The start of this story seemed absurd, and I felt a little lost, but I also wanted to know what was going on. A cat who can talk, and this is taken for granted by humans around it. Very strange. A Witch and cat forced to live with each other. Why? Keep reading and all will be explained, in an engaging humorous story. The second part is a little darker, and made me pause and think about societal norms. But the story becomes clear. Then the narrative returns, to a satisfying conclusion. A book of different parts but as a whole is a good read that will make you smile but also think about responsibility and place in society. Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for letting me read an ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

The Splendid City by Karen Heuler was described as " a genre blending story of modern witchcraft, a police state and unique characters" and it certainly lives up to that description. This quirky little book was a really entertaining read and had some thought provoking themes. It is hard to pigeonhole the book, it is not exactly urban fantasy , and there is definitely a satirical vibe, but the almost dystopian world it is set in feels a little to close to home for comfort.
The protagonists are Eleanor, a trainee witch and Stan, who was a co worker before she transformed him into a talking cat as a result of his lecherous and misogynistic behaviour. The setting is Liberty, a version of Texas which has broken away from the United States and declared itself a separate country under the governance of a dictator like President who runs soviet style surveillance of the population so that dissidents are scooped up and never seen again. Liberty is facing a water problem, its supplies have dried up and rationing is in place and Eleanor is wondering if the disappearance of a local water witch might be partly to blame for the problem. As she tries to find the missing witch she runs the risk of uncovering a much bigger conspiracy involving the highest levels of government,
There is a lot of humour in the book, mostly courtesy of Stan the cat and his crazy behaviour but also because of the dynamics between himself and Eleanor which often seemed like that of sulky children forced to play together until they learn to share.
The book moves at a good pace, with a dramatic beginning , thought the middle section which explores the backstory of Eleanor and Stan did seem a little slower and I am wondering if this might have been better as a series of chapters sprinkled through the main timeline of the book.
Definitely one of the most unique and unusual books I have read this year.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Unfortunately I DNF'd at around 20% on this book.
I found it really difficult to get into it as the plot meandered and it felt quite convoluted.
I've read another review from a NetGalley reader who persevered and was glad they did after thinking the would DNF early on so I might pick it up at a later date but this was a difficult read for me.

CHARACTERS
🔲 mary-sue party
🔲 mostly 2D
🔲 great main cast, forgottable side characters
🔲 well-written
✅ complex and fascinating
🔲 hard to believe they are fictional

PLOT
🔲 you've already heard this exact story a thousand times
🔲 nothing memorable
✅ gripping
🔲 exceptional
🔲 mind=blown

WORLDBUILDING
🔲 takes place in our world
🔲 incoherent
🔲 OK
✅ nicely detailed
🔲 meticulous
🔲 even the last tree in the forest has its own story

ATMOSPHERE
🔲 nonexistent
🔲 fine
🔲 immersive
✅ you forget you are reading a book

PACING
🔲 dragging
🔲 inconsistent
🔲 picks up with time
✅ page-turner
🔲 impossible to put down

This book was so absurd but I ended up really enjoying it!

Okay, so I have to be honest, after reading the first chapter of this book I actually thought I'm gonna DNF it. It was just so chaotic, I couldn't wrap my head around it, but I'm so happy I read on.

Let's start with the setting because I feel like that's the weirdest part. It's basically an Orwellian themed Miyazaki movie, and yes, it's as absurd as that sounds. We have this weird nation with it's weird government with it's absolutely weird ways of setting up what's basically is very much an authoritarian regime but everything is just so whimsical at the same time that at first it's easy to not realize what's going on. But once you start to figure things out it just gets so fascinating and as with every dystopia-like books, so scary at the same time.

The other strong point of the book was the characters in my opinion. We have two main POVs and their narration and feel are very different. Let me just say that one of them is a modern day witch while the other one is a man turned into a giant cat. Yup, you heard that right. Also if you need likable characters to enjoy a story, this is definitely not for you because they are just so so awful and annoying people both, sometimes I just wanted to tear my face off while reading. But that doesn't take away from how complex and well fleshed out they are, I really enjoyed following their journey.

The plot wasn't anything mindblowing in my opinion, but the pacing was great so after getting into the story I had a hard time putting it down.

So yeah, this was a chaotic experience for me and I can see that this book is definitely not for everyone but I ended up loving it with all its nonsensicalness 😊

I don't know how this is compared to Madeline Miller and Alice Hoffman. What part?

I had to dnf this 15% in. To me it felt like a bunch of weird and nonsensical sentences strung together. There's nothing smart or funny about it or satirical.

There was no reason to stick around and get to know the characters or their background stories. It was painful to read in all honesty.

Sadly, this was a total dud.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book.
Unfortunately, it was not for me. The very first sentence was the best, but it went rapidly downhill from there. It was neither full-blown fantasy not serious satire, and the characters and style were flat. The plot meandered, and when it eventually resolved, it seemed to be much ado about nothing, and the very last part boggled belief - it was quite clear that the heroine had learned nothing from her travails.
Possibly this might appeal to those who are more invested in U.S. politics, but I found it tedious and had to force myself to finish it - housework appealed more, quite frankly, and it's difficult to find anything that I like less.

Talking cats, witches and covens.. in a dystopian setting?! Say no more!

This Splendid City follows our two main characters Eleanor a white witch who is only just learning her craft and Stan the cat who has some very strong opinions and is not afraid to argue about them. Set in a future Texas which has now declared itself as a country, the overall story follows Eleanor trying to locate a missing witch and Stan searching for some secret treasure whilst under the watchful eye on a controlling government.

There is some really interesting commentary on politics and social issues throughout this novel which was the most compelling aspect for myself. Issues raised really parallel what we are seeing now and the book almost serves as a warning. Very thought provoking!

Aside from this, the book is broken into 3 parts. I really enjoyed the first part's story line, it had me hooked! However the second part felt like background information was being crammed in and I found myself reading this slower, still really interesting but I was not as compelled! I also loved the witchy storyline!

Overall, I give this a 3.5 stars! I would recommend this to anyone who loves a dystopian or even books centred on social commentary!

[Tentative star rating. A full review will be posted on Goodreads and my blog this week!]

The Splendid City started with a bang. No, I mean an actual bang where a talking cat—Stan—shot someone just for annoying him. We are informed later on that he did this on daily basis. The book then introduced us to the second main character, Eleanor, an exiled witch who had to put up with Stan and who may or may not be the reason he was turned into a cat.

The world presented to us is, in fact, not splendid at all. It talked about issues of politics, drought, missing people, etc, etc. I enjoyed the social commentary and even the over-the-top discussions about their state of living. Overall, I had fun and 100% saw the potential this book had to offer. It dragged quite a bit and it really could've been shorter if not for some unnecessary repetitions in the POVs. That being said, I still need to sit with my thoughts to form a more coherent review this week after it's been archived.

Would recommend to fans of dystopian-ish science fiction and witches on modern settings.

I loved the first few chapters of The Splendid City. Stan, a talking cat, has no patience for fools; he shoots them. But wait! Things get even crazier. Stan is living with Eleanor, a hasty witch, and they loathe each other.

And the world around them? It sucks. Water shortages, poor job prospects, and political machinations make life hard and prosperity difficult. The president of the dystopia tries to distract the inhabitants with parades and, more recently, a treasure hunt.

Stan is excited by the idea of finding the treasure and sets out to get it, attracting the attention of the influential players. On the other hand, Eleanor is on the lookout for the missing water witch Daria, who may have played a role in shaping the world around them.

I enjoyed the satirical, often a deliciously absurd tone of The Splendid City, which should appeal to fans of whimsy. The first part of the story had me laughing aloud and delighted by Heuler's dialog and ideas. But unfortunately, parts two and three soured the experience a bit. Part two shows how Eleanor became a witch, who Stan was, and why they ended up living together.

Part three concludes both storylines. While Heuler's observations and humor remain astute and quotable, the structure feels unbalanced. The ending was somewhat predictable, and the characters remained relatively shallow though fun.

A few words about them: Stan is a cat. He's delusional, comically self-absorbed, and arrogant. And yet, it's impossible not to like his narration. He's unpredictable, self-absorbed, but always funny. Eleanor, on the other hand, is likable but less intense. Still, it's easy to like her and understand her motivations. Their tense relationship leads to entertaining dialog and good scenes with lots of dark(ish) humor.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and read it in two sittings. I don't feel like it didn't quite meet my expectations after the excellent part 1, but that doesn't change anything. It's fun and quirky in a good way.

This book seemed to be aiming for surrealism but missed the mark entirely. It read like a jumbled mess of words. At one point I wondered if my brain was mistaking the words and had to read some out loud to myself. This is the second book I’ve read lately that features a talking cat, or something like a talking cat. This book is more absurdist than surrealist. If that’s your thing then you will love it.

Eleanor was in the process of learning witchcraft when she turned her coworker into a cat. It doesn’t matter that her reasons were valid; she behaved in a manner most uncovenly and now she’s living with the consequences. This means she’s stuck living with said cat, whose metamorphosis didn’t magically improve his personality.

Eleanor and Stan are now in Liberty, which once upon a time was Texas. Before it seceded, that is. Now it has animatronic presidential heads and people are whisked off in vans, presumably never to be seen again. There’s nougat, which is nice, but there’s also a water shortage, which isn’t.

Eleanor has been tasked with finding a missing witch. Stan, when he’s not scrounging up fish tacos and beer, is on a treasure hunt.

I was keen to find out how a story with a witch who turns a detestable coworker into a cat would play out. I’m now wondering if I wasn’t in the right frame of mind for this read.

I appreciated the political commentary and satire. I was interested in learning how witchcraft worked in this dystopia, but didn’t connect with any of the witches.

I thought I’d be amused by insufferable, newly feline Stan as he tried to make his way in the world but I hated him. It wasn’t the fun type of hate, though, where you love to hate someone. I love villains when they’re complex and especially when they’re accidentally good some of the time, but if Stan had any redeeming qualities, I didn’t find them. In the end, I didn’t want to spend any time with him.

The story is told in three parts. The second, which addresses how Eleanor became a witch and Stan became a cat, felt like one big info dump.

I’d encourage you to read the five star reviews because there are people that absolutely love this book. Unfortunately,
this wasn’t the book for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read this book.

I really wasn’t sure of this, the plot summary on the page was not very clear either.
To sum it up: Eleanor is an exiled Witch. Stan is the Cat she has to look after, he is grumpy and limits himself to ‘shooting’ one person per day. It seemed very immature. We don’t know why they are put together and the fact they are bound together in order to find out what had happened to a missing witch. Messed up world charging for extra things is what caught my attention as it was so relatable however that was about it.
This is obviously a dystopian based world however it just didn’t feel right and the characters just annoyed me.

A madcap romp, I really enjoyed this book! Heuler opens the book with a quote from The Master and Margarita, and she emulates Bulgakov's satirical, madcap energy throughout. Not least of all with a sentient talking cat. This book bubbles along, a funny and gripping adventure that makes you nearly forget the systems, structures, and inequalities therein that Heuler interrogates in the disorienting desert city beset by political rallying and propaganda on all sides. It's a worthy title in the tradition of Bulgakov's satirical tale, with the frantic energy and adventure and comedy of A Confederacy of Dunces. With the added bonus of witches.

A hilarious book about witchcraft and a talking cat! This book is an interesting social commentary that will have you laughing out loud,

i was interested in this book as a lover of cats and urban fantasy and it gets both and enjoyed reading the dynamic between Eleanor and stan although humour can be a bit questionable a times depending on your taste and i thought ending came rather suddenly i would've liked more on how it all resolves overall its a very readable magical dystopia reminded me a bit of the Studio Ghibli film the cat returns but its a bit more rude than that

Thank you to NetGalley, Karen Heuler, and Angry Robot for an arc of this book!

I really actually loved this book! It was strange and surreal but didn't let itself get overwhelmed by this. Urban surrealism with a bit of fantasy and politics and feminism and crime/thriller this book has it all. The characters were enjoyable even if Stan is a terrible cat-person and I never knew what was coming next! The book definitely keeps you on your toes throughout and nothing is as it seems.

My only issue with it was at times it felt a bit slow (part one in particular I thought was guilty of this) but apart from that it was a brilliant read! I highly recommend it !

I honestly DNF’d 10% in. I’m all for fantasy — love love love the genre — but the beginning was literally so weird and off-putting that I wasn’t willing to try to get into it.

A fun, quirky, mash-up of fantasy, humour and dystopia - there's witches, a talking cat, a corrupt government, talking mechanical heads and lots of intrigue.
There's so much to love about this book, it starts slap bang in the middle of the action and had me completely hooked.
I loved the dynamic between Eleanor and Stan, he really was wonderfully obnoxious, and the world building was amazing, as was the magic. It had some moments of sheer brilliance and I loved the whole aesthetic. The cover is one of my all time favourites, it's a work of art!

Unfortunately, the way it's split into three parts was frustrating, the second part was an overly lengthy explanation of the back story which killed off some of the tension and excitement. I still really enjoyed the third part although it was lacking the magnetism of the first part.

It had many elements in it which I love - witches, talking cats etc.
The book is set in a mix of Oz, 1984 etc.
The two protagonists are a witch and a cat (formerly a man).
The pacing of this book was really off, there was a lot of details and stuff but in a weird order. I read it fairly quickly but don't think I would recommend the book to anyone.

I really want to like this book, and maybe if I was a different person I would, but I am who I am which means that, unfortunately, that is not going to change.

To begin: the positives. The premise was interesting; a young witch searches for a missing witch in Liberty, a police state which seceded from the USA. She is accompanied by a talking cat named Stan, who used to be a person before she turned him into a cat. The premise is fun and sounded interesting. It (along with the Stan’s character voice) was what carried the book (and what is making me waffle between giving it a 2 or a 2.5).

The character voice was also quite good. Stan, especially, was a special brand of absolutely insufferably smug yet a joy to read because he is such a terrible, awful person. Eleanor’s character voice was less strong, but fine. Her character concept was less strongly developed right out the gate overall.

Now onto the issues I had. The pacing was… odd. I was around 50% through the book when I stopped and thought: why are we only getting this information now?

About halfway through the book is when we get the flashback to why Eleanor and Stan were sent to Liberty. This is where we get a lot of vital characterization of Eleanor as well as general world-building about witches, how they work, and Eleanor‘s abilities specifically. We also got information about Eleanor‘s coven, her relationship with them, and Eleanor‘s general outlook on life and personality.

Had we had any of this information earlier in the book, it would have allowed for things to… actually happen. Before then, there really isn’t much that happens. Stuff is set up, sure; the disappearances, the water shortage, the systems of control Liberty has put in place. But it all took much longer than it needed to and was all very… hm.

On one hand, there were some interesting ideas. The state of Liberty and the control it exercised over its populace, the propaganda, and ways that witches work were all elements I thought were well done. I especially enjoyed the conversations in the coven about their powers, the nature of the world, and the rituals. On the other hand, though, much of the plot either did not make much sense, felt a bit empty, or felt like it just did not quite gel with the rest of the story.

My issue is, I think, that the plot felt like oil and water. The plot threads were just not woven together. For example, most (if not all) of the interesting, cool witch-y stuff came at the end of the novel, meaning that Eleanor did very little at the beginning. Not just when it came to actually using her powers—I honestly forgot she was a witch at all a couple times because so much of that important characterization comes so late. Magic’s prevalence in the world wasn’t established until then so I genuinely thought this was a world where magic was at least known, if not commonplace, only to learn that was not the case until much later.

Stan and Eleanor essentially had two entirely separate storylines, which occasionally crossed over but barely felt impactful because any effect one might have had on the other either turned out to not be all that dire or just didn’t happen at all. Their relationship was underdeveloped; they do not like one another all that much, and I really would have liked to see them actually work together on something instead of them kind of just doing their own things. The treasure hunt storyline was… well. I liked Stan as a character (liked to hate him, anyway) but the whole plot line of the treasure hunt was so shallow and not very interesting. The in-world explanation of it, too, felt unconvincing and shallow (and not in a way that seemed intentional—it just felt shallow and I really wish that the author had take a different route to exploring the themes with his character, one that was more interesting and integrated with Eleanor). Eleanor’s plot line was marginally more interesting but ultimately again held back by the by the late development of a lot of really important elements of the lore and her character.

Additionally, some minor complaints about Eleanor‘s character. The book describes her as someone who is hotheaded, impulsive, etc., but we never really see that. We are just told that. Part of the issue is that most of the interaction we see at the beginning is her and Stan, in which case her irritation is warranted, considering how obnoxious he is. I really wanted to like Eleanor but she just felt so boring up until the last third of the book, at which point she felt like an entirely different character altogether.

Finally, the political commentary. There was a lot of interesting political commentary on America here, especially when it comes to American government and propaganda. There are, however, two points where I just stopped reading and was like “huh???”, because even though the overall slant of the novel is feminist/liberal, these two points took me entirely off guard.

The first thing is the language use. There are exactly two points in the narrative that made me stop reading because I was so surprised by the fact that the author chose to use the terminology that she did, and not in a good way. Near the beginning of the book, Stan is eavesdropping on a couple having an argument. The beginning of the conversation isn’t shared, but the man argues that the archetypal American that the country was built for is a white man. She replies by saying—and excuse my language, but I shit you not—”When it was stolen from the Red Man, yes. Not the Red Woman, either, which is very interesting.”

Huh? What? Scuzi?? There is so much to unpack. Why on earth would that character say that and not Native Americans? Why on earth would the author think that was a good choice for dialogue? Even if we take the most generous interpretation and assume that this was done to critique non-intersectional feminism, this use is never addressed, Native Americans are never meaningfully brought up again in the narrative, and the intersectionality of feminism is only paid lip service later in the narrative once or twice (and only racial intersectionality). Later in the novel, another side character calls Stan a “Libtard” in a moment which I think is supposed to be funny, as Stan gets offended because he is not a liberal. But that joke would have worked fine with a variety of other insults that aren’t based on an ableist slur. In fact, the joke would have been funny had any other insult been used!

It isn’t that I necessarily have an issue with what the novel is trying to get at politically. The overall gist is, I think, aiming to be a feminist one. It is that the method in which it does so seems to be a little shallow and, at times, contradictory (and not in a way which provokes thought or conversation, in a way that comes out of nowhere, does nothing, and continues on to never be addressed again). There are times when having a character say harmful things in a feminist novel are important and can be built off of, but these two times were not used in any meaningful manner. They were both just really unnecessary.

The Splendid City really tries to do a lot. It wants to have magic, technology, political commentary, feminism, sarcasm, and humor driven by quirky off-the-wall characters, plot lines, and scenes. While it succeeded in some areas, the real lack of substance it had will ultimately mean that all I can give is 2/5 and really hope we see more substantial work from this author in the future.