Strange Familiars

''An absolute delight!'' BRIGITTE KNIGHTLEY
''A must-read for any lover of animals and angst'' NISHA J. TULI
''Full of wonderful rivals-to-lovers romance, humour, and twists'' INDIA HOLTON

Strange Familiars is Sunday Times bestselling author Keshe Chow''s adult debut: a dark academia fantasy where 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

All''s fair in love and magic.

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 become number one overall - as long as the pretentious 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.

Tropes you can expect . . .
Academic rivals-to-lovers
Slow burn
Magical university
Found family
Animal sidekicks