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foursythia's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Hoping to like this; really didn't. I don't even know what the plot was supposed to be, a cat who lured preys to the Countess' lair wanting a revenge? Wanting to see charm of the Countess? Both? You tell me if you find out.
thanatotics's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Unquestionably lovely yet very open to interpretation, which isn't bad! I felt going through it again to look for clues was a fun exercise.
Here are my running theories/themes (includes spoilers):
The destruction caused by vampires is "evil" in the purest sense (intentional violence for personal pleasure), while werewolves (or a werecat, in this case) are more tragic characters based on destruction caused by a loss of control
The narrator demonstrates this loss of control through transitioning from being more restrained at the start (formal clothes, hair up), to wet and disheveled with loose hair and a borrowed robe after the bath, to gradually more covered in blood (on her hands- blame, to her face- bestiality), to full beast in the climax
There's a recurring theme of clothing, including a façade of human skin as clothing that is shed by the Countess and the cat and girl in the cupboard story
All three stories include the elements of a cat, a knife, a girl, and an innocent victim
In a sense our narrator is all of these elements combined- her reactions to the first two stories suggest she is the cat that gives the girls a tool to solve their problems while her present iteration feels responsible for driving each of them into the arms of the Countess (I feel a slight Scorpion and the Frog vibe from her inability to escape her part in this repeated cycle of violence)
Some people have likened the story to Alice in Wonderland and the cat to the Cheshire Cat, who is "sometimes interpreted as a guiding spirit for Alice, as it is he who directs her toward the March Hare's house and the mad tea party, which eventually leads her to her final destination, the garden" (Source: Curiouser and Curiouser, The Evolution of Wonderland).
Cats have long been associated with femininity, i.e. Bastet (the Egyptian goddess of the home, domesticity, women's secrets, cats, fertility, and childbirth), witch's familiars, the suffragette movement, pussy hats in womens' rights protests, cat lady stereotypes of independent women, and lesbian subculture. There are two sides of this coin: domesticity and passivity on one and independence, dignity, and ferocious self defense on the other.
In the final story, the cat slips on the girl's skin with a vow to outsmart the beast keeping the girl trapped- the first story where the cat takes an active role and involves itself in how the knife is used to solve the girl's problem
The buried, instinctual violence of the inner beast in the form of the werecat is what finally gives the girl a way to fight the Countess- she is in the process of being killed when the release of the "animal" makes her into something that can tear the Countess apart
Here are my running theories/themes (includes spoilers):
The narrator demonstrates this loss of control through transitioning from being more restrained at the start (formal clothes, hair up), to wet and disheveled with loose hair and a borrowed robe after the bath, to gradually more covered in blood (on her hands- blame, to her face- bestiality), to full beast in the climax
There's a recurring theme of clothing, including a façade of human skin as clothing that is shed by the Countess and the cat and girl in the cupboard story
All three stories include the elements of a cat, a knife, a girl, and an innocent victim
In a sense our narrator is all of these elements combined- her reactions to the first two stories suggest she is the cat that gives the girls a tool to solve their problems while her present iteration feels responsible for driving each of them into the arms of the Countess (I feel a slight Scorpion and the Frog vibe from her inability to escape her part in this repeated cycle of violence)
Some people have likened the story to Alice in Wonderland and the cat to the Cheshire Cat, who is "sometimes interpreted as a guiding spirit for Alice, as it is he who directs her toward the March Hare's house and the mad tea party, which eventually leads her to her final destination, the garden" (Source: Curiouser and Curiouser, The Evolution of Wonderland).
Cats have long been associated with femininity, i.e. Bastet (the Egyptian goddess of the home, domesticity, women's secrets, cats, fertility, and childbirth), witch's familiars, the suffragette movement, pussy hats in womens' rights protests, cat lady stereotypes of independent women, and lesbian subculture. There are two sides of this coin: domesticity and passivity on one and independence, dignity, and ferocious self defense on the other.
In the final story, the cat slips on the girl's skin with a vow to outsmart the beast keeping the girl trapped- the first story where the cat takes an active role and involves itself in how the knife is used to solve the girl's problem
The buried, instinctual violence of the inner beast in the form of the werecat is what finally gives the girl a way to fight the Countess- she is in the process of being killed when the release of the "animal" makes her into something that can tear the Countess apart
Anyways, love the story, love the art, and LOVE to see a fat protagonist! Emily Carroll is an absolute treasure.
denisekuan's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
thebetterstory's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Carroll's artwork and prose are as lush and fairy tale-like as ever. This is also more openly erotic (specifically, homoerotic) than her other work I've read. I enjoyed the story and particularly the snippets of pure prose storytelling, but there wasn't quite enough here to really connect all the dots RE: the plot and how the characters are related. Sometimes that's fine, but I would have preferred neater storytelling in this case. Still very much worth picking up, especially given how short it is!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Violence