arc provided by the publisher and netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This was a pretty cute and quick little read. It’s about Brina the cat who is on vacation with her owners outside of the city and how she gets out and meets a stray cat who wants to show her how to be a wild cat but things don’t go quite as either of them planned.

I really liked the art style and the simplicity of the dialogue and story, it was quick and I’m glad that I got a chance to read it!

3/5 ⭐️

Brina the Cat is a charming graphic novel about the misadventure of city cat Brina while she and her family are on summer vacation in the mountains. Her owners - Sam & Margaret decide to let Brina outside after her very vocal protestations of being left alone inside. While exploring nearby she happens to meet members of The Gang of the Feline Sun. The gang influences Brina into escaping her owners to become as they are - free cats. After Brina makes the decision to leave her comfort zone in trade for freedom and adventure her owners are devastated. Did she really sign up for freedom and adventure with the gang? Brina will have to make a choice between what her human family offers and what the gang expects from her.

Some of the interactions between Sam & Margaret seem off topic and a little disjointed. I know it's a graphic novel for kids but as a parent I would expect it to make logical sense no matter who's reading it. As the story progresses it does flesh out the backstory to give more depth to the characters which helped lessen the disjointed feeling. There are some leaps in dialogue where the characters never discussed their cats but somehow Brina's owners know information regarding other cats? Overall, this graphic novel is what feels like an introduction to Brina and is a very cute and heartwarming tale told from feline and human perspectives.

This graphic novel reminds me of a very scaled back version of Erin Hunter's Warriors series. Brina is written by Giorgio Salati and illustrated by Christian Cornia and was originally published in 2017 in Italy as Brina e la Banda del Sole Felino. The illustrations in this story are beautiful and charming - the mountain scenes are very picturesque. The cats and images are bright, eye catching and very well drawn. The story text is easily readable even after magnifying the PDF to make it larger on my screen. I would highly suggest this to fans of the following: cats, children's graphic novels, stories told from animal POV, parents of children who love cats and Erin Hunter's Warriors series. I would read this to my own daughter but as she's two - I don't think we're quite there yet but I do know that she would love it. As always, a big thank you to NetGalley and Papercutz for the opportunity to read this story in exchange for an honest review.

Brina and her owners are on vacation in an amazing home in the mountains. Brina wants to get outside, but when she is allowed out once, she gets distracted and runs away, finally being found in a pipe near the yard. Once this city cat has a taste of freedom and fresh air, she wants more. Egged on by Vespucci, a feral cat with a troubled past and a missing eye, Brina leaves her loving owners to run with the pack. Vespucci and the other cats are welcoming, but also get Brina into some trouble. Her owners are desperately worried, and she misses them as well, but is that enough for her to leave her life of freedom and return to them?
Strengths: This is worth purchasing for the setting alone-- those mountains! I'd be glad to go even if I had to be in a cage. This is a sweet story, and mirrors how I think my dog would feel if taken to the mountains. (There's no sleeping on memory foam with fuzzy blankets in the wild!)The pictures are utterly adorable, and the picture-to-text ratio is perfect.
Weaknesses: This is a translation, and there were a few moments where it felt like I was missing something.
What I really think: The premise is very similar to Hunter's Into the Wild, where the "kittypet" runs off and enjoys the life of freedom. This is sort of an alternate ending to that book; in The Warriors, the cats all decide to be feral and fight with each other and eat voles, but Brina is willing to give up her freedom in order to have a safer life with her humans. This will be wildly popular in middle schools where graphic novels circulate well.

Looking forward to the sequel, City Cat, due out June 2, 2020!

Brina is a city cat who visits the mountains with her owners Margaret and Sam. She feels constricted and wants freedom to explore. She meets other cats and Vespucci the leader of "The Gang of the Feline Sun" convinces her to join them and see what it's like to be a real cat. Meanwhile, Margaret and Sam are worried sick when she goes missing. Brina goes on adventures and discovers some important life lessons along the way.

The story is well done and the art style is beautiful. This is a children's book but the story felt relatable and people of all ages can connect to it as it deals with themes of family, friendship, acceptance, loss, wanting freedom and independence. You don't need to be blood related to people for them to be your family. The people who love you will always be there for you. They will welcome you with open arms and will accept you as you are.

Additionally, I requested this book because the concept of a city cat visiting the mountains and giving in to their feral side reminded me of an Italian bedtime story my dad used to tell me when I was little.

Thank you to NeGalley and Papercutz for providing me with an ARC of this book.

3.5 or 4 stars. This book was very cute. Sometimes it got a little cheesy or repetitive, but it is meant for middle grade kids. The art style is wonderful, as is the storyline. All of the adventures Brina goes on are entertaining and had me reading this in one sitting. A cute comic I think many different age groups would enjoy.

Brina is a satisfied cat, living a good life with her owners. Until they go on vacation and a fellow cat convinces her that she needs adventure in her life. She breaks free from her bonds and goes out exploring the wild and freedom of having no owners. But then, is it really freedom when someone keeps deciding what you can and can't do? And is it really better than a loving home?

This is a sweet comic about a fierce and kind cat. I really enjoyed reading it and think it'll suit children in the age 6-9, perhaps. But I'm 28 and still liked it, so who knows. Anyway, the moral of the story, as I see it, is peer pressure and finding where you belong in the world. And you really get a glimpse into the love an owner has for their pet.

/ Denise

In this story, we follow Brina, an adventurous cat, on a trip to the mountains on a summer holiday with her owners. There, she encounters Vespucci, a cat who tells her all about being free of your owners and exploring the world. Brina's remember her life as a kitten at the farm and after being locked into the summer house, she runs away. She joins the feline gang but secretly misses her owners and some of the orders of the clan don't sit well with her. This story showcases Brina's side of the story as well as the owners', Margret and Sam. They are looking everywhere for Brina and just keep missing her.

This read very quickly but nevertheless had an amazing message. It's about family, friendship and freedom. It's about a loving family but also about being the 'one too much' in the litter.

The artwork was beautiful, I especially adored the cats and the landscapes.

I hope to read more about Brina and her adventures. I recommend this to lovers of cats or graphic novels or people that are just looking for a good, quick read.

I want to thank Papercutz and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This review will be posted to the Barnes & Noble website as well as Goodreads on the publication date, January 14th 2020. Please contact me if you would like for this review to be published elsewhere or at another date.

Brina is a house cat who is on vacation with her owners. She desperately wants to venture outside, but when she does, she finds herself in a gang of wild cats. Brina's owners are desperate to find her. Will Brina choose to stay with the cats or will she go home to her humans?

I thought this graphic novel was adorable. I definitely found myself cheering for Brina. Part of the appeal with graphic novels are the illustrations, and the illustrations here were very well done.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Adorable and funny little graphic. I laughed a lot throughout this light-hearted read. Highly recommend and adored the artwork!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Papercutz for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's book. I found this to be a very relatable story. Freedom, family, friendship all come into play. The graphics are nice and the story is good. 3.5 stars I think most kids would enjoy. Comic book style

This is a fantastic adventure for A city cat. This story is beautifully illustrated. It is a good less that things are not always as they seem.
I really enjoyed this story.

I was given a complimentary copy. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Who doesn’t love a story about animals?

Brina is a city cat, who has gone on a summer holiday with her humans to the mountains. Brina wants to explore her new surroundings, and upon her travels, she discovers other cats. Specifically one cat, the leader of “The Gang of the Feline Sun”, Vespucci, who wants to ‘liberate’ Brina from her humans and show her what it’s like to be a real cat.

For Brina, who was born on a farm, this sounds like a wonderful idea – she can be free to explore all she wants, and she has other cats to do it with.

On the flip side, her humans Margret and Sam, are worried out of their minds looking for her when she goes missing.


This is a story about humans and animals. It’s touching in parts – knowing what lengths humans will go to for their animals. But it also touches on the darker side of what can happen to cats when a human deems there to be ‘too many’ in a litter.

The art work in this novel was so very beautifully done, and I think any younger child would really love the illustrations as well as the story line itself.

I’m intrigued to see what adventures Brina goes on next!

In exchange of reading this book, I offer my honest review. I received a copy of this book from @NetGalley.

This is an adorable tale of two-year old cat, Brina, who goes on vacation with her human family. Born on a farm, she remembers her past while a kitten when she gazes outside. So when she finds the opportunity to go explore with the help of fellow cats in the area, she gets to live on the wild side again. While she tries to adjust to her new life, she learns some lessons about family, friends and love. This would be a great gift for cat lovers! #BrinatheCat1

I was lucky enough to get to read a new graphic novel by Giorgio Salati, Christian Cornia (Illustrations) called Brina the Cat and The Gang of Feline Sun and I really enjoyed the writing and the artwork were so on point. Brina is a city cat who goes on holiday with her owners to the country and one day she is chased by a dog and runs away and meets a leader of a cat gang called Vespucci and the novel follows what actually happens to the main character. I so can't wait to find out what happens to Brina and so I am giving this fantastic graphic novel 5 stars

Brina the Cat is a graphic novel about a house cat that goes on a vacation with her owners. Brina does not like being cooped up in the house while her owners spend their days outdoors and eventually her owners decide to give her a bit of freedom. Brina wanders off where she meets a gang of free cats that try to convince her to join them. Brina hesitates, but once she faces consequences for wandering off, she decides that being a free cat would be better than following the whims of her owners. At first, Brina enjoys her new found freedom, but over time she realizes that she's not really free at all. Brina reunites with her owners once she realizes that they really just want what is best for her.

Young readers will enjoy the feline characters in this book. The plot is simple, but also one that readers can relate to. Although Brina is a cat that wants to escape the rules and boundaries put in place by her family, students may experience similar challenges within their own families. The illustrations do well to add to the story of Brina and her family. Readers will be pleased with the adventures of Brina and the happy resolution to her journey.

I received a free copy of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #BrinatheCat1