Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett: A Tale Strays (of various species) Finding New Homes

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter

by Heather Fawcett

DETAILS:
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication Date: February 17, 2026
Format: Del Rey
Length: 368 pg.
Read Date: January 30-31, 2026

What’s Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter About?

A widow in her thirties struggles to keep the charity that she and her husband started afloat in 1920’s Montreal. They find stray cats on the street, get them cleaned up, spayed/neutered, whatever other basic veterinary care they need, and then match them with loving homes.

Oh, and her new landlord turns out to be the most feared and reviled magic user in the world.

I know, I know…that tired plot again.*

That’s all well and good—it’s just a business relationship, right? But at a certain point his business starts interfering with and threatening her charity (and the cats!). So Agnes decides she has to start meddling to keep anything truly harmful from happening. Even if that means spending time with said magician. Who is not at all attractive and charming, thank you very much.

* I truly hope the sarcasm there is obvious. But I’ve been missing a lot of swings like that lately.

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

I thought the plot seemed amusing enough, but I was probably convinced to pick this up by my curiosity about what Fawcett could do outside of Emily Wilde‘s adventures.

I stuck with it because of Agnes. Sure, the story and other characters were fun and kept me reading. But for me, it’s all about Agnes. Her attitude, her fortitude, the way she acts as if she can bend reality to her will (she sure seems capable of turning the wills of most around her to hers)—she’s just a dynamo and you can believe that this non-magical person (anti-magic actually) can hold her own with people throwing spells around.

What does this book tell us about humanity?

There’s a good deal we can learn from Agnes about tenacity, about the power of people coming together in a common cause, about grief.

But the thing that stood out the most to me—and given the title, it’s probably to be expected—is the very human magic of pairing someone—man, woman, or child—with a pet fit for them. There’s the initial joy, and then long-term benefits as well. It’s that king of magic that keeps Agnes going. It’s what gets her sister to help, her volunteers to keep showing up, and it’s the way that people she’s matched with their cat that come to her aid—that fills the book with its heart.

So, what did I think about Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter?

It’s not often that I read a book featuring pets that don’t happen to be dogs, so it may come as some kind of surprise when I talk about one—I don’t know that I’d go so far as to say it surprised me, too—but it did seem a little strange.

This book was a pleasure from start to finish—I really didn’t know what to expect. But Fawcett sold the setting, the characters, and the story—it was all perfectly charming and engaging. The magic system seems really fitting for this world, and better than others. You get someone like Raistlin Majere or Harry Dresden running around, and I just don’t think it’d work as well.

There were some plot turns that I didn’t see coming—and maybe should’ve, but I enjoyed being taken unawares—and the bigger reveals at the end were so satisfying.

If you like Emily Wilde, you’ll like Agnes Aubert—they’re not the same character, but the core of each is pretty similar (as differently as they express that core). The rest of the characters are almost as good—the tertiary characters and the people she runs into in the neighborhood are just as well-drawn as the primary/secondary characters. Same for the cats and their personalities. There’s a treasure trove of personalities to get to know here.

This is a fantasy that’s full of charm and heart—you’ll be glad you picked this up.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Del Rey via NetGalley in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.