This was the first historical fantasy book I’ve read, and I loved the setting so much! The magic was so well thought and it was interesting to see how it was perceived by people at the time. The plot was also very exciting.

The only thing is that I really didn’t like the ending. Like I know they were “together” in the end or whatever, but not in the way I would’ve liked.

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trying_ceratops's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

This is a good mix of historical fiction and magic and romance. None of these really overpower the others and the story is able to move along well.

I was afraid this character would be another meek yet powerful character from Bardugo like Shadow and Bone (which I did not enjoy) but the character has great, believable, growth and doesn’t disappoint. The romance feels like it grows realistically and isn't superficial. I’d give it a .5 🌶️ for spice. It’s there but not overly explicit and only a small part of the book.

The era of it made sense and I felt like I was back then, but not so much that it’s the sole part that drives the story.

The magic system is lovely and I enjoyed the language aspect of it.

I’d suggest this for people who like magic set in the real world but the real world is historical. Who want romance but with a story that is about more than that. And who like characters who choose their own fates.

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morganish's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

The Familiar is hard to fit into a genre, because it's too magical to be purely historical fiction. And it's dark, but it's not exactly horror? I'm gonna go ahead and designate a new genre of my own making that this fits into, along with several other books I've read this year like Lone Women and Vampires of El Norte: the Dark Fantasy Historical.

What Worked For Me

The Historical Setting: Similar to the other books I mentioned, the best thing about this book is that it takes a hyperspecific look at a historical time and place, one which I know very little or nothing about, and centers it. In this case, the book is set in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition; with a focus on the Jewish-Spanish experience. That was by far the most engaging part of the book for me. With as much vague cultural knowledge as there is floating around about the Spanish Inquisition, reading this was illuminating, and made me realize how very little I actually know about Spanish history or this particular period.

The Characterization: I expected this story to be a little bit more straightforward in its depictions of good guys versus villains, but this one kept me guessing. Not every character gets what a reader might think they deserve, but its done in an interesting way that always kept me surprised. It felt a bit more truly adult for that. And in a way that's hard to describe, feels a little bit more like escapism for me personally, when I'm kept guessing and things aren't all predictable.

The Prose: The writing wasn't distractingly flowery, but there were moments of writing that felt beautiful and timeless. The writing style felt a little bit like it was leaning toward and influenced by fairy tales at times, and the last few paragraphs solidified that in a way that was really emotionally impactful for me.

What Wasn't My Thing

The Distance From Characters: The downside to that narrative style is that sometimes I felt like there was an emotional separation between me and the characters. Which probably worked when it came to writing about some of the grislier things that happen in the story But made it harder to connect to them and get truly invested.

The Romance: I think that, because the story was a little removed emotionally, and because it's more historical, the romance didn't really work for me here. Especially because it followed a certain kind of trope which kind of seems like it's been done a lot (maybe that's just my age speaking). It almost felt like the writing decided it could skip big parts of the characters getting to know or fall for each other. The downside of that, for me as a slow-burn fan, is that it all felt really fast and I wasn't invested enough when I think the story expected me to be.

Who This Is For

I think this is going to appeal to historical fiction readers who don't mind a hint of dark fantasy. And for fantasy readers who like the more fairy tale-esque/YA style of stories and are okay with it having much darker, more adult elements. Existing fans of Leigh Bardugo's gritty underdog/outsider characters, dark worldbuilding & magic systems, and gothic-inspired romances would like this, even though the writing style, subject matter, and pacing felt very different from her usual.

My Personal Rating System

Still shying away from wanting to rate books like a product; it's not my place to say if a story deserves to exist, and I firmly believe 99% of all art has a place and an audience who needs it. Following my personal rating system just to show how much I personally connected with a given book:

5 stars: I got so invested that it's definitely on my agenda to read other books by this author
4 stars: I would be excited to read another book by this author, but it's not a priority
3 stars: don't plan to read more by this author, but if assigned for a book club, I'd be cool with it
2 stars: don't plan to read more by this author, & if assigned for a book club, I'd be like, ugh, ok, fine
1 star: I will never pick up a book by this author again if I can help it (usually due to overt bigotry)

Content Warnings

stormeno's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-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? Yes

5.0

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chronicacademia's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

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theespressoedition's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious slow-paced

4.0

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aileron's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

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pewterwolf's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.25

Set in Spanish Golden Age, we follow Luzia, a scullion. She tries not to be seen, but she uses scraps of magic to make life a little easier. But when her mistress discovers that Luzia can perform little miracles, she demands that Luzia uses them to better the family’s social position. But what begins as simple amusements for the bored nobility takes a dark turn when disgraced secretary of the Spanish King, Antonio Pérez, and his familiar, Guillén Santángel, sees her and takes a dark interest in her.

Luzia seizes the chance to better her self, but as her notoriety grows, the danger of her Jewish blood grows as, if she gets found out, the Inquisition’s wrath will be unspeakable. She has to stay several steps ahead. But the rules are always changing in the Spanish court and not everyone gets out alive.

I think I have to finally admit to myself that historical fiction and me aren’t going to get along and I need to stop pushing this genre onto my TBR lists.

I struggle with them. This audiobook took me a month to get through. I started it the week of release, but I really struggled to connect with this. Plus, my brain was all over the place So I couldn’t really focus on this. But, when I did sit down and listen, I found myself bored and not connecting with the characters and the story.

The story felt very slow and quite heavy (at times) for me. I like stories to have some pace when it starts, but it felt as if it took an age for the plot to charge forward. If you are a fan of slower burn of a plot where you get to know the characters, this is for you. But I find I like to know characters when they are doing something or when the plot is moving.

While I wasn’t a fan of the story and the characters (they’re flawed characters, but not exactly likeable. I understood why they behaved the way they did, but I found it them frustrated and every time I found an element of them that I liked, something happened and I would be back at square one with this character), I am a fan of Leigh Bardugo’s writing and it fits so nicely with the audiobook’s narrator, Lauren Fortgang. I know she has read several other books by Bardugo, but this partnership works.

But this wasn’t for me. If you are a fan of historical fiction with an edge of magic, you should check it out. But be warned, it is a slow burn of a plot and can be heavy in places.

As for me, like I said earlier, I think I have to admit that historical fiction, while a genre I like dipping my toe in and out of, isn’t the genre for me. I do have some on my TBR but I have heard really positive things about them so going to take the risk, but am going to go into them with low expectations.

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