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meganpbell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual content, Torture, Classism, Body shaming, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Death of parent
sxndaze's review against another edition
- 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
A thousand stories. A thousand
meanings. But in the end, it belongs to no one, except the woman who holds it in her hand.
a little slow in the beginning, but it’s an addicting read. the amount of names and characters that are thrown at you can be overwhelming at times too, but that’s the nature of fantasy i think. luzia is a wonderful character and her drive and ambition is something you can’t help but root for. santángel is dark and broody and everything i love in a character and the two of them together are chefs kiss.
the plot is intriguing and the magic system is fascinating. the development of the side characters is wonderful too and i enjoyed my time with them. it’s definitely something i want to revisit again in the future.
Graphic: Gore, Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Torture, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infertility, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol
themis_biblos's review against another edition
- 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
I only wanted a little warmth. I didn't know what kind of fire I would start.
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Emotional abuse, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Death, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content
soniajoy98's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cursing, Classism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Antisemitism, Abandonment, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Sexism
Moderate: Mental illness, Torture, Gore, Islamophobia, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Alcohol, Sexual violence, Grief, Biphobia, Ableism, Confinement, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Infertility, and War
pagesandtales's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Torture, Religious bigotry, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and War
annmeyer's review against another edition
- 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
it's one of the best books i've read so far this year and i'm already excited to re-read it again someday (maybe even soon tbh). i can also safely say i will enthusiastically continue to read anything leigh bardugo writes as long as i live. her books only get better and better.
- a beautiful story with beautiful prose. i was hooked by about 50 pages and didn't want to put it down, but i felt increasingly stressed as i started to near the end; the pacing was really well done overall. i came across so many funny lines or phrases that were simply pleasant on the brain, so much so that i want to go back through and mark them to savor them again and again.
- witty and compelling dialogue, from banter and advice down to the framing and sentence structure. reading this right after reading a story with a lot of repetitive and convoluted dialogue felt like a breath of fresh air; i had almost forgotten how good it could be.
- intriguing and loveable (and despicable) characters, including secondary characters. lots of instances in which you begin to feel sympathetic or suspicious toward unexpected people. some very heartbreaking endings as well as some extremely satisfying ones — even in terms of microcharacters whose stories you learn only in the span of a page or two.
- excellent world-building (Spanish Inquisition; class, political, gender issues; religion and family)
- magic, curses, illusions, language. love a series of trials/competitions between fantastically powerful people.
- romance that had me gnawing on the bars of my enclosure and giddily punching the air. did not expect it to be as wonderful as it was.
just sitting here in awe trying to figure out what to do with myself now
Graphic: Torture and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Antisemitism, Misogyny, and Sexual content
camiclarkbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Blood, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Cursing, Abandonment, Antisemitism, Misogyny, Medical content, Confinement, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, War, and Pregnancy
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