Reviews

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

marisazane's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

During the Spanish Golden Age, Luzia Cotado is working as a scullery, sleeping on the pantry floor, in a household that’s struggling to stay in the upper class. When the mistress of the house discovers Luzia can perform minor magic, like making a burnt loaf of bread edible again, she forces Luzia to perform for her friends in hopes of elevating her social status. Soon, Antonio Perez, secretary to (and not currently in the good graces of) King Philip learns of Luzia’s abilities and seizes the opportunity to regain the king’s favor. Luzia finds herself part of a tournament to become the king’s next miracle worker. She is thrust into a world of wealth, religion, alchemy, fraud, and darkness, and her lot is inextricably linked to that of immortal familiar Guillen Santangel. 
— 
This book has it all without doing too much. It’s historical fantasy without a lot of world building, there’s a romance that’s an important part of the story but not at the forefront, and there’s dark magic and deception but it’s not overbearing. The imagery is also brilliant - you can imagine the pantry where Luzia sleeps and the ornate dresses she wears for her performances in the tournament. This is for fans of Babel or The Night Circus. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

claysc107's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lvrsmoon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

dykish's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

library_of_alexandra_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

mkadirgamar's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

kmyers105's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

lilthief's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

3.0

cbird85's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

sarahtsg333reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Really liked the perspectives of some of the characters, others made the story drag at times; the beginning really swept me away, but 1/3 of the way through, I lost my way with the book a bit and had a harder time getting immersed in the story; this came and went throughout