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dreamer626's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Violence and Death
uranaishi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Confinement
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy, Vomit, Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Terminal illness, War, Outing, Homophobia, and Rape
deedireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
If Leigh writes it, I read it. It’s that simple. And with The Familiar, our queen has blessed us once again. Boy, does she know how to sweep us away, how to write a love story, and how to knock an ENDING (!) out of the park.
Ninth House was super different from the Grishaverse, and this book is super different from all of them. A standalone adult historical fiction with magic rooted in culture and based on Leigh’s own family history, this book is quieter and slower than her other books, but with plenty of power and momentum.
This book is a love story, yes, but it’s also all about survival and claiming one’s own power. Not surprisingly given her family ties, Leigh’s depiction of Jewish perseverance and community during the Spanish Inquisition is truly chef’s kiss.
Bardugo fans, get excited, and be ready to widen your understanding of what she can do with a story.
Graphic: Antisemitism, Death of parent, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual content, Murder, and Sexual assault
madlysoph's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The intensity of both her and her love interest makes the moments of tenderness all the more beautiful. They so easily understand one another and are constantly awed by each other. Their relationship was easy to fall in love with, they are tender and fierce, and unapologetic. There is some smut, mostly concentrated in one portion of the book, it was the way I prefer it, vague and mostly fade to black. There is also a lot of crude language as well (see 1500s Spain).
The way everything plays out and how all the threads weave together is done very well. When the pieces are put together it is a surprise but not a shock as the foundation has been properly laid. The women in this book are unapologetic, what they make of the situations they find themselves in they do not apologize for.
This book felt surprisingly tender, there was a tremendous amount of care and love put into it as well as research, she cites many sources in the author's notes. The themes and symbolism were done masterfully, fortune and curses are a theme that is woven into the story seamlessly. The symbolism of the orange blossoms throughout was beautifully done and felt very tender. I love pomegranate symbolism and I loved the way it was done here.
This book was funny, not consistently funny but on occasion I would be caught off guard and have to laugh out loud. The background character of the playwright (whose name escapes me at the moment) was incredibly humorous as she manages to appear in the background from the very beginning and stays until the very end.
I love how Leigh does endings, I closed this book content with the fates of nearly every character. Of course a good book makes you want more, but I didn’t need more for the story to feel whole and complete. This is a book that I will definitely reread and will most likely fall more in love with each time I reread it.
Moderate: Antisemitism, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, and Torture