The Familiar

by Leigh Bardugo

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

Luzia Cotado has spent most of her life desperately hiding her power. This means that, for the most part, she spends day after day fighting the urge to improve her life. Given her life as a scullery maid, that urge is ever present.

One day, Luzia makes a mistake. She uses her talent in what she thought was innocuous enough. But it was spotted. Worse, it was noticed by the lady of the house, and that will kick off a series of events that Luzia cannot run from.

My Review:

If there’s one thing I can say about Leigh Bardugo, it’s that her adult novels always surprise me. Enter The Familiar. This book is nothing and exactly like what I expected it to be. It’s a magical thriller with historical and romantic elements but with Bardugo’s style.

In truth, I’m not entirely sure how to feel about The Familiar. There were elements I liked (Luzia’s secret, the politics, even some of the romantic subplots), but there were just as many elements that felt overly drawn out.

Overall, I’d say that The Familiar was a risk, and it mostly paid off. I think that a lot of potential was left sitting on the table (especially regarding how/why magic was forced to be such a secret for so many people - I can guess, but a bit more overt storytelling would have been nice here).

Highlights:
Historical Fantasy
Magical Realism
Romantic Fantasy
Dark Fantasy

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