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A review by sueread2030
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"Is he cruel to you? Has he hurt you?"
"He is a man and so the answer must be yes"
I am sorry for those who read this book and missed its message
I am sorry for you if you thought this was a romantacy between a servant girl and a vampire
If Bardugo proved anything with this book it is that she is not a one-horse-track writer
She can build worlds
conjure intricate magic systems
She can bring forth amazing characters
make us love, hate, relate, and empathize with them
She can blend real world with the underworld
to highlight social contrasts and modern themes
and she can take us back in time
to the era of the Spanish Inquisition
showing us through fantasy how women's lives were perceived
how, even though, each woman had a different social status, they all were living the same sexism standards
There is romance, but I would never consider this a fantasy Romance
The Familiar is a History fantasy with romance if you will littered with important themes
Women Position
“She felt a jolt of anger at how little weight she had in this world, how little she had to keep her from being caught up in the wind and scattered like dust swept off the stoop.”
The women at that time, in this book, are treated as all women were treated, as objects. They try to find their place and happiness in a world dominated by Men.
Luzia has to find her strength in her forbidden magic
“Luzia could taste the pomegranate in her mouth, the flavor of her own ambition, her appetite for more. She eyed the golden curtains of the stage and knew she would prove Santángel right. She was done going hungry.”
Valentina had to step down from seeking marital perfection to find her love for herself and for women
“While it was true that she’d simply gone from one loveless home to another, that didn’t mean she didn’t feel the absence of love. Doña Valentina had no acceptable name for the longing she felt, and no idea how to soothe it, so she filled her days irritating their few servants with constant correction and existing in a state of relentless dissatisfaction.”
Religious Intolerance and the nonacceptance of others
The whole story is how the Crown arranges a trial for the Familiars giving them a chance to win a fortune only to turn around and torture them for being Familiars.
“Their great religion can make bread into flesh and wine into blood. But they don’t believe that any amount of holy water or prayer can truly make a Jew a Christian.”
“The Inquisition treated all heretics the same way, and a child sinner was no less dangerous to the soul of Spain.”
and yeah ok, the romance between Luzia and Santangel was cute
"He is a man and so the answer must be yes"
I am sorry for those who read this book and missed its message
I am sorry for you if you thought this was a romantacy between a servant girl and a vampire
If Bardugo proved anything with this book it is that she is not a one-horse-track writer
She can build worlds
conjure intricate magic systems
She can bring forth amazing characters
make us love, hate, relate, and empathize with them
She can blend real world with the underworld
to highlight social contrasts and modern themes
and she can take us back in time
to the era of the Spanish Inquisition
showing us through fantasy how women's lives were perceived
how, even though, each woman had a different social status, they all were living the same sexism standards
There is romance, but I would never consider this a fantasy Romance
The Familiar is a History fantasy with romance if you will littered with important themes
Women Position
“She felt a jolt of anger at how little weight she had in this world, how little she had to keep her from being caught up in the wind and scattered like dust swept off the stoop.”
The women at that time, in this book, are treated as all women were treated, as objects. They try to find their place and happiness in a world dominated by Men.
Luzia has to find her strength in her forbidden magic
“Luzia could taste the pomegranate in her mouth, the flavor of her own ambition, her appetite for more. She eyed the golden curtains of the stage and knew she would prove Santángel right. She was done going hungry.”
Valentina had to step down from seeking marital perfection to find her love for herself and for women
“While it was true that she’d simply gone from one loveless home to another, that didn’t mean she didn’t feel the absence of love. Doña Valentina had no acceptable name for the longing she felt, and no idea how to soothe it, so she filled her days irritating their few servants with constant correction and existing in a state of relentless dissatisfaction.”
Religious Intolerance and the nonacceptance of others
The whole story is how the Crown arranges a trial for the Familiars giving them a chance to win a fortune only to turn around and torture them for being Familiars.
“Their great religion can make bread into flesh and wine into blood. But they don’t believe that any amount of holy water or prayer can truly make a Jew a Christian.”
“The Inquisition treated all heretics the same way, and a child sinner was no less dangerous to the soul of Spain.”
and yeah ok, the romance between Luzia and Santangel was cute