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Strange Familiars
Keshe Chow
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Two scholars of magical veterinary science must put aside their lust and loathing to save the world as they know it in this whimsical, romantic dark academia novel.
All Gwendolynne Chan needs is to get through final year. 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 prat Harrisford Briggs doesn't beat her to it.
Harrisford Briggs's father, the chief financial officer of Magecorp, a major global distributor of magic, expects him to come top of the class. Harrisford, though, can't help but notice that his father has been acting odd. And there are strange whisperings, too, of uncontrollable surges of excess magic.
When these magical surges begin to rock London, causing chaos and explosions and familiars going feral, Gwen and Harrisford find themselves reluctantly involved, putting both of their veterinary careers at risk.
Along with Gwen's snarky cat familiar, Gwen and Harrisford must team up to diagnose the problem. But as the two academic rivals fight their burgeoning feelings, they quickly realize that magic is not the only thing surging.
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Posts about this title from ofpagesandprint
ofpagesandprint\ \ Dahlia\ \ • May 20
[With a little over a week left in May, I wanted to share some of the incredible AANHPI stories on my TBR to continue celebrating AANHPI voices all year long!\ *Pitches from the publishers.\ \
- Strange Familiars by Keshe Chow - Two scholars of magical veterinary science must put aside their lust and loathing to save the world in the first installment of this whimsical, romantic, dark academia duology. ( Strange Familiars is also the July pick for Musings of the Nine Book Club! Keshe will join the club to comment insight about Strange Familiars and chat with the club as we read. We hope you join us!)\ \
- For No Mortal Creature by Keshe Chow - In this romantic, gothic fantasy inspired by Wuthering Heights, a teen girl with the power to move between life and death must journey into the afterlife. But to survive, she’ll need the help of her two sworn enemies—both dangerously captivating, both hiding secrets that could destroy her.\ \
- Unfinished Business by Clare Osongo - In this funny, warmly chaotic tale of love, a floundering office worker discovers her mother's ghost is trapped in the company Slack server, and must free her by resolving her own troubled love life.\ \
- The Fast Track by Angelica Cheng - An ambitious racer who dreams of becoming the first female F1 champion finds her plans going off track when she catches feelings for her biggest competition in this dishy, delicious contemporary romance for fans of love, Lynn Painter, and Lewis Hamilton.\ \
- The Revenant of Surolifia by Florence Chien - In the vein of The Traitor Baru Cormorant and The Unbroken, The Revenant of Surolifia is a gripping political fantasy of empire, identity, and impossible choices, where rebellion blazes in the streets, loyalty is a double-edged sword, and the price of peace may be too steep to pay.\ \
- The Game of Oaths by S.C. Bandreddi - In this heart-pounding, richly imagined fantasy set in the Belle Époque, a trapeze artist fights to win a deadly tournament amid the glamour and illusions of a magical circus. But survival isn’t her only goal—she wants revenge.\ \
- Witch Daughter by Tanaz Bhathena - In her adult debut, award-winning author Tanaz Bhathena expertly weaves a tale of love and loss in ancient Persia with her take on the timeless tragedy of Tahmineh, a temptress, a witch, a victim, or, perhaps, a woman trying her hardest to protect her loved ones.\ \
- Burn the Sea by Mona Tewari - A fierce Indian queen must defend her country against both the colonizing monsters attacking from the sea and the cowardly manipulations of a neighboring king…who happens to be her husband.\ \
- The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham - A lush and immersive queer “Sleeping Beauty” retelling about escapism, grief, and dreaming of a better world.\ \
- A Kiss of Crimson Ash by Anuja Varghese - Inspired by medieval India’s most epic love stories, this debut Romantasy blends rich storytelling, lush worldbuilding, and spice of every variety. Perfect for fans of Nisha J. Tuli and Tasha Suri.\ \
- The Book of Fallen Leaves by A.S. Tamaki - Shogun meets Game of Thrones in this epic fantasy debut of ambition, vengeance, and sacrifice.\ \
- Coldwire by Chloe Gong - The start of a daring new dystopian series where humanity has moved to virtual reality to flee their deteriorating world, following two young soldiers who must depend on unlikely allies in their fight for survival.\ \
- The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim - In this sly and dazzling contemporary fantasy, the most notorious nine-tailed fox in Korea pairs up with a trickster god–turned–detective to track down a wrathful demon . . . before it can destroy the mortal world.\ \
- Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang - The first woman ever admitted to a prestigious order of mages unravels a secret conspiracy that could change the practice of magic forever, in this standalone dark fantasy from the author of The Sword of Kaigen.\ \
- Double Happiness by Heather Eng - Caught between a relentless tech job, her adoring fiancé, and an unexpected new flame, Mei must learn what it means to choose herself.\ \
- Brighter Than Nine (sequel to Darker By Four) by June C.L. Tan - The Shadowhunter Chronicles meets the Chinese underworld, drawing inspiration from diaspora folklore, in this epic, sweeping contemporary fantasy duology.\ \
- Checking You Out by Jennifer Chen - XO, Kitty meets Dash & Lily in this rom com about two teens falling in love via letters left in their favorite library books—even if in real life they think they have nothing in common.\ \
- Roar by Varsha Bajaj - The gripping story of a boy whose eye-opening trip to a tiger sanctuary ignites his desire to join those who are roaring to protect the animals.\ \
- Babel by R.F. Kuang - A historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire.\ \
- Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim - A mother and daughter must break their family’s curse through trials of war and immigration, love, loss, and redemption in this riveting multi-generational saga with a shimmer of magic.\ \
- The Killing Spell by Shay Kauwe - In this spellbinding fantasy debut set in a future where language magic reigns, a young Hawaiian woman must solve a murder to clear her name.\ \
- Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker - In this lyrical, wildly inventive horror novel interwoven with Japanese mythology, two people living centuries apart discover a door between their worlds.\ \ \ Happy AANHPI Heritage Month!](https://ofpagesandprint.binderybooks.com/item/w8ybreAz4RMi6uF1KFu5/)
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Posts about this book from across Bindery
ofpagesandprint\ \ Dahlia\ \ • May 20
22 books
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Chanterelle Solace\ \ Sabie\ \ • Jan 2
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Poll: 2026 TBR Plans & 2026 releases I have read + recommend
Have you read any 2026 releases yet? If not, which ones are you looking forward to? 👀
I have been lucky to get some amazing Arcs and have made my way through a few of them so far and these are 6 that I recommend you guys read or request as Arcs it: 🍄 Next Level Love by Shameez Patel 🍄 The Poet Empress by Shen Tao 🍄 Love and Other Brain Experiments by Hannah Brohm 🍄 Love from the Cosmos by Mowa Badmos 🍄 It’s all in your Head by Sabina Nordqvist 🍄 Strange Familiars by Keshe Chow
I’m SUPER excited to read more and share about them! I’m hoping to be doing a frequent update about my CR on my newsletter if you do want to join🤎
#2026release #fantasybooks #romancebooks
6 books
Chanterelle Solace\ \ Sabie\ \ • Dec 19 2025
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Get a Rec from me & What my Taste in books look like
What are some books that represent your taste overall and do we have any in common? 👀
Before we dive into this, Bindery now has an option to request recs and you can go to the 🔗 in my bio and click “Get a Rec” and ask for details of what you’d like from the books I’ve read! I’m also making lists of 2026 releases in fantasy, romance and horror so far so happy to share some of these early on with you guys (these will be recs of what I’m looking forward to rather than what I’ve read) so GO GO GO 🤎
As for my taste in books, I’m never going to be the type that picks only 5 top books for the year guys and I’ve learned to accept it because honestly, what do you mean my top 5 books in one year? I would have to host a meeting with myself for a whole month to decide that 😭 So instead, you guys get my taste in books throughout various sub-genres that I yap about all the time!
Here is a list of the books (if you prefer to read through it or for accessibility needs)🤎: Cottagecore: 🍄 Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries 🍄 After the Forest by Kell Woods 🍄 A Witch’s Guide to Love and Poison by Aamna Qureshi 🍄 The Geographer’s Map to Romance by India Holton 🍄 The River has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar 🍄 An Arrow to the Heart by K.R. Bacher
Cozy Fantasy: 🍄 The Baby Dragon Cafe by Aamna Qureshi 🍄 Legend & Lattes by Travis 🍄 The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong 🍄 The Nameless Restaurant by Tao Wong 🍄 Watermoon by Samantha Sotto Yambao 🍄 The Spellshop by Sangu Mandanna
Witchycore: 🍄 The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright 🍄 House of Frank by Kay Synclaire 🍄 The Lone Wolf Cafe by Sydney Wilder 🍄 The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore 🍄 A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna 🍄 Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi
Retellings, Fairy Tale & Historical Fantasy: 🍄A Sorceress comes to Call by T.Kingfisher 🍄 What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez 🍄 Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross 🍄 We Shall be Monsters by Tara Sim 🍄 The Briar Book of the Dead by A.G Slatter
The rest is in my pinned comment!
#fantasybooks #topbooksof2025 #favoritebooks
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Chanterelle Solace\ \ Sabie\ \ • Oct 29 2025
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A Veterinary School Academy Fantasy Book: Strange Familiars & links to pre-order/read arc!
AHHH it’s the cover reveal day of Strange Familiars by @keshewrites 😍
Guys, this is an Academia Fantasy romance that is in a Veterinary schoopl and to say I’m excited is an understatement 😍 I’m SO excited to be sharing this cover reveal with you all and this is a rivals to lovers book, where they treat witches familiars and mythical creatures ANDD let’s look at the beautiful cover, which was done by @klimtsonian and directed by Katie Anderson 🤎
This book is being published by @hodderscape in the UK (@acebnookspub @berkleypub and @berkleyromance in the US, @hachetteaus and @hacettenz in AUS/NZ) and it comes out in the following dates: 🍄 May 5, 2026 in US, Australia and NZ 🍄 May 7, 2026 in the UK
So here are some things to do to support Keshe and Strange Familiars Release: 🍄 Go and add it to your TBR in Goodreads 🍄 Pre-order it in the US/UK 🍄 Request it on Netgalley to read it asap
#strangefamiliars #academiafantasy #adultfantasyromance #books
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