Book Review: Welcome to the Fae Café by Jennifer Kropf
Welcome to the Fae Café by Jennifer Kropf opens with Kate Cole, a twenty-two-year-old college student with a dream of becoming an author who’s doing her best to juggle school and open a café with her best friend, Lily Baker. Her life seems ordinary enough with a quirky internal monologue, a habit of skipping her university classes, and a routine of spying on her competition, a local café, until a normal morning ends with her accidentally killing someone. This in itself is enough to be a story, although a gruesome and unfortunate one, but when she turns herself in at a police station, the police find no evidence and no body, and the witnesses to the unfortunate incident can't recall even seeing Kate Cole that morning. As it turns out, the man she killed wasn’t human at all but a fae assassin, and his death sets off a chain of events Kate never could have imagined or prepared enough for.
In comes Prince Cressica of the North, who, after hearing about how one of his fae brothers-in-arms was killed at the hands of a merciless human assassin, is horrified and takes the initiative to track down Kate Cole to avenge his fallen fellow assassin—against the fearsome Queene of the North’s orders, of course. This direct violation of his Queene’s command now means that not only is his life forfeit, but also the lives of the fellow assassins who joined him on his quest to kill the human assassin. He and his fae crew must kill Kate Cole or die... This starts a whole stream of antics involving fae, coffee, and a whole lot of pink yarn.
Artistry and Craft
The novel was quite well written, with wonderful chapter lengths and adequate breaks that make for easy, light reading. I also loved the way the author's unique humour saturated the text, especially in her use of complicated and smart-sounding words that Kate Cole sometimes uses in order to take control of conversations or situations. I was thrilled with the hilarious and out-of-the-box chapter names, which I thought really added to the book in a way that felt unique and memorable.
I loved the world Jennifer Kropf created. Urban fantasy has long been one of my favourite genres, and I loved how she set her fantasy in Toronto, Ontario, in the fall. It was a very unique setting that added a certain amount of coziness and atmosphere to the book.
The book centres around a café opening, so if you like coffee and baked goods, you’re bound to enjoy all of the author’s descriptions of chocolate-chip cookies and other delectable things.
The side characters were also amazing and an overall highlight of the book for me. I loved Shane so much! There were many times I burst out laughing because of his goofy and frilly personality. His character added a whole other flavour to the novel.
Some words got repetitive—especially “QueensBane,” an expression of frustration or surprise that the fae use. I understand this is for world-building purposes and to reinforce the feeling of the fae being “other,” but sometimes, especially in the beginning, it felt forced ★★★★.
Themes and Messages
Some key themes and messages in Welcome to the Fae Café are the attractiveness of virtue and the strength of compassion. This is refreshing, because humans, unfortunately, at times find darkness more interesting. Therefore, the idea of virtue being attractive—and something we should find naturally appealing compared to darkness—is very uplifting.
Throughout the novel, Kate Cole’s virtue is explored through the choices she makes in the present day of the book and through past reflections of her bravery and goodness. This is what makes her character so admirable—along with all the zany internal monologue, of course. I found myself wishing to be more like Kate Cole, so I feel she is an excellent example of what a “good human” looks like and should embody.
The strength of compassion is shown through the character Cressica. He’s introduced as a fae assassin—cold and arrogant but also hurting. As the story unfolds, the reader sees more of who he truly is and how being around fae with malice and cruel intentions has forced him to stay guarded for survival reasons since he was young. Several characters realize this, but namely Grandma Lewis, who takes him in after mistaking him for being a salesman and then homeless. She gives Cress a space to be vulnerable and begin healing, as well as a place to practice compassion himself.
This compassion and virtue change Cressica, leading to his walls coming down. I really loved this in a story involving fae. In many modern fairy or fae stories, darkness is explored—and sometimes glorified in its cruelty and maliciousness—and this flips the trend on its head in a way that is heartwarming and often extremely amusing.
If you’re averse to romance, this is not the book for you, as it explores multiple themes through romantic interactions, such as compassion, virtue, and misunderstanding. I love how this book shows what beautiful relationships can grow out of extending an olive branch and being a good Samaritan. It encourages readers to take the risk of being compassionate and virtuous, and even radically generous, in a world that might not respect or recognize it ★★★★★.
Final Thoughts
Welcome to the Fae Café was an excellent book. Jennifer Kropf created a story with every aspect I’d want in a romantic-comedy fantasy book with an urban setting. A fun fact is that this book is part of a series, which I plan to continue. So, make sure to follow my blog through the subscription email option found on my main page, on the left side. The book is also written by a Christian author. I believe it’s very important to support good Christian literature and good Christian art, and I believe this book deserves to be included in that category. I hope to read more of Jennifer Kropf’s books in the years to come and support her along her journey as an author.
Overall, I’d rate this book 4.5 stars, as it was a bundle of entertainment and good fun.
Content Discretions:
Assassins, death, blood, fairies, magic, assault, bullying
To learn more about Jennifer Kropf and her works, feel free to visit her official website or follow her on her social media pages to stay updated on her new releases.
That’s all, folks! If you’ve read Welcome to the Fae Café, tell me what you thought about it in the comments below ❤❤❤
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