The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo | Book Review

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The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Published by Flatiron Books on April 9, 2024
Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 400
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

Content Warnings: Torture, Antisemitism, Death, Murder, Sexual Assault, Gore
Rating:

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.

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo is a quintessential Bardugo novel. If you have read her other works, you likely know what I am talking about. The Familiar reminded me a lot of Shadow and Bone and not necessarily in a good way. Once again we have a young woman, gifted with immense power who is "ugly" and shy and doesn't believe in herself who must go through a series of trials to prove her worth. Honestly, I am tired of this trope. In the first several chapters Bardugo makes a point of describing Luzia as plain and nothing to look at, which adds absolutely nothing to the story. At least in Shadow and Bone, Alina Starkov being "ugly" and tired-looking had a point. Luzia being plain contributed nothing to this story and in no way furthered the plot. The only important aspect of Luzia's physical appearance was her hair, therefore any other mention of physical traits was a waste of time. I don't understand Bardugo's fascination with making her female leads ugly. Is Bardugo trying to prove something to herself?

Despite my displeasure with Bardugo's description of Luzia, the book was decent. The Familiar is told from multiple points of view within the same chapter, which made for an interesting story. While this sounds like it would be confusing, the book flowed seamlessly and was easy to follow based on visual clues. Whenever the story was shifting points of view or timeframes there was a large break in the text to denote such a change. I enjoyed understanding the story from multiple perspectives, each character adding details that would otherwise be lost if we only followed Luzia alone. I loved the magic system, which is based on folklore, and how Luzia brought forth her magic through singing, even if it was sometimes only in her head. As I mentioned in my review of The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright, singing is something I incorporate into my own magical practice so it's nice to see this represented in books.

While I enjoyed the overall story, the pacing was terribly off. Some parts were extremely slow while others felt rushed and overlooked. For a high-stakes story, you'd think the pacing would be more consistent. One such example of this failed pacing is the love story that takes place. I don't want to give anything away, so I won't mention who falls in love with Luzia, but it felt like it came out of left field for both characters involved. There are some subtle hints that the two may have an attraction, but this relationship goes from 0 to 100 in a matter of pages which left me flabbergasted, to say the least. Others have described the relationship as a slow burn, but it is anything but. There was no burn leading up to the intimate scenes between Luzia and her lover. The spicy scenes between the two are docile, with very little description. I prefer this as I don't enjoy reading smut, so if you are into super spicy scenes, you will not find that here.

Apart from the terrible pacing, the language sometimes pulled me out of the time period. I loved that The Familiar is a fantastical historical fiction, setting the story within real historical events in Spain. Bardugo even goes so far as to include what happened to some of the real characters whose ends we do not see by the end of the story. I am an absolute sucker for Tudor history, especially history involving Elizabeth I and her defeat of the Spanish Armada. The Familiar takes place after Philip II's Armada is defeated by the English, and Philip's desire to reclaim his dignity and defeat the heretic Protestants is a driving force in this story. Bardugo, however, uses "fuck" a little too often for my taste, not that I mind vulgar language (I use the word often), but it pulled me out of the historical setting very quickly. Jarring is how I would describe it.

While I was not over-the-moon impressed with The Familiar I did quite enjoy the ending. The final chapter was my favorite, not because the story was finally over, but because I loved how Bardugo wrapped everything up with a nice bow. The characters who deserve the worst get their comeuppance while others live happily ever after. By the end, I did enjoy the love between Luzia and her partner and was satisfied with how their story panned out. It blossomed into a beautiful love, just as the flowers consistently bloomed for Luzia. 

Overall, I give The Familiar a 3 out of 5 stars. It was just okay but still worth the read. Maybe check this one out in the library instead of purchasing it. Who knows, maybe you will love it more than me.