The Familiar

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, so maybe my disappointment with this book is on me, with my expectations set too high. But at the same time this was advertised as a deeply personal historical fantasy based on the author’s family history, while it was actually an alternate universe Alina x The Darkling story.

My full review for this book is on my booktube channel, where I explain why this felt like an alternate universe Alina x The Darkling

The beginning was great, and I loved the first chapter as it really sets the stage for things to come. We are introduced to several of our main characters and their situations. We have Luzia who is a maid in a not so wealthy house, and unhappy with her position. She has magic, but since it comes from her Jewish family and is performed with a mix of languages, she knows she could be killed for using it.

We also have Valentina, who is trapped in a loveless marriage and longs for companionship, while being isolated by societal expectations. Because of this she often employs cruel attention seeking and controlling tactics on the two servants in her house.

The first few chapters of the book we are told that this story doesn’t end well and there are small things that happened that cause a domino effect. I generally find this premise interesting, but the problem is, looking back on this part of the book, I stopped believing that it was actually these small things that made a difference. Luzia was too power hungry and ambitious not to get caught eventually. Sure the bread incident might have been what tipped Valentina off, but Luzia was careless. She freakin’ fixed the torn dress right in front of Valentina. And you can’t convince me that Luzia actually thought Valentina’s wrath was better than her interest. Luzia revels in the attention. She wants people to notice her and notice how powerful she is. She was going to show off eventually, bread incident or not.

At times, I liked that we focused on a power hungry ambitious character. It was interesting to see how far she would take things, how far she could climb in social status before falling. But it got old when this was Luzia's only personality trait. I didn’t feel like the characters were well rounded, which might be why I felt that I was kept at arm's length from the characters. I had trouble getting immersed in the story.

I really enjoy Leigh Bardugo’s writing. She has some great punchy lines!

"Luzia saw her reflection in the goblet, changed but unchangeable, made perfect and ruined all the same"

I love this one, though it feels like a Grishaverse quote.

“She could be safe. ‘I'd rather be powerful” she whispered to no one”

Oooh I was so ready for a corruption arc!

“But did he deserve to die?”

“Death doesn’t come to those who deserve it. I can attest to that.”

The book is written using modern language, so if that is something that breaks your immersion in a historical novel, then this one is not for you. It is something I notice, but it doesn’t take me out of a book, so it worked fine for me.

Overall, I'm glad I read it, but I think this is my first Bardugo book that I've read and won't be rereading

3.5 Stars

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD (I'll let you know when):

I enjoyed this quite a bit. Each time I sat down to read, I looked forward to the story and the character development (for the main players, in particular. There are a lot of characters here and many are not interesting or seem sort of flat and predictable...a few though could have used more air time because the potential was there: Quiteria Escárcega, for example). The love story was interesting and I found myself most invested in this aspect of the story and found that it was what kept me coming back (which makes sense as this is the main part of the story...). The political aspect of things as it relates to King Phillip and Antonio Pérez was tepid. Like, oh yeah...we have to talk about the King and Pérez and the Inquisition (which wasn't portrayed as all that intimidating here) because this is what's supposed to raise the stakes...ok, let's get on with it. However, predictable the love story was here, it was still satisfying and enjoyable. Sort of how ice cream is satisfying and enjoyable. You know it's going to be yummy. And when it is yummy, you're happy that it was yummy, but you also expected it to be, soooo....yeah. Know what I mean?

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD:

Valentina is interesting. Probably my favorite character in this whole thing and I felt like her story...especially where it ends up...could be its own tale. What a gray character, but one you find yourself rooting for some (not so) inexplicable reason. And that scene in the woods with the horse and Marius? It could have been longer because it was so well-placed and so important for the development of both Marius and Valentina...a lost opportunity in my opinion, but not bad by any means...I just wanted more.

As for the setting and atmosphere, I wanted this to be more “fleshed out” (if you can say that about things like atmospheres and settings). I knew when this was taking place only because of the events closely preceding and during the story (defeat of the Spanish armada by Queen Elizabeth I, Inquisition), but other than that, very little in the story reminds you of when this takes place or what the environment was like or even how the environment actually does its own work to raise the stakes. I think I need to think on this one more...but I just didn't visualize the environment a lot with this one...and I am GREAT at visualizing a story. It's what I LOVE about reading. But with this, Bardugo didn't ask much of you in that respect...and for me, that's a let down.

Ok, this is a lot for a standalone “romantasy” of 379 pages, but I had thoughts. Overall, I rate this a 3.5. I enjoyed it. I looked forward to picking it up and for what it's worth, if this were to become a series (which based on the ending, I don't think it would), I'd spring for the next one.

The Familiar grabbed me from the first line and was extremely satisfying to read. I wouldn't say it was fast-paced, maybe more medium, but I was never bored and I never wanted to put the book down. In a lot of the books I read, there's a lot of buildup to the climax of the story only for the bulk of the action to happen in the last few pages, and I'm often left feeling like it was sort of rushed. But in The Familiar, there was buildup, and then the action started and I was like, “wait, there's still so much book left!”
I loved Luzia as a main character. I liked that while everyone around her thought she was just a stupid little servant, the reader knows she is so much more. It would have been incredibly dangerous for Luzia to show anyone just how clever she really was in the 1500s. But hiding your true self can be dangerous too, and this quote really smacked me in the face: “I know what it is to lower yourself, to keep your eyes downcast, to seek invisibility. It is a danger to become nothing. You hope no one will look, and so one day when you go to find yourself, only dust remains, ground down to nothing from sheer neglect.” I mean, it absolutely BODIED me. Leigh Bardugo, did you write that for me? I feel called out. Anyway, watching Luzia evolve from a meager scullion to a woman who truly knows what she's capable of felt really good.
Santángel was another great character and I liked the way his relationships evolved throughout the book and the way Bardugo introduced his backstory. Really, character development as a whole was super on point, even for side characters. Everyone felt important and they all evolved in ways that made perfect sense. I've learned that Bardugo is very good at this.
This is such a hard review for me because I like the book so much, I just want to gush about spoilery things. I'll just say I think the book ended just the way it should have and call it a day.
This was my first Leigh Bardugo book. Her others have been on my TBR for a while, but that list is a mile long. I hope to get to Ninth House soon because I know for sure I'm a fan of hers now!