Small-town teenager Paige spent the summer before senior year feeling watched. Her two best friends have gone away, leaving her alone with only one suspect, a stray cat. When the stalker betrays herself as a princess from another dimension (alongside a feline familiar), Paige is even more surprised to learn that the young witch Alise has been working with— and dating— her childhood friend, Xander. Paige is abducted by the pair and bound to her own familiar, granting her magic ability, and exposing her to the town’s intertwined history with the war-torn, renaissance and regency-inspired kingdom of Nadina, accessible only by magic portal. Alise reveals that Paige, Xander, and their shared best friend, Marcus, descend from Nadina and the princess requires their help to return and restore peace. Forced to join the quest to save the kingdom, Paige must assist in the kidnapping and binding of Marcus. However, she suspects Alise is keeping even more secrets than she lets on. Upon arrival in Nadina, the princess reveals a dark truth about her world, and while bound to their familiars, the three friends can’t safely return home. But only one person knows the spell to break the bond between familiar and witch— Alise’s missing mother. The princess proposes an exchange. If the three help her find her mother, she will learn the lost spell to unbind familiars.

Requirements & Requests

I am seeking beta readers who may enjoy elements of contemporary drama woven into a narrative of magic and magical realism.

Comparable Stories:

I am still working on finding the perfect comp titles! For now, I believe FAMILIAR blends contemporary drama and elements of fantasy, similar to the stylings of Rick Riordan.

Trigger Warnings:

Some violence​/​death