This book could have been so good! It has a fun premise - to blend humour and fact to produce an informative piece made accessible by it’s relatable thematic thread: cats. Some attempt is made and the contemporary quotes on cats begin to draw a picture together but are often left floating - without any connection to each other or the to wider historical context.

However, it falls short. The humour is lighthearted at best and cringy are worst but not hilarious. Pages that should have been taken up by medieval based historical fact and intrigues are instead dedicated to  modern or just generic cat facts. Meaning it becomes less a book on the medieval period as told through the lens of pets/animals and more a book just on cats generally. Additionally, the genuine medieval illustrations feel wasted. What could have been an exploration into what we are seeing in these illustrations and what that means just becomes a quick ‘funny’ caption which gives no substance and doesn’t get the reader to pause and appreciate or fully engage with the illustration.

I was given a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in engage for a honest review.