The Familiar
Ratings139
Average rating3.7
It was fine. The concept was interesting, but the main character's engagement with her Jewish identity seemed rather superficial, which didn't make a lot of of sense to me for something that was supposed to be a big part of animating her motivation. It's also sort of hard to get behind a character who not only doesn't seem to know what she wants out of life but who doesn't seem to care. We're informed that Luzia is a rebel, an iconoclast, but she is really very passive. I kept waiting for her to make a decision for herself, but things just sort of... happened to her. I was ultimately more interested in what became of her erstwhile employer than what became of the main character herself. As far as the crypto-Jewish elements, it very much read as the author using this framework to explore her own identity and felt shallow.
It was fine. The concept was interesting, but the main character's engagement with her Jewish identity seemed rather superficial, which didn't make a lot of of sense to me for something that was supposed to be a big part of animating her motivation. It's also sort of hard to get behind a character who not only doesn't seem to know what she wants out of life but who doesn't seem to care. We're informed that Luzia is a rebel, an iconoclast, but she is really very passive. I kept waiting for her to make a decision for herself, but things just sort of... happened to her. I was ultimately more interested in what became of her erstwhile employer than what became of the main character herself. As far as the crypto-Jewish elements, it very much read as the author using this framework to explore her own identity and felt shallow.
Wish I knew a bit more Spanish cuz a lot of terms were lost on me, but nonetheless I enjoyed how the relationship unfolded, how the magic was intuitive and tied in to the ending. I love the way Leigh writes environments and the life she adds to the minor characters that build into a believable setting. My only gripe is the tourneo was a slog to read through, and the politics didn't make a lot of sense to me.
Wish I knew a bit more Spanish cuz a lot of terms were lost on me, but nonetheless I enjoyed how the relationship unfolded, how the magic was intuitive and tied in to the ending. I love the way Leigh writes environments and the life she adds to the minor characters that build into a believable setting. My only gripe is the tourneo was a slog to read through, and the politics didn't make a lot of sense to me.