Teen Reader Recommends

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

A young scullion who can perform miracles. A couple desperate for status. A man who might be a monster and his master. All of them plunged into a world where the lines between magic, science, holiness, and fraud are often uncertain. Set in Spain during the Inquisition, the stakes (and the danger) heighten every chapter.

For those who have read Bardugo’s other works, Six of Crows or the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the writing style is a comforting guide through the twists and turns of this book. For new initiates, come for the story, stay for the prose. This story kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last chapter, holding my breath the entire time. The characters are fleshed out, with complex motivations and personalities. Although I personally didn’t agree with the choices some characters made, I could understand why they made them, something that is rare in YA fiction. A lot of times authors will choose to zoom out to the big picture of worldbuilding and action packed scenes and sacrifice character development. Bardugo zooms in, making the characters as much creators of their misfortunes as victims. 

One negative about this book could be the fact that it doesn’t focus very much on its fantasy elements. Yes, magic exists, but how/why it exists is never really explained. I think there’s so much potential to explore the juxtaposition between magic and religion more. It seems to me that Bardugo focused on fleshing out the historical elements in the story (and does it excellently) and the fantasy part just fell to the wayside. However, the positives far outweigh the negatives. The pacing is excellent, and the story is written in a way where you’ll be silently squealing with joy in one moment and heartbrokenly sobbing the next. All in all, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fantasy or YA fiction in general.

— submitted by New Trier High School student Charlotte R.