Author: Daniel A. Kaine
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Pages/Word Count: 100 Pages
At a Glance: As one might expect from author Daniel A. Kaine, he has created an interesting alternate reality where witches, demons and shapeshifters all collide with incredible effect.
Reviewed By: Sammy
Blurb: Drew never believed in magic. Then three years after his wife’s unexplained death he unearths a book of spells in his attic. Reading the first ‘stupid poem’ seems harmless, until he acquires his very own familiar, Felix.
Drew and Felix soon realise an attraction that goes beyond their magical bond. However, there’s a coven of demon-worshipping witches out to steal Drew’s newfound power. If they want to survive long enough to see where their mutual desires take them, Felix must teach Drew the art of witchcraft. But will he be ready in time?
Review: Drew Lost the love of his life three years ago, and it has taken him that long to tackle going through her possessions and clothes to finally clear out the leftover memories that seem to hold him captive. While doing just that, he discovers a locked chest and uses the key he always remembers his wife wearing; in fact, never letting out of her sight. When he opens the chest he finds an old book that he thinks is full of nonsense, and accidentally reads one incantation aloud, not realizing he is unleashing a familiar and beginning his own career as a witch.
Before long, Drew must come to terms with the fact that the stray cat he has been feeding, one Mr. Biggles, is actually a familiar and a shapeshifter who has appeared to both initiate Drew into the world of magic and protects him. We come to find out that Felix and his brothers were created and tasked with the job of containing a true evil, the WuYun. Should they fail, the release of such pure malice on the world will have devastating effects. Now Drew and Felix are in a race against time and must, with the help of Drew’s friends, recreate a coven that will lead the fight against the dark forces that are intent on seeing the WuYun released.
Well, as one might expect from author Daniel A. Kaine, he has created an interesting alternate reality where witches, demons and shapeshifters all collide with incredible effect. Fast paced and full of action, Familiar Feeling sets up the series of events and stories that will shed light on what exactly WuYun is and how evil this empire continues to be despite Felix being locked away for over two thousand years. Felix (and, yes, it is a real tongue in cheek move on Mr. Kaine’s part to call a cat familiar Felix) is really a delightful character who is kind and sensitive and so very reluctant to begin a relationship with his witch, Drew, as his past dalliances have always ended badly, namely with his witches dying. But Drew is very persuasive and these two begin an affair that may be doomed from the start.
Add into the mix, some wonderful side characters who will be drawn into the magical madness that surrounds Drew and Felix, and you have the real potential for some further installments that will hopefully prove to be just as dynamic as this first one. The only drawback to this first novella was that I felt it could have contained a bit more information about this alternate reality and how it all began. I wanted just a bit more backstory on Felix and his brothers, who are summoned near the end of this book. However, I am certain that with Mr. Kaine’s excellent story telling capabilities we will be learning more in the next novella in this series.
You can buy Familiar Feeling here:
