The Familiar

In a strange tale of miracles and mysteries, Leigh Bardugo brings a story that grabs attention right from the start.I enjoyed the intricacies of the tale - almost fairytale-like, and though I wanted it to last forever, I couldn't stop listening towards the end.

Leigh Bardugo never misses. I want to inject her prose into my veins. I love the Six of Crows duology so much, so I was naturally excited for The Familiar with all its rich history and wild magic.Despite being very different from her previous works, this book did not let me down. The two characters that surprised me the most were Luzia and Santángel. Even if their differences couldn't be greater, the way their relationship was portrayed really pitted the duo against those differences. I will remember this couple for a very long time.The Familiar is a story about survival that has been repeated throughout generations. This book talks about cultural barriers and the impact they have on people who don't want to be a part of the norm.Every character in this book has a story to tell, and I, in a way, felt connected to each of them – their hunger, their greed, their aspirations, their anxieties.The Familiar starts out being about Luzia, but quickly turns into something bigger.

Leigh Bardugo proves once again that she's a master storyteller with The Familiar. This departure from the Grishaverse is a bold and captivating choice. The 16th century Spanish setting is rich and atmospheric, and Bardugo expertly weaves magic, history, and religious intrigue into a spellbinding story.Luzia, a Jewish woman with a secret gift, is a complex and compelling protagonist. Her journey through a world that fears and reviles her is both heartbreaking and inspiring. The exploration of faith and power is thought-provoking, and the slow-burn romance adds depth to the story.However, while the novel is undoubtedly enjoyable, it lacks the electrifying pace and unforgettable characters of her Grishaverse series. I missed the heart-pounding action, the witty banter, and the complex, morally gray anti-heroes that made books like Six of Crows such a thrilling read.While the magic system could have been developed further, and the plot occasionally predictable, these are minor quibbles.If you're a die-hard fan looking for another adrenaline rush, you might be disappointed. But if you appreciate a slower-paced story with rich historical detail and thought-provoking themes, The Familiar is worth a read.

The Familiar is a historical fantasy set in the Spanish Golden Age in the 16th Century and follows Luzia, a young scullion who tries to live a quiet life and uses her little secret magic to make her day to day life easy until her mistress discovers her magic abilities and uses her to get up in the social ladder by making her compete for the favour of the king's disgraced advisor. Luzia is thrown into the world of magic, power, good, evil, myth and heretics, and soon finds herself cornered with no one to help her survive except Santangel, an immortal familiar who is himself bound to a man with endless ambition.The writing, without a doubt, is beautiful. It's lyrical, lush and so atmospheric. It completely fits with gothic magical ambience of the story and had me hooked from the beginning. Like all Bardugo books, it starts a bit slow as the characters and plot is set up but foundation of the story and each character is well layered. I do believe that while the book moves leisurely almost completely, the pace suddenly felt a lot faster and kind of abrupt at the end. I almost felt as a skipped over a chapter or a few pages somewhere between the last chapter and the epilogue.Luzia is such an intriguing character. Her character's development from the start to finish is done excellent. She starts as a scullion who is trying stay unnoticed and thinks of her magic as little tricks and as the plot develops and she comes understand her power and wield her magic as a weapon, it was just so well done. Her and Santangel's romance has me in a fix though because while it had some really beautiful and poetic moments, especially that epilogue which was absolutely stunning, I felt something was missing.I wish this book was a little bit long so that the characters, the plot and the ending could have expanded a bit more and it would have been perfect. It's still a great fantasy standalone that I would definitely recommend it✨💕Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25/5Thank you so much @penguinindia for sending this my way 💖

Wow. Leigh Bardugo is a magician who spins amazing stories. The Familiar is rife with complex characters and multiple plot twists. Lucia is a poor sculley maid who has big dreams, but is used and manipulated by powerful men for their own purposes.There is also an undercurrent of loneliness and the need to be loved. Common issues no matter how low or elevated one may be. Bardugo is able to reach into the past and show her readers that no matter the place or the time, certain truths remain. There is goodness in most people. Sometimes they just need to be reminded that they are capable of being good and kind. For others their lust for riches, power or fame is all they care about. But maybe some can find redemption in the end.If you've never read Leigh Bardugo, this is a good book to start. You'll want to read all of her books by the time you're finished.

I don't normally write reviews for books, but I had to write one for this.I was getting really tired of looking for new fantasy stories lately after trying to read at least a couple of books that apparently are very popular and supposed to be good. It's saddening to see so much literature aimed at young readers who are just getting to know fantasy being associated with plain p0rn0gr4phy, glorifying abusive relationships, reinforcing beauty standards and sexist stereotypes and such bad bad BAD writing.I confess I was still a bit skeptical when I decided to give a chance to this one. Little did I know it would become one of my very favorite books. Leigh Bardugo clearly knows a lot about real SpanishInquisition history and did a wonderful job managing to insert a magical story into it while being extremely respectful and accurate. I could not put this book down. I read it in 3 days and I can say this was one of the very few books that actually made me cry. I am very grateful for giving it a chance, and I strongly recommend this read to anyone who might also be feeling the struggle that is finding good solid reads nowadays.

What a brilliant book. Highly recommended

Leigh Bardugo never ceases to amaze with her fantastic writing, original characters and plots. This book is fantastic.

Ich mag ja die Autorin sehr und dieses Buch ist wieder extrem gelungen, vor dem historischen Hintergrund von Filipp 2. (Ich sage nur "Don Carlos") und u.a. der Schwierigkeit der jüdischen Bevölkerung, ihren Glauben zu leben, gemischt mit sehr viel Magie bis zum unausweichlichen (?) Ende. Ein 2. Band wäre durchaus drin, die Geschichte ist nicht 100% fertig, auch wenn ein Abschluss ebenso möglich wäre. Ich habe es in einem Zug durchgelesen. Gerne mehr davon.