I picked up this book on spec, based on the story description, and read it through in one sitting as I hadn't realised it was a novella. Unfortunately, the reason I'm dropping a star is partly that: as with many novellas I come across, there's plenty of material there that could have been fleshed out into something novel-length (and would have benefitted from doing so) and the novella just stops as it's getting more interesting.

The basic premise of Witch, Cat and Cobb is that it's told from the point of view of Brean, a princess running away from an arranged marriage. She's accompanied by her cat, who she has only just discovered can talk and is actually a man under an enchantment - since she doesn't really have anywhere else to go, Brean decides to run away in search of the witch who cursed her cat and see if she can persuade her to undo what she did.

Since Brean likes girls, it's hardly surprising that she falls for said witch pretty much instantly - yes, the pacing is a little uneven, roll with it - and discovers there's more to her cat's story than meets the eye. A lot more, as the witch and the man who's now a cat had arranged to magically swap bodies but he'd left out a vital piece of information.

It's a sweet enough story, with a couple of twists that are not 100% predictable, but the instalove is strong with this one for no apparent reason. It also stops just as the story is potentially getting interesting, with the witch now having to learn how to navigate royal society (diplomatic demands and all) and Brean's ex-fiance's choice of a new marriage partner throwing all sorts of spanners in the works. I don't think the author actually thought the implications through of the last one, or if they did, it doesn't really show clearly on the page.

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

When I spotted the cover of this book on NetGalley, I knew I had to have it: it is a beauty and I'm madly in love with the color choice. And that adorable ginger cat! Thankfully, I've been blessed enough with an AR copy of this book in exchange of an honest review, and I'm more than happy to comply.

Witch, Cat, and Cobb by J. K. Pendragon is the story of princess Breanwynne, destined to marry someone she doesn't and would never be able to love. Faced with the prospect of spending her whole life stuck in an unhappy marriage, she decides to run away along with Fen, a talking cat with a big secret. Together, they run to the swamp where their real adventure begins.

Let's start by saying that I loved this novella. It is the kind of book I would gift my teenage daughter with if I sensed she was struggling with her orientation or her identity. Actually, if only I'd been able to find a paperback edition, I'd have wrapped it and placed it under the Christmas tree for her anyway, because this story is too cute to pass by.

The way LGBT themes are talked about in this book not once feels forced or over the top. On the contrary, Brean orientation is normal in this verse (finally!), and in the end her mother is fine with letting her be free and happy with her new life as soon as she realizes Brean could never love her betrothed. Or men in general. Brean's mother is accepting to the point that she adjusts her plans to accommodate her daughter's best interest. Which is what a good parent would do, and it makes everything so right and sweet. And Mel's pain for having a body that doesn't represent her is so heartbreaking. Nobody should be forced to endure that kind of suffering, and I'm glad more and more books exist to show how it feels.

I loved Mel and Fen's backstory, and I wish I could have read more about how magic works in this verse. And about the way elves live. I have so many questions about interspecies relationships between humans and elves, and I'd also have loved more court drama, something I tend to adore. Anyway, while I wish I had the chance to understand more of the rules of the world J. K. Pendragon crafted and I would have liked (a lot) more angst, I also get why there is no space for too much drama in this story: it is a fairytale, and fairytales are meant to be a slightly bumpy road to the main character's happily ever after.

Witch, Cat, and Cobb ticks every possible box of the genre: from the right versus wrong theme to the way conflicts are resolved, from the setting to the presence of a talking animal, every element works perfectly to create a unique work that gives both timeless and very modern vibes.

Had this story been a novel, I'd have agreed that more conflict was needed. Since this is a novella and the space is limited, I'm more than happy with the way things are. Based on genre, themes and pacing, I'm going to rate it 9/10.

I am really torn on what to say about this one.

So firstly I LOVED the story. I loved the representation and a lot happened in such a short novella. However, this felt to me quite simplistic and really like a draft rather than a finished story. I would have loved to read this fleshed out into a proper novel.

This was a cute, sweet and funny fantasy romp that manages to pack in just the right amount of story into its 65 pages. I love that it stayed in its lane, gave us a couple of twists and had a sweet romance to top it off. I do have a little issue with the declarations of love at the end of it, it was just a bit sudden for me, but the relationship built was pretty solid. There's trans rep in here, too, but I don't want to say much more beyond that because it might give some of the fun away. It was a little worrying for me when our lead character Brean, explained why she ran away (she didn't want to marry a guy because she was a lesbian and her royal mother didn't listen to her), but it was still able to pull off the whole political thing without sliding into homophobia. Still gross, especially since the Prince Brean was supposed to marry also didn't want to marry her, but it was handled much better than most of those plot lines.

Overall, this hit a lot of the marks for a quick fantasy read, and I think a lot of readers will have fun with it.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Four and a half stars. I really enjoyed this. There are your usual fantasy tropes, but the LGBTQ themes made it interesting. The body-swapping part was a little hard to follow, but I'm probably just tired. In terms of pacing, the plot worked well with the length, and I don't necessarily think that this would work as a full-length novel. Yet the romance moved way too abruptly. With everything else going on, there really wasn't enough time for the characters to bond. (spoiler) I don't mind that they got married to resolve the betrothal issue, because it was a practical solution. The fact that they aren't ready for a real marriage should have been emphasized, because really, the declarations of love was jumping the gun. It should have been played off as a "We like each other a lot and we'll see where this goes, in any case we chose the best option from the cards we were dealt."
Still, the romance issue wasn't that bad, because I did root for the characters. Fun story!

I really enjoyed Witch, Cat and Cobb which when reading the description of the book I thought I would.

The world that J.K Pendragon created was so vibrant and interesting that I couldn’t put the book down.

I absolutely adored the characters that was introduced throughout the book as well as the connections between them all that was created. The friendship between Princess Breanwynne and Fen especially since Fen is a talking cat.

Overall I really enjoyed Witch, Cat and Cobb as it was a quick interesting read.

Was a cute story that I really enjoyed. Fairies talking cats and witches are some of my favorite things the only thing missing was a dragon but I am sure they were there in this wonderful world where you can be and love who you want and magic is excepted and so is same sex marriage. It was a very nice story would recommend it only wished it was a little longer.

I received a free copy of "Witch, Cat, and Cobb" from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Witch, Cat, and Cob is set in a beautifully written fantasy world about Princess Brean who has run away from her home to escape an unwanted marriage to her childhood friend. Alongside Brean, is her devious pet cat, Fen, who has just revealed to her that he has the ability to talk. It is during their escape from the castle that we learn that Brean fled her responsibilities, because she does not wish to marry a man. As for Fen, his ulterior motive for wanting to leave, involves a certain beautiful witch, Mel, that lives deep in the swamps.

Fen and Mel’s past history, and Brean’s desire for freedom lead the three characters on a lovely journey of self- growth, discovery, and deep rooted friendship

This fairytale’s story has a beautiful moral that teaches readers an important lessons, and that is, ‘true love is not it just skin deep’. There was fantastic examples of diversity and queer representation in this book. This is an area of literature we’re gender, sexuality and identity norms heavily impact the entire story, so it was refreshing to have a new spin in this area, and also to challenge the everyday readers’ perspective of what can and can’t be a fairytale.

Stop reading here for no spoilers!!

This story leads to a relationship between a cis woman (Brean) and a trans woman (Mel). Alongside this, the story brings to light the challenges trans people face in day to day life, both from the external world, and on an internal/ mental level. For example, readers got to experience how Mel regularly struggled to be comfortable being seen with her biological male body. During this time the character came across as shameful and expressed that she felt ‘ugly’ and ‘unworthy of love’ even when Brean had already professed that she loved Mel either way. In addition, readers learn that Mel had previously struggled with not being accepted as female by the outside world when people had known to her to be male. The author did a fantastic job of expressing the grief and sorrow the character felt so that it translated to the reader as well.

The story ends happily, which is how every good fairytale should. I believe that this book deserves all the praise it has already gotten. It’s a wonderful reminder that diversity is good, brave, and necessary for a better world.

Witch, Cat, and Cobb by J.K. Pendragon
Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC
Genre: LGBTQIA | Romance | Sci Fi & Fantasy
Release Date: December 14, 2020

Witch, Cat, and Cobb is a standalone fantasy romance novella by J.K. Pendragon.

The thought this quick book was so much fun to read. A runaway princess, a talking cat, a swamp witch, and so much more! I truly enjoyed the storyline and the characters. They each had such great stories. There was a hint of romance and flirtation, as well as snark and sarcasm.

I really enjoyed this sweet fantasy romance and I look forward to reading more from the author.

I'm so grateful to J.K. Pendragon, NineStar Press, LLC, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Oh hello, fluffy queer wonderfulness! The cover caught my eye – orange cat + books + purples = you have my attention – and the blurb sounded adorable, and this novella definitely lived up to both.

Princess Brean does not want to marry the Saishen prince, not the least because she’s not interested in men. But when her mother the queen refuses to listen, Brean does the only thing she can: she runs away to the swamp, and in the process finds out that her, Fen, cat can talk and wants to come with her. Eventually Fen explains that he’s looking for a witch who lives in the swamp, and when they arrive, it’s clear that Fen and Mel, the witch, have some history between them.

“She doesn’t want to marry a prince at all,” said Fen from under the table where he’d taken cover from the smoke. “She’s dreaming of a princess.”
“Shut up, Fen!” I snapped. “She doesn’t have to be a princess.”
“Right,” said Fen. “You would have married that serving girl if she hadn’t run off with the duke.”
I scowled at him. “I liked you better when you didn’t talk.”


The book is told solely from Brean’s first-person POV. Brean, Mel and Fen are all keeping secrets of some sort, and watching them come clean with each other was the highlight of the book. Besides their interactions, there were also other amusing tidbits, like the battle in Mel’s garden between the little Forestlings and the Seafolk (who actually live near a stream) and the fact that many of Mel’s potions seem to end in sticky messes. While Brean and Mel start off on the wrong foot, as their secrets are shared they slowly grow together. The romance is sweet and understated, with nothing more than a couple of kisses on-page, but it was satisfying for me.

It’s also delightfully queer. There’s lesbians, gay marriage (though it seems like Brean’s kingdom holds more to cishet ones) and two trans characters. Besides the very minor content warnings, it’s very low angst and fluffy. The pacing is a little uneven, and you’re dropped into the story right in the middle of things, so there was a bit of info dumping at first to figure out what was going on. The only thing that made me uncomfortable was how Brean married the lost princess. Even though they intended to switch bodies back, I was a bit uncomfortable that she was temporarily married to who I thought of as Fen-in-Mel’s-body.

Overall, I’d give this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. It’s quick and fluffy fun and utterly heartwarming.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

It was a little disappointing to be honest. This book could have been really good because the concept and characters were intriguing and interesting. There was a cat and very uncommon LGBTQ+ representation which could have made this book amazing. However, I was really disappointed. First, the story is way too short, making it hard - if not impossible - for the reader to understand the characters. There was also this too naïve side that unsettled me: the relationships evolved way too quickly! It lacked action and character development. I have to admit that the writing style is pleasant - though sometimes a little repetitive - and the sorty was quite cute in the end.

I didn't expected this, maybe it's just me but I thought the story will be more much longer et and detailed. It's nice to have some representation and having a cat in a story is a major bonus for me but still. The whole story is so fast and there is no real depth in the characters..