This took a little bit to get going, but once it did, I was not able to put it down until I finished it. I loved this book from beginning to end and I just didn’t want it to end. I thought Bardugo’s writing and just lyricism with certain words was fantastic. And this book did a great job of blending history, fantasy, and religion together.
“The Familiar” follows Luzia Cotado, a scullion living in Madrid during Spain’s “Golden Age.” Luzia has dreams though she knows they are impossible. Luzia though has a secret, she is able to “sing” and that seems to affect the things around her. When the mistress of her house, Valentina Ordoño figures out Luzia’s secret, she is forced to perform for guests. Though Luzia knows what she is doing is dangerous, and if anyone finds out she could be tortured and deemed a heretic. When Luzia captures the attention of her aunt’s patron, Victor De Paredes though, she realizes she is about to be forced to enter a dangerous game.
I thought Luzia was fantastic. At first you may not like her, but she grows on you. Why shouldn’t she dream of a bed, good food, and wine. Why should she be hiding herself away. She wants to take her gift and try to gain the notice of the king and in her eyes freedom. I maybe yelled a few times though because I thought she was being foolish. There’s a secret to Luzia’s magic and parts of it are linked to the forced conversion of she and her family from their Jewish religion to Christianity.
I also really felt for De Paredes man/familiar named Santangel who is doing his best to not become attached to Luzia, but finds himself unable to leave her alone. I thought their growing attraction and love for each other felt organic to the story.
The other characters we get to know, Luzia’s aunt, Hualit Cana, Valentina, the other women/and one man that Luzia is up against, all come together nicely in this book.
I thought the overall plot worked, but yeah, some parts did drag a bit at the beginning. But honestly, it did not bother me much because so many parts of the book were so good, I just wanted to go back and reread certain passages again and again.
The setting of this book is during Spain’s Golden Age which started when Columbus sailed the Ocean blue and ended around 1681. This book though is mostly focused around the 1580s during King Phillip II’s rule and England rule under Queen Elizabeth I. I don’t know how much readers know about it, but I don’t think I have read a book set during that time and place (that was not a history book). Though it was called the “Golden Age” Spain would about expelling Muslim and Jewish people from their kingdom and did forced conversion to all to Christianity. We get historical characters such as these and Phillip’s secretary, Antonio Perez he was fascinating (historically) and I liked how Bardugo portrayed him in this book.
I really enjoyed the ending and will definitely seek this one out to buy for my permanent bookshelves.