📝 What is The Familiar about?:
In Leigh Bardugo’s new book release, The Familiar, Luzia Cotado, a talented but hidden sorceress, is thrust into the dangerous world of court intrigue when her abilities are discovered by her mistress and then sought after by Antonio Pérez, a disgraced secretary to Spain’s king. As she navigates through a labyrinth of magic, politics, and peril, Luzia must use her cunning to survive the dangers lurking in the shadows, even if it means forming an uneasy alliance with Guillén Santángel, an immortal familiar with his own dark secrets.
📚 Genre: Fantasy
🎧 Format: E-Book
💞 Feels: ⭐⭐⭐
I liked the gothic vibes of this book. The first half of the book was mainly world building. The rules of Luiza’s powers, the society that she’s living and working in; the mystery of Santangel’s powers and burdens. I couldn’t really get a sense of what the story was building towards. What the confrontation might be in order to change their (Luiza and Santangel’s) current state.
The first half of the book held my interest more, with the relationship developments and having people grow closer to each other. Like Luiza and Valentina. Santangel’s attachment to Luiza didn’t feel real, I was always waiting for him to betray her. It just felt too convenient how attached they were to each other; because they weren’t around each other that much. There was no romantic tension. They didn’t even know each other beyond her finding out his secret.
Santangel’s back story was such an inventive idea. It reminded me of Gift of the Magi, irony, catch 22, whatever you want to call it. Giving up a gift you value least still puts you in a precarious position. Your life, your friendship, your love, your luck, your power.
I am a fan of Leigh Bardugo’s books, but I’ve usually enjoyed her duology’s, so I’m wondering if this standalone wasn’t enough pages for world building and relationship development. One of them suffered to flesh out the other. The back stories; separate and shared histories really helped let me know what state the characters were at when the book began. But some of the character growth seemed rushed. Santangel was irrelevant to me, but maybe that’s good because it’s Luiza’s story. I wanted him to be more, and he wasn’t. I was misled by the title – but the cover image makes the dynamic clear. She is literally bigger than him; and him being more diabolical is a red herring.
I felt that the start and middle of the book was slow. There were so many details about the characters to inform us at the beginning and then by the middle more characters were being introduced so that the plot could start plotting. Luiza being reliant on other characters to put things into action definitely made it so the plot was slow going. But as she gained more confidence in her self (and her station grew); she was able to move more freely and so the plot started to pick up. I wish less time had been spent on world building and more time had been spent on character interactions, like it was in the last half of the book. More conversations, more action. Show and tell us! This book was vibes only, and I’m okay with that.
✅ Spinoff novella nomination:
Valentina, should get a spinoff, I enjoyed reading her redemption arc
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments.