A review by mrtvavrana
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 I had to sit on this review overnight, as I finished the book at the ripe time of 2 in the morning. I also had to collect my thoughts, as this book was a lot. I want to keep my review as spoiler-free as possible, but I don't think I will be able to. 

 

Leigh Bardugo is one of my favourite writers, so perhaps I am a bit biased, but I really enjoyed The Familiar. That definitely does not mean it is perfect. My main issue was with the characters; they weren't as deep as we´re used to from her other books. While I understand there needs to be a mystery aspect, they seemed quite one-dimensional. We did get a lot of insight into Luzia´s past, though I was quite disappointed there was not more about Santángel, Valentina, or even Víctor and his wife, Maria. 

Another thing that bothered me was the relationship between Luzia and Santángel. I definitely saw the romance coming, but it was very rushed and sudden. We went from 0 to 100 in the span of a chapter, and I hoped more for a slow burn, but that is on me.

 

I did not expect The Familiar to be action-packed, but I also did not expect it to be as slow and dragging as it is. I enjoyed that the pace of the book was quite steady for the most part and that everything flowed smoothly, slowly increasing in intensity. But for reasons unknown, I am not quite satisfied with the ending.

I don't want to say that I hoped Luzia and Santángel would die, and I did find the ending quite romantic, but I do love me a good tragedy.

 

Overall, this book was a very lovely read. I would not be mad if we were blessed with a prequel novel about Santángel and his life prior to meeting Luzia.