Jennifer Charles, a newly released prisoner, has found themself stuck in a halfway home looking for a job. After days and days of searching, they come across the cafe of a powerful fairy by the name of Cafae Latte where trouble ensues due to the previous status of said fairy (exiled princess) resulting in her kidnapping. Throughout this book, we follow the perspective of JC as they, along with a few friends, work to rescue their newly acquired boss so that everything can go back to normal.
Based off the TikTok series, “Cafae Latte,” C. M. Alongi’s “Heart of Iron” brings to life the story of the characters that have been shown throughout the series. It is a winding tale that leaves the reader both interested and wanting more, which is exactly how a book should be written.
When this book was announced on the crowdfunding forum “Kickstarter” a little bit over a year ago, I was incredibly excited. The way anticipation was built with every step of the process was what made the wait for this book worth every second.
Beyond the fact that I got to see these characters brought to life, my absolute favorite part of this book was the use of backstory throughout. I loved the fact that you could see the actions of the characters’ pasts come back to bite them in the butt in a way that betters the plotline.
That being said, there were moments where this felt like a middle schooler’s creative writing, which kind of distracted from the overarching plot. The little phrases that made me do a double take and think “What am I even reading?” stood out a bit more than the moments that were actually meant to stand out.
I enjoyed how witty the characters were in this book. Getting to see the way certain characters interact with each other made the story feel so real despite it being in a partially fantasy setting.
Another thing I liked was the research that went into this book. Throughout the little updates I received while waiting for this book, I was told about the fact-checking that went into the edits made in the book. So many little individual pieces of the story had multiple different people from completely different backgrounds looking over it making sure that nothing was wrong.
This was an absolutely amazing book to read. Every moment of anticipation was completely worth it in the end. I had so much fun reading this book and I will definitely make it a recommendation when it hits its actual release date. I give this book a 5/5 for the absolute Earth-shattering ride it brought me through.