Magical vets? Scorching chemistry and rivalry? Count me in! I adored Strange Familiars so much! Keep reading this book review of Strange Familiars for my full thoughts.
Summary
Gwendolynne Chan just needs to get through her final year. At Seamere College of Magical Veterinary Sciences, she spends her days using her powers to heal companion animals while her nights are spent studying for exams. As the top student in the magical familiars stream, she is on track to be awarded Dux of the entire school – as long as the pretentious twat Harrisford Briggs doesn’t beat her to it.
Harrisford Briggs was born into privilege. His father, the Chief Financial Officer of Magecorp, a major global distributor of magic, expects him to come top of the year. Harrisford, though, can’t help but notice that his father has been acting odd. Really odd. And there are strange whisperings, too. Rumours of uncontrollable surges of excess magic, which Magecorp has been trying to cover up, as well as rampant corruption within the Magical Ministry itself.
When these magical surges begin to rock their way through London, causing chaos and explosions and familiars going feral, Gwen and Harrisford find themselves without a reliable source of magic, putting both of their academic careers at risk. To fix this, they must put aside their duelling feelings of lust and loathing, and – along with Gwen’s snarky cat familiar – team up to diagnose the problem. If they fail, not only is their education at stake, but also the fate of the magical world.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Strange Familiars has an expansive world, magical vets, and an amazinv rivalry. I’m a huge sucker for rivals to lovers and so I knew I had to read Strange Familiars. This dual POV story is brilliant in the way we fall into Gwen and Harrisford’s POVs. We see their miscommunication, how they fall in love with each other, and the ways in which they deny their own feelings. What I loved was how Strange Familiars opens up this rich world of privilege, elitism, and magic. It’s a series starter which lays an expansive and intriguing world. I loved the veterinary magic and the idea of magic requiring sacrifice and power. It’s a story with peak yearning, spice and chemistry, and the ‘only for a night’ trend.
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I cannot wait for book two. The ramp up for the ending is a slow burn to a firework ending. It’s an emotional roller coaster and book two is promising a lot. I teared up at the ending and we love a fantasy book that delivers the yearning. We love an academic rivalry and this intersection with privilege and magic was great. It’s a story which examines the access we have to magic and success. Find Strange Familiars on Goodreads, Storygraph, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.