“All’s fair in love and magic.”
Okay so please do not let yourself be fooled by the charming cover and cozy-ish romantic set-up of Strange Familiars, because Keshe Chow is absolutely coming for our hearts here. Like yes, this is absolutely a fun academic rivals-to-lovers fantasy romance full of whimsy and magical creatures and chaotic banter, but then it’s also got dangerous conspiracies, magical surges causing absolute havoc, and enough trauma, tension and emotional damage to make me briefly forget how to function. And you know what, I love it for that.
Look, I am always a sucker for a good rivals to lovers set-up, especially when it’s not just a flimsy ‘they mildly dislike each other for two chapters before making out’ situation but a TRUE rivalry between two messy people with a messy history and deep issues, which is exactly what Strange Familiars delivers. See, Gwen is the daughter of a Chinese immigrant family and she genuinely needs the money and opportunities that come with becoming Dux, while Harrisford is the son of one of the top executives at Magecorp, carrying the crushing expectation that he must always be the best and eventually follow in his father’s footsteps. Their rivalry feels so deeply rooted in class differences and prejudice and insecurity and years of resentment, and I loved how much of a rocky road it was for them to realise maybe their assumptions about each other weren’t entirely right after all.
Now, I have to admit that Harrisford was really testing me in the beginning, so much so that I was not sure if I would ever come to like him. See, I was instantly rooting for Gwen, which meant I was also instantly judging Harrisford through her eyes, and unfortunately for him he really proved himself to be the arrogant, privileged twat that Gwen thought him to be, even in his own chapters. But thank all that is holy for the dual POV, because the more time I spent in his head, the more I realised how much complexity, vulnerability, trauma and daddy issues were hiding underneath all that haughtiness, which ended up being one of my favourite parts of Strange Familiars. Like, he may have been down BAD for Gwen, but I fear I was even more down bad for this emotionally constipated man, sorry not sorry.
And sure, the progression of feelings over a few weeks is kind of ridiculous if you really think about it, but somehow they completely sold me on it anyway. Maybe because they already had such a long complicated history, maybe because the chemistry and teasing banter is so good, maybe because these two idiots were lying to themselves all along (the glamour thing, iykyk!!). To me it all still felt slow-burn even when it technically wasn’t, and when they finally gave in and got together I was genuinely screaming because those scenes were somehow both so hot and so emotionally vulnerable at the same time. Keshe Chow, the woman that you are!!
But while the romance was obviously the beating heart of Strange Familiars for me, I really appreciated that it’s got so much more to love than just that. The worldbuilding feels so rich without ever becoming overwhelming, the atmosphere of the alternative magical Britain setting is so immersive and whimsical (especially on audio with the delicious British accents!), the casually queer vibes were giving me life, and I loved how you could really feel Keshe Chow’s veterinary experience and passion dripping off every page. Also, I can’t talk about this book without talking about the familiars and the sheer variety of magical creatures running around causing problems for everyone involved, which I loved. Especially Gwen’s opinionated, snarky cat familiar Percy really stole the show for me, and the unbreakable bond between Harrisford and his bearded dragon familiar called Pudding tugged on all my heartstrings.
And then to balance out all that whimsy, Strange Familiars has a seriously high stakes mystery plot which completely blindsided me with how tense and dark it became. The threat of the magical surges and the corruption within Magecorp and the Ministry are woven so intricately into the characters’ own emotional journeys and their complicated interpersonal relationships, and I loved how every twist just escalated things further and further into chaos and emotional devastation. Sometimes I did feel a bit overwhelmed by all the action, especially because I thought I had signed up for a cozy fantasy at first, but Keshe Chow just made it work so well. The stakes felt real, the twists and turns were so wild, and the way that the tension built on every single level just had me in an absolute chokehold. And then that cliffhanger? DIABOLICAL, what do you mean I have to wait for more now???
Strange Familiars was just such a wild emotional rollercoaster from start to finish, and I constantly felt torn between wanting to binge this audiobook as fast as possible because I was completely obsessed and wanting to savour it because I did not want to leave these characters behind yet. It’s whimsical and romantic and chaotic and painful and funny and full of yearning and weird little creatures and emotional damage, and I cannot recommend it highly enough if you want a diverse fantasy romance full of heart and hurt. Don’t mind me staring into the void while I impatiently wait for book 2 now, ugh.
Thank you to NetGalley & Hodder and Stoughton Audio for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Strange Familiars is scheduled for release on 19 May 2026.
