I'm going to try something new here with my review, one line to CONVINCE you to read this book. Are you ready for this one line wonder?
Howl's Moving Castle but with CATS!!
No, I'm serious, if that had been the line someone told me to convince me to read this book, those would be the magical words, the pìece de résistance that would have made me clasp my hands together and fall to my knees because yes, that is a book I NEED.
And Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter did not disappoint.
Oh, how I LOVED this book. It was sweet, and charming, romantic and funny and filled with cats coming out of the dark corners and alleys everywhere in this book and I want to be a volunteer at Agnes' cat sanctuary, do you think she'd let me help? I came away from this book half convinced to start my own charity with the aim to get cats adopted and then I thought wait, how about volunteer at the humane society? After which I came to my senses because I barely have time to SLEEP, how exactly do I have the time to manage a one woman crusade to rescue cats? THAT is what this book did to me. I can't wait to see it take over and conquer reader's hearts, one cat toe bean at a time.
Agnes Aubert has made it her life's mission to rescue every cat she can find on the streets of Montreal. After a duel between two wizards leaves her original shelter with a hole in the wall, she is forced to relocate to a shop that turns out to be too good to be true. The owner of her new shop space is Havelock Renard, a wizard who tried to bring about the apocalypse a few years earlier and who also runs an illicit magic shop in the same space, and the cat shelter is now in place to hide his activities from authorities. As the two come to work together to make Agnes's dream of expanding her cat shelter a reality and getting homes in place for every cat in the city, a dangerous wizard from Havelock's past returns, determined to take everything from Havelock that they possibly can. Agnes now has to work with Havelock to save her shelter, his shop and the possibility of something more for the both of them together in the future.
I love Agnes. This is a no-nonsense, list-making, type-A personality that spoke to the depths of my soul. Here was a woman who looked at a problem and created a solution, a cat shelter to help cats get adopted. She even has a deal in place with a veterinarian to get them treated and ready for their forever homes! That alone shows so much initiative, even if she does sometimes seem to be too focused on getting her cats off the streets and safe. Seriously, there was a cat called Your Majesty that I would have foisted off on my worst enemy ages ago but Agnes was too kind to do that. I loved Agnes and her sister Èlise, who understood her sister without the two having to exchange any words. Their relationship felt so real, I was reminded of my own sister and the easy way we have of knowing what the other is thinking and oh, I loved these two on the page together.
Havelock Renard is Howl re-imagined, I can't say it enough. This was a wizard with so much power but was reluctant to let people get to know him. The fact that he was allergic to cats but never forced Agnes out of the shop said a lot about his character. I loved the surly attitude and yet the show of how he cared for the few people he held dear and his back and forth with Agnes made me smile. Basically, Havelock's interactions with everyone made me smile, from his sarcasm with dealing with Èlise to his careful care to dealing with Yannick, his apprentice, to the way he handled the villain of the work, Havelock was the perfect foil to Agnes. His reservation made sense and his shop was so interesting and the fact that it was disorganized made me wait in anticipation of Agnes entering his space and getting it into order.
The villain of the piece was interesting despite their not having spent that much time on the page. The ending that came about for them made me smile though so there is that, which was funny because I wanted something big to happen to them and yes, what it came to made me feel satisfied. The world building was interesting, the way that magic worked for wizards, how they created spells and artifacts and what magic meant to them was so intriguing. It was easy to grasp and made sense and it felt like something believable.
But the best parts, for me, involved the few patrons that adopted the cats in the book. They came in and bonded with cat that spoke to them, and their words of wonder at finding a companion made me feel like I'd found my people. Cat people will read this book and feel a kinship to Agnes and the people who come to her to find a new member of their family. Readers will read the description of each cat and their perfect names and have their favorites and maybe even think they can find a cat like that out here in the real world. This book was a warm hug and a cat to keep you company and it was the perfect read for the autumn season.
Read this book. Seriously, if you love Howl and you love cats, this is the book that will fit in with your favorites on a shelf. I loved every moment of this book so much, I wish there would be more adventures with Agnes and Havelock in the future. At least I have the Emily Wilde books to keep me company, and there are THREE of those to read. Also, it probably goes without saying but I will now read everything I can find by Heather Fawcett.
Rating on my scale: 10 Stars! Love, love, love this book. I hope everyone loves it too. That is all, happy readers!
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