Clowders will make anyone who shares their life with cats look at their fluffy companions with fresh, horror-filled eyes. Evoking a "Children of the Corn" vibe, Morgan weaves a tale of supernatural suspense combined with human drama set against a picturesque landscape. Clowders is a fairly quick read and there are definitely times when the reader knows what's coming but it's the how it happens that often gives the story a fresh feel. Overall, Morgan does a masterful job of building suspense, keeping tensions high, and then doling out the horror in a way any fan of the genre will appreciate.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy they gave me but sadly I did not download it time so I bought it on kindle.

**2.5 stars**

So I liked the horror aspect of this book: moving to a small town that has a demonic presence haunting it. But as I was reading I realized the idea for book is so much like Hex by Thomas Olde Heuveldt, a book I adore. So the creepy parts of the story like hearing claws clicking in the apartment, feeling like you’re being watched, secretive townspeople, etc were excellent. What was bad: the characters. Aidan spwas stereotypical and cliche. Jess was one dimensional and weak. I knew Avalon the cat was going to be a tired horror movie plot device the second he was introduced.

This was a very fast moving story with some creepy parts, just wish the characters were better. And I hated the ending.

I enjoyed this book but was not in love with it. This is an author I will definitely keep an eye out for in the future, though. I think my hype was amped when I read a blurb calling her the female Stephen King. While I did not get that vibe, I still enjoyed her writing and think I would have enjoyed it more had I not constantly been trying to compare her to Stephen King due to that review - not the author's fault!

But this book is full of likable characters, small town goodness, and cats! This book was quirky and fun and read like a cozy horror story. I will definitely read more from this author and fans of small town horror (or cats!) will definitely enjoy this one.

3 stars.

Picturesque, almost anachronistic, Clerveaux, Luxembourg--tucked into a forest, nearby are an historic castle and abbey, within the tiny village are bakery, chocolatier, veterinary practice, friendly townsfolk. And cats: healthy, people-friendly, delightful cats. What a "purr-fect" environment. Not!
The townspeople are effectually servants to the cats, more specifically to the cats' Protector. "Nine lives of a cat" means one cat demise = nine humans decease. And woe unto anyone who accidentally or intentionally kills a cat, even in euthanasia!


The premise and the supernatural elements are quite intriguing. But the characters put me off [I quite disliked Aidan, the husband-father-veterinarian, who is more of a Peter Pan than a responsible adult; and Lorenza, the selfish femme fatale], and those I did like, wife-mother Jess, and veterinary assistant David, I found wimpy. Also at times the writing didn't seem the best use of language and was stilted.


This is a 3.5 rating.

For fans of cats and Stephen King. It's a chilling, spooky read that is better than watching a horror movie. Snuggle up in your favourite blanket on a cold evening and settle in for a scary story!

Thank you NetGalley for my free copy in return for my honest review!

If you are a cat lover you will love this book! How about small town horror? This story is creepy and suspenseful tale about urban legends. Wonderfully creepy, and a bit quirky at times, but a totally fun read!

3.5/5 stars!

Who wouldn’t like cats? Raise your hands, don’t be shy. Who is afraid of cats? Who has suffered an attack from a cat? Who does not love cats? Cats …

The author of this book is said to be a female version of Stephen King. True, when I read the story, it reminded me the Pet Sematary and Sleepwalkers, but it was also like any other horror movie I have ever seen, where a nice family or couple move into new town, somewhere that is not too crowded and somewhere that is somewhat secluded from rest of the world. Everything is so peaceful and romantic at the beginning, but there is evil underneath it all from the start and it gets scarier with every new scene. Even the evil spirit is just like in any other movie – child size, ditty, long dark hair in from of its face, walks on all four, and there are shining eyes and fangs behind the.

Yes the story is chilling and well put together, but there are so many things that irked me. I really did not get the reason behind this “no talking about our legend to the new settlers” thing. It’s a disaster waiting to be happened, especially if the cats are everywhere and the protagonist is a veterinarian. And I was baffled by the action of some of the characters, and the reasoning for those actions that the author gave – they really did not make any sense and didn’t give anything to the story either.

The story is good, it’s just a got the feeling like it was a pre movie movie script, like the author was not thinking about readers but was thinking of the viewers. I so wanted to like this story, but it was not in the stars. And I’m so glad I did not have cat with me while I was reading this book :).

A strange village in Luxembourg overrun with cats. You are allowed to stroke, feed, love them but do not under any circumstances harm them! Irish Aiden, American Jess and their daughter move here from the USA when a vets job comes up, simply because Aiden has itchy feet. Loved the idea of this story but found the style of writing far too stilted, as if it had been translated, nor was it very scary. Creepy in parts, yes, but frightening, no. Aiden was very unpleasant and extremely selfish and Jess was just a doormat, without, it seems, a backbone. This could have been a terrific story, but didn’t quite come off.
Two and a half star rating.

Care and love your cat, or the Tengu will come for you...
An excellent paranormal story about a little and picturesque town full of cats and legends, idea, for cats lovers. I recommend this book to all of you that enjoyed a good mystery, And remember: take good care of your cats, or else....

I was expecting a thrilling tale going into Clowders but unfortunately I closed the book in the end fairly disappointed. The plain truth is: I was a lot more bored than thrilled while reading it and I kept waiting for a turning point that would have changed my opinion but the real rush of fear never came and I was eventually left with an empty feeling regarding the book.

Clowders tells the story of a family who moves to a small town in Luxemburg that is famous for its high cat population. Aidan and Jess, who take their 5 year old daughter Eleonore with them too, soon realize that people in the town act strangely, especially when a cat's life is in danger. They learn about a legend that keeps the townspeople in fear and that makes sure they treat the cats of the town well. When a cat dies in an accident and a mysterious feral creature starts stalking Jess and Eleonore, the legend turns out to be real. The only question is whether the family can escape from the crazy cat town in time to avoid the gruesome fate they can expect after being involved in the incident.

More than half of the novel is about Aidan and Jess trying to patch up their broken relationship. I confess I didn't like these characters at all. Aidan is the one who wanted to move to Europe, he basically dragged Jess and his little girl with him because he wanted some adventure in his life again. Almost as soon as they arrive to Clervaux he starts an affair with with a horrible woman who likes playing around with (sometimes married) men just for fun. Aidan doesn't give a fig that Jess hates their new home, that she's slowly becoming depressed because she has nothing to do all day.

I didn't like Jess mostly because she was very slow to understand what was going on around her (just like Aidan, actually) and because she complained too much about things rather than doing something to solve them. She didn't like driving Eleonore to and from school for expample, but at the same time she was always going on about how she didn't have anything to do all day. Partly I understand why the situation was tough for her but many times she annoyed me with her utter helplessness. Even when Eleanore was around, she just put the kid in front of the telly rather than playing with her. They hardly ever did anything together, mother and daughter, which was kinda strange to me.

The half-human half-cat creature wasn't scary enough for me because for the longest time it didn't do anything at all other than stalk people by standing in their bedrooms at night. It didn't attack anyone unless a cat had been killed and even then, she made a quick job of getting rid of the guilty party. What made the whole thing creepy (and why I gave it two stars/pineapples in the end instead of one) was the town's reaction; they worked together with this monster/catgirl, they actually helped the creature eliminate the cat killers. Clervaux was a little bit like the village in the movie Hot Fuzz (only that movie is waaay better than this book).

No one tried to stop the creature. Like... what?? I'm not kidding. People tried to escape but they didn't try to fight. They accepted without question that it cannot be defeated and the only thing they tried was to outrun it.

I didn't feel like I was entertained, I asked the question why??? a million times while reading the book and in the end I didn't understand why this story had to be told. It's a shame, the premise was excellent. It could have been so much more than what it became.

The rating is kinda closer to 2,5 stars, but let's just round it up.

This book was definitely inspired (if not outright ripping off) by Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt, and that gave me some strong feelings of deja vu. A village in Europe (Hex was originally published in Dutch and set in the Netherlands), that has been cursed with a creature of some sort, that can come and go as they please as they check on the villagers one by one during the day, and something bad will happen if you provoke them, and the villagers all know about it but still stay there and just put their heads down and obey the rules? And they also have a festival all about the curse just to make it seem fake? (spoiler) And the ending is pretty unhappy, although that would be an understatement for Hex? (end spoiler) Yeah.

The truth is, it's not the similarities with Hex that put me off, but the writing style. The sentences are clunky and almost childish. "Aidan was thinking about his wife. His wife had beautiful auburn hair and was sitting next to him. Jess had always been with him and they had always been happy. They arrived at Clervaux, the city seemed beautiful. Their landlord met them on the street, "Hey, are you the new residents?", he said" It seemed so amateur-ish. Not that huge, purple-language paragraphs are better, but it was hard to get into the atmosphere of the book.

The reason why the book still gets 2,5/ 3 stars is the creepy scenes. Anything that was directly related to the Tengu's appearances was very well paced and presented to us, and also very effective, at least for me. I enjoyed those scenes.

....One more thing: I really dislike the use of the word "tengu" for the cat creature. "Tengu" is a specific word for a specific creature in Japanese folklore, and it even translates to "heavenly DOG". It kind of felt like Vanessa Morgan just thought the word was cool and decided to use it, but... it doesn't work like that?

All in all, it wasn't bad, but I expected more.

This book was a bit slow paced for my taste.
It has some excellent points in regards to family dynamics and the sacrifices people have to make to make their partner happy, just to be taken for granted and feel bitter and resentful.
The background of the plot is mystery and the paranormal, focusing on a demon like creature that avenges the death of a cat by killing 9 people, and stalking the inhabitants of a small town as a reminder of the consequences of hurting any of the cats.
The family drama dominates the main plot, but the end is worthy to consider as horror.

I usually read all books about cats and was interested to see what this book was about. What a fun creepy book ! This is the story of a very spooky European village called Clervaux where cats are allowed to run free. The cats are treated well by the residents and even feared as the book progresses. The legend is that when a cat is killed 9 humans die. The residents all adore the cats and keep them safe. The town is legendary for its tourist visitors to see the cats . But the tourists do not realize the truth behind the village secrets.
Aidan, a vet , moves to Clervaux with his wife, and daughter. The place seems idyllic at first. But when Jess accidentally kills a cat in a car accident, things start going wrong. One by one, people either disappear or get killed. They hear strange noises at night in their house and they seem stalked by the cat population. What a creepy novel !
Clowders is a thriller novel with a very different concept. The author has created a very beautiful location and the story was scary to me. Do not read this at night !
Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my review.

Super creepy and quirky - which is exactly what I was expecting from the cover and synopsis. This story did not disappoint! I do wish there was a bit more suspense (hence the missing star rating) but overall this was definitely worth my time. I recommend to all fans who love a good shiver-causing read.

I found "Clowders" very dull, exceptionally slow, and uninvolving A vet, his wife and daughter move to a small town in Luxembourg unaware that there is an ancient curse. In a town overflowing with cats, if a cat dies unnaturally, something nasty will happen. For a vet in a new job this causes all sorts of problems when he quickly realises even the oldest of cats have to die naturally. The problem is it took an age for anything to happen and I failed to finish this book. It has little horror, no suspense and was very repetitive and too long.. Not one I would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

First of all, I'm going to say that my review will probably veer into spoiler territory, although not too much more than what the blurb implies. Basically this is the story of Aiden and Jess, and their daughter Eleonore, who move from America to Luxemburg. Aiden is a restless spirit, drawn to travel and adventure, but his wife Jess is not. She seeks stability for her daughter, and couldn't bear letting Aiden go, and so the mitchmatched family all try to do their best with the situation. Things start to spiral out of control; Aiden repeats constantly that he'd never cheat on Jess, then makes out with a client while on a night out with both her and Jess. Then on the night home a tired Jess is persuaded to drive and runs over a cat, and the group fall under a curse.

Basically most of this is hinted at in the blurb, and despite the fact that the Tengu visits them multiple times to suss them out, there is zero suspense to this story. We get told over and over that people who hurt/kill cats in this town get killed by the Tengu. Guess what happens? They all get killed by the Tengu. Oh except sometimes we don't even get to see them die, sometimes they just die off screen. And the magic Tengu number is nine, but I missed some of the deaths, I counted 7?

I should add that the reviews attached to this are a bit misleading; I believe you should never compare authors and Vanessa Morgan in the published reviews gets compared as a female Stephen King. Not a good comparision; there is no tension and the writing could probably use another going over here.

It's not to say I didn't enjoy SOME parts of it, like a town dedicated to cats, and the relationship between Jess and Eleonore. I guess I just wanted more. Three stars.

This book is very creepy! Don't kill a cat in Clervaux!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Normally, I am ecstatic about a book where cats play an integral role and clearly with the title of Clowders, we are the main focus. I am not a huge horror fan to begin but when my species is the source of evil, I am not a purring camper. Let me tell, this is downright creepy and scary.
Jess, Aidan, Eleanore and kitty, Avalon, leave everything behind so Aidan can live his dream of working in Europe. He is a vet and starts working at a cat clinic in their new town in Luxembourg. Be careful what you wish for as dreams can turn to nightmares. There is a creature who roams the town protecting all cats from any harm. It sounds like my kind of creature except its definition of harm is anything that leads to death, even if that death would have been merciful. Out of terror, the inhabitants refuse to euthanize even when the cat is in distress.
Everyone who lives in the town knows this and avoids it like the plague. Unfortunately, our intrepid family discover the truth far too late and the revenge exacted on those who were there when a cat died is horrible and gruesome.
Aidan is a selfish and cowardly character but no one deserves the fate they are meted. Having said all that, if you like horror and do not mind casting felines as villains, it is a scary tale indeed. It is not one I will pick up and read again. That does not mean it lacks merit.
I give it three and a half purrs and one half a shivering paw up.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, atmosphere, and characters. I would recommend the book to friends and family for their reading pleasure.

The premise was interesting and I’m pretty sure that the story was written by a cat because the characters did not strike me as normal humans. I love a good cursed town story where everyone is a little off. I wanted to love it but it didn’t come together for me.