This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend. Read the full disclosure here.
We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. This June we celebrated our 10 year anniversary of book club. So in celebration of that milestone, we are re-visiting authors we read way back in those first few years of our book club. For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!
Book: “The Familiar” by Leigh Bardugo
Publishing Info: Flatiron Books, April 2024
Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family’s social position.
What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain’s king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England’s heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king’s favor.
Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition’s wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.
Repeat Author: Leigh Bardugo
Kate’s Thoughts
As someone who really has enjoyed Leigh Bardugo’s works I was very excited to read “The Familiar”. For one, it’s another adult book by her, and I absolutely loved “Ninth House” and still need to read “Hell Bent” (gahhhh it’s been so long since it came out!). I actually read it last summer while we were in San Diego, but was more than happy to save up my opinions for Book Club (as I knew around the time I was reading it that Serena was going to pick it). And like “Ninth House”, I quite enjoyed it.
For one I really loved the time period and place, as I don’t really have much working knowledge of The Spanish Inquisition outside of a short unit we did on it in high school, and that was so long ago that my memory of it was fading. But I really enjoyed how Bardugo captured the time, the fear, and the desperation of Luzia to hide herself, until she realized that her powers could actually be something that would show her power, which then fed into her ambition. I also really liked the magical system, because it was complex enough to feel unique, but not so much that it would alter history to make it unrecognizable and unrealistic to be within our world. And finally, I really enjoyed the themes of what makes these kinds of powers ‘miracles’ vs ‘witchcraft/Satanic’, and how those definitions are really more about who gets to decide these things and the motives for how these labels are placed.
“The Familiar” is a grim yet gorgeous work of historical fantasy. Bardugo is such a talent.
Serena’s Thoughts
I’ve already written a raving review for this book, so my thoughts won’t be anything new! That said, in reading it again now six months later, a few things did stand out to me. In particular, I continue to be impressed by how well Bardugo balanced a number of different genres, all with their own typical tropes and plot points. We have the intricate and specific details of historical fiction. The whimsy and tendency towards surprising solutions to complicated problems found in fantasy fiction. And the drama and slow-build of romance. Each was done well and none out-shone the others.
The side characters also stood out more for me in this read. I remember reading this the first time and expecting Valentina, in particular, to only be used as an introduction point to Luzia and her story. But this time, knowing the greater roles that some of these side characters play, I was better able to appreciate the care that went into crafting these sub-plots. While both Valentina and Haulit have much less page time than Luzia, they each still offered unique windows into the lives of women during this time period (much of which seems as if it would be fairly accurate, regardless of the addition of magic).
I also remain impressed that for a story that can be incredibly dark at times, that Bardugo managed to wrap it up in a satisfying way, with a happy-ish ending for our main couple. What’s more, she did this without resorting to deus ex machina magical solutions. Yes, magic was involved, but it was the sort that had been thoroughly explored before and was simply used in an unexpected and creative way.
So, yeah, I still really loved this book! Given its blending of many genres, I also think its the sort of book that will appeal to many readers and will definitely be recommending it this holiday season!
Kate’s Rating 9: An awe inspiring and at times grim historical fantasy, another triumph from Leigh Bardugo!
Serena’s Rating 10: Still just as great as last time!
Book Club Questions:
- This story blends fantasy with historical fiction. How well did it manage this balance? Particuarly, what did you know about Antonia Perez and the Spanish Inquisition before reading this and how well do you think these historical events were woven into the story?
- As for the fantasy aspects, what did you make of the magic that makes up this world? Particularly the distinctions made between accecptable magic and the sort that leads to heresy and witch burnings?
- What did you make of the love story and particularly Santangel? Do you think Santángel was a good man? Do you think she loves him because he’s good in some respects, or in spite of it?
- We are introduced to several different women who have approached the challenges they’ve faced in different manners: Valentina, Haulit, and Luzia herself. What stood out to you about these three, particular Valentina and Haulit?
- Much of Luzia’s inner life deals with her thoughts regarding ambition versus invisibility. Various other characters gave her their own thoughts on these topics. How do you think ambition and invisibility played a role in Luzia’s choices and perhaps also Santangel’s?
- Luzia’s Jewish heritage and religious persecution play a major role in the story. Did anything stand out to you with this theme?
Reader’s Advisory
“The Familiar” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Jewish Fantasy Genre and Historical Fiction With a Dash of Magic.
Next Book Club Pick: “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” by Stephen King
The Library Ladies 