The Familiar Review

Hello, all!

If you're looking for a lush new historical fantasy to pick up, look no further than The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo.

Pub Date: 4-9-24
Adult - Historical Fantasy

Luzia Cotado is a scullery maid for a poor family in Madrid. Luzia knows she has to hide parts of herself, but that doesn't stop her from using her magic for everyday tasks. But when her mistress discovers Luzia's secret, she demands Luzia use these little miracles for her family's gain. Luzia's small displays of magic were just supposed to be entertainment for bored nobles, but then she catches the eye of Antonio Pérez, the secretary of the disgraced King.

When his armada falls to the Queen of England, Spain's King is left reeling, desperate for any advantage to aid him in the war. Luzia seizes on the opportunity and joins a dangerous tournament to showcase her talents with other seers, alchemists, and holy men, hoping to garner the King's favor. But Luzia quickly learns there's a fine line between magic, science, and fraud, and hiding her Jewish ancestry from the Inquisitors is getting harder. Luzia will have to use all of her cunning to survive-- even if that means teaming up with Guillén Santangel, an immortal familiar carrying secrets that could damn them both.

As a massive fan of Bardugo's, it almost pains me to say that I didn't care for this. It was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, but nothing kept my interest. The writing was dark and lavish, but I couldn't connect with the characters. Usually, my favorite part about Bardugo's work is her characters, but they felt very surface-level here. It wasn't a bad book, but I wanted more. I wanted more about the magic system. I wanted more from the characters. I wanted more from the romance (or maybe not because I still need to decide if I liked it.) Maybe my expectations were too high, but sadly, this wasn't my favorite of hers.

Rating: 2/5