Reviews

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

__crazy_cat_lady__'s review against another edition

dark 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

4.25

bookishgirl4321's review against another edition

I enjoy historical fiction with some magical aspects but this book felt forced and uneven.
I wasn’t able to immerse myself into the story.

jonny_buijze's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful informative mysterious 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

I liked this a lot but also I couldn't stop imagining Santángel as Vlad Straud from the Sims 4 and I feel like that ruined my immersion a little bit

stephkmcg's review against another edition

abandoned for now 

vlookup's review against another edition

adventurous 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? No

5.0

Finally, a 5-star read! I loved every bit of this book and it’s something definitely worth rereading. This is my first Leigh Bardugo read and she has whet my appetite for more. Looking forward to read more books from her.

ashtonm's review against another edition

3.0

Leigh Bardugo does a great job creating magic systems shrouded with mysticism. This was a fun historical fiction book set in the Spanish Golden Age. The politics within the book is intriguing, but I feel that it could have used some cleaning up. Overall this was a fun read, but I was not wowed.

racheljiyoungshin's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

3.0

mayawildgoose's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

cathwren's review against another edition

3.0

I had initially imagined Santángel looking like Claude Frollo from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which is why a large portion of the book did not work for me. The concept and events within the book were compelling enough for me to carry on and the writing was quite beautiful at times. It felt like Bardugo's entry into New Adult and whilst I liked the majority of the writing there were moments that felt crass and unnecessary. I was disappointed that I did not care for any of the characters unlike in Bardugo's other books. 

Aspects of the characterisation and relationships developed felt vaguely similar to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and I didn't like them then and I don't like them now. The plot armour felt heavy in this ending. 

Would recommend (for an interesting magic system), wouldn't read again.

kieraawatson's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark inspiring 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

3.75