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The Familiar
Leigh Bardugo
387 pages | Published by Flatiron Books
The Set Up: Luzia’s life is not what she’s hoped for; She is a scullery maid, sleeping on the floor with the rats in the home of desperate social climbers in Madrid. When her mistress discovers her doing a bit of kitchen magic, she parades Luzia in front of her guests, eventually drawing the attention of Antonio Pérez, a former associate of the king, who is determined to regain his position in the king’s good graces. Pérez has devised a series of trials to find the king a magical champion to aid in his war against England. Suddenly, Luzia is competing in a ruthless competition, unsure of who she can trust, including her new benefactor and his familiar, Santangel.
Leigh Bardugo is TOP TIER. I think she gets better and better with every book she releases. This book was so atmospheric and had a dark, subtle romanticism. I only wish I had read it for the first time in the fall - I think it would have been perfect October reading.
These were some of the most complex characters I think I’ve ever read. I didn’t love Luzia but the more cunning she became the more I grew to appreciate her.
One thing I loved about the writing was the occasional allusions to the end of the story. A quick mention of “this would have been a happier story” or “maybe more than one of them would live to remember” kept me HOOKED and so curious about how the story would unfold.
The ending was chefs kiss - I love that not question was left unanswered and we got to learn the fate of every character, including some callbacks to unnamed characters throughout the story.
This was just a beautiful book. Highly recommend if you want a bit of history, fantasy, and magic.
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