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Of Cats and Dragons #1.5
Winter Tithe
On the eve of the winter solstice, Tokara rushes out into the snowy woods to find her sister's lost puppy. Her daring path takes the young girl far beyond the protection of her mother's castle and brings her face-to-face with a mystery older than the stars.
- GenresFantasy
ebook
First published January 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 31, 2021
(Christmas themed novella)
10-year-old Tokara wakes up to her 6-year-old sister Caia missing her puppy. As the two scour the halls for the pup, they find the servants frozen like blue popsicles, and their brothers and mother are in the main hall, preparing to defend the fortress. But whatever froze the servants had already left, leaving them to hunt for the threat. And though their mother left them with strict instructions not to leave the fortress, Caia is determined to find her missing puppy. Their search takes them outside, beyond the fortress walls, to the pond in the middle of the fortress. But instead of a puppy, they find a monster.
At times, this felt very precious with a childlike wonder. And other times it felt dangerous with death in it, and not for a young audience. Caia’s dialogue sounds a lot more grown up than age 6. This is a beautifully detailed story, bringing to life the setting around it clearly. I felt every inch of the winter weather, and the ice on the pond. And I loved the dogs. And I loved Tokara's courage, even for her age. But I would have dialed down all the proper names and world building, which felt overly complicated at times. It also felt a bit too orchestrated that the story the mother told hooked in with the monster that attacked. I will say it’s odd that their father doesn’t seem to have any dialogue in the story, and we only get to see him in the background a couple of times. I started to wonder if they even had a father. I also did notice the nods to Christianity with the ancient story being told in it. As another reviewer pointed out, the story felt a lot longer than it needed to be. There was a large climax scene and then it went through chapter upon chapter doing holiday traditions, shoehorning it into being a Christmas time story, and tying up the ending. While it did add a lot of culture to it, and firmly cast it as a Christmas story (reminding me a bit of the Grinch), it did feel like it could have stood to have come to a close with just one chapter.
10-year-old Tokara wakes up to her 6-year-old sister Caia missing her puppy. As the two scour the halls for the pup, they find the servants frozen like blue popsicles, and their brothers and mother are in the main hall, preparing to defend the fortress. But whatever froze the servants had already left, leaving them to hunt for the threat. And though their mother left them with strict instructions not to leave the fortress, Caia is determined to find her missing puppy. Their search takes them outside, beyond the fortress walls, to the pond in the middle of the fortress. But instead of a puppy, they find a monster.
At times, this felt very precious with a childlike wonder. And other times it felt dangerous with death in it, and not for a young audience. Caia’s dialogue sounds a lot more grown up than age 6. This is a beautifully detailed story, bringing to life the setting around it clearly. I felt every inch of the winter weather, and the ice on the pond. And I loved the dogs. And I loved Tokara's courage, even for her age. But I would have dialed down all the proper names and world building, which felt overly complicated at times. It also felt a bit too orchestrated that the story the mother told hooked in with the monster that attacked. I will say it’s odd that their father doesn’t seem to have any dialogue in the story, and we only get to see him in the background a couple of times. I started to wonder if they even had a father. I also did notice the nods to Christianity with the ancient story being told in it. As another reviewer pointed out, the story felt a lot longer than it needed to be. There was a large climax scene and then it went through chapter upon chapter doing holiday traditions, shoehorning it into being a Christmas time story, and tying up the ending. While it did add a lot of culture to it, and firmly cast it as a Christmas story (reminding me a bit of the Grinch), it did feel like it could have stood to have come to a close with just one chapter.
December 17, 2019
**** SPOILER ALERT ****
"Winter's Tithe" was my introduction to the fine writing that the duo of Ochlan and Leever do. I'm glad, very glad of the introduction. The authors do a superlative job of world building and character development as they weave this winter tale. We follow Tokara Deldano as she learns many life lessons. Including the fact that the love of a companion can lead to loss. A bittersweet lesson I've personally learned in the last twenty years as a Guide Dog Owner.
I reccomend this story to readers of all ages in whatever format that the reader prefers. I look forward to reading more of their work.
I was lucky enough to be able to listen to the gifted P. J. Ochlan read the novella. He truly brought the tale to life with his narration. I hope he narrates more books. There is a need for good narrators and I suspect that the demand for his voice talents will only grow over time.
I am voluntarily sharing this review.
It us my own honest opinion.
"Winter's Tithe" was my introduction to the fine writing that the duo of Ochlan and Leever do. I'm glad, very glad of the introduction. The authors do a superlative job of world building and character development as they weave this winter tale. We follow Tokara Deldano as she learns many life lessons. Including the fact that the love of a companion can lead to loss. A bittersweet lesson I've personally learned in the last twenty years as a Guide Dog Owner.
I reccomend this story to readers of all ages in whatever format that the reader prefers. I look forward to reading more of their work.
I was lucky enough to be able to listen to the gifted P. J. Ochlan read the novella. He truly brought the tale to life with his narration. I hope he narrates more books. There is a need for good narrators and I suspect that the demand for his voice talents will only grow over time.
I am voluntarily sharing this review.
It us my own honest opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2019
A great Christmas story set in the world Of Cats and Dragons. No one else weaves a story quite like this duo of authors. You definitely want to add this tale to your reading list.
Tokara Deldano loves the season of the midwinter feast. She loves everything about it from the icy weather to time spent with family. In fact the entire family gets truly involved in the season.
One of the highlights, besides the feast, is delivering Solstice gifts to the surrounding town. From their grandfather to the youngest child, all of the family participates in the gifting. This is an activity they all look forward to.
However when a creature from legend attacks the castle and the towns, it threatens all the festivities. Will Tokara and her family be able to stop the creature’s destruction? Can the holiday be saved?
Grab your copy of Winter Tithe and read on for the answers!
Tokara Deldano loves the season of the midwinter feast. She loves everything about it from the icy weather to time spent with family. In fact the entire family gets truly involved in the season.
One of the highlights, besides the feast, is delivering Solstice gifts to the surrounding town. From their grandfather to the youngest child, all of the family participates in the gifting. This is an activity they all look forward to.
However when a creature from legend attacks the castle and the towns, it threatens all the festivities. Will Tokara and her family be able to stop the creature’s destruction? Can the holiday be saved?
Grab your copy of Winter Tithe and read on for the answers!
April 6, 2020
Very little happened in this book. It could have been half the length and told the story better. The conflict was solved by about the 50% mark, with the whole second half of the book devoted to tying up loose ends, with only one more (tiny) important detail right at the end. Children in about third grade might enjoy the story, but unfortunately, it's not one of those kids' books that entertains adults just as well. A more thorough edit would have helped it, too.
On the plus side, the worldbuilding was good.
On the plus side, the worldbuilding was good.
March 9, 2020
This is a beautiful story about growing up and learning responsibility. In this wonderful realm created by the authors we get the viewpoint of one of the children as she learns that myth and reality can sometimes blend together in scary and magical ways. The audiobook also helps bring the characters to life even more. Well written and narrated.
January 19, 2026
I really enjoyed this book! I did struggle some with the names, but it didn’t stop me from pushing on. The storyline is fantastic, it reminded me of so my different books put together. I loved the characters and Bumbus, he made the story. It was so easy to picture each scene as I read along. This is a new author to me and I’m so glad I decided to read it, well worth the read.
September 8, 2020
A truly wonderful fantasy novella that fits perfectly into the “Of Cats and Dragons” series.
Read the entire series and read all the companion novellas.
You’ll be thrilled if you like fantasy.
It’s a superb epic journey that is the best I’ve ever read.
Read the entire series and read all the companion novellas.
You’ll be thrilled if you like fantasy.
It’s a superb epic journey that is the best I’ve ever read.
September 19, 2021
A wonderful tale.
A tale of compassion, love, community and family. Legend, past, present and future collide and evolve together. How this tale intersects with the main storyline is yet to be seen.
A tale of compassion, love, community and family. Legend, past, present and future collide and evolve together. How this tale intersects with the main storyline is yet to be seen.
October 19, 2021
Enduring short story
This one tugged at my heartstrings and talked about the valuable lessons of companions, loyalty and love. Tokara was a delight to read about and I hope that she has more adventures… maybe even with Omen and Tormy.
This one tugged at my heartstrings and talked about the valuable lessons of companions, loyalty and love. Tokara was a delight to read about and I hope that she has more adventures… maybe even with Omen and Tormy.
May 7, 2019
Great story and helps develop the world and side characters in this series. Loved it!
May 9, 2019
Great story, providing insights. Short, but well written. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
December 18, 2019
Love these stories. You never know what kind of creatures you will encounter. Keep up the excellent work.
February 5, 2020
It's time for the winter solstice. Tokara is told a story of long ago. She wakes the next morning to find frozen servants and a lost puppy. What is happening in the kingdom?
February 13, 2020
I thought this story was a little strange. I didn’t really like the characters and I didn’t understand the point of the story.
July 19, 2021
A fun short story for the series.
November 23, 2021
A sweet children's tale
November 11, 2023
love them all
It is always an adventure when you start reading one of their books. Love the enter play between the characters!
It is always an adventure when you start reading one of their books. Love the enter play between the characters!
November 21, 2023
A sweet winter story of family and a little something Other to spark a sense of wonder and awe.
June 4, 2025
A fun novella. While the tale is complete, it feels like an introduction to a larger story. I want to know more about Tokara and her sister, and Bumpus.
September 18, 2025
Brrrr
True stories are told by the winter fire in this coming of age short story. I look forward to reading more about these characters.
True stories are told by the winter fire in this coming of age short story. I look forward to reading more about these characters.
February 26, 2022
Audio book review.
An interesting short tale set in the same world as the first book. The backstory of the giant wolf and the girl is interesting to follow and so sad. Because the book is so short, it does feel unfinished, but not bad.
An interesting short tale set in the same world as the first book. The backstory of the giant wolf and the girl is interesting to follow and so sad. Because the book is so short, it does feel unfinished, but not bad.
January 10, 2020
Wonderful
This is a wonderful tale looking at things through the eyes of children. The need to be obedient yet protective of those who are unaware of the danger around them and the joy of giving to others is plainly demonstrated here. A very nice story for all ages.
This is a wonderful tale looking at things through the eyes of children. The need to be obedient yet protective of those who are unaware of the danger around them and the joy of giving to others is plainly demonstrated here. A very nice story for all ages.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews