The Curator had such a wonderful synopsis, and starting out I was truly invested in this courageous tale. The world-building was great, but I found myself lost within a vast sea of characters with too many alternative names/titles. It was hard to keep track of who was who, and just when I thought I had it figured out, more characters were introduced.

Overall, there was a lot in this book that I enjoyed, but for other readers, you might want to keep a list of characters to help keep people and their connections straight while reading so you don't end up confused like I did in the end.

My thanks to both NetGallley and the publisher Scribner for an advanced copy of this fantasy novel about missing relatives, cats, and looking for answers in a city loaded with questions.

Fantasy books don't always need dragons, swords or halflings to work. Some of the best fantasy tales are those that take the familiar and make them slightly different. A little more gaslight, a little more polite in society settings, a different mode of dress, even the importance of cats. Add in unsettling feelings, political disorder, an a mystery of life beyond death, and again cats, one has a very good setting for a fantasy book. Owen King in The Curator has all this and more and has created a city, a time and people trying desperately to get answers for questions that make others uncomfortable, and over them all are the cats.

The tale takes place in a city with out a name, but called "the Fairest" by those who inhabit the city's environs. The city has its charms, beautiful rivers, and ports, morgue ships and many, many museums, some well known, others forgotten on side streets for reasons. The city has also recently been wracked by revolution, and suddenly those who fought so long against those in power, suddenly have the power, which is causing quite a bit of upset and dissent. Into this comes Dora, a retired domestic from the university who is looking for what happened to her brother after his death. Dora starts looking of answers at the Museum of Psykical Research, but finds that has been the one museum that has been burned to the ground, during the change of government. Soon the more that Dora digs the more people around her try to get in her way or stop her from looking for answers for questions that should just stay dead.

The Curator started as a short story and has been expanded on and added to, making the novel almost 600 pages. I have not read the short story, so I am not sure where the changes come in, but enjoyed the book quite a bit. As in a lot of books this length, some cutting could have been done, some of the side quests were a little long, and some dialogue was a little, rough I guess. However the story, the setting and most of the characters, in fact a few of the characters really stand out and I would like to see more about them, are quite interesting. The world is almost like a Dickens story, with the political influence of Kafka tossed in, especially in the revolutionaries. The museum ideas were quite good, and much can be done with that idea, which I am not sure if that was what King was planning, but one can hope. The cats will please a lot of people, and is something that is pretty pivotal to the plot. Getting into the story does take a bit, but once the writing style and the descriptions that King is giving, plus how certain characters interact with each other, readers get more of a sense of what is going on, and will want to know more. Patience is helpful, and worth the journey.

Recommended for fans of fantasy novels that aren't sword but a little bit of sorcery. Readers of V.E. Schwab works or Adrian Tchaikovsky's City of Lost Chances novel, which has a similar vibe and setting. Also readers of Charles Palliser as both books have that city as the star of the book kind of feel.

For now my thoughts are on Goodreads, but when the release date approaches I will post on social media and on Amazon.

Owen King has created such an interesting and fun and scary world in The Curator. Cats, wax figures, interesting characters and a mystery. What more could you ask for?

Dora is searching for where her brother went after his death and along the way meets strange and funny people AND the end of the world.

I really enjoyed learning more about this other world and the mystery of what happened to Ambrose. The world in this story was often times scary and yet I still kind of wanted to be there to see it for myself. Owen did a wonderful job of describing the scenes and the surroundings. You could almost see and smell them for yourself!

I found out this is based on a short story that he’s also written and now I want to go read that as well.

Put this one in a frame to admire! Come visit the other worlds. You won’t be sorry.

I would like to thank Scribner for providing a digital copy of this novel via NetGalley. The Curator is a tale of a revolution told in three parts. There are protests, gun fights, spirits, and cats. Yes, there's plenty of cats. There are chapters that deviate from the narrative format. For example, there is chapter written as part of a play. This story has many layers and does take its time revealing its secrets. Essentially, Dora wants to be the Curator of special museum because she believes this will help her discover what really happened to her brother. The story we are told is that he passed away of cholera. But we are led to believe early on that there's more to the story. This "more to the story" is a slow burn. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the journey. There is a pervading wit and sarcasm throughout the novel that I really enjoyed.

DNF @25%

The plot was interesting and the writing is ok. If you like books with gratuitous amounts of sex and gore, then you might like this. I would rather there be more focus on the actual plot and characters in books like this.

*Full review to be posted closer to publication date!*

The Curator is one of those books that is almost impossible to describe in any short form manner, so I won't attempt to do that. Instead, I'll tell you that if you're looking for a book with a lot of really unique ideas and that will stray as far away from 'predictable' as possible, then you should check out The Curator. I really enjoyed the unique narrative voice and getting to explore this world. I found myself a little confused at times and my attention did waver at times because of how odd or complex some things were, but overall I thought this was a pretty fun story to read.

"From New York Times bestselling author Owen King comes a Dickensian fantasy of illusion and charm where cats are revered as religious figures, thieves are noble, scholars are revolutionaries, and conjurers are the most wonderful criminals you can imagine.

It begins in an unnamed city nicknamed "the Fairest", it is distinguished by many things from the river fair to the mountains that split the municipality in half; its theaters and many museums; the Morgue Ship; and, like all cities, but maybe especially so, by its essential unmappability.

Dora, a former domestic servant at the university has a secret desire - to find where her brother went after he died, believing that the answer lies within The Museum of Psykical Research, where he worked when Dora was a child. With the city amidst a revolutionary upheaval, where citizens like Robert Barnes, her lover and a student radical, are now in positions of authority, Dora contrives to gain the curatorship of the half-forgotten museum only to find it all but burnt to the ground, with the neighboring museums oddly untouched. Robert offers her one of these, The National Museum of the Worker. However, neither this museum, nor the street it is hidden away on, nor Dora herself, are what they at first appear to be. Set against the backdrop of a nation on the verge of collapse, Dora's search for the truth behind the mystery she's long concealed will unravel a monstrous conspiracy and bring her to the edge of worlds."

Eastern European in scope and mythmaking.

Dora, a former domestic servant at the university has a secret desire—to find where her brother went after he died, believing that the answer lies within The Museum of Psykical Research, where he worked when Dora was a child. With the city amidst a revolutionary upheaval, where citizens like Robert Barnes, her lover and a student radical, are now in positions of authority, Dora contrives to gain the curatorship of the half-forgotten museum only to find it all but burnt to the ground, with the neighboring museums oddly untouched. Robert offers her one of these, The National Museum of the Worker. However, neither this museum, nor the street it is hidden away on, nor Dora herself, are what they at first appear to be. Set against the backdrop of a nation on the verge of collapse, Dora’s search for the truth behind the mystery she’s long concealed will unravel a monstrous conspiracy and bring her to the edge of worlds.

I so wanted to love this book, but I didn't. Its elements promise a good read—thieves, scholars, rebels, cat worship!

Unfortunately, my experience reading the book was similar to my experience when I read J.K. Rowling's The Ickabod: the narrative voice, determined to signal "story" kept me at a remove from the action and characters. It doesn't open with "once upon a time," but it might as well have. I felt as if I was being treated like an eight-year-old.

I'm really not sure of what I think about this. It feels like it is trying very hard to be Dickensian and Weird Fiction at the same time, but it takes something like sixty percent of the way through for the story to decide what it wants to commit to whether it was just going to be esoteric or if it wanted to have a whole big plot to it. Like, the way the cats are woven in here, I really like. It just feels too long by half, and like we're watching the author's real time decision about what he's going to do with this manuscript. Just not for me, personally.

Thank you NetGalley and Mr. King for the opportunity to review "The Curator." "The Curator" was placed in many different genres, one being horror. Though for me it is a book of magical realism more than anything. Mr.King takes us on a journey through a world that brings the reader images of old England, yet is woven with magical worlds. I found several of characters very heartwarming, and found myself cheering them on. The story dives into the question of human darkness. I found it a delightful read.

I honestly did not finish this one. I was so clueless about what exactly was going on by about 35% in that I felt like I could not give this one any more of my time and attention. While the premise seemed interesting, I felt like it was poorly executed and I did not find what I read interesting or enjoyable

Set in a fantasy-type city recently recovering from a government overthrow by the people (who, mind you, worship cats), I was immediately drawn to this interesting premise.

What I ended up feeling was bait-and-switched. Really what this delivered was an odd slice-of-life type novel that at times felt like Dosteyevski got hammered and wanted to play around.

With so many characters, so much bouncing around and so many throwaway events, I quickly became confused about what the actual plot was, and I still don't really understand where the story went.

I will say this; it was written well, and I really was rooting for D and her exploits to grab me and bring me along. Rather it felt like I was dragging an anchor uphill for 400 pages.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I really liked this book. Love Owen King's writing style and storytelling abilities. The first half of the book was definitely a slow build up, with good character development. But then there was a moment about halfway through the book where I went "oh sh*t!", and it was at that point the story really took off for me. I finished this book last night and (writing this review the following morning) it left me wanting to know more: about the other place, and Ike, and D. Suffice it to say that this story lingers (in a very good way).

This book caught my interest immediately; curious though it was. Is it a fairytale, a sci-fi novel, a dystopian look into the future, or just a what if that addresses what could happen if a civil war broke out? There aren't any heroes in this story; only survivors or victims or perpetrators. And I found this off putting. I didn't exactly dislike this book, but neither did I love it. I just found it much too confusing. And because of that I can't really recommend it.

I wanted to like this so much more than I actually did. The pace is pretty slow and went for a long time without seeming like much of anything was happening. I never hated or struggled while reading it, but I didn’t really get anything from it either. I do think it may do better as an audiobook, I can see it being easier to just sink in and go with the flow that way.

Note: ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for honest review.
3 stars

Owen King crafts quite the universe. This was a pleasure to enjoy as King gives back story and social elements to this world — and it’s one I would gladly revisit.

Fantastic world building and I loved all the cats. You will never look at your cat the same after reading this book.

If you’re looking for a story about a fantastical city, cats doubling as religious figures, and characters leaping off the page and into your reality, refusing to remain merely two-dimensional, this book and all the charm that it entails is for you.

It’s going to take you a minute to get acclimated to the world, to its environment. Don’t get frustrated, and don’t give up. This is a book that’s not about the destination; it’s about the journey. Navigate it slowly; take in the scenery; enjoy the company. Reading this one is a rewarding endeavor. It’s magically delicious, and its literary devices will delight your senses, if you let them.

I absolutely adored every page, every inch of it, and I’m beyond thrilled to share it with everyone. This isn’t simply a book for you to read, it’s a gift to unwrap carefully and treasure always. Books like this one don’t come around every day. Seize this day, and seize the opportunity to place it lovingly upon your shelves. Just the memory of it will bring you joy for years to come.

Enjoy!

This really wasn't my thing. I really didn't like/had no really connection with the characters, and the story felt so disjointed that I couldn't even really wrap my head around it. And, don't get me wrong, I love me some tangled messy plots, especially when it all slowly pieces together and you see how it all connects, but this was tangled/convoluted in a way that made my head hurt. Overall, not a fan, but my library will definitely still be getting copies of this because, you know, Stephen King's son.