Leigh Bardugo’s books always have a certain aesthetic that draws me in, because rather than focus on the bright and happy, there’s an exploration into the shadows and darkness of a scene. Each and every book of hers I have read has explored darker topics, and this book was no exception. I was drawn to the fact that it was a historical fantasy from the age of the Spanish Inquisition, and even more so by the idea of milagreros. From start to finish, I was thoroughly intrigued and couldn’t wait to get to the next chapter. However, if you’re looking for a happily ever after here, I wouldn’t get too comfortable.
The Familiar is a story of avarice, and the lengths that they will go to secure their own happiness at the misfortune of others. It is an incredibly bittersweet story, full of moments of hope sprinkled in between. There’s lots of interesting symbolism that I think readers will enjoy exploring and the ending will give you a lot to think about. It has romance, yes, but it’s not centre stage here.
In the capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado lives in a shabby home, toiling away her days as a scullion. She uses little bits of magic to make her days easier, but when she’s discovered by her mistress, Luzia finds herself using her little miracles to better the social position of her mistress and family. When she gains notoriety she pulls in the attention of Antonio Perez, a disgraced secretary to the Spanish king who’s scheming a way to get back into the king’s good graces. Luzia finds herself among a world of seers, alchemists, holy men, and hucksters. The line between what is real and fake is never certain, but there’s danger that her lineage will doom her and she will face the Inquisition’s wrath. She’ll use everything she has to survive, even if it means enlisting the help of Guillen Santangel, a person whose secrets might be even deadlier than the Inquisition itself.
A wonderful aspect of this book is Luzia’s perspective. The way she’s described, there really doesn’t seem to be much to her, but the one thing that most readers will notice is her desire for more. Ambition is at the forefront of her mind, and the injustice of her current station. She lives in fear of the Inquisition due to her Jewish lineage and her abilities, but when she’s discovered, rather than escape, she jumps headfirst into the very danger she was running from. Furthermore, the relationship she has with her mistress is fascinating in the way that it changes, starting off as fraught with tension, and then turning into something else later on. It is the same with Luzia’s aunt Hualit. Leigh took such care with each character in this book, as readers will get to follow each character that plays a significant part in Luzia’s life and watch them meet their inevitable fates. I wasn’t sure that I would love this way of storytelling, but each character seemed to carry a thread of the story that would make it incomplete otherwise.
My favourite character in this book would have to be Santangel. I won’t go into too much about him because of spoilers, but there’s symbolism on the cover and within the book that help put much of his character into perspective. He comes off as the complete opposite of Luzia, riddled with secrets that he wouldn’t share with a soul until she comes along. While I did enjoy the obsessive romance that he shared with Luzia, I was more fascinated with the familiar relationship he had with Antonio. When the book shifts to his perspective, things are much darker, more bleak and helpless. The idea that he cannot change his situation because of his deal makes him cynical and weary of trusting anyone.
The storyline is fascinating and cantered around a torneo, a tournament of sorts where people have gathered to witness miracles for Antono Perez to present to the Spanish king. However, the threat of death looms over them all, for if any one is to fail, they will be at the mercy of the inquisition. There’s political scheming at play that is great to watch, because of each character that we’re reading about. Luzia’s ambitions are the strongest here, because she’s naïve and trusting of those she shouldn’t be. While this is deliberately vague to avoid spoilers, this is one of my favourite aspects of the book.
Ultimately, the ending of this book ties all of the threads together into a really bittersweet ending (in my opinion). While this wasn’t my favourite of Leigh Bardugo’s, it’s still really strong and I think others would absolutely love this.
The Familiar is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
From the New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House, Hell Bent, and creator of the Grishaverse series comes a highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age
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.
