Cat Sidhe

Into the Witch Lands I

By: Jeff Chapman

Narrated by: Jannie Meisberger

Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

A human spirit banished to the body of a cat.

Merliss has seen centuries of change, centuries of trouble.

Something nasty has come through one of the ley gates. It walks upright. It talks. And it looks like an oversized cat, but as Merliss can attest, it doesn't smell like a cat.

It's a cat sidhe on the hunt for slaves, anyone with opposable thumbs. Merliss travels to unknown territories to rescue a friend and encounters more trouble making her way home. The situation on the moors is far more dire than Merliss and her friends could have imagined.

Cat Sidhe is the first in a fantasy trilogy. Join Merliss on her prowls through dangerous lands.

©2018 Jeff Chapman (P)2018 Jeff Chapman

Very interesting world and characters!

This was a very different and cool story. One of the main characters (the main character, really) was a young magic user in training many centuries ago, when she did something to displease her master, who turned her into a cat. She's been fighting the nature of the cat ever since, but many of her personality traits were those of a cat. As a cat person, I felt this was perfectly captured and very fun. The story was short and was obviously the beginning of a longer story, but both primary characters had come to the end of an arc of their story, so it wasn't a cliffhanger ending.

I liked the narrator's voice, but some of her pronunciations were odd to me. Based on hearing the cat (who used to be a girl)'s name many times, I have no idea how it is actually pronounced. Overall, I enjoyed the performance and story and will keep an eye out for the next book in the series.

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

Magical gun story

Cat Sidhe starts out a little slow but when it picks up there is magic and action till the end. I loved the mystical characters and storyline. Merliss the cat would have to be my favorite I am still trying to figure out just how old she is. The characters are storyline are creative and well developed. I loved how the author takes you on a journey that introduces you to magical creatures and adventure. I can't wait for book two I want to see what my little kitty Merliss gets into. I received this book at my request and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review here of my own volition.

Cat Sidhe

Cat Sidhe is book 2 in the Merliss Tales and book 1 in the Witch Lands series by Jeff Chapman. After experiencing The Great Contagion, I was excited to start Cat Sidhe, though it did not start where I was expecting.

Fendrel is no longer the apprentice as in The Great Contagion, but the old cunning man himself, with new apprentice Saerwynn. Merliss, the centuries old cat with the soul of a young shaman woman, is still with Fendrel and has been put in charge of helping Saerwynn find herbs and roots. They run afoul a trap placed by a Cat Sidhe - an evil witch who changed into a cat too many times so is stuck in the shape of a large cat. Thus begins her newest adventure.

This is a dark fantasy, with adventure, friends, enemies, fights, and death. It is a short listen and ended when I wasn't quite expecting it - I appreciated the author's note indicating it was book 1 of 3, which I didn't initially know. It had a good stopping point, but there were many unresolved issues. Though not required, I suggest reading The Great Contagion first, so you can get a better understanding of Merliss and her domain.

Jannie Meisberger does another great job of narration, and I can't imagine anyone else in her place. I recommend this book and am looking forward to finding out the next part of this adventure with Merliss and learning more about her new friends.

A fantastic fantasy story

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was a bit of a slow starter, but it picks up significantly about midway through. The story is actually quite an interesting take on fae lore. I would consider it worth powering through the slow first half to get to the latter half. The narration, though, is what got me past that. Jannie Meisberger's voice is full of character and really lends itself to this story so well. She gave it a very magical "feel" that I really enjoyed. All in all, I thought this was great fantasy and well worth a listen. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in this trilogy.

I love the Merliss seriesp

The adventures of Merliss are awesome. Merliss meets a foe called a Cat Sidhe in this one. A very evil creature. A witch that has turned into a cat to many times & can't turn back. But the çat sihde doesn't think Merliss can defeat her. A great story if you like magic.

What a delight!

What a delightful story... The book follows Merliss, a cat who's not really a cat at all, but a human spirit that was ensorcelled centuries ago... And boy does she have her work cut out for her in this story...
The Cat Sidhe are crossing over into human territory and they're up to no good... Merliss loses herself crossing the ley-lines and needs to get home quick so she can sound the alarm... To find her way Merliss accepts aid from some very unlikely sources, such as wolves and birds. This tale just whet my appetite, leaving me wanting more, and more, and more (please, sir, may I have some more?)!
Jannie Meisberger shot her way up onto my favorites list for her narration of Merliss' tail!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

Middle-grade from a cat's perspective

Cat Sidhe, by Jeff Chapmon, is about a little girl sorcerous cursed to be trapped in cat form for thousands of years. This is book two of the series, The Merliss Tales. I read this book first because the subtitle is 'Into the Witch Lands I,' and I thought it was the first book. My mistake.

The author does an amazing job of describing the world from the cat's point of view. I can only surmise that he has a great love for cats! By the end of the book, I fell in love with Merliss. I am excited to read book one! Seeing the world from Merliss's point of view is refreshing. I love the way the author describes her movements and motivations. I 'felt' what it was like to be a cat.

I was confused during the first half of the book because the storyline changes several times abruptly. Just about the time that you start caring about a human character, that character is no longer part of the storyline. This is partly because we see the story from the cat's perspective. I wonder if part of my confusion was caused by reading the books out of order? (Update: I have since read book one. It didn't help.) I needed more grounding and backstory at the beginning of the book.

I am not sure how to classify this book. It leans heavily toward middle-grade but wants to be young adult. I would not recommend this book to my 14-year-old daughter. She enjoys reading about relationships and more complicated themes. However, I would recommend this book to a middle-grade reader who likes fantasy and especially cats. In fact, cat lovers of all ages would enjoy this book.

I gave this book three stars because I don't typically choose to read middle-grade books. As a young adult fan, I was disappointed with this book. I honestly felt tricked into reading this book. If I were a middle-grade reader, I would have given it four stars.

Jannie Meisberger is the perfect narrator for this book! I absolutely love her. I cannot imagine anyone else voicing Merliss. Hmmm, I wonder if she was a cat in another life? I encourage you to look at her website. It perfectly embodies my vision of a beautiful English cat, er woman.

Source: I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Great listen

I was given a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't want to stop listening to this story and I cannot wait to see what is next. Merliss is a fantastic character and Chapman's world-building is really vivid. Meisberger's performance is beautiful. I'll be looking for the next book in Into the Witch Lands!

Magically Delicious!

Merliss, a centuries old cat with the heart of a shaman girl trapped inside, must use her wits and unique talents to rescue Saerwynn, the latest apprentice of Fendrel the ‘cunning man’. Merliss is unable to speak to humans to warn them of the Cat Sidhe but she’s adept at using her feline wiles to get the message across. A wonderful combination of magic, suspense, intrigue, Fae legends, complex characters, unusual creatures, and Cat Sidhe (evil witches trapped in cat form) made it an engaging tale. I look forward to Merliss’s next adventures. I received the audio version as a gift and am happy to recommend this book. Enjoy!

Cat Sidhe

This is a good fantasy story about Merliss who is a centuries old person who is bound into the body of a cat, she goes up against the Cat Sidhe an evil shape shifting creature. The narrator did an awesome job of bringing this story to us. The Cat Sidhe is a must story if you are into fantasy.