The premise of this book sounded so good! It promises cozy and cottagecore vibes. And those vibes were definitely there! Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me, and I DNF’t it at around 15%.
The writing style gave me the same vibes as ‘Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries’. I liked the idea of that book, but in the end it wasn’t it for me. And that is the biggest reason I stopped reading Cat Dragon. The writing style was very descriptive. The sentences were sometimes quite long which lost me a bit, and had me confused what was going on. It was a lot of ‘she did… and grabbed… She picked up…’. I had hoped for more action in the writing. In the second chapter the main character has interactions with other characters, and I quite liked that. Then something happened, and it just went too fast for my mind to understand what was going on and what it would mean for the main character. The writing style and descriptive sentences made me feel distant. The paragraphs with dialogue were quite clear to me, but other paragraphs with the actions the main character did lost me. In some of those descriptive sentences the writer used some harder words. And I do have to say that I am not a native English, but if I don’t understand one word it doesn’t matter to me. I can still understand it from the context of the sentence. But here it just went over my head. I did like the vibes and the idea of the book though! If you liked Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, you would definitely like this! The book wasn’t bad, it just had a writing style that is not my thing.

This is a great story - had me engaged from beginning to end.

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

Aloysia Papplewick is a magicobotanist, lives in the Tangleroot Valley, and one of her best friends is a crow. So there's nothing to see here! When the residents of Tangleroot are eight, they receive their very own cat dragon. There is only one magical creature for each witch or wizard, their familiar. Unfortunately, Aloysia is in her thirties and still waiting for her cat dragon to identify itself! Her life is good however, her best friend, Ivy is about to have a baby but her brother, and soon to be uncle, the insufferable Hollis, who had been travelling for a year, has caused chaos before he's been back a day. Everything has changed, her home is gone and the two frienemies have been sent on a quest to save the home and valley they love.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a fantastic read. There is so much going on and new people to meet all the time. Aloysia is a great main protagonist, and I really hope there she will have more adventures for everyone to enjoy. The world building was expertly done, and I loved the artwork on the cover, which was by Lucy Bennett. I would have loved a map as well, but as I read a proof, maybe there will be one. Amazingly, this is Samantha Birch's first novel and is easy to recommend.

Oh how I loved this book, it felt like a warm hug on a cold day, Whimsical, so cosy and utterly adorable. I have to be in the right mood to appreciate cosy fantasy and this one certainly delivered, the writing has a way of pulling you in and keeping you engaged with the Whimsical vibes of what is an imaginative world that the author has created with really intriguing group of characters and creatures.

The slow burn of romance I would say is more of subplot but it has the perfect development and I loved seeing it unfold as it just has this way of putting a smile on your face. Highly recommend to anyone who wants just wants a really fun and cosy read.

Thank you so much to Publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book before publication, these are my honest thoughts and opinions.

I’m LOVING witchy stories right now and this is SO cozy and cute. So grateful to HarperCollins for allowing me to read this ARC!

I really wish I could say that I loved this book but I just didn't. At times I did not understand what was happening and had to force myself to read. I loved the romance between Aloysia and Hollis but his was minimal - this is not a book you read if you want romance solely or mostly. I would have loved for there to have been more romance however it is clear that this book focuses solely on Aloysia and her journey. That being said, I did enjoy the friendship between Aloysia and Iris but the plot in itself was a bit confusing.

Thank you to net galley, Harper Collins One More Chapter, and Samantha Birch for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I will give this 5 stars even tho I have to soft DNF it. This type of fantasy isn’t always for me, and right now it’s not hitting. The writing is really whimsical and fun and I know I’ll love this book when I’m finally in the mood but if I continue with the book right now I won’t enjoy it as much as I would.

I will still give it a 5 star rating because I won’t give something a bad rating because it wasn’t hitting it for me right now.

- cozy, cute, witchy
- cottagecore vibes
- cat dragons as familiars
- a quest with magic at stake
- splash of romance between the FMC and her best friend's brother

This was a sweet little story but I do wish it had some more adventure to it. It was sweet and wholesome but I did find myself bored at times. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me to read this book, I’m rating it 3.25 stars.

This isn’t my usual read, but it was cute cottage core vibes with magic, fantasy and adventure, but it was very YA in comparison to some other YA books I’ve read. I really enjoyed the characters and the little bit of conflict they had with the hurdles and personality differences.

The adventure of this like forage finding was lowkey my favourite part, it was unique and fun. Plus the twist near the end had been so unexpected.

Really lovely vibes and a perfect read for fans of The spellshop.

An enchanting and whimsical delight—a cozy fantasy brimming with charm, magic, and just the right amount of sass.

An awesome book full of cute, smoke breathing cat dragons and sarcastic sentient pumpkins. An incredible world with fantastic beings. It's a delight to join them on their journey.

This is a super cozy read that I happily finished while it was raining outside. The story follows Aloysia, who is a witch from a long family line named the Papplewicks. I loved how her past family members were turned into pumpkins, and she had to care for them.

My favorite characters in the book were easily Crow and Littlewick. I was not expecting the ending with Crow, but I love that he got to be part of such an important event. I also enjoyed the journey Aloysia took as she tried to find ingredients for the spell to help the guardian. The magical creatures were probably my favorite part of this book. My only complaint is that the pacing can be a bit slow at times, and that caused me to lose a bit of interest. The romance portion of the story was easily expected from the start. Overall, I did enjoy this book! Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins Uk, and Samantha Birch for an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion.

This book? It’s all about the ✨vibes✨. No epic drama, no world-ending stakes—just pure cozy comfort. Think: a quiet afternoon, hot chocolate in hand, curled up by the fire. That’s the mood, and it nails it.

If you’re craving something sweet and heartwarming, this one’s a gem. Aloysa is the kind of heroine you instantly root for—clever, confident, and hilariously real. And Crow? Oh, he stole the show. Snarky, sharp-tongued, and secretly soft? Say less. I lived for every scene he was in.

It’s not your typical enemies-to-lovers, but it’s definitely not friends-to-lovers either. Aloysa and Hollis start out as “my best friend’s brother” kind of acquaintances… until a trip and a single room force them into some seriously close quarters. Cue the banter, the tension, and the slow-burn magic.

Add Ivy (Hollis’s sister and my second favorite character!) into the mix, and you’ve got the perfect comfort read. Light, charming, and just the right amount of swoon. Don’t sleep on this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I couldn't put this book down – absolutely loved it.

In this story we follow Aloysia as a botanical witch who still hasn’t bonded with a cat dragon. However when tragedy strucks, she will have to team up with Hollis a guardian on a quest to save magic.

Personally I wasn’t a big fan of the pacing in some parts, but the story overall was quite cute. I wasn’t a big fan of the love story line simply because I thought it was unnecessary to the rest of plot. Loved all the animal companions both Crow and LittleWick!! Also I was a fan of the quest and how the story ended.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Cat Dragon by Samantha Birch is such a good story. I couldn't put it down for a second. So so so good! I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. Aloysia is a witch in a town full of magical things, and runs a pumpkin patch. Everything is working well for her, but she is just missing one thing the others in the witch community have - their familiar, or cat-dragon. The cat-dragons are companions that those in Aloysia's community depend on, and each one is unique to their bonded person. Once Aloysia does bond, after her thirteenth try, the two are then needed to protect her community.

This was such an enjoyable book, and there is more to it than the wonderful world building - there is actual action! I would love to see this become a series, because of the fun plotline and community within these pages. There was also a dash of romance, but this book was really about Aloysia, her cat-dragon, and her unique community. I also really loved the cover of this book, it was cute and cozy, and drew me in immediately.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the cutest story. I love the little creatures. The imaginary and thought process into this is wonderful!

I love the quirky main character. “Wick”, is determined, strong willed, and good at what she does. This is a slow burn romance but I would more describe this as a cozy witchy quest with a side of romance.

Gorgeous world building on how the magic works. It’s super cute and funny.

Cute and cosy from start to finish, Cat Dragon is the kind of book that is best read on a rainy day with a warm blanket and a mug of hot tea.

I thought everything about this was enjoyable, admittedly I do struggle with cosy fantasy sometimes as I love a book being fast-paced and action-packed, but this was super well balanced and followed a quest whilst maintaining that cosy feeling. I particularly enjoyed the world-building in this book, Tangleroot Valley even SOUNDS whimsical, but I loved being able to fully immerse myself in the pages with beautiful descriptions of the characters and settings.

With a plethora of fun characters, from witches and crows, to cat/dragon hybrids and even talking pumpkins, as well as a teensy little sprinkling of romance, this is a really nice book for those days you just want to read and you don’t want to think! 🐱🐉

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy of this!

Whimsical, warm, and totally adorable.

Cat Dragon was such a delightful surprise! It’s the kind of story that feels like a cozy blanket on a rainy day—full of charm, heart, and just the right touch of magic. The writing has this gentle, whimsical vibe that makes it impossible not to smile while reading.

The characters are quirky in the best way, and the whole “cat meets dragon” twist is just so sweet and clever. It gave me all the fuzzy feelings while still sneaking in some lovely emotional moments and little life lessons along the way.

It’s comforting, clever, and honestly feels like a little hug in book form.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*