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Leigh Bardugo is a powerhouse author that I somehow just…missed all these years. Don’t ask me what I was doing when everyone else was diving into the Grishaverse because I simply don’t know. And I still haven’t read those books! Or watched any of the adaptations! I’ve only read Ninth House (love) and now The Familiar. And by now you’re probably like okay, so why should we listen to you talk about this author then? Look, don’t be so hard on me, I didn’t jump on here claiming to be a Bardugo encyclopedia. 

I’ve had this copy of The Familiar for well over a year. I even started reading it long ago and couldn’t finish it because some professional obligations called to me. In my previous life, I worked in books and obviously had to read the books I was working on. Any time I got my hands on books outside of my purview, I considered them a little treat. The Familiarwas a TREAT and you know what? While it annoys me as a reader that it took me so long to finish it, I’m glad that I really had a chance to savor it. 

The cover immediately pulled me in. I have never understood the adage “don’t judge a book by its cover” because um, hello, that’s what we readers do. Book covers are meant to tell you something about the content inside! They set a mood! They’re beautiful pieces of art to be displayed! Judge them books, girl. Or don’t. Do whatever you want, but I’m going to. So anyway, that cover, amirite? So good. 

And listen, this next part comes in my best SNL-Stefon voice—this book has EVERYTHING: magic, the Spanish Inquisition, betrayal, romance, fashion, history, competition, secrets, intrigue, LUST, all with a lovely orange scent. Luzia Cotado is a dim-witted scullion just trying to make some money in a world where she must hide her otherness. Or so she would have you think! While yes, she does work as a scullion for a woman named Valentina who desperately wants to be seen as a member of Madrid’s high society and her husband who, let’s be honest, is a total snooze, she is a brave, sharp, compassionate woman who gets through the day with a bit of magic. Literally. Luzia has a mysterious background. What we do know about her: she comes from a family of Jews who were forced to convert lest they face the hand of the Inquisition. Her mother tragically died when she was young. Without her mother’s grounding force, her father soon followed. She loved her parents, has fond memories of her childhood home. But her father lost himself in the aftermath of her mother’s death, and himself died a pauper. 

She has a spitfire of an aunt who is the mistress of a very wealthy man named Víctor de Paredes. The kind of life her aunt, Hualit, lives is one Luzia aspires to. She wishes for a home of her own, nice clothes, nice jewelry, fresh fruit, wine…you know, the stuff we all like and want. But Hualit promised her father she wouldn’t expose his daughter to her sinful life, so Luzia was forced to be a scullion. By all accounts, Luzia is a devout Catholic. She attends mass every day. She dutifully follows the sacraments. She keeps her head down and does her work.

But she also has MAGIC! She has a gift. She sings Judaic songs in a mixture of languages and is able to make burnt bread fresh, reassemble broken glasses, grow pomegranates out of thin air…and those are just mere parlor tricks. She is powerful, and under the eye of Guillén Santángel, her prowess grows. I’m not going to go too much more into the plot because I don’t want to ruin it. It’s worth reading. But here’s what you need to know: Guillén is bound to Víctor de Paredes. This rich man is corrupt, lucky, seeks power at all costs. He chooses to be Luzia’s patron and puts her in a competition with other gifted people to win the king’s favor. And all hell breaks loose. If that sounds good to you, then go read it! If it doesn’t, then why are you still reading this? (But seriously, thanks for sticking with me and reading this because I like writing these up and it is very cool and baffling to me that people want to hear what I have to say so I very much appreciate you.)

What Leigh Bardugo does with The Familiar is fascinating to me as a writer. She takes something as big as the Spanish Inquisition and injects very real, very true, very sad, very terrifying things that happened, all while telling us a story of power and hope and resilience and love. The way she blends fact and fiction, making Luzia and Guillén and the whole cast of magical and mundane characters real is masterful. That she can share a story of religious discrimination, violence, greed, and the issue of ‘otherness’ under the guise of a magical competition is thrilling. It’s the kind of work that I aspire to in my own writing and am painfully aware of falling short. But maybe I’m just being mean to myself, as I often am. Anyway, this isn’t about me and my skills. It’s about Leigh and her skills. Each and every character in this novel is fascinating and could very well have his or her own dedicated novel (that I would read!), but Luzia is the heart. In The Familiar’s bleakest moments, Luzia is captivating. She sees a better world for herself. She falls in love. When it seems her fate is to be burned at the stake for heresy and witchcraft, she somehow finds another way. That’s a spoiler but it’s intentionally vague and honestly you guys, this book came out over a year ago so if I’m spoiling it for you then sorry but at least I’m not like, driving around a line for a midnight release party and screaming out the window that so-and-so dies at the end to hopeful, excited readers okay?!?! 

I really liked this book, and if you’re a fan of speculative fiction, historical fiction with a little twist, fiction that is hopeful yet dark, or just really interested in the Spanish Inquisition, then you should read it. You’ll love Luzia. You’ll be fascinated by Guillén. You’ll get a kick out of Hualit. You’ll feel sorry for Valentina. You’ll be enthralled by a story of hidden heritage, the power of language and culture, and maybe even think about what it could mean to suppress parts of yourself for easier consumption in our modern world.