HOW CAN I LOVE YOU TOO

In this romantic fantasy novel, a damaged cat “beastial” finds a second chance at love with a talented healer.

As the novel opens, Crow is frustrated with his fellow beastials. Trained by his mentor and adopted father, Whisker, to one day become town leader, Crow chafes against the constant expectations and pressures of his role. While his know-it-all sister Sparrow has found her place in their plains community, Crow feels lost to his own quick temper and the demands of his society. When Crow, tasked with minding a group of young kits, falls from a tree and breaks his arm attempting to rescue a lost doll, Whisker and Sparrow criticize him for his selfish recklessness. Crow is then sent to see Fern, the best medic in the North. Fern’s father, Cyrus, is the leader of the forest beastials, and Whisker has always warned against their foolish customs and untrustworthy ways. Despite Crow’s cold and cruel attitude, Fern treats him with unflagging kindness and patience. As they fish, drink tea, share stories, and heal local beastials, Crow finds that not only is his arm mending, but the pain in his spirit and soul, stemming from his lost mate, is receding too. Just as Crow and Fern grow closer, however, Crow unwittingly awakens the spirit of Dieffen. This vicious, bloodthirsty beastial threatens not only Fern’s community and Crow’s town, but their entire world. Fern and Crow must stick together, lest they lose not just a chance at a future together, but everything and everyone they love.

Fern stands out in this text as a compelling love interest for Crow; her selfless, giving nature and warm wisdom are exemplary, and her innate sweetness mellows out Crow’s gruffer nature. In a satisfying contrast, Crow’s steely nature empowers Fern to set boundaries and advocate for her own needs. The gradual growth of their connection is patiently developed and drawn out. The author presents the natural world almost as another character, with attention focused engagingly on how beastial communities adapt to and create homes within icy, desert-stricken, mountainous, and forest-dappled terrains. However, it remains unclear both how larger beastial society functions and where the roots of the broader rivalries and discontent stem from. Dieffen’s rage lacks a compelling motivation outside of sheer bloodlust. This lack of clarity lessens the impact of the book’s cluttered, climactic battle scenes. The slow reveal of the hidden traumas that have shaped Crow’s negative attitude may leave readers wondering why his community and Fern are so tolerant of his derisive words, unveiled insults, and intolerant, selfish behaviors. Without an earlier grounding in Crow’s warm (if hidden) heart and the pain he suffered as a young mate, readers may struggle to invest in the earlier moments of Crow’s journey toward healing. The voices of these beastial beings blend together in dialogue and fail to differentiate themselves through layered, developed perspectives on the key events and relationships that shape the novel’s structure. The rules of how magic functions and fits within this world remain unclear as well.

Disorganized worldbuilding and a cloudy timeline distract from the potency of this fantasy novel’s core romance.