Summary

Arabella, the lead in the story, has inherited the capabilities of a psychic medium. At the beginning of the story, we are introduced to a homicide investigation where Arabella is a prime suspect. Gradually, we are taken through a series of encounters that Arabella experiences with the departed. She calls them friends. On the fifteenth anniversary of her popular show Familiar, Arabella comes face to face with her past. Her personal life gets entangled with her paranormal friends, and she is confronted with the evil living in her house.

My Review

I enjoyed Familiar immensely. In the beginning, I thought this is just a series of Arabella’s stories of her paranormal encounters. But the main story was gently weaved in, and the final twist towards the end was a real shocker.

My favorite encounter was the one with Yvonne in Yvonne’s house. It gave me the creeps. The detailed description of the evil entity and then John’s act and subsequently Arabella’s reaction to it was just out-of-the-world spooky.

T.J.Blake’s writing is so engaging and yet so easy to follow. Although Arabella as a medium is transported into scenes of the past where the primary entity tries to show her how things happened, the scenes' distinction is clearly marked with the mention of the metallic blue and green sheen, every time for the readers. Also, I loved that the author provided a very satisfying ending. Everything concluded logically, and I loved the bit where Arabella spoke to her fans on stage and gave a complete and unbiased account of all the events that transpired. I think it was a very fitting end.

Arabella’s character and her inner turmoil were also portrayed in a very realistic manner. Seeing a ghost would creep out the strongest of the strong, which has been considered during Arabella’s various confrontations. Her constant struggle to help people connect with their family even when she is in fatal danger brings out the kindness and empathy in her soul. Which I think was essential to the character. I even liked Detective Barnes and the tough cop character he played.

Final verdict

To cut a long story short I don’t think there was anything to dislike about Familiar. It was addictive, powerful, and incredibly creepy and suspenseful. The tense atmosphere and mood were maintained throughout the book. I rate the book a perfect five out of five stars for its quality to keep me returning to it in every spare minute I had. I couldn’t stop reading it.

Who Should Read It

I recommend this book to fans of thrillers and paranormal. I also recommend it to readers who like a strong women-centric novel. But only adults should read this novel as it has themes with adult content like murder and rape.

Thank you Love Book Tours and the author for a copy of this wonderful book.

Happy Reading!

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