Meh. I wanted to like this book so much, but sadly I didn't. I could say it wasn't for me. I didn't find it fun or witchy or anything. Sorry. But the illustrations were great!

I can usually very easily put myself in the place of the kid that will read a particular book, but even so, I couldn't like this book.

**I received and voluntarily read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

I was drawn in by the picture of the sloth hanging from the broom. I stayed for the content.
A cute book, definitely not to be taken seriously.
Overall, entertaining and something I would buy for a few friends of mine that practice Wicca and Witchcraft.

This is a fun book to read through, with cute animal descriptions and imaginative associations between people and animals. It reminds me of the kind of things you'd share as a meme or quiz on social media.

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from Megan Lynn Kott, Justin DeVine, and Chronicle Books through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a really fun tongue in cheek guide to choosing an unfamiliar familiar. This book starts with fantastic instructions for Choosing a Familiar, followed by a fantastic chart to help you decide which of these familiars would be best for you. I love the 'Partners Well With' and 'Strengths and Weaknesses' included on each familiars page.

This is not a serious book by any means, but its a light-hearted read with great illustrations. It has a little and senseless test we can take to discover our familiars and a short description of the animals.

Unfamiliar Familiars – Megan Lynn Kott and Justin DeVine
Absolutely enchanting! This truly informative and certainly fun (often tongue in cheek See “Narwhal”) handbook to finding and caring for the unconventional animal companion. Actual real world facts delivered with a playful, magical wrapping.
Charming, whimsical illustrations abound along with a helpful quiz for finding your true familiar. Not looking for one? It’s still a delightful read. Which we can all use right now.
Megan Lynn Kott is a Milwaukee-based illustrator who has collaborated with Maximum Fun, Tea Collection, MeowBox, and others. Her first word was "kitty."

Justin DeVine is a fine artist and illustrator from California, who now resides in the Midwest with his wife and too many cats.

Unfamiliar familiars is a cute and captivating book that takes you on the journey to connecting with your familiar. I had so much fun finding my familiar and my witchy companion resonated so much. The artwork that accompanies the familiars also makes this book more entertaining and visual. On a negative note, I didn't like that they suggest ripping pages out to help find your familiar, being that I'm such a hippie. All in all this book was an archetypal book that I had a ball reading and working with.

What a riot! I mean, who can resist any book about animals - that too with such lovely illustrations? I can't! Megan and Justin are talented illustrators and this collaboration is so fun-filled and quirky that you can't flip a page without sneaking a smile.
This book works well on your coffee table (on the downside, your guests might become aware of your witchiness) and as a gift to your friends ( and force them to believe in magic)! Move over Fantastic Beasts. This is the new witch guide to your everyday animal familiars. Suddenly, your everyday squirells and cats and monkeys aren't so bland and boring. The authors breath magic into the mundane and the pop-culture references are spot on! And those illustrations are adorable!
I would have liked more facts about these animals though. More details about their habitats and diets. But that's about it. Such a lovely initiative to make people look at the world around us with more wonder and treat other beings with more kindness. I would love to buy a hard copy of this book sometime and am looking forward to more books like this. May be a volume 2 would be too much? Would it?
Thank you Netgalley and Chronicle Books for the e-ARC.

This book has really cute illustrations of all unfamiliar familiars and a fun quiz spread where you can find out which of the unfamiliar magical animals is your familiar.

The text is quite witty and whimsical, and I'll be calling my lobster Dr. Who.

This was a cute, fun book with charming drawings. Thanks Megan Lynn Kott, Justin DeVine, Netgalley and Chronicle Books for allowing me to review this ARC.

Title: Unfamiliar Familiars
Authors: Megan Lynn Kott & Justin DeVine
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Pub Date: 01 Sep 2020

Thank you Chronicle Books for providing me with an e-ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my impartial review.

Unfamiliar familiars was such a fun and enlightening read. I'm a lover of fantasy and witches, so I'm no stranger to familiars. When I saw this one, I just knew I had to get my hands on it. This book is a "directory" of sorts that covers different largely unknown Familiars aka witch companions.

I love the BuzzFeed-like quiz at the beginning that helps you choose a familiar, so you can jump right to that page and read all about it. This book will be a great addition to any party.

There are so many unique animals added in this book that will definitely make awesome familiars.

Each entry features interesting facts about the familiar and a short passage about the animal. There is a lot of humour packed into the pages of this book, especially in the "partners well with" section of each entry. The illustrations in this book were really fun and vibrant and made the book more enjoyable.

I enjoyed reading this one and I recommend it to everyone with a love for the fantasy genre.

"Always treat nature with respect, and be true to the one-of-a-kind witch you truly are."

For years now I've been distraught as I haven't been able to figure out the identity of my Spirit Animal. I mean, anyone who loves all critters as much as I do should have one, right? But, recently I've come to the conclusion that perhaps this idea is too "New Agey" for cynical old me, and that a familiar is more my style - something along the lines of a minion/partner-in-crime. This clever book is packed with suggestions for creatures you might never have considered as familiar material, like capybaras, chickens, and cicadas. (And those are just the ones starting with the letter C.)

The book offers a delightfully adorable creature pictured on one page, and on the other, a description including pluses and minuses as to why this animal might be the perfect familiar for you. I LOVED the suggested names! This fun little book would make a great gift. I really got a kick out of it, and I"m looking forward to having a paper copy of my own.

I thought this was a really cute and funny take on picking a familiar. The illustrations are super adorable and the blubs for each animal are both hilarious and spot on. FYI, I'm naming my Sun Bear Honey-Bunch for sure.

Yes, I am a teacher. No, this will not be given to my students.

That out of the way, this is a fun and funny little book. It has many small nods to pop culture and literature that made me smile throughout. The artwork is lovely and worth a place on your shelf for that alone.

Would pick this up as a fun and interactive book for any of my family interested in magic/ Harry Potter/ or the quirky.

Will be adding this to my go to gifts for any historian I know that focuses on witchcraft/occult topics.

Are you a witch in need a familiar? Do you ache to be creative and have a familiar with more pizzazz than a cat or a crow? Then this fun, frothy book with its sweet illustrations is for you.

I loved how "Unfamiliar Familiars" introduces readers to creatures that might be new to them--such as the axolotl, capybara, dik-dik, and Leafy Sea Dragon--while also promoting a respect for nature and a sense of fun and curiosity. I especially enjoyed the list of suggested names for a each familiar as well as the notes on each of their strengths ("thunderbolts") and weaknesses ("constant hunger").

This would be a perfect read for a pair or group of tween girls to read together but can be enjoyed by anyone of any age.

Now if you'll excuse me, my Flying Fox Camazotz and I have mischief to create,

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I want more! This is a really fun, silly guide to animals. There is an absolutely tremendous flow chart to help you choose your familiar, and tons of little jokes everywhere. A couple of the suggested names made me genuinely laugh. I definitely enjoyed this, but it seems very short. It's almost like this is a section of a larger work. I want there to be more content, either about familiars or about witchcraft.

Unfamiliar Familiars by Megan Lynn Kott & Justin Devine was an amusing read. I loved all the unusual animals listed. Especially the tardigrade!! I adore tardigrades. Even moreso after Star Trek Discovery featured a gigantic cousin of our little 'water bears'. I'm a magical practitioner myself, however, and I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a mention that this way of familiar finding isn't the only way, merely one of many. The spell to summon a familiar was a little goofy, though that's fine. Many spells are, though this one was a bit vague. Walk to the third tree of what?? Your garden? What if you don't have one? Or have no trees? I’d’ve liked to have seen mention of the fact that intention is the driving force behind magic, and suggestions for crafting one's own spells for finding a familiar.
I realise this is likely supposed to just be a novelty book, but many of the animals are impractical or illegal to actually keep in any way, shape, or form, not without permits or such. This guide would be better labelled as a spirit animal guide. Indeed, despite lots of interesting facts, cheeky humour, and delightful drawings, I felt that the authors didn't take the magical aspect seriously at all. This disgruntled me a surprising amount. Take the ways to figure out your familiar. Either you can rip out the animal pics, fold them into swans and float them down a river, and in three days one will return to you some way. Or you can just follow a bizarre flowchart. Huh? I followed it and got Sloth. I love sloths, so that was cool. Each animal has a 'partners well with'. Sloths apparently partner well with 'witches who grow their own kombucha'. Um, eww. No. Or take the name suggestions, strengths, and weaknesses. "Choose a powerful name." Name suggestions for ball python include Boop Noodle and Shoelace... Weaknesses of the Capuchin monkey include frequent drunkenness, and strengths include poop throwing. Son, what the hellz?

Actually, this book made me think of a magical text from the world of Harry Potter. Taken in that context, it's an amusing humour book perfect for magical practitioners. In the context of actual practise, this book leaves much to be desired, at least, for this practitioner.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is really cute, and the humor is a blend of dorky/corny, zany, sassy, and allusive. I wasn't expecting references ranging the gamut from TS Eliot to, I think, Over the Garden Wall. The art is very pretty, and all-in-all it's a very, very fun novelty book.

If you love anything witchy, I think you'd love this little gem of book :)
This book is also funny, quirky and fun! I think it would be a great stocking gifts for your witch friends.
Beside that, you'll also get help to choose your own familiar! I got a leafy sea dragon haha.
Anyway, love this book.

I wasn't expecting anything when I first opened this book, I just wanted a quick and relaxing read - and the cover attracted me! This book is beautiful to look at, and the title is intriguing.

I didn't know it was a humorous book: it surprised me, and I couldn't help smiling all along! It was sweet and refreshing!
It was original, trying to get off the beaten track - I think I never read a book like this before! -, funny and well researched!
The illustrations throughout the book are sweet and beautiful! I wasn't even afraid of the spider, that's saying something!

It's also an inspiring book: some ideas, even if they are meant to be funny, push the reader to imagine what it would be in a novel.

Finally, I loved the references for each entry: a shoebill stork named Poe, a pig named Napoleon or an albatross named Coleridge for instance!

So, I had a good time reading Unfamiliar Familiars!