Scan barcode
A review by deinnos
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
4 out of 5 stars
Something about the end made me smile, as if you are also in on the tiny secret. Leigh Bardugo created something in line with her previous work but it still felt very new. Plus adding some of her family's history into it, you could tell there was a deep connection to the work.
Oftentimes, Bardugo's books for the first 100 pages are a slog that I have to push through in order for it to finally grab my attention, but surprisingly, this one was quite the opposite. The use of language weaves the story almost a fairy tale. It's a style I remember Leigh doing for one of the Grishaverse anthologies. So to finally see it one of her other books, it was so lovely. It did a lot to set the tone and overall atmosphere of the story.
I immediately clicked with Luzia. How strong-willed and decisive she was really spoke to me and made me want to cheer her on. She stood her ground against those that wished to abuse her for their own gain and it was like, "Finally! A female character who doesn't take any shit". The other character that really surprised me was Valentina. You go in absolutely hating her guts, but the end, there is progression in her growth and one chapter specifically where we see her reflect on the treatment she gave Luzia that makes your heart squeeze.
The romance was not necessarily the focus in the book, but it did play a critical role to push the storyline forward. Bardugo has a talent of truly creating the brooding yet secretly obsessed love interest that I absolutely love. The tension between Luzia and Santangel was fantastic! I ate up every single on of their interactions and I will say I ended up wanting more. One thing I did not enjoy so much was once the romantic feelings between the two were acknowledged by each other it truly made them make some very stupid decisions. But I guess that comes with the woes of love!
I need Leigh Bardugo to keep writing adult books. We get to see more of her talent as a writer than we ever had with any of her YA books. And while I love her series, it's nice to have a change of pace and let this one be a standalone. I think Bardugo has just tapped into a new potential with this books.
Something about the end made me smile, as if you are also in on the tiny secret. Leigh Bardugo created something in line with her previous work but it still felt very new. Plus adding some of her family's history into it, you could tell there was a deep connection to the work.
Oftentimes, Bardugo's books for the first 100 pages are a slog that I have to push through in order for it to finally grab my attention, but surprisingly, this one was quite the opposite. The use of language weaves the story almost a fairy tale. It's a style I remember Leigh doing for one of the Grishaverse anthologies. So to finally see it one of her other books, it was so lovely. It did a lot to set the tone and overall atmosphere of the story.
I immediately clicked with Luzia. How strong-willed and decisive she was really spoke to me and made me want to cheer her on. She stood her ground against those that wished to abuse her for their own gain and it was like, "Finally! A female character who doesn't take any shit". The other character that really surprised me was Valentina. You go in absolutely hating her guts, but the end, there is progression in her growth and one chapter specifically where we see her reflect on the treatment she gave Luzia that makes your heart squeeze.
The romance was not necessarily the focus in the book, but it did play a critical role to push the storyline forward. Bardugo has a talent of truly creating the brooding yet secretly obsessed love interest that I absolutely love. The tension between Luzia and Santangel was fantastic! I ate up every single on of their interactions and I will say I ended up wanting more. One thing I did not enjoy so much was once the romantic feelings between the two were acknowledged by each other it truly made them make some very stupid decisions. But I guess that comes with the woes of love!
I need Leigh Bardugo to keep writing adult books. We get to see more of her talent as a writer than we ever had with any of her YA books. And while I love her series, it's nice to have a change of pace and let this one be a standalone. I think Bardugo has just tapped into a new potential with this books.