Return To White Catcliff

A unique story told in a unique way. A mix of genres, it has good dialog and an engaging plot that includes excellent art/drawings. I hope she writes more (soon).

I really appreciate the copy for review!!

Nick and his Black Labrador, aptly named BD are involved in a hold up at a store. Left for dead they wake up in a strange place. To say Nick is a bit confused is an understatement especially when BD actually answers his question of what happened. They are then met by the anthropomorphic feline Theodore who takes them to the house he shares with his brother Peaches. Along the way they pass a sign that informs him they are in White Catcliff.
And so begins a strange tale, full of colourful characters, humour and, at the end of the day, an important message, as Nick and BD start to come to terms with what has happened and why certain things are familiar to them. Peppered throughout with the most intricate drawings to illustrate the narrative, the story held me rapt throughout especially when it became evident that certain things were interconnected and that Nick knows more than he should but still possibly not enough...
This is my first outing with anthropomorphic characters so I have nothing to compare this book to but I thought that the author did a first rate job with them. Some of the things the feline characters did along the way made me chuckle and, well, BD was such a crazy wonderful canine character, getting into some really great scrapes along the way.
As far as the multi-dimensional aspects of the book are concerned, this was also handled, explained and executed extremely well. As more and more information was drip fed into the narrative slowly the bigger picture started to clear and certain things that initially baffled me started to come together nicely. Yes, it's a slow burn kind of book with the majority of the main action all coming in the final third but the set-up was interesting enough to hold my attention nicely enough throughout to keep me reading on. Ok so some of what I read was a bit bonkers at times but, and I hasten to add, it all worked perfectly in the context of everything else that was going on around and about.
This is one of those books for me that wholeheartedly rewarded my brave choice to read outside my comfort zone. It is wholly unlike anything I have ever read before (I am still new to the fantasy genre) but I am so glad I took that leap of faith as I was richly rewarded by an interesting and poignant character driven novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. One thing though... say it won't be the last I hear from White Catcliff. I feel the place and the characters have still more to give and, although this chapter is closed, I would love to reconnect with them in future stories.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.