Sandra Cox

From the very first scene of this book, you are up for a bit of a trippy ride. Not really sure if this book can be classified as a fantasy or metaphysical speculative story, but the book really knows how to drag you in real fast.

The story begins in Catarau, the heaven where every cat soul ends up upon their death where the sun always shines, the grass is green and there are mountains of endless kibble to eat. A meeting is organized among a well-respected group of cat elders heralded by an ancient Abyssinian cat named Ramses (he seems to be the ruler of sorts and can use magic).

The elders make room for a very peculiar old soul cat named Shardai who has formed a strong enough bond to the human that cared for him in his first life that he is willing to be reborn for his 3rd life to find her once again because he loves her too much. The elders are both amused and horrified from his strange decision, but Ramses acquiesces and chants the spell.

This magic is quite fascinating and proof this story has low fantasy elements even though it isn't a centerpiece of the story. Cats that are permitted to be reborn on Earth take over the bodies of another cat who was at the brink of death (imagine Agent Smith from the Matrix movies only that the reborn cat is taking over the body of a cat that was dying anyways). The magic works in mysterious ways and while Ramses can ensure the body will be within a specific geographic location, the body can be of any gender and age. Much to Shardai's annoyance, he is reborn into the body of a two week old black kitten from a feral tabby cat that detests humans.

I really enjoy how the story focuses on how Shardai finds the way to befriend these cats and faces many obstacles to return home. He can't make fireballs out of his paws, but the magic is definitely there in subdued ways which is quite neat. I find it hilarious when he has very uncomfortable interactions with dogs (this book is definitely going to cause dog lovers to roll their eyes), and how he commands the respect of firstborn cats he meets along the way.

It seems like the Catarau universe has two additional books in the series that are also standalone stories about cats that reincarnate into new bodies due to various reasons which seem very enticing to read because I enjoyed this one so much. I sadly had to knock off 1 star from this book because it urgently needs an editor. There are a lot of typos and misplaced commas in the book and one of the kittens from Shardai's litter continuously has her named changed (is it Prissy or Missy?). If the book had the inside edited better and a really cool cover, it would deservedly get a lot of reads from catlovers. Definitely a book that deserves it!… (lisätietoja)

This book was definitely a delightful cat-tastic heartwarming story!

Following a lot of the plot formula of its precedessor Shardai, Akasha is a beautiful feral calico with her three kittens that live in a boathouse by a lake. Lighting strikes during a storm and Akasha along with two of her kittens drown and they all end up in Catarau, the heaven of cats.

Akasha and her two kittens are soon welcomed by Ramses and his girlfriend, the grey tabby that raised Shardai during his second life (now known as Great Mother). Akasha's moment of happiness to discover she was now in heaven is thwarted when she realizes her daughter Cairo is still alive and trapped on a piece of floating wood. She manages to convince Great Mother to babysit her two kittens and is returned to Earth to save her daughter from certain death.

I really like Akasha. She is rightfully distrustful of handsome male cats after a certain tuxedo left her once she got pregnant and feels disgusted she has to live her second life in the body of a scrawny tortishell with dirty fur. Being truthful to the plot device that reincarnated cats posess the bodies of recently deceased cats, it makes a lot of sense Akasha wakes up in a highway and has to rely on her wit to stay alive.

She is not alone. A scruffy looking orange tomcat named Bo soon realizes she is an apprentice cat from the way her eyes glow and he insists to accompany her every step of the way until she locates her daughter. She soon realizes he is an Old Soul living his second life and despite his gruffiness, his intentions are good as he teaches her to become a mentor.

Just like the first book, Akasha frequently runs into endless hurdles which makes her grow more attached to Bo without extinguishing her desire to locate her kitten. If you enjoyed book 1, the sequel offers more of the same, which to me was perfectly fine. We even get to bump into a certain character from book 1, albeit it is a spoiler. I recall seeing several typos in this book, but it didn't detract from the enjoyment of the story.… (lisätietoja)

This was truly an amazing book. I loved the characters and the story brought a kind of a fresh wind to me. It wasn't your usual romance book this one. Of course, the fact that I've always found gentlemen from the 1800s irresistible helped this books a lot.
The plot was always moving and I couldn't put the book down once I started, I'm still quite speechless and I do hope that I get to dream of my own Liam.
Plus points to the ending that was nowhere near close to what I expected it to be, it was million times better.

*ARC received from the publisher through NetGalley… (lisätietoja)

An interesting look at what someone who's different will do to hide so that her differences aren't noticed. New siblings at her school seem determined to be friends and threaten the low profile Piper has cultivated for years. Piper lives with her grandfather and can't ignore the call of the ocean. She enjoys swimming with dolphins and is distraught when she finds that a vessel is trapping them. Her attempts to free the captured dolphins result in her being captured and her new friend having to come to her rescue.… (lisätietoja)