Overall, what do you think of The Familiar (no spoilers)

I love historical fiction and magical themes even more, so this book was a slam dunk. Bardugo writes so beautifully, some of the passages I had to re-read because they were too beautiful to consume only once.

I was totally immersed in this world but also very grateful I'm living in modern times. Life seemed pretty brutal during that period in history, especially for women. Bardugo seems to have done a lot of research for accuracy in her storytelling.

Great storyline following Luzia, a simple housemaid, and the great power she possessed. Her & Valentina had such huge growth in this tale. I feel there was yet more to say, but it all wrapped up fairly quickly. Still, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

I think that this was a well researched novel, but it is not the type of historical work that I enjoy. I had to restart this book three times to really get into it and I am not sure that I even got into it then. I felt that the characters were confusing, and that the plot went on for ever, never really saying anything for pages on end. I love magical realism and mild fantasy, but this period in time is just not enjoyable for me.