I would have never requested this book on Netgalley if I knew how short it was going to be. Who is Suri? Where did she come from? What do these monsters want from her? I need to know! I thought that this was going to be a cute simple story when I saw the art on the cover. But I got sucked in so fast and was super disappointed when I learned that the story is being told in short increments.

I need more of Suri and the adventures that she encounters.

This was such a fun, quick, and immersive story! It is so easy to immediately root for the “little mouse” as she makes her way in a traveling camp filled with interesting citizens, as she dreams of being a monster tamer. The art style is unique and quaint in a way that helps further drive the narrative. Perfect for younger and older readers

My only complaint was that it ended as soon as it did, I’m looking forward to book 2!

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed reading the first in a soon to be trilogy by Jo Rioux. We meet Suri, a young girl who fancies herself a monster hunter. When Suri meets a new family she can't quite put her finger on what makes them different, and when she does... a fun, fast paced story with enjoyable art to go with it, can't wait for the next volume.

I enjoyed this book. The art was charming and the main character was very likeable. Unfortunately the abrupt way the book ended caught me completely off guard. It felt like only the first chapter of a more interesting story rather than the first volume in a series.

A promising first volume!

In this story, we discover Suri, who wants to become a monster tamer. She travels with itinerant merchants, whose members appreciate her very much despite the disappointments that her presence causes because the boss of the camp doesn't like the little vagrant at all. she will end up meeting monsters who will chase her, pushing her to flee, accompanied by strange companions.

It's a cute and interesting start to the story. the very round line is very good for young audiences. Nevertheless, the development of the plot remains very light, so to see later.

In short, a great start, just waiting to be developed! ^^

This book combines traveling circus aesthetic with the adventure of monsters and monster tamers. It's different from other graphic novels in that the fantasy world is rich and detailed. The monsters are unique but build on familiar premises.

The narrative features a young girl, Suri, who is in a traveling merchant group, but the leader of the group doesn't want her to travel with them anymore. She is frequently running away or hiding from him. In the meantime, she tries to convince people that she is a monster tamer to receive their admiration. She manages to make it look like she can tame a monster that is being hidden away for a Prince, but it turns out that "monster" is just a giant dog. When Suri is in trouble, the dog escapes and comes to her rescue. With the dog gone, the leader of the camp vacates the area afraid of how the Prince will react to the dog, who he has been led to believe is a monster that he can fight, is gone. Suri is now alone, save for the dog and imp. She decides to go in search of a giant who would be interested in a huge dog for a pet.

This book is a fun read with a rich lore and lots of adventure. I did find that there seemed to be some context lacking, at times. The worldbuilding is woven into the details so well that there were moments that some exposition would have helped a reader better understand the lore and the world. I could envision myself recommending this book to readers who are looking for something fantasy and slightly adjacent to the horror genre. If the details of the world were a little more fleshed out, I would definitely recommend this book to reluctant readers as the adventure and worldbuilding make it a story that will easily grab a reader's attention.

Cat's Cradle: The Golden Twine is a fun graphic novel where we join Suri, an orphan street-urchin.
Suri loves monsters and aspires to one day be a monster tamer. She's not taken seriously but will Suri finally be able to prove herself when something monstrous joins her camp?

I would have loved it to be longer and have a more rounded end as we are left wanting a lot more but I suppose that's also a good incentive to pick up the next one when it's released!

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the opportunity to review.

Arc was given by First Second Books & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This review is being published before the release date (June 21st, 2022)

Content/Trigger Warnings: Sexism/sexist remarks, abandonment, displacement



Friends, this was such a delightful, whimsical read with stunning artwork! I know I usually talk up a lot of the graphic novels that I read, but I really enjoyed this one. It has monsters, a main character who is beautifully layered, an art style that pulls you in, just so many goods wrapped up in this graphic novel. Honestly, I wish I knew about this sooner because I would have talked about it sooner.

Our story follows Suri, a young girl who wants to be a monster tamer, but for right now she’s telling stories/legends of monsters, while travelling with her monster camp. However, things start to take a turn for the ominous when Suri discovers a ball of golden twine. Soon Suri finds her world being turned upside down and setting out on an adventure with an Imp and a giant-sized dog named Byron.

Suri was such a wonderful main character to follow. As a reader, I feel that I’m always drawn to characters who have a very headstrong, warm, but also lighthearted kind of presence, who wants to seize their opportunities throughout this story. Also, Suri is that kind of character you can’t help rooting for, you want to see her succeed and have the happy ending she deserves. And there’s a whole mystery around Suri about how she ended up with this traveling monster camp, why is this person of authority chasing after her and want her gone, and more so related to the end of the book, what will happen to Suri now that she’s on her own.

The artwork of this book is probably one of the most stand out elements. Though, all graphic novels usually have drop gorgeous artwork, but the color tones of this graphic novel really stuck out to me. It really resonated with aesthetics that I’m really drawn to. The design of the monsters really stands out as well. There’s a very eerie, spooky, almost ominous vibe expressed through the art style for these creatures. Though I do want to point out, this art style isn’t of a horror aesthetic. This is a graphic novel that’s directed more to younger audiences though I say anyone would enjoy reading this graphic novel especially in the fall/winter season.

Despite these wonderful elements, I still had questions that I doubt I’ll get answers to. Mostly, I had questions surrounding the backstory of our main character and the traveling camp. It feels like there’s missing details surrounding these two elements. This is also a fast paced read and with that being said, I felt like this could have been a longer graphic novel. I’m still holding out hope we may get some more details or more backstory about those two things and fingers crossed the next book with be a tad longer.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time reading this graphic novel. It’s such a fast paced, whimsical read that I think many readers are going to fall in love with. It has such an amazing, magical feel to it and I’m really excited to see where this story goes in the next book, The Mole King’s Lair. I’m even more excited to check more books by Jo Rioux and I think this will spark many readers to look into more of this author’s work.

This was really cute, fast and fun to read! The plot isn’t very developed but as this is a middle grade graphic novel it would’ve been weird to have more. And I loved the graphics so cute omg!!!

Jo Rioux is an author, an illustrator, and a life-long space cadet who flies by the seat of her rocket pants. Since graduating Sheridan College in illustration, she’s illustrated picture books and novels, but her favorite medium remains comics. Her debut graphic novel, Cat’s Cradle, was recently printed by First Second Books.

Cat’s Cradle: The Golden Twine is a YA graphic novel focused on Suri, a young girl who desires to be a monster tamer. Suri currently is hiding in a travelling merchant camp, dodging the authorities and telling stories to the children of the camp for coins to buy food. When a local demon shows up and chases Suri away from the camp, mysterious rescuers come to her aid in the beginning of what looks like to be a fantastic series.

This graphic novel is perfect for YA audiences just getting into horror and dark fantasy. It has all the hallmarks of a medieval mythical horror featuring monsters like basilisks and jackalopes, but with a precocious air that makes it accessible for young readers. There are a few thrills and scares in the book, but nothing that will terrify the target audience, as well as some interesting world-building biology and botany that will certainly hold their interest. Furthermore, Rioux’s art is stylized in a way to tell the story but also engage audiences not ready for more realistic graphic novels.

Cat’s Cradle: The Golden Twine works as a solid YA adventure story featuring monsters and mystery. The folklore and world-building is solid, and the characters are engaging and cleverly developed. Readers of all ages will certainly enjoy this book.

First Second never let me down!
I enjoyed reading this graphic novel about a brave young girl who fights with caitsiths.
The colors and illustrations are wonderfully eye-catching. The story is suitable for grade 4 and up.

Talk about a cliff hanger, I need book 2 (Cat's Cradle: The Mole King's Lair) to come out sooner, so I can find out what happens next. I loved the mix of mythology and "real life". Mouse finds a kindred spirit in the monster and I cannot wait to read their next adventure.

Highly recommend.

This novel centers around a likable orphan girl who lives with a traveling camp. While the story has both great characters and interesting storyline, the story moves quickly. This books is sure to please readers of all ages.

It's great to see this book being re-issued, and with updated artwork. I read the original when it first came out, and it won the Rocky Mountain Book Award. Can't wait for the sequel!

Thank you NetGalley and First Second Books for providing the ARC of "Cat's Cradle!"

First, I loved the storyline and the art is extremely cute. Everything is bright with catching colors to the eye. Suri is an amazing, witty character that you easily fall in love with. I enjoyed the world that Rioux built with the creatures and monster fighting! Overall, it was funny, thrilling, and warming read.

By the end, it kept me wanting more and excited for Suri's adventure in the next book!

Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Cat's Cradle: The Golden Twine by Jo Rioux is a children's fantasy graphic novel and the first book in a new series! The story revolves around Suri, a street-urchin who makes a living telling stories about monsters. One day, a new wagon joins her camp, and something mysterious is going on inside. According to the description, Suri "runs afoul of a treacherous family with its own beastly secret—and a prince hunting the greatest monster of all."

Overall, Cat's Cradle: The Golden Twine is a children's fantasy graphic novel that will appeal to fans of Nimona and the Amulet series. One highlight of this book is the fantastical, creature-filled story, I was very interested in the creatures and magic that the author included in this book. Some elements were left unresolved, and I can't wait to read the second book to find out more. Another highlight of this book is the artwork. Both human and nonhuman characters were well-drawn, bright, and colorful. If you're intrigued by the description, or if you're a fan of children's fantasy graphic novels, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in June!

Suri is hanging out with a traveling group of merchants, though the owner hopes that she won’t. She loves monsters, and tries to pick up money by telling stories of them to anyone who will pay. Then a mysterious monster joins the group, and she tells people she can tame it, because of course she is going to boast.

And thus begins the story of how Suri finds that there really are monsters, though they are not quite what they seem.

The golden twine refers to a ball of twine that she finds that she doesn’t realize has magic properties.

This is the first in a series of several volumes to come.

This graphic novel was first published in 2012, but now that it is going to come out from First Second in June 2022, we will see a volume 2 coming soon.


<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. </em>

Jo Rioux's artwork is beautiful, colorful, and engaging -- and the story in this book is one to marvel at. Ideal middle grades and upper elementary readers, the book would make a wonderful addition to classroom and school libraries. Rioux's style alone is worth the price of admission.

An absolutely beautifully illustrated book with a sweet storyline, slightly reminiscent of an Emma Carroll or Noelle Stevenson graphic novel but aimed slightly younger perhaps more middlegrade, and I can't wait to see where the story goes. I think this would be really popular with kids who perhaps struggle with reading, the absolutely stunning artwork would definitely keep their attention!

Orphaned Suri, an aspiring monster tamer, inadvertently steals a magic ball of twine from a shapeshifting cat-like creature called a Caitsith.

As expected from the illustrator of Daughter of Ys, Rioux's stunning artwork is full of bold colors and lush textures and is easily the best part of the graphic novel. Unfortunately, the rest of the book doesn't hold up simply because there isn't enough of it. The world-building is light (plot points are scarce, so most of it is carried by Rioux's pretty backgrounds), and Suri is a resourceful, likeable protagonist, but the story is not complete at all. Instead, readers get an introduction to Suri's quest, the characters, and some brief plot details, then the book just sort of ends.

Buy this for the 3-5 grade set and have it ready on your shelf for when the sequel hits, but try not to recommend it to anyone just yet. Readers will be dissatisfied when the sequel isn't immediately available to draw them deeper into Suri's world.