February 2025 Wrap Up

Welp. I only read 1 more book after my mid-month wrap up. Let's talk about it.

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo - This was really good. Luzia, our main character, used magic in small ways to make her life easier or more agreeable. She is a scullery maid in a middle class household where the mistress aspires to higher social status. She makes Luzia perform little tricks to entertain her guests. When this gets the attention of somebody in government, things get tense. We are talking about the Spanish Inquisition, here. Luzia ends up getting put into a contest to see who which magician would go on to be the King's religious advisor, or whatever. The last one predicted the loss of the Spanish Armada and ended up in prison. Luzia is sponsored by a rich merchant who keeps her aunt as a mistress. Nobody knows they are related. The competition bits are fun until someone gets killed. Then it gets real dark. There is a man who hangs out with the patron who trains Luzia to use her magic.

I saw reviews that said this was a vampire book. The person in question is different, but not officially a vampire. He is hundreds of years old, and is cursed to be bound to the patron's family until there are no more in the line. He physically cannot do anything he thinks would harm said patron.

I had the worst time with Luzia's name. I kept trying to call her Luisa. The ending was satisfying.

I got a lot of Night Circus vibes from this. There are some plot beats that are similar. The tones are alike. I am a fan.

I did read more books after this one, but I didn't finish any of them. So this is the end of this wrap up.