In Which I Review... Felinian by M. Clifford

 Katherine Luna lives in Sleepy Hollow. And she is upset with her life. She is being forced to go to a different high school than all her friends, the creepy cat lady who lives in her neighborhood is getting stranger each day and she has just been humiliated at a senior party on Halloween in the worst way possible for a teenage girl. As her body suddenly begins to change in the most unexpected way, forcing all the boys to fawn over her, she is confronted with the realization that she can communicate with cats and that a mysterious man is now following her. All starts to make sense when she learns that she has become a Felinian and that she has been quickly gifted with the fabled nine-lives of a cat, tied somehow with ancient Egyptian lore, and empowered with the ability to control the passions and minds of men. As Katherine fights her lustful, Felinian nature, attempting to stop herself from stalking the boys of her school, the man stalking her begins to reveal his purpose. With the help of her neighborhood friend Hector, a boy that seems more connected to this haunted world than he lets on, Katherine tries to manage her new life and struggles to strike a balance between monster and girl, all the while hoping and wondering, will she ever be a regular girl again?

Paperback, 454 pages

Published September 10th 2011 by Independents 

  

5/5 stars

Felinian is a great book. I feel comfortable starting there. That statement is all that need be said. However, I will definitely shed light onto some of the reasons why. Felinian tells the story of Katherine Luna, a young teen starting off high school without any of her friends. Throughout the beginning of the novel Katherine seems to be just a normal girl with normal issues. She hates her school, she misses her friends, and she gets majorly embarrassed doing the beginning of her high school career. Honestly, Katherine is slightly whiny and self- absorbed, easily slipping into the "woe is me" role.

Luckily, the plot of the story is perfectly engaging. I couldn't bring myself to hate Katherine, because much of what she goes through includes those horrid teen moments that we all look back on and cringe. She has a right to be the way she is, after all she is just beginning to blossom.

This mild, slightly annoying, relatable Katherine, however is not the same girl you see as you read the last page of the novel. I like that during the story you can definitely see Katherine changing, as the environment and her instincts, steadily alter Katherine and her personality. Many books have the main protagonist suddenly realize something major about themselves which makes them change their whole attitude. Come on, does that really happen in life?

Katherine's attitude change happens slowly but steadily. As Katherine becomes a Felinian, one of the select people who has inherited the abilities of a cat, including the whole nine lives bit, she becomes what she likes to think of as a monster.

Why like this book?

There's mystery and intrigue.
There's Hector and the glimpse at what could become a love triangle in future books.
There's Nola, who is sufficiently creepy, and there are the horrific occurrences in Katherine's life that will make you cringe.

Plus, I've never seen the 9 lives tale executed in such a manner. I can say this book excited me to the fullest. It's just slightly creepy (which is all I could handle, by the way) and that makes the book all that more alluring. "New" Katherine's antics with the boys of her town made me feel sorry for her, and had me wondering what would happen next.

Bonus: References to Sleepy Hollow, the Salem Witch Trials, and Egyptian mythology = an awesome backstory.

Also, I must commend the author on the accurate portrayal of the bodily problems teen girls face, especially since M. Clifford is clearly male.

Another interesting fact is that while Felinian is the first published book in the series, it is actually part 5 of the series.  Books written "out of order" always intrigue me.Luckily, this one was successful.

I give it 5 stars!

BTW (I did a interview with the author! Check it out! )