Luyi Bennett

This bland little juvenile fantasy adventure didn't quite do it for me, but it has some potential that might bring me back for another look in the future.

There is a weird tone shift between the first chapter -- which reads like a sloppy cat rebranding of James O'Barr's The Crow -- and the subsequent chapters that are suddenly all "Go Go Power Rangers." I got a little confused as to what the target age group is for the readership, especially when the underage characters -- 15, 17, and 19 -- show more spend a lot of time in a pub: a logo for the establishment has a cute cat very joyfully promoting alcohol, there's a real cat that drinks beer, and the oldest teen keeps bringing up how much she would like to try some alcohol.

A major obstacle for me, of course, is being a dog person reading a book obviously intended for cat people. The cats are ostensibly the good guys, but my gut tells me cats cannot be trusted and they have their own agendas. So when the cats -- who control all the magic and give directions to the main characters on their hero journeys -- act suss or bad guys say they are lying, it's easy to believe something darker is at work here.

It doesn't help that the artist keeps changing from issue to issue. Fortunately, the styles aren't different enough to be jarring, but a book always feels more solid when there is continuity in the creative team.

The art is more more polished than the script at least, which mostly has the heroes simply running around and reacting to stuff as they quickly level up in their new powers. The characters are pretty one-dimensional, and the plot isn't particularly original, but it's still early in the story and there are no problems that some course correction and knuckle grease can't fix.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Issue #1. The Second Tail -- Issue #2. Cat's Choice -- Issue #3. Cat's Quest -- Issue #4. Cat's Magic -- Issue #5. Beware the Cat show less

First things first, thank you to the creators for the free copy! As always all thoughts here are 100% my own.

Catians is a series that speaks to Cat lovers. Three teen characters find themselves selected by their feline companions to put an end to looming danger endangering both humans and cats.

While the humor and plot can be somewhat cheesy sometimes, it's in the best way possible. In a way, it reminds me of Saturday Morning cartoons or classic anime. The plot is interesting and pacing is show more well done.

But in addition to that, all the small references to cats' antics, and creative ways to explain why cats are the way they are, caused me to chuckle several times throughout the chapters. I am looking forward to the next volume.

Only warning is there is animal harm and death in this. Nothing major on the screen that I can remember, but just in case someone is heavily triggered by this, I wanted to point it out. show less

My 12-year-old reviewed this one:

"Catians: Volume One by Cortney Cameron is a fun and engaging fantasy about three teens and magic cats, and I enjoyed the worldbuilding and action.

The beginning did feel like it was written for an older audience than the rest of the book, with heavier topics and themes, while the rest of the book was written more like a middle grade fantasy.

I think teen readers who enjoy fantasy and anime would enjoy it.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars."

Not quite for me unfortunately. Not very original, most characters are stereotypical and one-dimensional, the plot is rushed. The artwork was alright though! It feels exaggerated and lacks depth or layers, for the "cat lovers" and "teenagers who think they are normal but actually are chosen and are given special powers" aspects. I got a little bit more into the story towards the end of the volume, which might indicate that the next volume will improve as the story and characters develop, but show more did not enjoy that read much overall. Probably more enjoyable for the target audience (though I am a cat lover!). show less