A review by hazychapters
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous challenging dark tense 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

3.75

What a pleasure to read Leigh Bardugo’s prose once again with The Familiar. I know I’m late to the party, but I finally found the gut to dive into it, as I was so scared to get disappointed.

Set in Philip II’s Spain (16th century), we follow Luzia who works as a scullion to hide her powers and her Jewish lineage. But when her mistress discovers her magical abilities, Luzia is turned into a competitor to serve a disgraced secretary so he can gain back his king’s favour.

My two favourite things in this book were: Bardugo’s prose and Luzia. It is so refreshing to have a mature and perseverant MC. I’m really happy the author decided to go for an older character, rather than an 18-year-old girl.

I also loved the historical aspect of the story and all the research Bardugo did, but I have to admit I thought we would get more into details about the Inquisition. The plot was well done, but not unprecedented as it is (still) a « tropey » book in some kind of ways.

I think this book also has a slight problem with pacing. If I devoured the first one hundred pages, it took me much longer to get to the end. I’m also not a fan of how the trial plot was done, and I’d have preferred for it to be more of a subplot to focus on politics and the Inquisition.

Unpopular opinion here, but I didn’t find Santangel that groundbreaking. I’m tired of the brooding immortal character ending up being the MC’s love interest, especially when their romance is so underwhelming. Also, their relationship reminded me a lot of Alex and Darlington from NH (but not in a positive way). I can’t put my finger on the how and why, but I’d have preferred another romantic dynamic between those two.

In conclusion, The Familiar is a good book, but I’m a bit disappointed by how the book felt underwhelming at times.
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