A girl who is also a cat, witches, familiars, missing memories, and murder. I'm in!
Strange Bedfellows was unlike anything I've read before, and that's saying something. I usually spend my reading time chasing murderers, serial killers, and psychological twists, so a story about familiars, witches, magical bonds, and a woman who is also a cat was well outside my comfort zone. I approached it with an open mind, and surprisingly, it worked!
Cleo is both herself and Cat, her feline counterpart, and the relationship between the two creates a fascinating mystery from the very beginning. When she finds her witch, Wes, under unusual circumstances, she becomes entangled in a world of magic, missing memories, hidden truths, and dangers that stretch back into the past. As Cleo struggles to understand who she is and what has been forgotten, the story builds a steady sense of urgency that kept me turning pages.
What I enjoyed most was the suspense. Beneath the fantasy and romance elements is a genuine mystery. I needed to know what had happened, why memories were missing, and how the past was influencing the present. That mystery kept me invested even when I was navigating unfamiliar fantasy concepts.
The characters were engaging, especially Cleo. Sometimes I didn't like her very much, but watching her piece together her identity and place in this magical world gave the story its emotional core. I also enjoyed the dynamics between the familiars and witches, particularly the unique relationships that developed throughout the story.
My biggest challenge was the worldbuilding. As someone who doesn't read much fantasy, I occasionally felt as though I had been dropped into the deep end without a life jacket. Terms, magical concepts, and lore were sometimes introduced with little explanation, leaving me feeling like I was trying to follow a gourmet recipe with only basic cooking skills. Fantasy readers will likely have no trouble with this, but I occasionally wished for a bit more guidance.
The romance wasn't always my favorite aspect of the story and had me rolling my eyes more than once, but it never overshadowed the stronger elements. The mystery, suspense, and originality kept me engaged from beginning to end.
If you enjoy fantasy romance with unusual magical systems, mysterious pasts, magical familiars, witches, and a healthy dose of suspense, I would absolutely recommend Strange Bedfellows. While it pushed me outside my usual reading preferences, it also reminded me how enjoyable it can be to explore something completely different.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
