📕 Title: Strange Familiars
✏️ Author: Keshe Chow
📖 Genre: New Adult Fantasy Romance
⭐ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
📝 First Book in a Duology, Dual POV, Open Door/Explicit Scenes

Gwendolynne Chan is the top student in the magical familiars stream and on track to be awarded Dux of the entire school. The only person standing in her way is the pretentious Harrisford Briggs, the son of an important magical CFO. But Harrisford has noticed his father acting strangely, and when magical surges begin to cause explosions around London, and familiars start going feral, Gwen and Harrisford team up to investigate, even though it means putting their veterinary careers at risk.

REVIEW

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group | Ace for the digital copy!

The book is written in first person perspective with chapters alternating between Gwendolynne and Harrisford. Their voices felt distinct and the rivalry between the two felt well established, especially with the stark contrast between the rich and privileged Harrisford and scholarship student Gwendolynne. Their motivations for wanting the Dux award felt clear and their decision to team up and investigate the magical surges felt aligned with that end goal.

While I wouldn’t describe the romance as “insta-love” they both feel some level of grudging attraction to the other from the beginning. I loved the moments of forced proximity, the brief touches and stolen kisses, mixed with apprehension and distrust—all the buildup that slowly culminated into open door moments.

I loved the familiars, especially Percy! There was a heavier focus on veterinarian aspect than the academia elements, since both G and H are in their final years and already working in the field, and they are shown treating a variety of magical creatures. There was a good balance between the veterinarian stuff and the investigation.

The setting is like an alternate version our world where magic exists; there are references to real historic events but there is tech powered by magic rather than electricity. The magic system was well explained without feeling info-dumpy, sharing information organically as it became relevant. Although I did have some questions about the world, I think the level of detail was the right amount for the scope of the story.

I really liked the concept of magic as a monopolized resource and how this parallels real world resources. Magic isn’t simply a hand wave; it requires skill and resources. The story includes social commentary on topics including race, class, privilege, and corporate monopolies. I am eagerly awarding the conclusion of this duology.

Content Warnings: Light gore, mentions of murder, depictions of animal birth, depictions of self-harm, depictions of surgical procedures, on-page sexual activity, discussions of racism, discussions of class, discussions of privilege, nonlegal prescription sedative use, and alcohol consumption.

Please note that any content warnings I provide for a book do not necessarily constitute an exhaustive or complete list of content that may be upsetting, triggering, or otherwise distressing. I encourage readers to seek out additional resources such as https://booktriggerwarnings.com/.