fantasy, historical fiction
Luzia is a poor scullion in a small, modest, barely
socially-acceptable household. She is
underappreciated, sleeps on the floor, and is seemingly destined for misery and
toil. However, she has a secret talent handed down from her mother that enables
her to perform magic. When her mistress discovers this talent, the mistress
attempts to use Luzia to increase her own social status. Luzia then embarks on an
adventure which could end in either her death or her release from poverty.
The Familiar, while holding my interest, had a much slower pace than I've come to expect from Leigh Bardugo. While it was atmospheric, the 16th century Madrid setting was appealing, and Luzia was a likeable protagonist, it didn’t really pick up until the 40% mark. And even then, the potential romance held more of my interest than the magic and danger. Some of the magic was very creative. But I missed the action and suspense Bardugo's novels usually exude. I really don’t have any more to say about this one.
I both read and listened to the audiobook, alternating when
each format worked best for me. Lauren Fortgang, the audiobook narrator, did a
nice job with the voice acting and various voices. Although, considering
everyone was Italian, they didn’t all have Italian accents. I’ll give her an
A-.
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