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The Familiar
From the New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House, Hell Bent, and creator of the Grishaverse series comes a highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age
In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position.
What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor.
Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.
In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position.
What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor.
Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.
13 pages, Audiobook
First published April 9, 2024
About the author
Leigh Bardugo
76 books171k followersLeigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology—and much more. Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Los Angeles and is an associate fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University. For information on new releases and appearances, sign up for her newsletter.
She would be delighted if you visited her at LeighBardugo.com and fairly giddy if you liked her selfies on Instagram.
She would be delighted if you visited her at LeighBardugo.com and fairly giddy if you liked her selfies on Instagram.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 10,125 reviews
August 1, 2024
leigh bardugo writes it, i read it.
for better or worse.
guess which one it is in this case.
welcome to THE FAMILIAR, the genre-bending, worst-of-both-worlds historical fantasy universe of luzia. luzia is a maid. she is also magic. she is also boring.
luzia is an orphan who works in some middle class evil lady's house cleaning stuff all day. she is obsessed with her aunt, who has a lot of money. you may be like "why doesn't she live with her aunt, then?" because she is a kept woman. you might then wonder why luzia's girlboss self is so bothered by this: she is not. she sleeps on a dusty floor instead of on, like, glamorous cushions with her dear family member because her (dead) dad thought her aunt's reputation was bad and that's the worst thing that can happen to a girl. the concept of being near a bad reputation. because of wanting to get married.
do not dwell on that too long, because we're going to ignore it for the rest of the plot.
we're hot in the middle of the SPANISH GOLDEN AGE, and it's evil to be a witch but it's very rad to be so christian it actually makes you magic. luzia sets off to participate in a god's love contest, along with her abusive employer (ignore that), her aunt's bad reputation (ignore that), a million year old creep (ignore that, he's supposed to suddenly become sexy), her aunt's boyfriend and his wife (ignore that), and a few ragtag others.
discerning readers may remember we mentioned a creepy ancient man we are supposed to find unbelievably hot about halfway through. this wannabe edward cullen makes up half of the world's most soulless romance.
somehow i'm reading about magical star-crossed lovers and their doomed soulmate status but i know couples from my high school whose stories i'm more interested in. which is maybe not a fair comparison because i love gossip, but still.
on top of being a boring romance, this is not a convincing historical fiction. that doesn't bother me really (i hate reading modern writers try to write old-timey), but the fact that it's also not a convincing teller of its own story does.
this book is not sure how our protagonist knows so much, or expects more for herself, or practices her magic. it kind of just inconsistently provides her with whatever is convenient for the scraps of plot we're navigating and hopes we don't have follow-up questions or memory of what we've already read.
the writing, too, is style-first: sentences sound good, but when you take away the drama, they don't really fit together. the sweeping gestures of characters and of wording...both of them rarely make sense.
also, for some reason our narrator is omnipotent.
yes. all of the side characters' internal thoughts and feelings pop up from time to time like an annoying bug, seeming like a shallow afterthought compared to the protagonist's, with none of it going beyond what you or the main character would assume. so why bother? who knows!
that's not the only perspective choice that left me shaking my damn head either. to have it be speaking from the future and casting opinions on the events of the story was even weirder. it's so annoying to be like "perhaps if luzia had gotten a haircut that day everything would be different." ok butterfly effect!
i can always tell i really didn't like a book if i have multiple paragraphs' worth of thoughts about a single writing element. but i force myself to digress.
in the most annoying and present sin of all, this is not a story of magic trials and sorcery.
it's about old-timey european politics.
the climax occurs when a former secretary loses his job.
unforgivable.
bottom line: this book is nothing that it said it was, and nothing that it wanted to be, and nothing when you dig into it at all.
for better or worse.
guess which one it is in this case.
welcome to THE FAMILIAR, the genre-bending, worst-of-both-worlds historical fantasy universe of luzia. luzia is a maid. she is also magic. she is also boring.
luzia is an orphan who works in some middle class evil lady's house cleaning stuff all day. she is obsessed with her aunt, who has a lot of money. you may be like "why doesn't she live with her aunt, then?" because she is a kept woman. you might then wonder why luzia's girlboss self is so bothered by this: she is not. she sleeps on a dusty floor instead of on, like, glamorous cushions with her dear family member because her (dead) dad thought her aunt's reputation was bad and that's the worst thing that can happen to a girl. the concept of being near a bad reputation. because of wanting to get married.
do not dwell on that too long, because we're going to ignore it for the rest of the plot.
we're hot in the middle of the SPANISH GOLDEN AGE, and it's evil to be a witch but it's very rad to be so christian it actually makes you magic. luzia sets off to participate in a god's love contest, along with her abusive employer (ignore that), her aunt's bad reputation (ignore that), a million year old creep (ignore that, he's supposed to suddenly become sexy), her aunt's boyfriend and his wife (ignore that), and a few ragtag others.
discerning readers may remember we mentioned a creepy ancient man we are supposed to find unbelievably hot about halfway through. this wannabe edward cullen makes up half of the world's most soulless romance.
somehow i'm reading about magical star-crossed lovers and their doomed soulmate status but i know couples from my high school whose stories i'm more interested in. which is maybe not a fair comparison because i love gossip, but still.
on top of being a boring romance, this is not a convincing historical fiction. that doesn't bother me really (i hate reading modern writers try to write old-timey), but the fact that it's also not a convincing teller of its own story does.
this book is not sure how our protagonist knows so much, or expects more for herself, or practices her magic. it kind of just inconsistently provides her with whatever is convenient for the scraps of plot we're navigating and hopes we don't have follow-up questions or memory of what we've already read.
the writing, too, is style-first: sentences sound good, but when you take away the drama, they don't really fit together. the sweeping gestures of characters and of wording...both of them rarely make sense.
also, for some reason our narrator is omnipotent.
yes. all of the side characters' internal thoughts and feelings pop up from time to time like an annoying bug, seeming like a shallow afterthought compared to the protagonist's, with none of it going beyond what you or the main character would assume. so why bother? who knows!
that's not the only perspective choice that left me shaking my damn head either. to have it be speaking from the future and casting opinions on the events of the story was even weirder. it's so annoying to be like "perhaps if luzia had gotten a haircut that day everything would be different." ok butterfly effect!
i can always tell i really didn't like a book if i have multiple paragraphs' worth of thoughts about a single writing element. but i force myself to digress.
in the most annoying and present sin of all, this is not a story of magic trials and sorcery.
it's about old-timey european politics.
the climax occurs when a former secretary loses his job.
unforgivable.
bottom line: this book is nothing that it said it was, and nothing that it wanted to be, and nothing when you dig into it at all.
April 16, 2024
LEIGH BARDUGO YOU GENIUS
another hot immortal man who’s just a funky little guy that treats his love interest like she literally makes the sun shine🤲
the familiar is a brilliant twist of magic and circumstance, of bargains gone wrong and words that can undo even the most powerful of bonds.
this really struck the perfect note between historical fiction and fantasy, and i can tell readers of both will completely devour this!
thank you to the publisher for providing an arc!
full review to come
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another hot immortal man who’s just a funky little guy that treats his love interest like she literally makes the sun shine🤲
the familiar is a brilliant twist of magic and circumstance, of bargains gone wrong and words that can undo even the most powerful of bonds.
this really struck the perfect note between historical fiction and fantasy, and i can tell readers of both will completely devour this!
thank you to the publisher for providing an arc!
full review to come
Follow me on Instagram
September 18, 2023
I've never done this before, but I see that it is permitted, so FIVE STARS FOR ME.
* This is an all-new novel.
* It's historical fantasy set in late 16th century Madrid.
* It is adult, a standalone, and inspired by my own family history. (Most of my books get written in the daylight hours, but this one only worked at night, and I have to wonder if that's when the ghosts felt most comfortable dropping by to read over my shoulder.)
ARCs and giveaways to come.
See you in April 🖤
* This is an all-new novel.
* It's historical fantasy set in late 16th century Madrid.
* It is adult, a standalone, and inspired by my own family history. (Most of my books get written in the daylight hours, but this one only worked at night, and I have to wonder if that's when the ghosts felt most comfortable dropping by to read over my shoulder.)
ARCs and giveaways to come.
See you in April 🖤
Want to read
November 5, 2023✨️UPDATE:✨️ pre-order link 😩😩❤️🔥
leigh bardugo:
me: 💳✨️💳✨️💳✨️💳✨️💳
leigh bardugo:
me: 💳✨️💳✨️💳✨️💳✨️💳
May 4, 2024
3.75!
“She would build herself a life of plenty. She would force her world to bloom as she’d made the pomegranate tree grow, and Santángel would help her do it. Even if blood watered the soil.”
I am bumping it up a bit because I really like the ending but besides that for me it was still very subpar considering the masterpieces that Bardugo has released over the years.
I love Leighs writing. Shadow and bone was one of the series that got me into reading, six of crows will forever have a place in my heart, King of scars was a strong spin off series ad Ninth House was the perfect escape from the grishaverse, so I was expecting The Familiar her third non-grisha book to be amazing as well but to unfortunately it fell flat and the book and my expectations went in totally opposite directions.
Her writing here is also amazing dont get me wrong because I loved the writing the most here, it was very well written but just not how I was expecting it to go. This book promised us magic, trials, champions and a life under the oppressors...it focus on I think two of them, one of them being magic (which was not used the way I thought it would be) and, living under extremists.
One of the problems that this book is a stand-alone and I think it is Leigh Bardugos first adult stand-alone so everything about it felt very foreign, it often felt like Leigh was lost at times because the characters I am so disappointed to say this but were very forgettable?? I think I just remember Luzia's name, her religion and that she had magic besides that I do not remember anything about her and Santangel (hear me out) had immense potential, he had so much backstory that could have been explored but all in all, his character despite some good moments fell flat as well.
The plot was (I do not knowhow to describe it)- clearly Leigh knew what she was doing here because it is inspired by her family history, and also the historical part (i do not know how accurate it is) was very enjoyable to read about but I was expecting more on that front, like I wanted it to be explored more. I felt like Leigh Bardugo Set up this story in a very intricate manner and it was going somewhere at first, a direction that I was liking and one that had me hooked but slowly my interest depleted because it was going forward at a snails pace and the way it was being executed (the trials) were very underwhelming because I was expecting something with more high-stakes. The magic systems also felt very underwhelming and I was very frustrated because I really did see the potential that it had and how well it could have been developed.
The romance was focused more on and I found it a bit surprising and normally I would not mind it and would enjoy but the problem was I had nit built enough of a connection with the characters to indulge in their experiences and feel what they were feeling so I also could not enjoy the romance as much. The ending however was truly amazing, I loved it a lot and the way the ending was written was very beautiful.
All in all, I think this book would have been better off being a series or just longer in length as not many things were dealt with well and needed more time. I think despite it being a problem of my expectations most of the problems that I highlighted are very valid. I enjoyed some parts if it, so thats why its getting a three and because of the ending. A disappointing read because I know Bardugo can do way better but it also can be viewed as her first adult stand-alone historical fiction work so by that standards it was slightly better.
___
My most anticipated release is finally in my hands 😭*proceeds with shaky hands* pls don't pull a hofas 🙏
___
"Santángel would do what he must. If he was a beast, let him be a beast without a cage."
I haven't even met Santángel but I would let him be a beast without cage tyvm 🤭
.
"I should warn you, this isn't a happy story."
"I don't recall asking for such a thing"
Curses can be cruel
Leigh bestie....why don't you kill me now because I can't wait anymore 😭
.
"You're done with me then?"
"I haven't even begun."
AHHHH I WANT IT RIGHT NOW PLEASE GOD GIVE ME THIS 🙏🏻😭💸
.
I brought you the pomegranate because it means something different to everyone...
A thousand stories.
A thousand meanings.
But in the end it belongs to no one, except the woman who holds it in her hand.
Someone help I can't breathe 😮💨
I just know this will be so lyrical and poetic 😌
___
Omgg a new Leigh Bardugo book?! Different from the grishaverse and set in the Spanish golden age?!? Whilst being an adult historical fiction!? Sign me tf up!!
“She would build herself a life of plenty. She would force her world to bloom as she’d made the pomegranate tree grow, and Santángel would help her do it. Even if blood watered the soil.”
I am bumping it up a bit because I really like the ending but besides that for me it was still very subpar considering the masterpieces that Bardugo has released over the years.
I love Leighs writing. Shadow and bone was one of the series that got me into reading, six of crows will forever have a place in my heart, King of scars was a strong spin off series ad Ninth House was the perfect escape from the grishaverse, so I was expecting The Familiar her third non-grisha book to be amazing as well but to unfortunately it fell flat and the book and my expectations went in totally opposite directions.
Her writing here is also amazing dont get me wrong because I loved the writing the most here, it was very well written but just not how I was expecting it to go. This book promised us magic, trials, champions and a life under the oppressors...it focus on I think two of them, one of them being magic (which was not used the way I thought it would be) and, living under extremists.
One of the problems that this book is a stand-alone and I think it is Leigh Bardugos first adult stand-alone so everything about it felt very foreign, it often felt like Leigh was lost at times because the characters I am so disappointed to say this but were very forgettable?? I think I just remember Luzia's name, her religion and that she had magic besides that I do not remember anything about her and Santangel (hear me out) had immense potential, he had so much backstory that could have been explored but all in all, his character despite some good moments fell flat as well.
The plot was (I do not knowhow to describe it)- clearly Leigh knew what she was doing here because it is inspired by her family history, and also the historical part (i do not know how accurate it is) was very enjoyable to read about but I was expecting more on that front, like I wanted it to be explored more. I felt like Leigh Bardugo Set up this story in a very intricate manner and it was going somewhere at first, a direction that I was liking and one that had me hooked but slowly my interest depleted because it was going forward at a snails pace and the way it was being executed (the trials) were very underwhelming because I was expecting something with more high-stakes. The magic systems also felt very underwhelming and I was very frustrated because I really did see the potential that it had and how well it could have been developed.
The romance was focused more on and I found it a bit surprising and normally I would not mind it and would enjoy but the problem was I had nit built enough of a connection with the characters to indulge in their experiences and feel what they were feeling so I also could not enjoy the romance as much. The ending however was truly amazing, I loved it a lot and the way the ending was written was very beautiful.
All in all, I think this book would have been better off being a series or just longer in length as not many things were dealt with well and needed more time. I think despite it being a problem of my expectations most of the problems that I highlighted are very valid. I enjoyed some parts if it, so thats why its getting a three and because of the ending. A disappointing read because I know Bardugo can do way better but it also can be viewed as her first adult stand-alone historical fiction work so by that standards it was slightly better.
___
My most anticipated release is finally in my hands 😭
___
"Santángel would do what he must. If he was a beast, let him be a beast without a cage."
I haven't even met Santángel but I would let him be a beast without cage tyvm 🤭
.
"I should warn you, this isn't a happy story."
"I don't recall asking for such a thing"
Curses can be cruel
Leigh bestie....why don't you kill me now because I can't wait anymore 😭
.
"You're done with me then?"
"I haven't even begun."
AHHHH I WANT IT RIGHT NOW PLEASE GOD GIVE ME THIS 🙏🏻😭💸
.
I brought you the pomegranate because it means something different to everyone...
A thousand stories.
A thousand meanings.
But in the end it belongs to no one, except the woman who holds it in her hand.
Someone help I can't breathe 😮💨
I just know this will be so lyrical and poetic 😌
___
Omgg a new Leigh Bardugo book?! Different from the grishaverse and set in the Spanish golden age?!? Whilst being an adult historical fiction!? Sign me tf up!!
Want to read
December 1, 2023ready to poppeth thine pussy merrily to what is sure to be a sexy lil semi- vampiric escapade
May 2, 2024
The Familiar is a perfectly adequate book. The prose is serviceable. The character motivations make sense. The historical setting is carefully rendered. In fact, had it been a debut novel written by an up-and-coming author, I would have praised its well constructed—if a little predictable—plot and overlooked the simplicity with which the themes are presented.
But this wasn’t written by just any author. It was written by Leigh Bardugo, a literary powerhouse who could publish her shopping list and turn it into an instant bestseller. I’ve loved some of Bardugo’s past works and heavily disliked some others, but this is the first time I feel absolutely neutral about one of her books.
My feelings are probably due to the fact that nearly everything about The Familiar feels generic: the underdog female protagonist who looks plain and unremarkable, but is in fact extremely powerful; the shallow feminist message that the narrative beats you over the head with; and, of course, the shoehorned romance between a virginal young woman and a brooding immortal man. Groundbreaking.
I kept waiting for something to awaken my interest and set this story apart from the hundreds of romantasy novels that populate the shelves of book stores everywhere; but alas, that something never came. Even Bardugo’s writing style, which is usually one of her stronger assets, felt bland here. There was no trace of her signature irony and wit in the dialogue, no memorable line that stood out to me.
The characters read less like human beings and more like archetypes that the author employs to develop a plot point or drive home a certain message. Every single male character apart from the love interest is thoroughly unlikeable and misogynistic; the commentary on class and religious persecution feels very obvious and repetitive. Given that this author is known for writing layered and compelling villains, I was disappointed with how cartoonishly evil the antagonist acted right from the start.
Most of all, I was underwhelmed by the romance. The two leads seemed to have nothing in common apart from their magic, and I was puzzled by how quickly they went from barely knowing each other to being madly in love. Santangel in particular was utterly charmless and far from the twisted, dangerous demon that everyone in the book seemed to think he was.
With Ninth House, Bardugo proved that she was willing to experiment with her fiction; that she could write darker, grittier, more complex stories presenting thorny themes in a nuanced manner. None of that complexity made it to this book. This is a paint-by-numbers historical fantasy, virtually indistinguishable from the plethora of similar stories published in the past five years to chase the latest trends and appeal to the widest possible audience. I am frankly disappointed that this is all Bardugo could come up with when presented with an opportunity to write literally whatever she wanted.
But this wasn’t written by just any author. It was written by Leigh Bardugo, a literary powerhouse who could publish her shopping list and turn it into an instant bestseller. I’ve loved some of Bardugo’s past works and heavily disliked some others, but this is the first time I feel absolutely neutral about one of her books.
My feelings are probably due to the fact that nearly everything about The Familiar feels generic: the underdog female protagonist who looks plain and unremarkable, but is in fact extremely powerful; the shallow feminist message that the narrative beats you over the head with; and, of course, the shoehorned romance between a virginal young woman and a brooding immortal man. Groundbreaking.
I kept waiting for something to awaken my interest and set this story apart from the hundreds of romantasy novels that populate the shelves of book stores everywhere; but alas, that something never came. Even Bardugo’s writing style, which is usually one of her stronger assets, felt bland here. There was no trace of her signature irony and wit in the dialogue, no memorable line that stood out to me.
The characters read less like human beings and more like archetypes that the author employs to develop a plot point or drive home a certain message. Every single male character apart from the love interest is thoroughly unlikeable and misogynistic; the commentary on class and religious persecution feels very obvious and repetitive. Given that this author is known for writing layered and compelling villains, I was disappointed with how cartoonishly evil the antagonist acted right from the start.
Most of all, I was underwhelmed by the romance. The two leads seemed to have nothing in common apart from their magic, and I was puzzled by how quickly they went from barely knowing each other to being madly in love. Santangel in particular was utterly charmless and far from the twisted, dangerous demon that everyone in the book seemed to think he was.
With Ninth House, Bardugo proved that she was willing to experiment with her fiction; that she could write darker, grittier, more complex stories presenting thorny themes in a nuanced manner. None of that complexity made it to this book. This is a paint-by-numbers historical fantasy, virtually indistinguishable from the plethora of similar stories published in the past five years to chase the latest trends and appeal to the widest possible audience. I am frankly disappointed that this is all Bardugo could come up with when presented with an opportunity to write literally whatever she wanted.
April 16, 2024
I'm bored to MF death ya'll. 😩- I give up. DNF @38%
I feel like I'm so behind with books 😩 but looking forward to starting this one ASAP! this week! 🖤🩸🗡️🫦🖤
⬆
Whew, look at me maintaining goals - here we go 👏🏻
"Maybe if she'd been born on a different day, or even at a different hour, without the prayers for a queen's soul echoing in her ears, she might have done just that. But she could be no one but herself."
"Santangel would do what he must. If he was a beast, let him be a a beast without a cage."
⬆
Whew, look at me maintaining goals - here we go 👏🏻
"Maybe if she'd been born on a different day, or even at a different hour, without the prayers for a queen's soul echoing in her ears, she might have done just that. But she could be no one but herself."
"Santangel would do what he must. If he was a beast, let him be a a beast without a cage."
May 8, 2024
As a lover of a good story, I was captivated by this book. I felt the highs and the lows with each of the characters throughout. The writing is masterful. The descriptions were full of life and the characters felt like old friends. It would have been easy to make some of the characters one-dimensional, but we see real depth in everyone.
This book as audiobook format is full of surprises and the pacing was such that I couldn't help but turn the page. At its heart, this is a story about family and Bardugo shows how complicated family can be. Backstabbing, forgiveness and family secrets wrapped up in beautiful words played out in scenes that moved me. As a reader, I found myself thinking about my own family and friends as the story unfolded. The characters in this novel felt like some of the most three dimensional characters I've come across.
The audiobook format made the experience even more special. Here you can find audiobook format: The Familiar - Audiobook
They're not "standard archetypes", but they feel like people I've known. They make mistakes - big ones and small ones - and those mistakes have consequences. Of course, sometimes there are happy accidents, too. In the end, I was sad that I had to leave them.
This is a book that will stay with me for a long time to come. I get utterly lost in a good book, but this was a story that made me think long after I had turned the final page and the cover closed. A perfect balance of escape and introspection.
Could not have asked for more.
This book as audiobook format is full of surprises and the pacing was such that I couldn't help but turn the page. At its heart, this is a story about family and Bardugo shows how complicated family can be. Backstabbing, forgiveness and family secrets wrapped up in beautiful words played out in scenes that moved me. As a reader, I found myself thinking about my own family and friends as the story unfolded. The characters in this novel felt like some of the most three dimensional characters I've come across.
The audiobook format made the experience even more special. Here you can find audiobook format: The Familiar - Audiobook
They're not "standard archetypes", but they feel like people I've known. They make mistakes - big ones and small ones - and those mistakes have consequences. Of course, sometimes there are happy accidents, too. In the end, I was sad that I had to leave them.
This is a book that will stay with me for a long time to come. I get utterly lost in a good book, but this was a story that made me think long after I had turned the final page and the cover closed. A perfect balance of escape and introspection.
Could not have asked for more.
July 18, 2024
♡ signed us copies
i really enjoyed this one and it really reminded me of how much i just adore leigh’s prose and style of writing. But this story has a lot of heart, and a lot of tragedy, and you can really tell leigh put a lot of her soul in this story. this book takes place in madrid, during spain’s golden age - where spain colonized, forced labor, forced religious oppression, and forced cultural assimilation (i say this as a filipino, while also recognizing maybe this hit a little bit harder because of my family). but this is also a historical fantasy about three women and an immortal, all cursed in their own ways, all trying to survive in this world that constantly tries to silence them.
➛ Valentina - forced to ask her husband for permission to even leave her house, while also trying to present a fake front of wealth to the upper class society, despite not having much wealth anymore. Valentina is very desperate to gain some kind of agency, and attention from the upper class, and sees a way to do both when she notices a housemaid able to perform magic. but gaining the attention of more powerful eyes might not be a good thing for anyone.
➛ Luzia - works for valentina as a housemaid, and is able to perform magic because of her jewish ancestry she has always been forced to keep secret from the world. but because of valentina, her secret has now spread, and she soon has a tournament to win, for a wealthy patron who wants to gain the attention of the king, who wants to keep winning his wars. luzia is forced to walk the line of performing magic that will please, but not magic that will scare her oppressors forcing her to perform said magic.
➛ Santángel - the immortal (points you to title) who is tasked with helping train luzia to win the competition, but who also has a lot of secrets and mystery from his own past, that keeps haunting him lifetime after lifetime.
➛ Hualit - luzia’s aunt, whose story really intrigued me because she has lived her life doing everything she thinks was needed to survive. i would say that her storyline is the smallest of the four, but she impacted me so much that she needed her own bullet point!
and i really love all four of these very complex characters, very deeply! but i think that’s all i want to say. the journey of this book is what i enjoyed the most, and i think you will too, if you pick it up and give it a try! i saw people say that it had a slow start for them, but i promise you that i was completely enthralled from that bread to the very last page. i just really enjoyed this, and no one, and i mean no one, writes yearning and angst like leigh bardugo. and to write something so beautiful in a world (and real history) that is so devastating, is also a feat of magic in and of itself.
trigger + content warnings: loss of parents in past, loss of a loved one, suicide, antisemitism, colonization, vomit, abuse, spiders, scorpions, sexual assault (forced touching), sexual assault insinuation, talk of torture, torture (including waterboarding), forced nudity, blood, fire, abandonment, blood, murder, grief, fore, violence, slavery, animal death, animal cruelty (squirrel), colonialism, misogyny, drugging, talk of infertility
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“There is a fine line between a saint and a witch, and I wonder if you are prepared to walk it.”
i really enjoyed this one and it really reminded me of how much i just adore leigh’s prose and style of writing. But this story has a lot of heart, and a lot of tragedy, and you can really tell leigh put a lot of her soul in this story. this book takes place in madrid, during spain’s golden age - where spain colonized, forced labor, forced religious oppression, and forced cultural assimilation (i say this as a filipino, while also recognizing maybe this hit a little bit harder because of my family). but this is also a historical fantasy about three women and an immortal, all cursed in their own ways, all trying to survive in this world that constantly tries to silence them.
➛ Valentina - forced to ask her husband for permission to even leave her house, while also trying to present a fake front of wealth to the upper class society, despite not having much wealth anymore. Valentina is very desperate to gain some kind of agency, and attention from the upper class, and sees a way to do both when she notices a housemaid able to perform magic. but gaining the attention of more powerful eyes might not be a good thing for anyone.
➛ Luzia - works for valentina as a housemaid, and is able to perform magic because of her jewish ancestry she has always been forced to keep secret from the world. but because of valentina, her secret has now spread, and she soon has a tournament to win, for a wealthy patron who wants to gain the attention of the king, who wants to keep winning his wars. luzia is forced to walk the line of performing magic that will please, but not magic that will scare her oppressors forcing her to perform said magic.
➛ Santángel - the immortal (points you to title) who is tasked with helping train luzia to win the competition, but who also has a lot of secrets and mystery from his own past, that keeps haunting him lifetime after lifetime.
➛ Hualit - luzia’s aunt, whose story really intrigued me because she has lived her life doing everything she thinks was needed to survive. i would say that her storyline is the smallest of the four, but she impacted me so much that she needed her own bullet point!
and i really love all four of these very complex characters, very deeply! but i think that’s all i want to say. the journey of this book is what i enjoyed the most, and i think you will too, if you pick it up and give it a try! i saw people say that it had a slow start for them, but i promise you that i was completely enthralled from that bread to the very last page. i just really enjoyed this, and no one, and i mean no one, writes yearning and angst like leigh bardugo. and to write something so beautiful in a world (and real history) that is so devastating, is also a feat of magic in and of itself.
trigger + content warnings: loss of parents in past, loss of a loved one, suicide, antisemitism, colonization, vomit, abuse, spiders, scorpions, sexual assault (forced touching), sexual assault insinuation, talk of torture, torture (including waterboarding), forced nudity, blood, fire, abandonment, blood, murder, grief, fore, violence, slavery, animal death, animal cruelty (squirrel), colonialism, misogyny, drugging, talk of infertility
blog | instagram | youtube | kofi | spotify | amazon
December 7, 2023
i was honestly not expecting an ARC of this since i'm basically just a ghost these days and when i opened the (shiny, golden) envelope i literally fell down onto the floor. the noises i made...they were half-alarming, half-sexual? i dunno, it's all a blur, but i'm about halfway through and this is stunning as always.
I AM BECOME PURE GRATITUDE
I AM BECOME PURE GRATITUDE
Want to read
September 18, 2023i would read leigh’s grocery list tbh
April 24, 2024
“But let it be my ambition and not my fear that seals my fate.”
This somewhat met my expectations in terms of execution. Though the book left me dissatisfied, I must admit it was otherwise good. In terms of dissatisfaction, it's just that there's something elusive that I cannot quite pinpoint.
I don't know exactly how to feel about this book, so for now I will give it 2 stars.
This somewhat met my expectations in terms of execution. Though the book left me dissatisfied, I must admit it was otherwise good. In terms of dissatisfaction, it's just that there's something elusive that I cannot quite pinpoint.
I don't know exactly how to feel about this book, so for now I will give it 2 stars.
April 4, 2024
“Because it is a language that spends its power in command and conquest. But you were wrong when you said you didn’t need the words. You do need them. Just as God did when He set this whole miserable clockwork running. Language creates possibility. Sometimes by being used. Sometimes by being kept secret.”
Wow. Without a doubt, will be one of my favorites of the year. Dazzling, quietly perseverant, and captivating, THE FAMILIAR is a testament to resilience. It’s a testament to the Jewish experience. It’s a testament to survival–to protecting the most precious parts of ourselves for ourselves however we must.
There’s something that gets me choked up about reading Jewish stories that center this particular brand of resistance: the kind that isn’t about changing the world, but is about taking care of ourselves and each other. Of course, Jewish revolution and political action can be just as moving, but for so much of our history, we did have to put our heads down and keep our communities safe through quieted whispers and clenched teeth and clasped palms. Through keeping the most valuable parts of our identities close to our chest. And this isn’t a story about moving the political tide or making waves in the minds of the masses towards acceptance. It’s a story about drops in the water and the ripple effect they can make. It’s about perseverance through preservation. And there’s something so preciously Jewish about that. (Honestly it makes me want to cry just thinking about it.)
The characters here are all so brilliant and riveting. Luzia is fierce and bull-headed and daring, everything I love in a strong female protagonist. Valentina is brave, stumbling into her own self-discovery. But I think my favorite was Santángel, who felt like a cross between Ariel from the Tempest and Erik (the Phantom) from The Phantom of the Opera, with a sprinkling of Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle. But as all good characters should, their individual traits truly shine when they come into contact with each other, molding and scarring each other for the better.
I know many people will walk away from this book simping over the love interest or gushing over the romance, and honestly, I get it, I am a little bit as well. But, if I could have one hope as this goes into the world, it would be that people remember that the context of this book was very real. That the Spanish Inquisition was real. That the struggles these characters face were real struggles that Jewish and Muslim and other marginalized people faced at this time. "Witchcraft” accusations were a tool of more than just misogyny. They were a tool of empire and cultural erasure. Before the witch hunters came for the women, they came for the queer and disabled people. Before the witch hunters came for the queer and disabled people, they came for the Jews, the Muslims, the Black and Indigenous people.
I think this book does an incredible job of explaining how marginalized people were targeted by this empirical effort, so I’ll just leave this quote here with you:
After hundreds of years, if there were so many sinners left, what had the Inquisition accomplished? They might root out Jews and Muslims and Erasmists and alumbrados, but then what was left? The machine had been built to consume heresy and impiety, so would it simply keep finding heresy and impiety to feed on?
I can’t wait for this book to launch its way out into the world and for you all to join me in this world of scorching flames, blinding jewels, and heart-softening orange blossoms. An utter masterpiece from Bardugo, THE FAMILIAR will be praised for years to come.
Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
CW: antisemitism, religious bigotry, forced assimilation, violence, blood & gore, body horror, imprisonment, torture, fire, drowning, character death, grief, misogyny, animal death, alcohol, emesis, sexual content, death of parents (past), sexual assault (past, brief)
Wow. Without a doubt, will be one of my favorites of the year. Dazzling, quietly perseverant, and captivating, THE FAMILIAR is a testament to resilience. It’s a testament to the Jewish experience. It’s a testament to survival–to protecting the most precious parts of ourselves for ourselves however we must.
There’s something that gets me choked up about reading Jewish stories that center this particular brand of resistance: the kind that isn’t about changing the world, but is about taking care of ourselves and each other. Of course, Jewish revolution and political action can be just as moving, but for so much of our history, we did have to put our heads down and keep our communities safe through quieted whispers and clenched teeth and clasped palms. Through keeping the most valuable parts of our identities close to our chest. And this isn’t a story about moving the political tide or making waves in the minds of the masses towards acceptance. It’s a story about drops in the water and the ripple effect they can make. It’s about perseverance through preservation. And there’s something so preciously Jewish about that. (Honestly it makes me want to cry just thinking about it.)
The characters here are all so brilliant and riveting. Luzia is fierce and bull-headed and daring, everything I love in a strong female protagonist. Valentina is brave, stumbling into her own self-discovery. But I think my favorite was Santángel, who felt like a cross between Ariel from the Tempest and Erik (the Phantom) from The Phantom of the Opera, with a sprinkling of Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle. But as all good characters should, their individual traits truly shine when they come into contact with each other, molding and scarring each other for the better.
I know many people will walk away from this book simping over the love interest or gushing over the romance, and honestly, I get it, I am a little bit as well. But, if I could have one hope as this goes into the world, it would be that people remember that the context of this book was very real. That the Spanish Inquisition was real. That the struggles these characters face were real struggles that Jewish and Muslim and other marginalized people faced at this time. "Witchcraft” accusations were a tool of more than just misogyny. They were a tool of empire and cultural erasure. Before the witch hunters came for the women, they came for the queer and disabled people. Before the witch hunters came for the queer and disabled people, they came for the Jews, the Muslims, the Black and Indigenous people.
I think this book does an incredible job of explaining how marginalized people were targeted by this empirical effort, so I’ll just leave this quote here with you:
After hundreds of years, if there were so many sinners left, what had the Inquisition accomplished? They might root out Jews and Muslims and Erasmists and alumbrados, but then what was left? The machine had been built to consume heresy and impiety, so would it simply keep finding heresy and impiety to feed on?
I can’t wait for this book to launch its way out into the world and for you all to join me in this world of scorching flames, blinding jewels, and heart-softening orange blossoms. An utter masterpiece from Bardugo, THE FAMILIAR will be praised for years to come.
Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
CW: antisemitism, religious bigotry, forced assimilation, violence, blood & gore, body horror, imprisonment, torture, fire, drowning, character death, grief, misogyny, animal death, alcohol, emesis, sexual content, death of parents (past), sexual assault (past, brief)
July 9, 2024
i fear not even the white haired love interest could save this one y’all😭
July 2, 2024
"i was wrong when i told you to fear men and their ambition," he murmured in her ear. "fear nothing, luzia cotado, and you will become greater than them all."
i definitely see why LB says this is her most romantic book yet.
reading the familiar was a very sensual journey. we get to enjoy the lush riches of the nobility in the golden age of spain: the seven course feasts, the elaborately tailored gowns, the fine wines and sweet desserts, the gold-filled rooms. we enjoy the simple things; an orange grove, a juicy pomegranate.
fate can be changed. curses can be broken.
there are the calculated political machinations of the court at its height of the inquisition. there is history of the sephardic jews and others who are hunted down, tortured, and slaughtered by the alguacil. there is the magic luzia creates with the language of her ancestors, a blend that's traveled across seas.
and then there's the romance. if my man ain't simping for me the way santángel does for luzia, i don't want him.
"he forfeited his life when he tried to take yours."
"because i belong to victor de paredes," she said.
santángel hesitated. "i suppose that's a way of looking at it."
it stuck in his mind like a thorn, infecting him with a kind of fever, the thought of luzia cotado unraveling.
"i would spend a lifetime braiding and unbraiding your hair."
i did not expect to get emotional in the end, but i was really tearing up with this one. anything that manages to make me cry i gotta give it 5 stars.
"i should warn you, this isn't a happy story."
"i don't recall asking for such a thing."
_________________________
jewish fantasy set during the Spanish Inquisition FUCK YEAH
i definitely see why LB says this is her most romantic book yet.
reading the familiar was a very sensual journey. we get to enjoy the lush riches of the nobility in the golden age of spain: the seven course feasts, the elaborately tailored gowns, the fine wines and sweet desserts, the gold-filled rooms. we enjoy the simple things; an orange grove, a juicy pomegranate.
fate can be changed. curses can be broken.
there are the calculated political machinations of the court at its height of the inquisition. there is history of the sephardic jews and others who are hunted down, tortured, and slaughtered by the alguacil. there is the magic luzia creates with the language of her ancestors, a blend that's traveled across seas.
and then there's the romance. if my man ain't simping for me the way santángel does for luzia, i don't want him.
"he forfeited his life when he tried to take yours."
"because i belong to victor de paredes," she said.
santángel hesitated. "i suppose that's a way of looking at it."
it stuck in his mind like a thorn, infecting him with a kind of fever, the thought of luzia cotado unraveling.
"i would spend a lifetime braiding and unbraiding your hair."
i did not expect to get emotional in the end, but i was really tearing up with this one. anything that manages to make me cry i gotta give it 5 stars.
"i should warn you, this isn't a happy story."
"i don't recall asking for such a thing."
_________________________
jewish fantasy set during the Spanish Inquisition FUCK YEAH
May 14, 2024
𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔉𝔞𝔪𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔞𝔯 by Leigh Bardugo
⭐️⭐️⭐️.95
“𝐹𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝓂𝑒𝓃, 𝐿𝓊𝓏𝒾𝒶,” 𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒶𝒾𝒹. “𝐹𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝒶𝓂𝒷𝒾𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝓇𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓂𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓃 𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝓈𝑒𝓇𝓋𝒾𝒸𝑒. 𝐵𝓊𝓉 𝒹𝑜𝓃’𝓉 𝒻𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝒸 𝑜𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓂𝒶𝓎 𝒹𝑜 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒾𝓉.”
I desperately wanted this book to be a 5 star ⭐️ but I still loved it and feel this is a story that will stay in my head a while. It’s beautifully written and the story is unique. It takes place during the 1600s and I am so thankful the author did not romanticize the time period it felt accurate.
“𝐼 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓃𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝒾𝓉 𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃𝓈 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒹𝒾𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝑜𝓃𝑒,” 𝒜 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓈𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈. 𝒜 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓈𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈. 𝐵𝓊𝓉 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒��𝒹, 𝒾𝓉 𝒷𝑒𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓃𝑜 𝑜𝓃𝑒, 𝑒𝓍𝒸𝑒𝓅𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝒹𝓈 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓃 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝓃𝒹.”
The main character Luzia is a scullion(maid) who has magic powers and dreams of life with riches and luxury. She begins working with Santángel to learn to wield her powers and to control it without loosing control. Santángel is similar to her because he is also in debt to his master. They are the nobodies of the world and are forced to perform for others against their will. Which really forms a connection between each other.
My main issue is the characters were flat and if I wasn’t invested in the story they would be easily forgettable. The romance had NO transition. I can understand how they bonded and once they were in love I liked them together but it felt rushed and I would love to have seen more scenes with them bonding.
The ending was probably one of the most satisfying and best endings I’ve ever read!! It will forever stay on my mind!!
Overall thoughts: I would definitely recommend. Despite not having a higher rating it was a great read. This is one of those books where you have to trust the process because it has a slow beginning. I think I had extremely high expectations and sometimes it’s difficult to meet exactly what you pictured the story to be.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.95
“𝐹𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝓂𝑒𝓃, 𝐿𝓊𝓏𝒾𝒶,” 𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒶𝒾𝒹. “𝐹𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝒶𝓂𝒷𝒾𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝓇𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓂𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓃 𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝓈𝑒𝓇𝓋𝒾𝒸𝑒. 𝐵𝓊𝓉 𝒹𝑜𝓃’𝓉 𝒻𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝒸 𝑜𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓂𝒶𝓎 𝒹𝑜 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒾𝓉.”
I desperately wanted this book to be a 5 star ⭐️ but I still loved it and feel this is a story that will stay in my head a while. It’s beautifully written and the story is unique. It takes place during the 1600s and I am so thankful the author did not romanticize the time period it felt accurate.
“𝐼 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓃𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝒾𝓉 𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃𝓈 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒹𝒾𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝑜𝓃𝑒,” 𝒜 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓈𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈. 𝒜 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓈𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈. 𝐵𝓊𝓉 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒��𝒹, 𝒾𝓉 𝒷𝑒𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓃𝑜 𝑜𝓃𝑒, 𝑒𝓍𝒸𝑒𝓅𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝒹𝓈 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓃 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝓃𝒹.”
The main character Luzia is a scullion(maid) who has magic powers and dreams of life with riches and luxury. She begins working with Santángel to learn to wield her powers and to control it without loosing control. Santángel is similar to her because he is also in debt to his master. They are the nobodies of the world and are forced to perform for others against their will. Which really forms a connection between each other.
My main issue is the characters were flat and if I wasn’t invested in the story they would be easily forgettable. The romance had NO transition. I can understand how they bonded and once they were in love I liked them together but it felt rushed and I would love to have seen more scenes with them bonding.
The ending was probably one of the most satisfying and best endings I’ve ever read!! It will forever stay on my mind!!
Overall thoughts: I would definitely recommend. Despite not having a higher rating it was a great read. This is one of those books where you have to trust the process because it has a slow beginning. I think I had extremely high expectations and sometimes it’s difficult to meet exactly what you pictured the story to be.
August 4, 2024
once upon a time, leigh bardugo was among my favorite authors. then, one day, the familiar found its way into my hands…
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i’m a simple girl: i see something by leigh bardugo, i add it to my tbr
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i’m a simple girl: i see something by leigh bardugo, i add it to my tbr
April 22, 2024
She reminds his heart to beat again, as she did so long ago. He kisses her fingers, and combs her hair, and he treasures her, as only a man who has lost his luck and found it once more ever can.
Just… wow. This is a fucking love story.
Like, I'm speechless and at the same time I can't shut up about it.
If you're here looking for good reviews then you're nothing like me, who rushed to buy this book without even knowing what it was about because well, Leigh’s a genius no matter what.
Only halfway through I remembered how disappointed I felt with Hell Bent, but it was too late anyway. In other words, I see you, people who complained and had to put down the book because it was too slow, and I feel for you, but that could never be me.
The trepidation for the future, the alchemy between two people who you're not sure will end up together, the Spanish used as a secretive language between the protagonist and the readers, the characters' redemption arcs - or at least most of them.
Once again, Leigh Bardugo demonstrates that when she’s aware of where she's going with her story, she not only deserves all the praises but also all our prayers to keep writing.
↠ 5 stars
Just… wow. This is a fucking love story.
Like, I'm speechless and at the same time I can't shut up about it.
If you're here looking for good reviews then you're nothing like me, who rushed to buy this book without even knowing what it was about because well, Leigh’s a genius no matter what.
Only halfway through I remembered how disappointed I felt with Hell Bent, but it was too late anyway. In other words, I see you, people who complained and had to put down the book because it was too slow, and I feel for you, but that could never be me.
The trepidation for the future, the alchemy between two people who you're not sure will end up together, the Spanish used as a secretive language between the protagonist and the readers, the characters' redemption arcs - or at least most of them.
Once again, Leigh Bardugo demonstrates that when she’s aware of where she's going with her story, she not only deserves all the praises but also all our prayers to keep writing.
↠ 5 stars
Want to read
April 9, 2024YAS, FINALLY!!!
i'd read anything written by mother
i'd read anything written by mother
April 11, 2024
I really enjoyed the historical aspect of this one, as well as the setting, but didn’t love the characters or the plot - somehow it feels like something is missing. Maybe because this is a standalone and therefore a lot of plot development had to be crammed into one book, but I wasn’t fully convinced by any of the choices the characters made nor by the romance. Also, can we stop with the centuries-old-man-falls-helplessly-in-love-with-teenage-girl trope?
May 18, 2024
Actual rating: 2.5.
I told myself I didn't need to write a full review for this one since I'm sure everyone's going to read this book anyway, but I couldn't stop once I started. So here you go. 😂
✅ This book is so smartly written. You can always tell with Leigh Bardugo that her books are well thought-out. Everything makes sense and nothing seems out of place. The magic system is not really unique, but it fits well with the story and the setting and the characters. There's also just a biiit of mystery (though predictable) to keep us on our toes.
❌ This is one of the slowest fantasy books I've ever read. It took me 3 or 4 days just to get through the first 30% alone. The next 30% - 40% also dragged on for ages, but at least there was some build up there. It wasn't until the last 70% or so where things finally sped up and we got some good action.
❓ I LIKED Luzia, but I didn't necessarily love her. She's a perfect fairytale heroine -- shy and afraid at first, but then grows into a tough cookie. She's intelligent and fierce, and she knows what she wants. I just wanted more emotion from her -- it was hard to form a connection with this MC (and the rest of the characters, really).
❓ I don't know how to feel about Santángel. He's in the story A LOT (obviously), but I felt so disconnected from him. He felt like a ghost most of the time -- he kept randomly disappearing and appearing like some kind of Slenderman-magician hybrid (this is genuinely how I picture him). Don't get me wrong -- we do get bits and pieces of his backstory, and it's definitely interesting. Maybe it's a me problem. 🤷♀️
✅ I always complain that side characters are often thrown into the story for no reason... but in The Familiar, we got a glimpse of what's going on in the side characters' minds. I may not have liked them all (I don't think we're supposed to, anyway), but I could at least sympathize with some of them. Each side character had an impact to the story, or at least to the MCs' character growth. Go back to the first bullet point of my review!
❌ This book is romantic, but I didn't really like the romance between the two MCs. I don't know if it's because I picture Santángel to be a walking corpse, or because their scenes together were pretty short, but I gave 0 fucks about the romance. This felt like the flattest part of the story for me.
❓ The ending felt like a cop-out, but it was also so absurdly magical that I couldn't completely hate it. That's all I'm going to say about it bc I don't want to spoil anything!
Overall, this book is not for everyone. If you're okay with slow-but-well-written historical fantasies, you might want to give this one a shot. Just keep in mind that you may just want to take 5 naps in between reading the first 30% or so of the book. 😂
₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊
Post-reading:
The ending is making me feel completely ⊹₊✧unhinged✧₊⊹! I may need a moment. Or ten moments. Anyway, Leigh Bardugo's brain will forever amaze me.
₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊
45% Update:
Luzia describing Santangel: He didn’t look very old. Ill and headed to an early grave, but not old.
Santangel desrcibing Luzia: This lump of a servant who hung her head like a donkey but spoke as if she were bantering at the mentidero?
It feels like it's taken me AGES to get this far into the book, and it's only starting to pick up. The first 30% was slow, and now the story's still going on at a... leisurely pace. But we finally have some insanely dark and gritty scenes. Shit's about to go down!
10% Update:
This is giving me strong Cinderella vibes so far, and I’m here for it!
₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊
Pre-read:
LEIGH BARDUGO, DO NOT FAIL ME
I told myself I didn't need to write a full review for this one since I'm sure everyone's going to read this book anyway, but I couldn't stop once I started. So here you go. 😂
✅ This book is so smartly written. You can always tell with Leigh Bardugo that her books are well thought-out. Everything makes sense and nothing seems out of place. The magic system is not really unique, but it fits well with the story and the setting and the characters. There's also just a biiit of mystery (though predictable) to keep us on our toes.
❌ This is one of the slowest fantasy books I've ever read. It took me 3 or 4 days just to get through the first 30% alone. The next 30% - 40% also dragged on for ages, but at least there was some build up there. It wasn't until the last 70% or so where things finally sped up and we got some good action.
❓ I LIKED Luzia, but I didn't necessarily love her. She's a perfect fairytale heroine -- shy and afraid at first, but then grows into a tough cookie. She's intelligent and fierce, and she knows what she wants. I just wanted more emotion from her -- it was hard to form a connection with this MC (and the rest of the characters, really).
❓ I don't know how to feel about Santángel. He's in the story A LOT (obviously), but I felt so disconnected from him. He felt like a ghost most of the time -- he kept randomly disappearing and appearing like some kind of Slenderman-magician hybrid (this is genuinely how I picture him). Don't get me wrong -- we do get bits and pieces of his backstory, and it's definitely interesting. Maybe it's a me problem. 🤷♀️
✅ I always complain that side characters are often thrown into the story for no reason... but in The Familiar, we got a glimpse of what's going on in the side characters' minds. I may not have liked them all (I don't think we're supposed to, anyway), but I could at least sympathize with some of them. Each side character had an impact to the story, or at least to the MCs' character growth. Go back to the first bullet point of my review!
❌ This book is romantic, but I didn't really like the romance between the two MCs. I don't know if it's because I picture Santángel to be a walking corpse, or because their scenes together were pretty short, but I gave 0 fucks about the romance. This felt like the flattest part of the story for me.
❓ The ending felt like a cop-out, but it was also so absurdly magical that I couldn't completely hate it. That's all I'm going to say about it bc I don't want to spoil anything!
Overall, this book is not for everyone. If you're okay with slow-but-well-written historical fantasies, you might want to give this one a shot. Just keep in mind that you may just want to take 5 naps in between reading the first 30% or so of the book. 😂
₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊
Post-reading:
The ending is making me feel completely ⊹₊✧unhinged✧₊⊹! I may need a moment. Or ten moments. Anyway, Leigh Bardugo's brain will forever amaze me.
₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊
45% Update:
Luzia describing Santangel: He didn’t look very old. Ill and headed to an early grave, but not old.
Santangel desrcibing Luzia: This lump of a servant who hung her head like a donkey but spoke as if she were bantering at the mentidero?
It feels like it's taken me AGES to get this far into the book, and it's only starting to pick up. The first 30% was slow, and now the story's still going on at a... leisurely pace. But we finally have some insanely dark and gritty scenes. Shit's about to go down!
10% Update:
“You think you know hardship, but men have a gift for finding new ways to make women suffer.”
This is giving me strong Cinderella vibes so far, and I’m here for it!
₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊
Pre-read:
LEIGH BARDUGO, DO NOT FAIL ME
Want to read
October 18, 2023me waking up from my grave in April like🦟🦗🦟🦗
April 11, 2024
love me a man who is Down Bad
May 17, 2024
3.5/ 5⭐
1.5/5 🌶️
🦋 I wanted to love you. I really did....
Leigh Bardugo’s "The Familiar" offers a richly atmospheric dive into historical settings filled with opulence and intrigue. Set against a backdrop of loneliness and greed, this novel weaves a tapestry of compelling themes. However, while the historical aspects and setting shine, the characters and plot left much to be desired.
The story unfolds at a leisurely pace, which may deter readers seeking a more brisk narrative. Personally, I found myself yearning for a faster tempo to drive the plot forward. The central characters, Luzia and Santángel, hold some interest but fail to fully captivate. Unfortunately, the supporting cast falls flat, lacking depth and failing to evoke any genuine investment in their fates.
🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹
Well, it’s over. That’s the review. It’s over.
🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀
The writing is so beautiful but these character are killing me!
1.5/5 🌶️
🦋 I wanted to love you. I really did....
Leigh Bardugo’s "The Familiar" offers a richly atmospheric dive into historical settings filled with opulence and intrigue. Set against a backdrop of loneliness and greed, this novel weaves a tapestry of compelling themes. However, while the historical aspects and setting shine, the characters and plot left much to be desired.
The story unfolds at a leisurely pace, which may deter readers seeking a more brisk narrative. Personally, I found myself yearning for a faster tempo to drive the plot forward. The central characters, Luzia and Santángel, hold some interest but fail to fully captivate. Unfortunately, the supporting cast falls flat, lacking depth and failing to evoke any genuine investment in their fates.
🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹🕷️🌹
Well, it’s over. That’s the review. It’s over.
🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀
The writing is so beautiful but these character are killing me!
Currently reading
April 8, 2024₊˚⊹ ᰔ pre-read: i worship the beautiful ground leigh bardugo walks on 😩
May 1, 2024
It's been a week since I read this book and I'm still not completely sure how I felt about it. It's definitely a compelling read. The writing is beautiful, the characters and their relationships intriguing and, even though it's slow-paced, I was invested in the story for the most part.
I think that my main issue was that,
5 stars for the audiobook and the book cover.
I think that my main issue was that,
5 stars for the audiobook and the book cover.
July 3, 2024
Reread (6/22/24-7/2/24): Definitely appreciated this more the second time around. I just love Leigh Bardugo's prose and love anything fairy-tale-esque.
4 stars. With prose akin to a dark enchantment whispered in the night and a story that is her most sensual and romantic yet, The Familiar sees Leigh Bardugo tread familiar but compelling ground in an utterly enjoyable way.
4 stars. With prose akin to a dark enchantment whispered in the night and a story that is her most sensual and romantic yet, The Familiar sees Leigh Bardugo tread familiar but compelling ground in an utterly enjoyable way.
April 22, 2024
Most of my books get written in the daylight hours, but this one only worked at night.
It rarely happens to me, but when I went to bed and closed my eyes, I often found myself thinking about this book.
The writing was sumptuous, lush, way more mature than that of every other book of hers I’ve read (a lot), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The narration was solid as well, even though I was most fascinated by those few bits that focused on scenes that where not really relevant for the plot – the story of the emerald, for example, or even the insights on Valentina. The plot wasn’t truly remarkable and I strangely, constantly alternated between not being able to stop reading and having my attention drift elsewhere – but I wouldn’t say that the Spanish Inquisition is my usual cup of tea and I do not love to read about prisons, religion, etc. Santángel (and somehow Teoda) carried.
It rarely happens to me, but when I went to bed and closed my eyes, I often found myself thinking about this book.
The writing was sumptuous, lush, way more mature than that of every other book of hers I’ve read (a lot), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The narration was solid as well, even though I was most fascinated by those few bits that focused on scenes that where not really relevant for the plot – the story of the emerald, for example, or even the insights on Valentina. The plot wasn’t truly remarkable and I strangely, constantly alternated between not being able to stop reading and having my attention drift elsewhere – but I wouldn’t say that the Spanish Inquisition is my usual cup of tea and I do not love to read about prisons, religion, etc. Santángel (and somehow Teoda) carried.
August 3, 2024
**2.5-stars rounded up**
This could be me. It could be. I did pick this up for a Book Club discussion and I definitely wasn't in the mood for this type of story, but I also feel like this book had issues...
It took me two tries to get through. Initially I picked it up, read to 31%, and put it down. I was retaining nothing, confused by the number of characters in the beginning and truly felt that none of it was sticking in my brain.
Luckily, our Book Club discussion got pushed back like 10-days, so it gave me a little leeway. I was fully expecting to enjoy it once I returned to it in a different frame of mind.
The second time around, I did start again at the beginning and managed to retain a hell of a lot more info. Nevertheless, I still felt bored and admittedly, my mind wandered a lot.
Our main protagonist is Luzia, who works as a scullion in the kitchen of a manor home. Luzia has magical powers, although she's never been formally trained in how to use them properly, or harness their full potential.
These powers are noticed by her mistress, Valentina, who then comes up with a scheme to use Luzia's powers to gain prestige, favors and power for herself within Madrid's upper-class society.
She trots Luzia out in front of her guests and makes her perform parlor tricks. Luzia ends up coming to the attention of a man connected to the King. She then gets invited to compete in a competition that could result in her being employed by the King himself.
From that point, Luzia's life becomes a whirlwind. She begins magic training and enters the competition, which pits her against individuals with all sorts of different abilities.
There's a bit of romance, palace intrigue and lots of interpersonal drama. Luzia's Aunt is involved, and of course her mistress, Valentina, who is the one who got her involved in this whole business in the first place.
For me, the competition, which should have been my favorite aspect of this book, wasn't developed, or utilized, as much as it could have been. I know there were stakes involved, but they didn't feel high or present enough.
I also felt like the magic system could have been more clear and developed as well. I would've been happy to do away with the forced romance, in order to then spend that time leaning into the darker sides of the magical elements.
I think this missed an opportunity to create an unsettling, or dangerous, atmosphere. If you look at this cover, that's what you would expect. It looks gothic and creepy, but it lacked that tone.
Finally, I couldn't picture anything that was happening. For me, it could have been set anywhere historical. It was only in our discussion that I realized exactly where we were and what the time period was supposed to be.
Valentina was the most interesting character, IMO. She was giving Regina Mills from Once Upon a Time vibes and I'll never look away from that. I wish I could have felt more connected to Luzia though, as it was really her story we were focused on.
At another time, perhaps I could have enjoyed this more. I'm not sure and at this point, we'll never find out, because I'm certainly not reading it again.
With this being said, I know that Bardugo is an exceptional writer and my opinion certainly is by no means trying to negate that fact. This book just wasn't a good fit for me. I'll be back to read more of her books someday.
This could be me. It could be. I did pick this up for a Book Club discussion and I definitely wasn't in the mood for this type of story, but I also feel like this book had issues...
It took me two tries to get through. Initially I picked it up, read to 31%, and put it down. I was retaining nothing, confused by the number of characters in the beginning and truly felt that none of it was sticking in my brain.
Luckily, our Book Club discussion got pushed back like 10-days, so it gave me a little leeway. I was fully expecting to enjoy it once I returned to it in a different frame of mind.
The second time around, I did start again at the beginning and managed to retain a hell of a lot more info. Nevertheless, I still felt bored and admittedly, my mind wandered a lot.
Our main protagonist is Luzia, who works as a scullion in the kitchen of a manor home. Luzia has magical powers, although she's never been formally trained in how to use them properly, or harness their full potential.
These powers are noticed by her mistress, Valentina, who then comes up with a scheme to use Luzia's powers to gain prestige, favors and power for herself within Madrid's upper-class society.
She trots Luzia out in front of her guests and makes her perform parlor tricks. Luzia ends up coming to the attention of a man connected to the King. She then gets invited to compete in a competition that could result in her being employed by the King himself.
From that point, Luzia's life becomes a whirlwind. She begins magic training and enters the competition, which pits her against individuals with all sorts of different abilities.
There's a bit of romance, palace intrigue and lots of interpersonal drama. Luzia's Aunt is involved, and of course her mistress, Valentina, who is the one who got her involved in this whole business in the first place.
For me, the competition, which should have been my favorite aspect of this book, wasn't developed, or utilized, as much as it could have been. I know there were stakes involved, but they didn't feel high or present enough.
I also felt like the magic system could have been more clear and developed as well. I would've been happy to do away with the forced romance, in order to then spend that time leaning into the darker sides of the magical elements.
I think this missed an opportunity to create an unsettling, or dangerous, atmosphere. If you look at this cover, that's what you would expect. It looks gothic and creepy, but it lacked that tone.
Finally, I couldn't picture anything that was happening. For me, it could have been set anywhere historical. It was only in our discussion that I realized exactly where we were and what the time period was supposed to be.
Valentina was the most interesting character, IMO. She was giving Regina Mills from Once Upon a Time vibes and I'll never look away from that. I wish I could have felt more connected to Luzia though, as it was really her story we were focused on.
At another time, perhaps I could have enjoyed this more. I'm not sure and at this point, we'll never find out, because I'm certainly not reading it again.
With this being said, I know that Bardugo is an exceptional writer and my opinion certainly is by no means trying to negate that fact. This book just wasn't a good fit for me. I'll be back to read more of her books someday.
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