Shadowdrop

There are so many things about this story in which to delight, with its talking cats and dragons, and complex, magical worldbuilding. (It would be worth reading just for the game of Treatment and "crack of dawn screaming monkey surprise" alone.)

While it contains a lot of sly humor, this story also touches on more substantial themes: of the conscious choices we make in how we live our lives, whether we learn to empathize with others and make our choices with care; of the way in which peoples' emotional responses to the death of a loved one can warp and damage their relationships; of how parents' varying preferences for their children mark those children and fuel sibling rivalries. I loved this story, and it is on my Hugo longlist.