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REVIEWS

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date22 April 2024
Publication titleHuddersfield Daily Examiner
THE FAMILIAR By Leigh Bardugo, Viking, £20 (ebook £10.99).... Luzia Cotado is a scullion in the new capital of Madrid, where she toils away in the kitchen depths of a household, longing for a step up in life

The only glimmer of hope she has is her magic, which she uses sparingly so as not to attract attention. But hiding in the shadows only lasts so long, and when the socially ambitious mistress of the household discovers her secret powers, Luzia's life takes a different turn.

But everything has a price, as Luzia will soon learn.

The Familiar is spellbinding. The story moves at pace, with characters who captivate you as you're drawn into the web of their lives. The only question for author Bardugo is: can you deliver more? Surely the magic can't stop here.

pick of the week

James By Percival Everett, Mantle, £20 (ebook £9.99).... James is a powerful retelling of The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, from the slave Jim's perspective.

It broadly follows the same storyline as the original, as Jim escapes with young boy Huck - you'll recognise characters like con men Prince and Duke and various other tableaus along the way.

But this version puts Jim's story front and centre, showing the brutal reality of being a slave that isn't really represented in Twain's satire.

It's extremely sharp - dark humour is particularly found in the way slaves code-switch with their language, dumbing themselves down around white people to seem less threatening. You might think you know Huck Finn's story - but this version breathes new life into it with unexpected twists and turns, making it a must read.

THE AMENDMENTS By Niamh Mulvey, Picador, £16.99...

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