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Catnip
For all his life, Sol has believed he's only worthy of affection as long as he's useful--and he intends to prove his ultimate use by restoring a colony on Venus as a new home for his friends and lovers. But upon arriving, he realizes there's more here than he bargained for. For one, the resident artificial intelligence wants to make friends with him. For another, the nanites want to completely change his body... and in the process reveal her true self. Stuck (or perhaps blessed?) with a new form, she must find out what it means to live, to be loved for who she is rather than her work.
Catnip is a space exploration novella about a trans woman's journey to find herself and what it means to be loved for who she is, with the help of her polycule and a lesbian AI.
Catnip is a space exploration novella about a trans woman's journey to find herself and what it means to be loved for who she is, with the help of her polycule and a lesbian AI.
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 15, 2022
23 people are currently reading
393 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 29, 2022
More than a little bit disgusting. Some nice stuff, apparently, but quite a lot of seriously off thingys. I'll harp some more later on the +s and -s.
An example of stuff making me uneasy: a middle aged male gets forcibly shoved into a tank with nano-substance that gives him an unplanned and intantaneous sex-change and species-change operation (MtF, Human to Catgirl whatever the hell this is). His/Her/Their/Whatever thebunnies kitties reaction:
Q: “But just look at me! I’m cute as a button and I feel very happy about that, happier than I could have dreamed. And I don’t know what that means.” (c) No, seriously?
This or something similar happens twice. Well, at least my eyeballs got a proper workout.
They need to colonise Venus, for Chrissake. Guess what they get busy with instead?
Word parasites:
'Cute'-variations - 51 times
'Fuck'-variations - 18 times (of these, 'fucking cute' - 4 times)
'Catgirl' - 18 times
An example of stuff making me uneasy: a middle aged male gets forcibly shoved into a tank with nano-substance that gives him an unplanned and intantaneous sex-change and species-change operation (MtF, Human to Catgirl whatever the hell this is). His/Her/Their/Whatever the
Q: “But just look at me! I’m cute as a button and I feel very happy about that, happier than I could have dreamed. And I don’t know what that means.” (c) No, seriously?
This or something similar happens twice. Well, at least my eyeballs got a proper workout.
They need to colonise Venus, for Chrissake. Guess what they get busy with instead?
Word parasites:
'Cute'-variations - 51 times
'Fuck'-variations - 18 times (of these, 'fucking cute' - 4 times)
'Catgirl' - 18 times
November 5, 2022
Boy, the buff man to cute catgirl pipeline is real in this one. I know it's a meme and everything but.... I should have known that that's what this book was about from the title alone. Unfortunately the description didn't have *any* mention of the catgirl element or else I probably would have stayed away since that's really not my thing. Alas.
As it is this book is.... cute. Insufferably so. It went from 0 to UwU in about 60 pages. Now, I *did* enjoy it up until that point, and it *did* have something to say about what an AI's relationship to gender might be, but once it goes full catgirl, all the introspection flies right out the window and we're left with *I'm a widdle catgurl tee hee.* There isn't much in the way of plot, save for scathing commentary on cryptobros which, yeah. I agree. 100%.
This also falls into the pure trans fantasy style of story, and I'm even more convinced that these stories are written more for the author's benefit than anybody else's. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, and I'm sure people will get much enjoyment out of these kinds of stories. I, however, am pretty much done with my transition, and I've had to learn to accept my body as it is, and these fantasies are about changing your body to what you want it to be, and I find it hard to relate to. I'd love to see a story about a trans person who's in the same position as me. They've done all they could, but it's still not ideal, so they have to learn to love themselves as they are.
Regardless, I'm giving this book 3 stars. It's not *bad* per se. It's just not for me.
As it is this book is.... cute. Insufferably so. It went from 0 to UwU in about 60 pages. Now, I *did* enjoy it up until that point, and it *did* have something to say about what an AI's relationship to gender might be, but once it goes full catgirl, all the introspection flies right out the window and we're left with *I'm a widdle catgurl tee hee.* There isn't much in the way of plot, save for scathing commentary on cryptobros which, yeah. I agree. 100%.
This also falls into the pure trans fantasy style of story, and I'm even more convinced that these stories are written more for the author's benefit than anybody else's. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, and I'm sure people will get much enjoyment out of these kinds of stories. I, however, am pretty much done with my transition, and I've had to learn to accept my body as it is, and these fantasies are about changing your body to what you want it to be, and I find it hard to relate to. I'd love to see a story about a trans person who's in the same position as me. They've done all they could, but it's still not ideal, so they have to learn to love themselves as they are.
Regardless, I'm giving this book 3 stars. It's not *bad* per se. It's just not for me.
August 27, 2022
CATNIP by Vyria Durav was so cute!! I was so thrilled to read this full-length novel after how wonderful my last read, HATCHLING, by Vyria Durav was.
🍧Sent to Venus after Climatefall and the long-term recovery on Terra (earth), a cute, polyamorous egg falls into a pool of nanobots and finally cracks ... turning into a catgirl and falling for a lovely butch AI girlfriend in the process!
⭐5/5 stars for the voice, the unique story, and the lovely hopefulness in both main characters' arcs
🔥1/5 spice - there's only one bed, some fantastic kisses, and a fun shower scene, but it's pretty fade to black
🍧Sent to Venus after Climatefall and the long-term recovery on Terra (earth), a cute, polyamorous egg falls into a pool of nanobots and finally cracks ... turning into a catgirl and falling for a lovely butch AI girlfriend in the process!
⭐5/5 stars for the voice, the unique story, and the lovely hopefulness in both main characters' arcs
🔥1/5 spice - there's only one bed, some fantastic kisses, and a fun shower scene, but it's pretty fade to black
June 7, 2025
An incredibly self-indulgent, wholesome, and strange sci-fi about a futuristic astronaut's transformation into a catgirl. Catnip has the subtlety of a hammer, less thought-provoking and more so comforting, I could see how this story would help someone early in their transition or act as an escape from transphobia. It's ridiculous, committing to the catgirl bit, but not ironic as it's deeply heartfelt.
April 10, 2024
This author definitely frequented temblr in 2012. The sci fi aspect felt like a bit of a back drop to let the events of the book happen, she wanted to write about trans cat girls and by God did she. Some of the writing was a little cringe, but all in all it was meant to be a cute book about queerness and that's what it was.
July 30, 2023
2.5
I feel really bad about rating this book so low, but it just…didn’t hit for me. The concept was really interesting, and I wanted to like this book so badly, but the writing style just didn’t work for me. :(
I feel really bad about rating this book so low, but it just…didn’t hit for me. The concept was really interesting, and I wanted to like this book so badly, but the writing style just didn’t work for me. :(
April 29, 2023
Herzerwärmende kleine Geschichte.
Der Sci-Fi Aspekt kommt nicht zu kurz. Und die Erklärung für die Katzenohren ist so niedlich.
Ich hab mich sehr wohlgefühlt beim lesen und wünsche jedem solche unterstützende Menschen, wie die, die es im Buch gibt.
Der Sci-Fi Aspekt kommt nicht zu kurz. Und die Erklärung für die Katzenohren ist so niedlich.
Ich hab mich sehr wohlgefühlt beim lesen und wünsche jedem solche unterstützende Menschen, wie die, die es im Buch gibt.
April 24, 2023
An absolutely delightful read of exploration, of space and identity.
August 27, 2022
After reading HATCHLING, I was so excited to get a full-lenth novel from Vyria Durav! This was every bit as voicey and delightful as HATCHLING, but even cuter and a much more optimistic story. Loved it and can't wait to see more from this author!
August 18, 2022
A short but sweet coming out story about an egg astronaut who travels to Venus, encounters a beautiful AI, and through the power of nanomachines gets to discover who she really wants to be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2023
Pure trans joy--in space!
This short novel tells the story of a space explorer who is transformed into a catgirl and ends up loving it--and herself, with the help of an adorable transfeminine AI. While a lot of trans stories rightfully describe the pain and suffering of the trans experience alongside the triumphs, this one focuses almost entirely on the euphoric moments, and it's a joy to read. The catgirl revels in her cuteness, as does the AI, who is constantly giving her scritches, which she is unable to resist. Adorbs!
It's funny, delightful, and occasionally poignant. There are moments of deep reflection, which never delve too far into the tragic, but which hit me hard. Several lines stuck with me, particularly this exchange, as a character who has been transformed into a catgirl struggles to accept that she's trans. The AI searches the human knowledge databases and comes up with one of the best answers I've read.
"I can't be trans. I was happy as a guy, I can't possibly be a girl!"
"You don't have to hate the gender you were assigned to be trans. Sometimes joy is a much stronger indicator."
The book is filled with little gems like this, building an affirming, safe reading space unlike any I have encountered. It was the perfect followup to another excellent book I read, which had me deep in my feelings but with a lot of tears. No tears in this book, except perhaps a few of joy. You might just need this book in your life.
The queer utopian sci-fi novel you've been waiting for, complete with a cute as a button, queer-as-the-day-is-long polycule, who arrive toward the end and form a new society on Saturn with Callie and her AI lover.
This short novel tells the story of a space explorer who is transformed into a catgirl and ends up loving it--and herself, with the help of an adorable transfeminine AI. While a lot of trans stories rightfully describe the pain and suffering of the trans experience alongside the triumphs, this one focuses almost entirely on the euphoric moments, and it's a joy to read. The catgirl revels in her cuteness, as does the AI, who is constantly giving her scritches, which she is unable to resist. Adorbs!
It's funny, delightful, and occasionally poignant. There are moments of deep reflection, which never delve too far into the tragic, but which hit me hard. Several lines stuck with me, particularly this exchange, as a character who has been transformed into a catgirl struggles to accept that she's trans. The AI searches the human knowledge databases and comes up with one of the best answers I've read.
"I can't be trans. I was happy as a guy, I can't possibly be a girl!"
"You don't have to hate the gender you were assigned to be trans. Sometimes joy is a much stronger indicator."
The book is filled with little gems like this, building an affirming, safe reading space unlike any I have encountered. It was the perfect followup to another excellent book I read, which had me deep in my feelings but with a lot of tears. No tears in this book, except perhaps a few of joy. You might just need this book in your life.
The queer utopian sci-fi novel you've been waiting for, complete with a cute as a button, queer-as-the-day-is-long polycule, who arrive toward the end and form a new society on Saturn with Callie and her AI lover.
November 2, 2024
I sat on choosing between 2 and 3 stars, because the deeply personal nature of the book makes me feel uncomfortable giving such a low rating--especially because it's not as if this book is being super pushed in any particular way, nor is it misrepresenting itself, but in the end, I went with two, because this feels like a perfectly fine draft, but not quite the draft to be published yet.
There were problems with pacing, the writing was still finding itself, the dialogue had several misses, but there is so much love in it, and I want to give that love appreciation. Trans girls also deserve cute, indulgent stories that are whimsical and fun, and I had no issue with the plot or how sugary sweet the resolution was (I liked that it was such a happy ending for all of them involved, including my girl Dr. Tabitha Tabitha).
If this was privately shared amongst friends or on a forum site or even on fictionpress, I would probably have gone with a 3, but because it is published and I do have a physical book in my hands, I feel like I have to go with my gut and rate it for not quite hitting that mark.
I hope to see growth in the author though, hopefully some fun and constructive writing groups will eventually pad out some of the weaknesses.
There were problems with pacing, the writing was still finding itself, the dialogue had several misses, but there is so much love in it, and I want to give that love appreciation. Trans girls also deserve cute, indulgent stories that are whimsical and fun, and I had no issue with the plot or how sugary sweet the resolution was (I liked that it was such a happy ending for all of them involved, including my girl Dr. Tabitha Tabitha).
If this was privately shared amongst friends or on a forum site or even on fictionpress, I would probably have gone with a 3, but because it is published and I do have a physical book in my hands, I feel like I have to go with my gut and rate it for not quite hitting that mark.
I hope to see growth in the author though, hopefully some fun and constructive writing groups will eventually pad out some of the weaknesses.
July 19, 2025
This was a lot of cute catgirl antics and not a lot of anything else. It’s pure wish fulfillment, and I can respect that, but it didn't hit for me. I wanted more substance, perhaps more reflection on the non-consent and lack of knowledge on or control over the transformation, or more depth to Alexis and Callie, better incorporating their histories and traumas… but that’s not what this is. It’s about a forced catgirl transformation helping a woman speedrun trans self-discovery so she can have a bunch of cute moments with her polycule.
From the description, I hadn’t gotten the impression it was going to lean so heavily on fluff at the expense of more developed characters and plot. I don’t think I would have picked it up if I had. There is an underlying plot and the beginnings of complex and interesting ideas, but it never lasts long, like it needs course correct back to the fluff any time it starts to dig deeper. And I just got bored.
The writing style was also not for me. To me, it reads as fanfic-y in a way that made me cringe just a bit.
I can see the appeal, though, if you are looking just to see a trans woman main character have some simple joy in her newfound body and with her new girlfriend.
From the description, I hadn’t gotten the impression it was going to lean so heavily on fluff at the expense of more developed characters and plot. I don’t think I would have picked it up if I had. There is an underlying plot and the beginnings of complex and interesting ideas, but it never lasts long, like it needs course correct back to the fluff any time it starts to dig deeper. And I just got bored.
The writing style was also not for me. To me, it reads as fanfic-y in a way that made me cringe just a bit.
I can see the appeal, though, if you are looking just to see a trans woman main character have some simple joy in her newfound body and with her new girlfriend.
Read
November 3, 2024DNF: ~60%
Cringe: Contrapoints Definition
I don't mean this in a bad way-boy was this book cringe and I think that's its greatest strength. This book is a super trans cringefest in what could have been a more meaningful way. I really love the way the MC is experiencing these changes to their body and this is causing them to feel more free to engage in cringe behaviors like... Well.... Being a cat girl. It's a potentially brilliant way to make an allegory for early transition.
Everyone is familiar with their early transition outfits and makeup and how bad they can be. This book points at that and really forces you to stare at that awkwardness of early transition with a back-back-backdrop of science fiction. But it really fails to actually do anything with that. The character is flippant for so long, there's so little meaningful reflection on what's happening. If I had to rate what I read so far, it'd be 2/5. The setup is there but the execution is both cringe w/ the contra definition, but also just... bad...
Cringe: Contrapoints Definition
I don't mean this in a bad way-boy was this book cringe and I think that's its greatest strength. This book is a super trans cringefest in what could have been a more meaningful way. I really love the way the MC is experiencing these changes to their body and this is causing them to feel more free to engage in cringe behaviors like... Well.... Being a cat girl. It's a potentially brilliant way to make an allegory for early transition.
Everyone is familiar with their early transition outfits and makeup and how bad they can be. This book points at that and really forces you to stare at that awkwardness of early transition with a back-back-backdrop of science fiction. But it really fails to actually do anything with that. The character is flippant for so long, there's so little meaningful reflection on what's happening. If I had to rate what I read so far, it'd be 2/5. The setup is there but the execution is both cringe w/ the contra definition, but also just... bad...
October 19, 2023
Not for me. I usually love optimistic stories, and I like transgender or transformation heroines. This has all of those, and yet the story felt like it was giving me cavities by the end. Everything just... fell perfectly into place for the main characters, without real struggle on anyone's part, all the major characters were deliriously happy all the time.... just not for me.
On the plus side, the story about trans identity, what it means and what it could mean, and the overall meaning were valuable insights in a culture not my own.
On the plus side, the story about trans identity, what it means and what it could mean, and the overall meaning were valuable insights in a culture not my own.
September 7, 2022
Quite a fun and cute sci-fi gender bend. The writing was pretty decent. The queer love stories are great. Happy to also see positive and healthy poly rep. The characters are so naive, but in a way that is extremely cute while remaining innocent. For a shortish story, the world building was pretty decent. Also, the parallel with our current destruction of earth and the hoarding of wealth and power make for a good relatable plot.
December 27, 2022
Incredibly gay
I started reading when this book was a little wip on a website and I love the finished product. Seeing the characters go over tall hurdles and come out stronger inspires me and puts me at ease. Catnip's pages bring great terrors and joys I find relatable to Trans-lesbian experience. I find myself wanting to greet the books cast as friends as Durav makes their characters easy to love and cheer for.
I started reading when this book was a little wip on a website and I love the finished product. Seeing the characters go over tall hurdles and come out stronger inspires me and puts me at ease. Catnip's pages bring great terrors and joys I find relatable to Trans-lesbian experience. I find myself wanting to greet the books cast as friends as Durav makes their characters easy to love and cheer for.
January 19, 2024
3.5-4. I can't decide on stars. I think there's a lot of depth to this short book that I wasn't expecting. Yes, it's fun and there are lots of cute moments and I appreciate the joy that the characters feel in being truly themselves. However, the emotions of the characters, the way they process situations/relationships, and how the characters reflect upon their past experiences were really deep. I think that this book has an interesting concept and could have been a lot longer or a series.
February 29, 2024
Nice, sweet and fun. It's always lovely to read a queer work by a queer author, so easily talking about these topics without any of the clumsiness in most books. Particularly nice to see polyamory talked about so casually. The pacing isn't the best and dialogue can be a bit stilted, but the characters are likeable and sweet together, and the worldbuilding genuinely good.
June 4, 2024
This book is incredibly adorable and wholesome. The writing at times is a bit awkward, especially a few dialogues felt kind of on the nose and not like something someone would actually phrase that way, but these things are very small and more than made up for by how cute the characters and their interactions are. Overall, an amazing, light read, thank you so much for writing this.
June 7, 2024
Fluffy, Heartfelt, Hopeful
If you are wanting a book about creating and founding a better future, toothachingly sweet romance, and uncovering a past long forgotten, I cant reccommend this book enough to you.
If you want fluffy romance this book is for you. If you want fluffy self discovery this book is definitely for you in more ways than one
If you are wanting a book about creating and founding a better future, toothachingly sweet romance, and uncovering a past long forgotten, I cant reccommend this book enough to you.
If you want fluffy romance this book is for you. If you want fluffy self discovery this book is definitely for you in more ways than one
August 29, 2022
This book was so much fun to read!! I loved the setting and the story. The prose was great and it was so lovely reading about Sol's journey. It was really healing watching Sol become who she was meant to be. I loved the side characters and how they all interacted and accepted each other.
June 28, 2023
Genuine and delightful portrayal of trans joy. There were definitely parts of it where I caught myself grinning as I was reading. Adorable and fluffy with a cool premise. This book just makes me happy.
August 24, 2024
Genuinely adorable cozy romance story about a trans girl astronaut figuring out her gender and sexuality in among the ruins of a centuries old Mars colony and a hot butch artificial intelligence helping her out and kissing her about it.
December 1, 2024
this is very much a self-indulgent wish-fulfillment story for trans poly catgirls. I dont think I'd ever recommend it to anyone outside that demographic, since it's not *that* well written, but I'm gonna try to ask my partner to call me "kitten" now~
July 13, 2025
Lovely
This is an absolutely lovely story. No high stupid drama, just mystery, anticipation, and acceptance. I love that. The style reminds me very much of Becky Chambers and I very much hope the author keeps writing.
This is an absolutely lovely story. No high stupid drama, just mystery, anticipation, and acceptance. I love that. The style reminds me very much of Becky Chambers and I very much hope the author keeps writing.
December 26, 2022
An amazing concept with enjoyable characters. Some story beats or elements somewhat lacking, but overall enjoyable
May 26, 2023
A very fluffy (literally) and fast read! If you want something sweet to sink your teeth into, this is the catgirl scifi for you.
October 5, 2023
2.5 — Loved the representation, world building, and the premise, but the writing style was not for me and the pacing had some problems.
Read
April 10, 2024No rating. The Forced Femme trope poisoned this for me. Otherwise an over-the-top cute story with minor sci-fi and poly-elements.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews