A fun and quirky not-serious nonfiction with charming illustrations of possible familiars aka animal companions for witches, aside from the usual animals we associate with witches such as toads and black cats.

Each animal comes with an adorable profile of strengths and weakness and which witch they'd be perfect for. It's perfect for animal lovers and fantasy lovers and those interested in witchy literature. I loved it and it was such a fun and light book!

I thank Netgalley and Chronicle Books for the digital ARC.

This was really cute! I’ve always been intrigued by the concept of a familiar, so I figured I’d give this book a read. I love the variety of animals and the little descriptions, especially the name suggestions. It was a little whimsical but overall an interesting read! Now I want a familiar to come into my life, or maybe it has already?

A witty little book! There are great illustrations and the tone is quite funny. I literally LOL’d at “Bees - weakness - pesticides and global warming”.

Highlights include a survey to match you to your familiar, I got an axolotl (unlikely for me to find out here in AZ) and they have some adorable and “unfamiliar” choices!

This is a fun and appropriate for people (re: witches & warlocks) of all ages but I’d most recommend it for young adults and middle grade readers. It’s a modern and sassy read with cool familiars and fun facts! I really enjoyed it all the way through!

+ THERE’S A HEDGEHOG! Love, love, love.
Overall, super adorable and enjoyable & the cover art (& all art) is 5/5.

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review*.

Whimsical, silly, tongue-in-cheek humor with wonderful illustrations - Unfamiliar Familiars is a delight. You certainly don't have to be a witch to enjoy this book, but if you are a witch at heart with a silly streak you will adore it.

I walked into Unfamiliar Familiars thinking it was a children’s book about the supposed magical abilities of animals which I thought would be so cute. But I got way more than I bargained for because this is an adult humor based book. I loved the quiz at the beginning to determine your familiar or the other method mentioned using pages from the book put under your pillow. The illustrations of each familiar are cute as can be and the descriptions are short but well thought out and comical. My favorite aspect of each familiar was the suggested partnering for a familiar, such as “Witches who know more than two sea shanties by heart,” and, “Witches who intentionally spoil tv shows”. Overall, this is a fun, quick book for any reader that enjoys witchcraft, humor, or illustrated books.

This book was so funny and wholesome, in all honesty if you love witches and witchcraft you will have a great time reading this.
I adored the illustrations and the art style, it's really neat and pretty.
I must however say that my familiar is not quite what I was expecting (since my element is fire and my zodiac sign is Aries) and I got a water element and and a Pisces (I got the leafy sea dragon) familiar but I wouldn't mind him as my familiar since he's adorable.

OMG, how quirky and fun! This is a must have for any witch's coffee table. The concept was so playful and there were even familiars I"d never heard of, so, I learned something while giggling. The table at the starts says luna moth for me, which honestly feels right. Sort of... my husband is obsessed with moths, adores them, so that's fitting. ;) The book itself is laid out easy enough, with a starting part about familiars and then sections for each one. The art work is wonderful and charming. It really ads so much to the fun.

These would make perfect gifts for witches in your life, all ages, we tend to be young at heart.

This book is very cute!!!!!!!!!! I LOVED the design, the illustrations for each familiar is LOVELY. I always love when a book has this kind of details.

And not only can you meet a wide variety of magical familiars (all of them very cute), but you can also take a quiz to find out which is yours! (and some answers are very funny and weird). And my familiar is a Leafy Sea Dragon (For those witches whose favorite color is rainbow! I mean...YES).

Another thing that I Loved about this book it's the detail information for each familiar (element, star sign, strengths, etc). It's a very entertaining book and I already want to recommend this to my friends so that they discover their magical familiars.

Unfamiliar Familiars is a type of book that is fabulous to have in the living room so anyone can look at it and entertain themselves for a moment. Amazing!

This was a spur of the moment pick from NetGalley. I follow the publisher on Instagram and during the pandemic they've been posting a lot of stories which I actually watch and don't swipe through. This cover caught my eye and then seeing who the publisher was... I grabbed it.

It appeared it would be a lighthearted read and possibly provide some laughs. At 96 pages it could be read in a day or two, but why push yourself? These 40 unique familiars aren't going anywhere.

The books notes what a familiar is, how to choose one, and how to summon one prior to explaining who would make a good match for each familiar. It's important to remember that a familiar is not a servant or a pet!

According to a decision tree (if you don't want to summon a familiar), the Ball Python would be a good match for me. They are a limbless cuddler known for getting along well with witches allergic to dander.

That's me, exactly!
http://www.amberstults.com/?p=4988

Great at hugs. Cool. Shed their skin every 4-6 weeks which require renewing the pact? Okay. Renaming must also be done and can't be a repeat of the last 6 names. Ummm. I guess that's why the witches they're paired with must have good memories!

The drawings are all cute. The descriptions of the animals as familiars veer into silliness. Who doesn't need a bit of silliness now and then? As the authors noted, if the facts couldn't be found, then they just made it up.

Bonus points to Megan Lynn Kott for proclaiming Valiant, the 3-legged Corgi as her familiar. I would've done the same.

Are you a witch in need of a familiar who’s good with fruit arrangements? Or maybe your one who’s always enjoying the time it takes to finish a crossword puzzle and need a companion to suit your lifestyle.

Well, this guide covers it all. And with a simple to follow quiz laid out in the introduction, you can sooner than later find that unfamiliar familiar.

Or you can be like me and read this whole book cover to cover because it’s just so damn entertaining. Filled with countless jokes and winks to pop culture, Megan and Justin do a fabulous job of rounding up the not so seemingly magical creatures for the modern-day witch.

Why have cats and toads when badgers and lobsters could be more your style?

With beautiful illustrations and well written summaries for each familiar, including strengths, weaknesses, and possible names, every page comes to life and feels fantastically real.

Perfect for the fall cozy vibes, this book is never too serious or over the line cheesy and simply offers readers of any age whimsical enjoyment and an even better chance for imagination.

Beautiful book, would make a wonderful gift for the witchy person in your life! Amazing artwork, cute creatures, and some great humour.

This was a really fun read! I love personality quizzes and thought this was a really cool guide. I had fun sorting through the different animals and pairing them with my zodiac and traits. I was surprised by the familiars that resonated with me--I am either a Shoebilled Stork or a Lobster. Super excited to meet them soon lol. I know some of my friends’ zodiac signs too and I thought some of the animals were spot on matches with certain traits!

A different look on how to connect with familiars and about them. Total two pages - an image and a little bit of information. Flow chart on what would be your familiar - but would only be for those in the book and not seem helpful much. Images are really nice and selection of creatures is good.

At first, I thought this was a book for children, but the pop culture references throughout make it decidedly adult. I'd love a young readers version. Cute illustrations. I can envision a couple people who would love this as a gift.

I loved the art and the familiar's descriptions are very creative! I could have done without the quiz at the beginning, as I found myself browsing through the familiars to find one that fits my personality more. Overall cute and creative but not a book that I would go back to often.

E-ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfamiliar familiars is a book about uncommon witch familiars. If you're not into this stuff, the book is definitely not for you. However, if you like me and think everyone has a little witch-y thing in themselves (the word for witch in my native language also means a knowing woman), then you're going to love it!
The pseudoscience behind how to choose a familiar, summon it and what are the difference between the different animals is written amazingly. The details are well thought out and the book is a pleasure to read, so no matter what the test says you should get, it's an absolute must to read about all of the animals. The presentations are short and sweet and the illustrations are amazing.
A really nice short read.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.*

A must-have for all witches out there. A fun, cute guide to finding the most unexpected witchy familiar. I loved the concept and art style, with colorful illustrations depicting each animal charmingly. I was surprised by all the detailed information about each familiar. You will not only get a description of your (possible) companion, but also a list of strengths, weaknesses, signs, and name suggestions (which are always helpful).
Every single page brought a smile to my face. I only wish we could have gotten even more unfamiliar familiars.

This is a really fun, silly book that will help you find your nontraditional witchy familiar. I can see it appealing to kids, teens, witches and animal lovers with a sense of humor. It's all tongue in cheek but it's pretty well done, with lots of details for each animal and what makes it best suited for some people. Big, full page color illustrations depict each animal and they're charming and well done.

I've decided my spirit animal is the axolotl. It partners well with people who cry during insurance commercials (wince, that's me), its strengths include body part regeneration (okay, less so), elemental magic and smiling, and its weaknesses are gill sensitivity, an overly trusting nature and sunburns. Also, it's just really cute and it makes me smile. (See, smiling.) ;)

Great fun, and it makes me grin in a time when I like things that make me grin.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

Review to come on August 8th on Blog, August 17th on Goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Sorry, but how can one just resist a sloth upside down on a broom? Raise your hands, if you dare. No one, good! Plus, I love that this book is about familiars and seemingly not about the standard you generally have (cats, dogs, demons in some form, rats, snakes), but about all sorts of familiars.

I had a big laugh at the introduction and how the author told you about two ways to find your perfect familiar. One meant maiming the book into a swan and sending it on its way and what came back would be perfect for you. Or you could just not harm the book and follow the flowchart. While I was tempted (shock face) to try out origami, I couldn't as this book is an ebook. :P The flowchart it is, though I have to say I think that one would also have worked better in normal book as now I see one page each time and have to remember my spot.

Before I decided to just casually stroll through the book and check out all the familiars I decided to follow the flowchart and see what animals I would get. First try, Sunbear! I do love Sunbears so I was delighted this one was my first animal. I do love the sun and love being outside. Next up I tried following another path to see what my familiar would be if I had picked another route. Next up was a Burrowing Owl, awww! Yes! That one also fitted me. In the summer all I wear if I am outside are sandals. Plus I just love owls!

Now I knew what the flowchart would grant me, I decided to check the book itself and scroll through seeing if I could find more animals which may be a familiar to me.
I loved how each animal has various parts to explain about the animal. From what kind of witch the animal partners (which at times feature hilarious things like this one on the Axolotls (Witches who cry during insurance commercials) well with to suggested names (from cute names to hilarious ones to very serious ones) to elements and more. It was great fun to get so much information and to read all about the animals. Each animal also has an illustration and I just Love the style, it really fitted the animals and I just wanted to reach out and pet a couple of them (never pet bees though :P).

All in all, I would highly recommend this fun and delightful book to all. I am sad that I reached the ending, I wouldn't have minded many more familiars and reading all about them. Hopefully one day we will get more from these two authors. *crosses fingers*

Like a witchy Buzzfeed quiz: A cute tongue-in-cheek guide complete with adorable illustrations for identifying your perfect magical companion. Not something you would likely revisit but it could be a fun gift.