This story was so sweet and soothing. It felt like The Phantom Tollbooth meets Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and I adored both of those books. It does read a little more young adult than adult, but not to its detriment. Book lovers need to curl up with this book, a cup of tea, and a purring cat. It's short enough to read in an evening, but I almost wish I had let it last longer!

Thank you to HarperVia and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa is a philosophical fantasy straight from Japan that will warm your book-loving heart. The plot revolves around Rintaro, an average high school shut-in who discovers a cat talking to him one day. The cat explains that the boy must follow him in order to save books from their owners. In subsequent adventures called "labyrinths," Rintaro, the talking cat, and sometimes his female classmate journey Sayo to different worlds in which books are being held prisoner or neglected. Through the power of love for books, the trio will try to free these books for the sake of book-lovers everywhere.

Here is an excerpt from The First Labyrinth, the second chapter of the book:

"Hey, kid, something wrong with your eyes?” it asked. This wasn’t a creature who minced words.
“No, I . . . er . . .” Rintaro scrabbled around for the right thing to say. “My eyesight isn’t all that good, but I can see that there’s a talking cat sitting right in front of me.”
“Splendid,” the cat said, with a nod. It continued:
“The name’s Tiger. Tiger the tabby.”
There was nothing more bizarre than a cat suddenly introducing itself to you, but Rintaro somehow managed to reciprocate.
“I’m Rintaro Natsuki.”
“I know. You’re the new proprietor of Natsuki Books.”e

When I read the synopsis for this book, I was so excited to read this book! It was a quick, unputdownable read, and I ended up finishing it in a few hours. I was especially enchanted by the fantasy in this book. The thought of a talking cat coming up to you and proclaiming you the "chosen one" is so quintessentially Japanese and a wonderful part of the plot. I did take off 1 star though, because the plot was more philosophical than I expected. I was expecting a fantasy adventure a la Studio Ghibli. Instead, this novel is more philosophical a la The Alchemist or The Little Prince. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of Japanese works in translation, then I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in December!