The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter

Series: Standalone

Author: Heather Fawcett

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

A woman who runs a cat rescue in 1920s Montreal turns to a grouchy but charming wizard to help save the shelter in this heartwarming cozy fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of the Emily Wilde series.

Agnes Aubert leads a meticulously organized life—and she likes it that way. As the proudly type-A manager of a much-needed cat rescue charity, she has devoted her life to finding forever homes for lost cats.

But after she is forced to move the cat shelter, Agnes learns that her new landlord is using her charity as a front—for an internationally renowned and thoroughly disreputable magic shop. Owned by the disorganized—not to mention self-absorbed, irritating, but also decidedly handsome—Havelock Renard, magician and failed Dark Lord, the shop draws magical clientele from around the world, partly due to the quality of Havelock’s illicit goods as well as their curiosity about his shadowy past and rumors of his incredible powers. Agnes’s charity offers the perfect cover for illegal magics.

Agnes couldn’t care less about the shop—magical intrigue or not, there are cats to be rescued. But when an enemy from Havelock’s past surfaces, the magic shop—and more importantly, the cat shelter—are suddenly in jeopardy. To save the shelter, will Agnes have to set aside her social conscience and protect the man who once tried to bring about the apocalypse—and is now trying to steal her heart? – summary from Goodreads

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter is a sweet, cozy book perfect for a rainy day!

I loved the Emily Wilde series, so I was very excited for this book!

I enjoyed this book, and will probably read it again, though I did not like it as much as Emily Wilde.

Agnes did remind me a little of Emily, but not much. I loved her dedication to her cats. I am a huge supporter of animal shelters, so I liked that this book focused on one. Agnes also loved being organized, and I loved how that was built into the story.

Our main male character was Havelock and he was nice. He wasn’t my favorite in the whole wide world. The story was mostly focused on Agnes and so I felt like Havelock was a secondary character. From what I did see of him, he was interesting. I’m fascinated by his backstory and he was a sweet, shy character. I just wish we saw more of him. I think my problem was that I went into this with a different picture of Havelock in my mind, and so I was a little thrown when he was different.

I love fantasy books, but I really love the romance subplots within those books. This book didn’t really have the romance I was looking for. It was setting it up slowly throughout the latter half of the book, and it ended with the potential of something more. As a romance reader, I was disappointed in this regard. I hope there is a second book so we can see the romance develop further.

There was a nice blend of magic with the mundane. I don’t always understand the magic systems in fantasy worlds, and this wasn’t an exception. I don’t entirely get it, but it was unique and fun to read. I really liked how it was blended into regular life. This book also included some politics debating magic users, which while not the focus of the book, I did appreciate the inclusion of. It made the world more well-rounded. There was a lot of the newspapers’ being used in this book, and it was swaying public opinion as well. This also added nicely to the world and story.

I really liked all the side characters, especially Yannick and Elise. I thought Elise was a lovely character and I enjoyed how determined she was. I also really liked her relationship with Agnes. It is refreshing to see a healthy sister relationship in media!

I loved the cats! The cats were so much fun, and they definitely stole the show! Especially little Banshee. She was my favorite cat, and I adored the way she was described.

There was some grief exploration, which I enjoyed. It was handled maturely and not over done either. It wasn’t the biggest part of the story, but I did like its inclusion.

The stakes were pretty high for a cozy book, which I actually really liked. The antagonist was wrapped around magic and Havelock, and I wish we got a little more of a deeper dive into it. I definitely wish there was more of an expressed motive for the antagonist. It just seemed like she wanted power, but she never really said.

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter is a cozy fantasy read with cats, magic, and fun characters!