tyrfishy 's review for:

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

4.5

dark emotional tense

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Having only read the Crows duology from Bardugo I was expecting something like that - this book took me quite by surprise because of that somehow. I had no idea where the story was going or what to expect but I quickly got very into it. In some ways it's v different from the Crows but it some ways there are similarities - the characters are fleshed out and fascinating, the chemistry and at times menace between characters was so solid, and there's life to the story and prose. I was very taken by the romance and glad of the ending. I also very much liked how the book showed that kindnesses could be passed on and decisions - even those around death - could bring fortune to deserving people. I just liked that reminder that our actions and lives have meaning even if we are much smaller in the story than we think.