My Pigeon Familiar

In this series by Bridget E. Baker we meet a group of friends that couldn’t be more different from each other. But do you know what this reminds me of, a lot of fun. In this book Bridget manages to combine a witch, a wizard, a werewolf, a vampire, a dragon-shifter, and a demon into the best group of friends you would want for yourself.

In this first book of the series we learn more about Minerva the witch who truly struggles in being a proper witch. Because let’s be real, a witch that cannot perform an easy spell or doesn’t have a fierce familiar is not scary or even intimidating. Minerva only has one dream, to become part of the best police force that makes sure that New York City will be a safe place, but not performing proper spells has been her downfall. Can she convince her crush who is in charge of the prestigious Police force to give her a chance, if she can get a fierce familiar that should be a given. The best laid plans don’t usually come true so Giggles the Pigeon is here to stir it all up, and not only is she the strangest familiar anyone has seen but she also doesn’t seem to understand the rules.

Minerva is not the only character we start to love in this story because nothing is better than being reintroduced to your childhood friend who is running away from the man she is supposed to marry, and your friends who will do anything to help you help her.

This is a wonderful story with many great characters that sure will make you laugh out loud. If you are a fan of Bridget E. Baker you might have known this book as Mates: Minerva.

If you love Friends, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, or Upside Down Magic, then this is the series for you. Bridget seamlessly weaves several different genres into this lighthearted fantasy series that has the wittiness of a sitcom but the suspense of a mystery miniseries. The characters are quirky but lovable, but also very relatable to anyone who ever longed to be accepted by a group but didn’t quite fit in and didn’t know why. They remind us that being different is what makes us special, even when it’s hard. This book will make you laugh out loud and warm your heart at the same time. And because it’s clean humor can appeal to all ages, it’s good family book as well. Like Roald Dahl, Bridget has an amazing gift for seamlessly integrating important life lessons into her books without compromising the entertainment value of the story. As a parent, I value the conversations that come from reading Bridget’s books together with my daughter.

So this read is just FUN! I loved this urban fantasy take on FRIENDS. A group of misfits who have very different career paths and personalities have enough in common to be comfortable friends who can walk on in each other’s places and crash on the couch. The main character of this book in the series is Minerva, a witch with a good heart who is trying her very best to follow her father’s supercop legacy. She wants to be a Guardian and protect the supernaturals who are not always treated the way they should be. After many failed attempts her goal and a hunky potential love interest are in sight! A former friend whose life could not be more different lands back in the picture and upsets the balance of the mostly predictable life Minerva and her friends have been living. Now it’s waking up with a princess roomie and pigeon poop on the bedspread. Can’t wait to see what misadventures await the crew in the next book!