Have you ever wondered what a cat does with its nine lives? Grimalkin narrates the lives he witnessed and moments passed. That even the small and insignificant carry a tale worth telling even if it doesn’t register as globally important. His lives demonstrate that while the times changes the people are fundamentally the same just with different trappings. A wonderful cozy historical fantasy book to read!

It's an adorable and light-hearted read, perfect for a cozy evening. Not a lot of tension, it’s nice to read before bed type of story. Probably an easy 5 stars if you really love cats and history. Personally, I'm not entirely convinced by the sci-fi or fantasy genre labels, if that's what you're after. However, it's a delightful concept for historical fiction, with a cat as the main character navigating through the events of the past 120 years in Edinburgh. US pub date is August 26th, 2024.

1.5 stars rounded to 2

I'm a little disappointed. While I loved the idea behind this story, ultimately, I feel that the execution fell flat. The first chapter or two had me into it, but past that, the story seemed to drag on. I found myself skimming to get to the end. It felt repetitive and the prose/tone of the writing got boring... especially after Cat-Sìth was no longer an active participant in the story. There wasn't a whole lot that held my attention.

The blurb of this book made it seem like it was going to be an overarching look at the human condition and history from the perspective of a Victorian-age cat. While there was a lot of larger historical happenings that were included that I appreciated, it felt more focused on the city of Edinburg rather than the people and relationships that the story was trying to present. It lacked in emotion and human connection. Partially, it felt like a walking tour guide of the city and the historical events that were happening around the times presented.

Like I said earlier, I loved the idea behind the story... and had it focused more on connection or even the cat afterlife aspect rather than the historical events I think I would have enjoyed it more.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Netgalley, and Alex Howard for the Advanced Copy of this book.

Received an advanced copy for free in return for a honest review.

I love any book with a cat on the cover. This alone will make me pick the book up. What kept me reading was the cat’s character. The character is the cat is the perfect sassy and indignant mix that is so fun to read. I loved his reaction to the new technology of each era. I also loved the selection of little scenes and events the main characters experiences, from short events I never heard of to large events that changed the world. I was kinda disappointed with how short each decades was because the middle felt more of a random collection of short stories than a story. But the author brought back events and characters that helped tie it all together. Overall, it’s a lovely read with a fun main character.

Glad to have received a copy of this from Harlequin Trade Publishing & NetGalley. I'll round this up from a 3.5 just because I love cats.

I read this book with my own cat in my lap that is close to 15, the same age as Grimalkin. Thankfully he is not a ghost! ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

Grimalkin's life comes to an end and he is given the chance to relive 9 lives in the same location as a ghost cat spanning over a 100 year time period. No one can see or hear him. I am not sure why he is told he gets more "lives" if he is still a ghost, but cats are mysterious so I just went along with it.

Every time he takes a long nap he wakes up in a new time period, some of which are emotional for him or take place during notable historical events and he has to interpret the current pop culture - often leading him to get annoyed with the outfits or use of slang from the people around him. Imagine a Victorian era cat trying to figure out people in the 60s, 90s, 00s and so on. Some of it was funny, although I eventually got bored and was like "Ok, I get it, the cat is snooty." 😂

If you love historical time periods, particularly one from the POV of a cat, then you will like this book.

This is a cozy read. I enjoyed it in sections over several days. I am a cat lover, so this story caught my attention immediately. Thinking about things from a cats perspective cannot be easy to write, but it was fun to read. My favorite sections were those of play for our main cat character.

This book also incorporates history and stereotypical things from different time periods. I wasn't sure exactly how a cat would have known or narrated some parts of the book. That was a little confusing, but easy to overlook for the cute and cozy read. It was a nice calm read after some of my heavy fantasy series.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my Advanced Reader ebook.

This book is so sweet, oh my god. Grimalkin is the cutest thing ever. The vibes of this book are just so peaceful and calm. This is such an original idea and it’s beautiful. The way Grimalkin’s mind evolves with every era and the way he adapts was so fun to read and I loved growing with him. The research put into each of the different eras is apparent. This is just such a comforting read. The ending was so melancholic but it left me feeling complete and it wrapped up the story well. I am super grateful for this ARC!!

I love the ideas here, but not the execution.

I was expecting the vignettes to examine the humanity of each new tenant in the flat, with our feline lead musing on the human condition and how different eras affect that as he travels the decades. Maybe I misinterpreted the synopsis, and if so, that’s on me. What I got, however, was our feline lead giving an educational tour with as many history beats as possible shoved into each vignette.

I’m sure this will work for some readers, as will the author’s sense of humor, but neither worked for me.

This is so cute! I love the cover so much.
I love cats very very much so I was so excited when I received this!
We follow Grimalkin a cat. It felt like I was reading a book of short stories rather than a novel, but I loved it! I loved that we followed a long period of haunting ranging from the early 1900s through to the 2020s. Every haunting was different and it was such a fun read. 5 ⭐️

2.5

The premise was really interesting, but the plot just didn't deliver. I felt the narrative to be a bit flat, and the way Grimalkin cycled through important historical events felt a bit forced. It could be a bit fun and a bit cute, but in the end, I feel like it was a rather forgettable story.

Received a free copy from Netgalley.

The blurb for this book promises "some startling revelations about the mystery of existence, the unstoppable march of time and the true meaning of feline companionship." Unfortunately, this book seems to be more of a passion piece written by an aficionado of Edinburgh history, and it lacks much of a cohesive narrative or emotional core.

The structure of the book consists of our protagonist, the cat Grimalkin, living out his “9 lives” as a ghost cat who gets to experience one single day at various points of history in a particular home in Edinburgh. The vignettes of each day give the air of history nerd fan fiction. It simply seems for too convenient and fantastic for one single home to see so many quintessentially historic and notable moments, such as the writer JM Barrie meeting with a publisher regarding his new book, Peter and Wendy, or a young Rockefeller daughter chatting with her friend - who seems to be dating Alexander Fleming, the scientist who discovered penicillin - about her daddy’s fancy new building opening up in New York City. The dialogue seems incredibly artificial and expository, deliberately crafted to mention as many major historical beats of the time rather than crafted to emulate actual humor discussion. This causes this book to read more as an educational play for children rather than a novel.

Interspersed with these educational vignettes is the rare moment of human (or rather, feline) connection: mainly in Grimalkin’s affection for Eilidh and the pain of watching her grow older. I feel the emotional core of the book would have been better served focusing more on Eilidh and other things that Grimalkin cares about rather than a historical overview of each day and age. The moments that DO center on Grimalkin’s connection to Eilidh are very powerful and engaging, and I only wish they were developed further.

Truly, the book seems to be written more as a vehicle for the author to explore their passion for ages’ past, with our feline protagonist merely serving as a fly on the wall to observe these historical meanderings. Similarly, I have issues with the premise itself, wherein the cat god has missed Grimalkin’s death and was unable to ensure his delivery to the next of his 9 lives; therefore, Grimalkin is gifted 9 ghostly days in various points of history, which if you ask me, is not a great alternative. (Why only one day??)

The whole set up of the plot makes sense only when viewed as a means to allow our fly on the wall feline protagonist to briefly visit various decades to observe very little and then move on to the next rather than an actual believable scenario.

Furthermore, the family featured in each vignette is entirely brand new and unrelated, which I find entirely unlikely. NO ONE stays for more than a decade or so to raise their children and grow old? I was excited when one vignette featured a baby being born, sure that we would follow that baby as it grew older, only to find that it was yet again replaced by an entirely new family in the next vignette. It’s difficult to continue reading without an emotional investment in any characters, and the actual stories of each vignette aren’t quite interesting enough to hold interest on their own.

This jumping between scenes and new characters makes it difficult to make the motivation to keep reading. One wonders if this concept would have been better served as a series of short stories rather than one “cohesive” novel that fails to sufficiently develop its protagonist is a meaningful way. At one point, Grimalkin bemoans his fate to only observe his surroundings, learning but never effecting change, and I deeply empathized. It is a difficult trudge as a reader to follow an effectively impotent protagonist for an entire book.

Overall, there are some nice and humorous moments sprinkled throughout, but eventually the same joke grows tired (“now what is THIS wild contraption?!” x 1000) and the story falls flat with a fizzle of an ending, nothing meaning much of anything in the end.

I received this book as an ARC thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley.

The Ghost Cat is a delightful perspective on how times change. I enjoyed the glimpses of different eras from the cats perspective. Well done.

This was a really cute and cozy read. A cat who is from the Victorian ages who is given a second chance... or nine other chances to lives the rest of his life as a ghost. It is such a great concept and I loved reading it. I enjoyed reading about the cat's point of view throughout history: Victorian ages, WWI, WWII, 60s to present. I was interested in where everything was going. The only issue that I had was the language barrier. I felt that since this took place in Edinburgh, there were a few slang terms or sayings that were hard to pick up in the book. Perhaps it would be easier if I was listening to it. Also, adding the fact that the cat will speak with a Victorian mindset made it a little difficult for me to grasp what was going on at times. I think this is more my fault than the book's. I would recommend it to others as a nice, cute, and cozy read.

3.5/5⭐
I will start off that I am biased because I am a huge cat lover and anything cat related is already so close to perfect. But I loved this story. I loved Grimalkin so much, but how could you not??? He was just a cold old cat living through our history and experiencing.

This story was sweet and went by quickly. I loved the historical element so much as it was interesting seeing what history was like in Scotland at the time. As an American it is nice seeing the a view into history and events in the eyes of other people in different countries and also seeing their culture throughout time, with different decorations and slang.

Also Eilidh was so amazing, I also love animals so I saw a lot of her in me. And I really loved their relationship as I know the love I have for my cats is deep and I hope they see it in a way similar to Grimalkin. I also loved the last haunting so much. And just all the stories and seeing love through different relationships over the decades.

If you want an easy sweet read I would recommend it. The hostorial part was entertaining but I definitely loved the Grimalkin and his ideas and views of humanity and the love he has for humans, also he is super funny.

Alex Howard shares a delightful perspective on "The Ghost Cat," a charming novel that weaves the tale of a Victorian era cat from Edinburgh. Struck by an untimely demise, the cat is granted the opportunity to experience its remaining eight lives in the ethereal form of a "ghost cat." The narrative unfolds across from the 19th century to the contemporary era, with each incarnation encapsulated as a distinct short story. Despite their independence, these stories are linked by recurring themes, settings, and characters, enriching the narrative with a sense of continuity. The novel skillfully integrates historical events, both global and local to Edinburgh.

This book was an absolute delight. (As a lover of books and a lover of cats, I suppose there was no going wrong here.) The Ghost Cat is a clever and charming account of the passage of time through the eyes of a witty housecat. Chronicling the space of time between Victoran Edinburgh to modern day, this enchanting cat's point of view had me smiling, laughing, and shedding a few tears. This book is smart in its study of over a century of Edinburgh history, and is a must-read for fans of history, literature, and cats. Especially cats.

I really looked forward to reading this book -- a ghost cat who lives through a century and a half in a London House? What a great premise. Sadly, Howard makes a decision to have the cat live just one day in every twenty years or so, which, I think, hurts the story.

A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays and for the last three he stays.
William Shakespeare


Grimalkin is a young cat living in 1902. On this morning, a young charlady lights some coal to warm the house and Grimalkin curls up to enjoy the heat. As he closes his eyes, he doesn’t realize this is his last day on earth. But once he passes, he’s granted the ability to spend his remaining lives as a ghost cat. He watches as the world changes, meeting new characters along the way, and always finding adventure.

The Ghost Cat is an absolutely charming and heart-warming tale of time travel through a cat’s eyes. Grimalkin takes us through the Victorian age, all the way to dealing with COVID. Each haunting has its own unique characters and Grimalkin is challenged to follow the fast paced changes that occur through each haunting.

While the concept of this book was intriguing, its execution fell flat. I was hoping for more magic in the pages but found none. And while it was interesting to see how the cat viewed the changing world, I would have liked more detail and maybe more time spent with the characters. Each haunting seemed a bit rushed and not complete. Beyond that, the conversations were a bit dull and didn’t necessarily flow with the story. However, I chalk some of that up to the fact that Grimalkin wasn’t there for the full conversation either.

I still found The Ghost Cat to be a cozy read and one that was endearing if not awe-inspiring. Definitely a good read for cat lovers!

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

This is a charming and unique tale about a cat who passes prematurely and so lives his 9 lives out in Edinburgh as a ghost cat. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and appreciated the footnotes about the more obscure aspects of history.

We follow a cat, Grimalkin, through his eight ghost lives. Something goes awry in the afterlife after his first life lived and he can't go back for eight more living lives, so he goes back as a ghost to observe various events at his home. We meet some famous people and some random people during important events in history. Things that seem insignificant are actually important, and everything is connected. I loved the story of Eilidh despite it being so brief.

I think if you love a cat you will enjoy this sweet and cozy read. If you don't have cats or have never loved one, this may not be for you.