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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo comes a spellbinding novel set in the Spanish Golden Age. A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2024 by The Washington Post, NPR, Goodreads, LitHub, The Nerd Daily, Paste Magazine, Today.com, and so much more! "A must-read for those who are seeking a little magic in their lives." —Deborah Harkness, #1 bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches 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 improve the family's social position. What begins as simple amusement for the 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 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 Guillén Santángel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both. A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.
Can Leigh Bardugo do no wrong? After adoring her epic, action-packed Yale college campus novels Ninth House and Hell Bent starring the feisty Alex Stern, I was eager to read whatever she published next for adults. Plus, as someone drawn to fiction inspired by real historical events, I was particularly excited by this latest novel’s distinctly different setting and context.
The Familiar is captivating and thought-provoking historical fiction first, and a fantasy novel second. I think this is an important point for those that might otherwise turn away due to the magical element. Yes, the magic is often centre stage, but Bardugo employs it as a tool to demonstrate and explore much deeper and weighty themes, such as the plight of minorities in society, the way those that are different are often demonised, and the fickle nature of power and influence.
Interesting fantasy involving Luzia, a scullery maid whose magic is something she tries to hide because Spain is in the throes of an inquisition and the difference between perceiving that powers come from God versus those invoked by the devil can be as capricious as a coin flip, or the whims of an inquisitor. Unfortunately, she has no choice in her fate as she's chosen to be one of four 'gifted' who will compete to become the holy poobah for the king. In the course of this madness, Luzia meets Santangel who alternately scares the dickens out of her, and brings out the inner snark that years of servitude tried to kill. What follows is a mix of high drama, treachery, some very hot moments between them, and an ending that doesn't quite have them sailing off into the sunset, but comes close. ( )
My first Leigh Bardugo book and I'm not sure I liked it. The writing is good (though perhaps too flowery in parts), but the story kind of drags, I didn't really like any of the characters, and I wasn't totally onboard with the love story. I mostly just wanted to get through it so I could move on to something else. ( )
Magic doesn’t play well with the Spanish Inquisition, unless you can convince everyone that your powers come from God. Luzia is the descendant of conversos, always at risk of being denounced as a Judiazer, and she can also do magic. When she reveals this to her employer, she sets off a chain of events that leads her to great danger and great opportunity. I really liked that each person in the story was clearly the hero of their own narrative (or the villain). ( )
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo comes a spellbinding novel set in the Spanish Golden Age. A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2024 by The Washington Post, NPR, Goodreads, LitHub, The Nerd Daily, Paste Magazine, Today.com, and so much more! "A must-read for those who are seeking a little magic in their lives." —Deborah Harkness, #1 bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches 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 improve the family's social position. What begins as simple amusement for the 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 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 Guillén Santángel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both. A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.
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The Familiar is captivating and thought-provoking historical fiction first, and a fantasy novel second. I think this is an important point for those that might otherwise turn away due to the magical element. Yes, the magic is often centre stage, but Bardugo employs it as a tool to demonstrate and explore much deeper and weighty themes, such as the plight of minorities in society, the way those that are different are often demonised, and the fickle nature of power and influence.
Once again, Leigh Bardugo’s talents for vivid depiction and superb ensemble character development shine so very bright in The Familiar. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2024/04/leigh-bardugo-the-familiar.html (