... a smaller roller coaster. So good.
- Kate. How is an aspiring author bad at words? Like, she misuses so many of them, and it's an ongoing joke in the story. I find that unbelievable and a bit annoying.
-The subplot around the female assassins could have been fleshed out. Why did they leave the fairy realm, why are they hiding? What's the story with fairy knitting? This felt unfinished...
- the slavery. Yes, there is that, and I feel it's handled a bit nonchalantly? I get why it makes sense in the storyand omg when Cress thinks he's got Kate enslaved and orders her to die... , but still.. Also, what a power imbalance at the end - Cress enslaves Kate and first makes her walk away when she doesn't want to, and then plays tricks on her for fun, but she can only uses emotional pressure/ pouting to make him do things? Idk.
Overall, this book was a real surprise! I really, really enjoyed reading this, and thought it is well-written. Some story points could be more fleshed out (and some characters don't really need to be there, ahem, Grayson), but overall this is a whole package. Enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, no spice (because YA, but oh the tension!), hilarious fae hijinks, cruel - really cruel - fae.
It's so good it's going on my comfort reads list... recommended!
This book... when I picked it up I thought this would be a sort of fae-human meet cute with a rom-com type story. I was wrong.
Kate accidentally kills a fae and a group of fae assassins come after her, led by a cold and cruel prince. They want her dead and try their best, but... things happen. Spells backfire. Fairy godmothers intervene.
This book was SUCH a roller coaster! The world-building is pretty straight-forward, but it's a richly populated world with a kind and wise grandmother, a fae world on the brink of war, and lots of coffee.
+ the humor! What happens when fae come to the human world and try to make sense of it, let alone live in it? Hilarious!
+ the emotions! I rarely cry when reading but there is one scene (iykyk) that just got me. A quiet, intense one. So well done, and so well-fitted into the story.
+ the ending! Like... a smaller roller coaster. So good.
- Kate. How is an aspiring author bad at words? Like, she misuses so many of them, and it's an ongoing joke in the story. I find that unbelievable and a bit annoying.
-
- the slavery. Yes, there is that, and I feel it's handled a bit nonchalantly? I get why it makes sense in the story
Overall, this book was a real surprise! I really, really enjoyed reading this, and thought it is well-written. Some story points could be more fleshed out (and some characters don't really need to be there, ahem, Grayson), but overall this is a whole package. Enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, no spice (because YA, but oh the tension!), hilarious fae hijinks, cruel - really cruel - fae.
It's so good it's going on my comfort reads list... recommended!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture and War