Reviews

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

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ginevraslowwreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

maucha's review

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adventurous inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.75

brewdy_reader's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕱𝖆𝖒𝖎𝖑𝖎𝖆𝖗 𝖇𝖞 𝕷𝖊𝖎𝖌𝖍 𝕭𝖆𝖗𝖉𝖚𝖌𝖔
𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 • 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 • 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮 • 𝘎𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤
𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 9 𝘈𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘭 2024

Unlike her priors, The Familiar is a standalone novel, not a high fantasy but historical fantasy - which transports us back in time to Renaissance era Spain under the rule of King Philip. This is a court drama with politics and scheming that burns low and slow.

Luzia is an ambitious scullery maid of the lowest class who has the audacity to aspire to change her station in life, catapulting her to center stage high society and a competition to perform miracles between men vying for the favor of the king. She has been either blessed or cursed (as a matter of perspective) with the gift of transformation, transfiguration, transmutation -- spells uttered through lyrical, lilting phrases sung aloud. Is it a God given miracle or the work of witchcraft and the Devil? In religious 16th century Spain, either is equally likely and the Inquisition will root out all evils as threats to the crown.

For the first half of the book there was nary a character I liked, to include our leading lady Luzia. The only one who held my interest was the mysterious Santángel, the namesake of the book. By the midway point, I was fully invested in how the story would unfold, and Leigh Bardugo did not fail to deliver in the final act of the book.

If you like historical fiction, court intrigue, and magic, give this book a go. My favorites are still Ninth House and Rule of Wolves/King of Scars, but I'll read anything Leigh Bardugo puts out and always yearn for more.

madelise's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

misslisa11's review

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Book 56 of 2024: The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her mistress discovers that Luzia is actually hiding a talent for magic, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family’s position. What begins as amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain’s king. Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king’s favor, and hosts a toreno where people with magical abilities will compete for the chance to become the king’s confidant and influence Spain’s empire with their magical gifts. Determined to seize this chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition’s wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.

This was such an entertaining read! The blend of historical fiction and fantasy was fantastic and I really felt emerged in the world that Bardugo created. I was fascinated by how she was able to use the Spanish Inquisition to set the scene for this story, and tell tales of those who were persecuted throughout this terrible time in Spain’s history. I really appreciated the Jewish experience and representation in this book, and learned a lot about how non-Catholics were persecuted during the inquisition, as well as how “witchcraft” accusations were used as not only as a weapon of misogyny but also of cultural and religious erasure. I loved that Luzia’s character never shied away from her identity and how her magic helped her come into her own. She was such a strong and brilliant protagonist and I couldn’t help but cheer for her. I loved her relationship with Santangel and the bargain that they were able to strike to help one another. Great book!