Cat Calls

Tantalize

by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Tiffany's grandmother sees something wild in her future -- but is 16-year-old Tiffany prepared for the powerful shape it will take? When she takes over her grandmother’s fortune telling booth for a day, some really strange things happen… CAT CALLS is a short story by New York Times Bestseller Cynthia Leitich Smith -- set in the same dark universe as her novels Tantalize, Eternal, and Blessed.

Genres: Young Adult, Short Stories, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Ebooks, Fiction

16 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 22, 2010

About the author

Cynthia Leitich Smith is a bestselling, acclaimed author of books for all ages, including Here Come the Aunties!, Firefly Season, Jingle Dancer, Indian Shoes, On a Wing and a Tear, Sisters of the Neversea, the Blue Stars series (with Kekla Magoon), Rain Is Not My Indian Name, Harvest House, and Hearts Unbroken, winner of the American Indian Youth Literature Award. She is also the anthologist of Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids and Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories, which won both the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature and the American Indian Youth Literature Award. Cynthia has received the American Library Association’s Children’s Literature Lecture Award, been named the NSK Neustadt Laureate, and is the author-curator of Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint at HarperCollins Children’s Books. She is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation and lives in Denton, Texas.

Reviews

[Sassy Sarah Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cat Calls by Cynthia Leitich Smith

2 stars

Tiffany works at a carnival. Her grandmother is a fortune teller and she's leaving Tiffany on her to discover what she's capable of. Of course, fortune telling may not be the only thing in Tiffany's future. Well this one was rather a let down. Of course, I wasn't expecting much from something so short, but this one was just... weird. I don't mean the concept was weird. No the writing was completely weird. It felt stilled and forced. Just off. It made the story very un-enjoyable. I also had the strangest sense of deja vu when reading. It was just strangely similar to a short story I read in Foretold: 14 Tales of Prophecy and Prediction. At least at first it was and then it went in a good direction. I think this would've been better if it was longer and had more depth. More time to really flesh out and create a solid short story or novella.

The main female character is Tiffany. I don't really like her all that much. She calls herself a flirt and does stupid things to mess with the guys at the carnival. It's just weird and I don't think it really needed to be mentioned at all. I wanted to see where the story with her grandmother and father could've went. There was room at the end to have an explanation at some point by her grandmother about who her father was. Really Tiffany was just so underdeveloped that she didn't know who she was or where she came from and since it wasn't touched on, it made Tiffany seem like more a placeholder than an actual character.

Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 2.5

Then there was just some random guy who looked like a cowboy named Trevor. He, like Tiffany, had a lot of potential of character development if this would've been longer.

Swoon Worthy Scale: 2.5

The Villain- If you've read the story this makes total sense.

Villain Scale: 0

So overall it's a quick and easy read. It's free on Kindle Amazon and if you (like me) want to hurry up and complete your 2013 reading challenge this is a quick read that is under 30 minutes.

Plotastic Scale: 1.25

Cover Thoughts: It's simple and nothing special. Just a basic black cover with the title.

[Katie Rodante · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of this story was a bit aggravating, as it told how Tiff, a sixteen year old girl, was sent away to live with her grandmother after developing into a young woman. That, plus the title of the story and the cat calls within the book.. those were annoying.

But the story does change its focus, as Tiff's grandmother gives her the challenge of reading a crystal ball and telling fortunes at the carnival. Tiff doesn't feel she has any real talent, and feels bad to be faking the visitors of her fortune telling tent--until she realizes she knows more than her visitors told her.

The ending was nice, and I liked the paranormal twist. Though, it's not connected to anything. There's no related novel or short story sequel--this one is all that exists. And I did feel as though the last pages were rushed, as though everything came together too quickly and forcefully for it to be realistic.

[Literary Ames · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damn. I assumed this was a prequel and looked for the next book. Of course, there is no next book. Typical. I was sucked in by this short story which had enough potential there to be a longer story or developed into a series.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tiffany has just recently blossomed. Her mother has sent her away for the summer to live with Madame Zelda, aka Grandma Z.
She's about to find out how different she is.



This is probably the lamest novella I have ever read.

It's laughable, it's eyeroll inducing, it's... memorable.

I found the MC annoying and over-the-top.

Allow me to write down some quotes:
"I stretch my arms over my head and arch my back, just to give the boys something to look at."

"He's the nearest vendor who's hot for me..."

I'm not exaggerating when I say every.single.guy wants to bone her.
The fast food guy, the ex-con and his brother, the random guys hanging out at the carnival, those 5 football players who sexually harassed her. Pretty soon cats are gonna start hitting on her.

Her mother should have sent her to an uninhabited island to keep her daughter safe from these perverts.


Then there's this gem:
"You're grandma and me, we're sort of related."

"Related how?"

"Very distant cousins," he says, with a bright, widening smile. "Kissing cousins, you could say."

I blink. Oh, my God! He's hitting on me.


No, Tiffany. No, no, no, baby girl. He's not "hitting on you" he's letting you know he's shoved his tongue down your grandmother's throat.
That's what every girl wants to hear from the guy she's got the hots for, right?
Please get your mind right, Tiff.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story is now available for free from both Amazon and Kobo. Unfortunately I did not realize it was a short story. I started reading it and when I hit the end, I desperately wanted the story to continue. For fans of Cynthia Leitch Smith's Tantalize, Eternal and Blessed, you will love the story. For others who have not read her works it will draw you in. Her writings, in this world she created, are very addictive. It is an amazing short story and it first appeared in a collection from Candlewick Press called: Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists, and Other Matters Odd and Magical. But I will warn you - this story will make you want to have that whole collection immediately! If you have not read any of her books, get the free download and sample her writings; if you have, you will love this new short story.

Read the review and with links to other reviews of books by the author on my blog Book Reviews and More. And also an author profile and interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith.

[J. Kahele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

This was an engaging read about a young girl who goes to spend time with her grandmother, her fathers mother who she wants to get to know better. Her grandmother is a fortune teller for a carnival and when she goes to stay with her and her grandmother leaves her alone to tend to the practice everything in her life changes.

[Yvensong · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise was interesting, but it felt way too rushed, with minimal development of character and plot. I could easily rate this 1 1/2 stars, but I like the premise enough and think if the characters were more developed that they would be interesting enough to follow in other stories.

[♡Julalicious Book Paradise♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

rating: 2.5/5

It was a strange story, but I believe it might have been better if it had been an actual book. Why? So we get to have more details because in the end, it seemed like the writing was rushed and I'm still not sure what really happened.

[Kayci Webster · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay until the end

I would've given this three or four stars if it weren't for the abrupt and completely ridiculous, anti climatic ending. If you need to waste 15 minutes, read it. It works as a good intro piece if there's more to the story. Otherwise, don't bother.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Cynthia Leitich Smith books! This was a good short story but it ending to quick just as it got good. Would have liked a little more.

[Fiona (Titch) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had me gripped from beginning to end.

[coffee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared to her other short story Haunted Love, Cat Calls left me slightly disappointed.

In this short story we meet Tiff, a girl who was shipped off to live with her grandmother after she hit puberty at the age of 16. She likes the attention she's started to get from guys and enjoys flirting back, but we also learn that she's a family girl. Without much complaint, she accept taking over as fortune teller for the night at a festivel. She meets three groups of people and makes a fool of herself on her first reading. Her last, however, is the one that changes her life. Enter Trevor. He claims to be a friend of her grandmother's and even pays Tiff 5 bucks for his fortune. Unlike her other two tries, Tiff sees his future clearly and he's in danger. About to tell warn him, she realizes that she's now alone in her fortune telling tent. Not one to give up, she goes out in search for this mysterious guy, to warn him of his fate, only to find out she was the one who attacked him in her reading. Not to mention, she's just learned she's a shifter and that Trevor was sent out to bring that side out of her.

While reading this, I couldn't help but be dissatisfied in certain aspects. There really wasn't a connection set up, Tiff was just some girl and I just happened to be reading about her. I felt no connection. Then there was her shifting, which was perhaps the most confusing part for me, especially when she just accepted it like it was normal. Which I was curious to know, was it normal? Was the knowledge of shifters common knowledge? Had her grandma or mother ever mentioned it? Is that why she wasn't surprised when it happened? I know her grandmother had been hinting at something but I had assumed it had to do with fortune telling and latent psychic abilities. Then I couldn't help but be curious about the other minor characters. What exactly was the mother and did her shifting abilities really come from her father? If they only came from one parent, wouldn't that mean that she would have trouble shifting, just like Kieren did? Was her father's death really just a traffic accident? Was the Trevor in this story the same one from Tantalize? The one who died?

One thing is for sure, I really need to retread the first book.
And this story felt like too much information was being cramped into too few pages.

[Vivi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, sweet, and kind of boring.
While the premise seems interesting at first glance, the story itself was too short to deliver on what it promised. Furthermore, with stories as short as this, readers don't get a chance to emphasize with the character, something that isn't helped by the fact that the main character seems perfect in almost every way. Her love interest was no more interesting with his cowboy get-up and mysterious persona, something I found awkward and out of place instead of alluring. I honestly would have much rather read about how her grandmother, a confident and foxy older lady, gets on in her own romantic pursuits.
Overall, reading this was a decent waste of 5 minutes but nothing to rave about.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story is now available for free from both Amazon and Kobo. Unfortunately I did not realize it was a short story. I started reading it and when I hit the end, I desperately wanted the story to continue. For fans of Cynthia Leitch Smith's Tantalize, Eternal and Blessed, you will love the story. For others who have not read her works it will draw you in. Her writings, in this world she created, are very addictive. It is an amazing short story and it first appeared in a collection from Candlewick Press called: Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists, and Other Matters Odd and Magical. But I will warn you - this story will make you want to have that whole collection immediately! If you have not read any of her books, get the free download and sample her writings; if you have, you will love this new short story.

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first, I had a really hard time gelling with this story. The grammar was so bad that even though I liked the direction that the story was heading, I couldn't entirely get into it because it was written so poorly.

However, once Tiffany started performing readings for people I thought the writing massively improved. I was really engrossed in the story at this point and loved the direction it was heading in until ... the ending.

Kissing cousins isn't cute. I feel like it put a weird taste in my mouth and completely ruined the ending and plot twist.

[Theresa Derwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cat is out of the Bag

This short story from the Tantalized universe by Smith, sees Tiffany's body changing as she becomes a young adult and she's emerging as a 'babe'.
She's working through the summer for a carnival with her Granny Z, who is a psychic crystal ball reader and training Tiffany to be one.
This is fun, cute and kind of sexy whilst being dark and incredibly well written.

[Alan D.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, entertaining and appealing, but not as much as I hoped it would be, but I might still interested in reading the Tantalize series after this.
***
Divertido, entretenido y atractivo, pero no tanto como esperaba que fuera, aunque todavía podría estar interesado en leer la saga de Tantalize después de esto.

[Mella · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked this right up until it ended and found there was no actual plot. It's the start of a story that could be very interesting but it goes nowhere. We don't learn anything about anything. It was rather annoying. She was maybe a psychic and then she was a cat. End of story. It was just weird.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great quick waiting room read

Fast read and easy to follow. I am curious if there's more to this story. if not though it's not really a cliffhanger but kind of. Either way cute little short story.

[Colette Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing

I enjoyed this read. The writing flows smoothly and the characters are eccentric enough to be interesting. I wonder how a full length novel would hold interest.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun short story in the world of Tantalize.

[Gloria Ketcham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too short for a short

Story leaves you wanting more and then the end Just loved it held my attention to the end Great work

[Tanya Giannini · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get that it was a short story and it was only 16 pages but... Just felt so lame... So very lame probably the fact that she figured everything out so quickly or I don't know

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

WTF did I just read.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sexualizing a sixteen year old girl the entire time and acting like grown men catcalling her and trying to get into her pants is a good thing? I don't think so.

[Carrie Billig · Rating 2 out of 5]

2

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun and interesting

[Kathy Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not enough

Honestly it was just too short. It didn't tell enough of a story. I didn't feel as though it wrapped up in any way.

[Madison Eastham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I NEED a sequel!!! PLZ & TY!!!

[John Hackett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of Cat Calls
CYNTHIA LEITCH SMITH (2013).
What you will notice straight away (assuming you get the same version as me) is that the colours of the fonts are the reverse from the norm. The background colour is black and the text is white However here are more pressing details to deliver.
Review
It’s a short story, all done in one scene really, until the end. It reads well and I found it quite enjoyable. It starts with a question which is a good a way as any to draw a reader in.
Characters.
The main characters are two Tiffany and her grandmother Granny Z.
Story
Her grandmother reads crystal balls and foretells the future. Granny goes by the name of Madame Zelda. She also thinks Tiffany has inherited psychic powers of her own. Tiffany thinks I’s so much crap. Tiffany hasn’t seen or heard much of Granny while she was young. She used to visit but visits got less and less as the years went by. Aged sixteen and her looks changing from blah to gob-smacking, her mother sends her to Granny Z.
Granny Z really cannot support both of them so Tiffany has to learn the art of gazing into crystal balls. What follows next is revealed in one evenings events. Only so much learning can be done before you do it for real. Does Tiffany have the powers Granny Z thinks she has or is she better at making up stories to satisfy the needs of the punters. Is the smoke inside the tent or in the crystal? Will she foretell her own future?
Conclusion.
A great little story, well written and well described. Neat little twist.