I was looking for a book to give me cozy, Halloweeny witchy cat vibes, so I decided to try Cat Magic by Whitley Strieber. It does capture the ambiance of autumn leaves and the mysterious aura of an old, witchy estate. The setting is a town inhabited by a local witch, and a fundamentalist church who opposes them. And, with the name “Cat Magic,” you know there’s going to be a cat; he is a magical cat-it is a witchy tale, after all.
My Thoughts:
This book does go very dark. In addition to the witch and the church, we have a scientist who is working on bringing back the dead. With that, we also have the exploration of morality and the afterlife, which took on a nightmarish feeling. This book is a little bit enchanting, but also unsettling, and for me, a little bit out there. I had a little bit of trouble getting as into this story because I thought the characters were a little bit too extreme to maintain my suspension of disbelief.
The warnings I like to know before reading:
this book is definitely aimed at an adult audience. It contains some sexual content and a fair share of death and gore. Yes, animals and people both die.
My Rating
There were elements of this book that I enjoyed, but I did have trouble with believing in the characters and in the surreal kind of nightmarish afterlife. I do think others may buoy the book, so give it a try if you want a book that’s a little something different.
