Book Review: Familiar Magic

My rating: rounding it up to 4 magic stars


A light, fun and entertaining urban fantasy full of fast-paced action, magic and thrilling twists and turns.
Familiar Magic is a good start to an appealing series that deftly manages to combine mystery, horror and fast-paced action with a solid touch of magic and more than a pint of humor.

Stella Familiar is exactly what her name implies: a Familiar. And no, she isn't a cat! Neither black nor any other kind - 'cause I admit that's what I had been expecting. Stella is a human-shaped familiar and she belongs to The London Coven, a trio of urban witches that keep the Uncanny of London under control. At least they used to, to be exact. Until the day something had literally torn them apart, leaving only Stella behind. And Stella may be 'nothing but a lowly familiar' but she swore to get revenge.

Alongside detective David Tyler, a non-magical absolutely normal guy, albeit with a penchant for putting his foot in his mouth at the most inopportune times; Stella goes in search of the monster who not only destroyed her masters but is now aiming for the rest of the Uncanny of London.

They both keep jumping from frying pan into the fire and back again, in a whirlwind of action, with horrifying monsters at their heels. The chase is full of descriptive violence and delightfully creepy horror-movie worthy scenes, and yet the part you will remember most is the fun.

Because, despite the gruesomeness of a scene where Stella is chased by a hellish hound, your lips will inevitably curl up in a smile when she narrates it like this:
'I screamed and hurled myself to the side, crashing into the wall so hard it's a wonder I didn't dash my brains out. ... The beast was vicious and strong but not so gifted with brains. ... Somehow I'd jumped from standing in the street, about to be chewed on like the favorite squeaky toy of the Godzilla of dogs, ...'
And this is just the beginning.

Stella is refreshing as characters go - a human-shaped familiar created for the purpose of doing the witches bidding. And I loved the way her emotions were a little bit all over the place at times. Because she is not human after all.
And then there came David, who always kept a bright face on things despite the world-tipping situations he found himself in.
I loved Detective David Tyler. He reminds me of my good friend Daniel,who has the same penchant for stating the truth in a manner that will both shock you and make you laugh out loud.

From his reaction to meeting Stella:
'This is insane. This is all completely insane. It's the job, isn't it? It's all those times I got bashed over the head chasing criminals, finally catching up with me.'

To the way he helps her out:
'It's ok, Magic Lady. I may be an idiot but I know how to carry out an investigation. This is my thing. Trust me.'

And the way he makes her feel better:
'There we go. Let's get in there and do our job. Show them they messed with the wrong familiar.'
'David'
'Yes, Stella?'
'Thank you.'
'That's okay. Feel free to return the favour when you get a moment, because I am seriously shitting it right now.'

David is a keeper!

I loved the diversity of denizens of the Uncanny Kingdom - the hidden magical world in this series, the fast paced action, as well as the snarky humor and the startling twists I didn't see coming. It did get a bit repetitive at times and yet, I found it difficult to set it down. And then that end! I absolutely loved it! Downright awesome if you ask me.

If you love Urban Fantasy you should give this a try. It's absolutely worth it!

Check out this book and more of M.V. Stott here.