Slow But Gorgeous | The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Saturday, March 15, 2025The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: 4/9/24
Pages: 387
Source: purchased
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 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 simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, 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 Pérez 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 line between magic, science, and fraud is 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 Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.
- While I've read Bardugo's YA books, I haven't reached for Ninth House yet so I wasn't entirely convinced I would love the tone and flow of her adult books. However, I shouldn't have been at all hesitant. Bardugo brings her impeccable writing from page one.
- The writing immerses readers into the Spanish Golden Age. I rarely annotate books, but the readability coupled with the flowery prose made me want to highlight every paragraph.
- Luzia is sheltered but brave. She had a plan and knew what she wanted. I liked her confidence, but didn't always love the decisions she made. Readers experience the plot as Luzia experiences the world for the first time. This allows Bardugo to build the world both for Luzia, as she steps out of her isolated life, and the reader.
- Santangel was a ghost in the plot, stealing the spotlight in all the scenes he was in but swiftly disappearing from the story when he wasn't at the forefront of the plot. I was hoping to see more of him and was a bit disappointed to only get a few scenes.
- There is a romance but it wasn't my favorite. The scenes between the two characters was fleeting. The chemistry felt quite flat.
- Unfortunately, the pacing is unbearably slow and the bulk of the action doesn't happen until 80%-90% in. Looking back, the pace remains consistent as if it was a steady buildup to the story at the end. While I appreciate the style, the methodical pace made me want to put it down for long periods of time and never pick it back up. The last end of the story was what truly transformed how I felt about the book.
Overall, this standalone historical fantasy is a slow, but gorgeous tale. While certainly not my favorite Bardugo book, it may have been the most beautifully written. If you enjoy slow fantasies, this one may be for you.
0 comments