STORY 3.5/5:

Aloysia is a witch who wants to get her cat dragon familiar and she also needs to go on a quest to save her village with her crush. It was a cute and mild mystery, mild romance, cozy fantasy. I really enjoyed parts of the story, and the ending was fun with a slight twist, but there were some parts where I was a little confused as to what was going on/characters being introduced and I wasn't sure where they came from.

WRITING 3.5/5:

Overall I enjoyed the writing in this book, though it was definitely slightly childlike in some parts with the descriptions used. The only part I really had trouble with was when there were characters speaking different languages and the reader just has to use context clues to guess what they are saying because there is no translation.

CHARACTERS/ROMANCE 4/5:

I enjoyed all of this book's "main" characters, Aloysia, Hollis, and Ivy, and of course the non-human characters as well. The romance was very juvenile but I did enjoy the "oh I have crush on my best friend's brother" aspect and I always enjoy when characters have known each other their whole lives. It makes the romance much more realistic and believable. Traveling together brings them closer and they can realize their feelings for one another.

Overall this was a very fun cozy read. I wish I could have read it in the fall but it was a good summer read also!

Thank you to Netgalley for offering me thjs book early in exchange for my honest review.

DNF at 45%.

"Don't judge a book by its cover" applies to books with really cute little dragons on the cover too. The Cat Dragon is full of whimsical creatures and worldbuilding ideas like pumpkins that won't shut up. It is severely lacking in character development. Plot happens but there's little connective tissue between events. I struggled to follow the action scenes. Most annoying of all, dialogue is packed with CAPS and italics.

So many thoughts on this one. I didn’t like the prattling pumpkins. As someone who has had 2 deaths in her family this year I thought they were distasteful. I also wasn’t a fan of our FMC Aloysia, plus according to google the pronunciation listed in the book is incorrect. Just didn’t vibe with this one.

📖 ARC Review 📖

Summary:
This is the story of Tangleroot Valley, a magical place steeped in spellcraft, community, and tradition. A land where everyone has a role, a purpose, a calling. Everyone except Aloysia.

She’s the quiet subject of village gossip and ancestral disappointment, especially from her forebears who whisper their disapproval from inside enchanted pumpkin forms. Why? Because every witch bonds with her cat dragon familiar at the age of eight, unlocking the full strength of communal magic. All except her. Now an adult, Aloysia remains unbonded, capable of only half her magic.

As the harvest festival approaches, Aloysia prepares for another year of quiet failure and routine. But fate has other plans. When disaster strikes the valley, she’s thrust into an unexpected quest alongside her best friend’s infuriating brother. Together, they must journey across strange lands in search of rare ingredients for a vital spell, facing peril, forging new friendships, and trying very hard not to fall for each other.

My Overall Thoughts:
This book felt like wrapping up in a warm blanket with a steaming cup of tea, full of charm, laughs, and autumn vibes. I adored the cozy tone, quirky humor, and sweet little hints of romance that had me grinning. It was an absolute delight . . . for the most part.

The vocabulary felt like it wandered in from a much more serious fantasy novel, and it really disrupted the cozy magic for me. I wanted to escape into the world, but I kept getting pulled out by complex word choices and the sudden use of other languages without much context. I picked this up expecting an easy, comforting read, but found myself working harder than I wanted to just to keep up.

If you’re into cozy fantasy, adorable pet companions, sentient plants, and low stakes quests, this book has it in spades! Just be ready to bring a bit more brainpower along. 3.5 STARS

What I Liked:
🍁 The humor! There were several laugh out loud moments in this novel. The humor had a playful, wholesome quality that I really appreciated, it added warmth and charm to the story.
🍁 The romance! It was subtle and definitely not the central focus, but I found myself looking forward to the scenes between Aloysia and Hollis. Their interactions were sweet and had a gentle yearning I love from my romance.
🍁 The vibes! Cottagecore perfectly describes this book. From the slow paced, cozy lifestyle to the quirky concept of prattling pumpkin ancestors, everything felt like a warm hug. It reminded me of my favorite retro games, gathering ingredients, going on simple quests, and returning to a peaceful village life. Absolutely delightful.

What I Didn’t Like:
🍁 The vocabulary. For a book that aims to be cozy and comforting, the word choices were surprisingly complex. I found myself having to look up several terms, some of which I hadn’t seen since SAT prep. It pulled me out of the story more than once. 🫠
🍁 The languages. This ties into the vocabulary issue. The use of foreign languages throughout the book, often with little to no context or explanation, was frustrating. A glossary would have gone a long way. Instead, I was left feeling like I needed a linguistics degree just to follow along. It really killed the cozy vibe the book otherwise worked so hard to create.

Thank you to NetGalley and for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Right from the start, I loved that inanimate objects could talk especially the pumpkins It added such a fun, quirky energy that instantly gave the book a unique voice. Our main character is in her 30s which was refreshing and was a nice change of pace in a genre that often leans younger.

That said, the story starts off a bit slow and can be a little difficult to follow at first, which made it hard to get into right away. I also found the use of single quotes instead of double quotes for dialogue a bit jarring (not a big deal at all) but took some getting used to.

Still, if you’re into cozy fall reads with magical realism, super cute creatures, and all the fall vibes this is a good addition to your TBR! I’d rate it about a 3.5 ❤️

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220255020-cat-dragon" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Cat Dragon" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1740241575l/220255020._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220255020-cat-dragon">Cat Dragon</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8074660.Samantha_Birch">Samantha Birch</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7695306534">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
this book was amazing! a witchy mild mystery romantasy and by romance i mean very mild romance! this book would be perfect for tweens to adults! i cant wait for the booktok community to dive into this!
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/112655442-destiny">View all my reviews</a>