The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
SYNOPSIS
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 that 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 a simple amusement for the nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Perez, 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 Perez 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 lines between magic, science, and fraud are 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 Guillen Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.
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An epic tale of life, love, corruption of power, and the hope of freedom, this novel held the richest of prose and the most dimensional of characters set against the awe inspiring backdrop of 16th century Spain.
A book I literally could not put down. The Familiar met, and exceeded, my highest expectations. Leigh Bardugo is one of my favourite authors and this book just proved exactly why. For a stand-alone book that’s quite different from the typical fantasy we’re used to from her, it sure covered an intricate plot and multi-dimensional characters in a short amount of time. The prose in this book were beautiful and intricate, every character and setting description so colourful and vivid. I wanted to devour the words I read and found myself retracing passages I had just completed to absorb those rich words again. Bardugo was able to paint dreamscapes in my mind and then ground me in reality in turn as the chapters went by. I highly appreciate the amount of research that went into this historical novel as this book gets deep into social and political issues of the time. Knowing it was based on the authors own family history just made reading it feel all the more special. This book was most assuredly a five star read (5 million stars to be honest).
Just to give you a taste of the descriptiveness: Instead of “he said coldly” we get this instead, “This new voice seemed to come from nowhere, water without a source. It had the lifeless quality of ashes gone cold.”
We start the book of in a day full of “what ifs” in the household of Marius and Valentina. Marius is a neglectful husband so Valentina becomes a vindictive mistress. Upon discovering Luzia, her scullery maid, has power to create what they call miracles, she capitalizes on it, having her perform parlour tricks most evenings for their esteemed guests. But it’s a time of danger during the Spanish Inquisition and Luzia not only has magic that cannot be verified as “from God” but she also has Jewish roots, something the Spanish catholics have been trying hard to root out of their country. As Luzia gets discovered and entered into a tournament of magic for the King, danger becomes her close companion. Her mentor, Guillén Santángel, has lived in servitude for hundreds of years and is called The Scorpion for his fearsome reputation. He must ensure Luzia is ready for the tournament so his master will be pleased, and ensure his freedom. As Luzia and Santángel navigate the dangers and intricacies of the Spanish aristocracy and the thin thread of tolerance for magic in Spain, they grow to trust each other more than anyone else. Luzia must hide her heritage, Santángel must hide his true identity, and both must hide their growing love.
I loved the characters of this book and I’m devastated to say goodbye. Luzia Cotado, our main heroine, was strong and independent yet still girlish and naive in some instances. She was the perfect blend of Alina Starkov’s empathy and Alex Stern’s ruthlessness. It’s always refreshing to have a character unapologetic for their actions, rational enough to avoid simple frustrating miscommunications with those she loves, and a softness that a lot of “badass” female characters seem to lack. Valentina was another character I didn’t expect to love but I found her character so interesting. She’s somewhat of an antagonist to our main character yet we also get her point of view so I found myself empathizing with her anytime I was in her head. I greatly enjoyed the different perspectives of womanhood from these two women in totally different classes and how they were still able to find common ground in certain (though rare) circumstances. Santángel was somewhat of an enigma. I really enjoyed the mystery around his character and his backstory really brought this book to life in a very haunting and enchanted way yet I still feel as if I don’t know him that well. The relationship between him and Luzia was a joy to read and his awe of her had me blushing the whole way through the book.
The beautiful and dangerous setting of 16th-century Spain during the Spanish Inquisition was genius. Not only is magic during this time a very dangerous thing, but it’s also a time of great religious persecution. Even with this being so far back in time, Luzia is already a descendant of generations of Jewish ancestry from parts far and wide. Her refranes (the magic or miracles she creates) are pieced together from those languages passed down through her ancestors. The magic system was so well developed and I highly enjoy when Bardugo relates her magic systems to science as well. It gives it a realism that can’t be beat. This entire book was almost a thrill ride because, with the type of danger the Spanish Inquisition brought to someone like Luzia, there was danger around every single corner of this book. The pacing was also superb. We have excitement right from the start with quiet moments threaded through in such a way that I didn’t feel the anxiety I usually do to “get back to” the main plot. I also very much enjoyed the third person omnicient voice used to tell this story and the switching character points of view. It added an almost fairytale-esque quality to the storytelling. And I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoilers… but I felt so content with the ending. I think either way you look at it, it allows you, the reader, the openness to imagine what might come next.
I absolutely adored The Familiar and, if you like Bardugo’s writing style or enjoy historical fiction/fantasy, you will too. This book showcases just how expert Bardugo is at weaving a tale of magic and heartbreak with tones of darkness for us gothic lovers. I think this will become a timeless classic and I can’t wait to share in my love for it with all of you. This might just be my favourite 5 star read of the year so far.
I will leave you now with some quotes:
”Luzia saw her reflection in the goblet, changed but unchanged, made perfect and ruined all the same”“Santángel had forgotten emotion long ago….Once he had craved revenge almost as much as freedom…. in time, even his fury had waned…How strange to discover it within him still, an underground spring that might feed a great river.”
Reviewer’s note: Just typing in “by Leigh Bardugo” in the heading of this review gave me chills because it’s been so long and I can’t believe I just got to read something new by her. #InLove