This is the follow up to Varjak Paw which I read last year after I picked up both books in a second hand shop discount bin. It's about cats and it's illustrated by Dave McKean so it started with two huge plus points.
Since the events of the first book, Sally Bones and her gang have spread their territory and now rule the whole city (the cat population thereof) with an iron paw.
Can Varjak find her weakness? Can he free the cats of the city from her tyranny? Can he regain his powers?
It's as good as the first book. Once more we have Varjak learning everything he needs to complete his quest in convent dream sequences where he communes with an ancient ancestor.
Once more, it's all very predictable. But it's not written for adults who read as much as me, of course it's going to have a basic plot with no diversions or big twists.
Once more Dave McKean's illustrations add a whole new level to the book.
It's surprisingly gruesome for a children's book. When we find out what Sally Bones's punishment to traitor cats is, it's really rather unpleasant and I can see people who can't read cruelty to animals not being able to read this. No animals are harmed by typing words on a page, so I personally have no issues. It adds a real tension to the book to think that his friends (or even he) might have such cruelty inflicted on them.
It was a quick read and I finished it in a day. If you can handle reading about cats fighting to the death, and don't mind dipping into young people's fiction, I recommend this. Read the first book first though.
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