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A review by kathleenfairchild
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
3.25
The writing is easily the best part of this book. It fits the time period the story is set in but is still easy to read. I found it to be quite beautiful.
The story is told from multiple POVs. I don’t usually mind this. In this case, I don’t think all these POVs truly added something new to the story or moved it along in a significant way. The book could have worked just as well told only from Luzia’s POV, in my opinion. Luzia also is the only character I cared about, even though it has taken a bit of time to get there. I’ve struggled to connect with the other characters, and only barely managed to do so because of how they are connected to Luzia.
The romance didn’t work for me because I didn’t feel any chemistry or tension between Luzia and Santangel. I could detect the parts in the story where the author tried to shift that relationship into something more but it didn’t transport well. The two characters don’t spend enough time together to make me believe in the love we are told has built between them. And while the romance is not the main event of this tale, it is still significant to how the story unfolds. So me being unsatisfied with it definitely influenced my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
I liked the setting and I think the author did a great job showing us what life might have been like in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition, especially when you’re a Jew and have magic like Luzia, who turns out to be quite reckless and ambitious as well in order to get away from life as a servant who is constantly having to hide who she is to not get caught. An intriguing setup for sure. I wish we would have had the opportunity to delve deeper into this world and explore the magic more in depth.
The ending left me unsatisfied because it felt a bit too convenient.
All in all, I’m still glad I read this and I’d recommend it for the setting, the writing and most of Luzia’s story line, not so much for the romance, though. I appreciate that this is a standalone. No big commitment. I had an alright time with it.
The story is told from multiple POVs. I don’t usually mind this. In this case, I don’t think all these POVs truly added something new to the story or moved it along in a significant way. The book could have worked just as well told only from Luzia’s POV, in my opinion. Luzia also is the only character I cared about, even though it has taken a bit of time to get there. I’ve struggled to connect with the other characters, and only barely managed to do so because of how they are connected to Luzia.
The romance didn’t work for me because I didn’t feel any chemistry or tension between Luzia and Santangel. I could detect the parts in the story where the author tried to shift that relationship into something more but it didn’t transport well. The two characters don’t spend enough time together to make me believe in the love we are told has built between them. And while the romance is not the main event of this tale, it is still significant to how the story unfolds. So me being unsatisfied with it definitely influenced my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
I liked the setting and I think the author did a great job showing us what life might have been like in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition, especially when you’re a Jew and have magic like Luzia, who turns out to be quite reckless and ambitious as well in order to get away from life as a servant who is constantly having to hide who she is to not get caught. An intriguing setup for sure. I wish we would have had the opportunity to delve deeper into this world and explore the magic more in depth.
The ending left me unsatisfied because it felt a bit too convenient.
All in all, I’m still glad I read this and I’d recommend it for the setting, the writing and most of Luzia’s story line, not so much for the romance, though. I appreciate that this is a standalone. No big commitment. I had an alright time with it.