Familiar - BookWyrm

enne📚 reviewed The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (duplicate)

The Familiar

3 stars

The premise of The Familiar felt like a great hook--a Jewish converso scullery maid who can perform small miracles, set during the time of the Spanish inquisition. Her mistress discovers her magical secrets, and she's thrust into dangerous visibility and politics.

I enjoyed this book overall, but there were some weak spots for me. Other than the religious persecution, I didn't get a strong sense of place from this book. The beginning of the book was quite enjoyable, but the second and third acts (so to speak) worked less well for me. (Some of this is my own personal bias against anything that whiffs of shonen tournament arc.) Finally, the nature of magical bargains in this book felt so handwavingly convenient that it made the conclusion less satisfying, even as it satisfied the strictures of a fantasy romance novel.

Katherine Villyard reviewed The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (duplicate)

Review of 'The Familiar' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

So, I was down to read this as soon as I knew it was historical fiction with Sephardi Jewish elements, like The Pomegranate Gate. It’s an interesting period of history.

(I know that’s Leigh Bardugo’s actual background, by the way. A lot of her recent, non-YA work involves Sephardi characters, like Ninth House.)

I’ve also been reading Bardugo since Six of Crows or thereabouts.

I’m also pretty down to read, well. If you casually peruse my shelves you’ll see “witches and wizards.” I don’t know if that’s what Luzia would call herself, but it’s an interesting magic system—Ladino refranes and music. In other words, is it witchcraft or magically successful Jewish prayer? and is there a difference between those two to the Inquisition?

I’m also intrigued by the romantic subplot with a cursed immortal being. He’s not a vampire, but he’s got the world-weary voice of a man who’s been …

So, I was down to read this as soon as I knew it was historical fiction with Sephardi Jewish elements, like The Pomegranate Gate. It’s an interesting period of history.

(I know that’s Leigh Bardugo’s actual background, by the way. A lot of her recent, non-YA work involves Sephardi characters, like Ninth House.)

I’ve also been reading Bardugo since Six of Crows or thereabouts.

I’m also pretty down to read, well. If you casually peruse my shelves you’ll see “witches and wizards.” I don’t know if that’s what Luzia would call herself, but it’s an interesting magic system—Ladino refranes and music. In other words, is it witchcraft or magically successful Jewish prayer? and is there a difference between those two to the Inquisition?

I’m also intrigued by the romantic subplot with a cursed immortal being. He’s not a vampire, but he’s got the world-weary voice of a man who’s been alive a long time… a VERY long time. My Goodreads shelves are also groaning under the tag “vampires.”

So.

Luzia is a scullion with a talent and ambition. Her aunt is a rich man’s mistress. But we’re in a period of Spain where her Jewish ancestry is a serious liability. Luzia is nominally Catholic, and is shocked when her aunt turns out to be “a Judaizer” even though she has been saying Latin prayers while thinking them in Hebrew, just like her parents taught her, and hiding her Jewish ancestry…

And her aunt’s rich boyfriend thinks he can use her power to gain political advantage.

KnitAFett reviewed The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (duplicate)

Had potential, but flopped for me.

3 stars

The story was fine enough, though it did drag on a bit. I felt no connection to the characters. I never had a sense of urgency, or an inkling that things wouldn't end up working out fine for the MCs. I did enjoy the setting since I have not read any historical fictions that took place in Spain during the Golden Age. Not mad I read it, but glad it was a library loan so I didn't put money into it.

ginkgo

rated it

Jul 3

Emily Johnson

rated it

Jul 24