The Familiar
| Renaissance |
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 The Familiar
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| Content Warning |
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| death of a parent, torture, sexual assault, violence, antisemitism |
World History > Renaissance > Spanish Inquisition
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo comes a spellbinding novel set in the Spanish Golden Age.
In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to improve the family's social position.
What begins as simple amusement for the nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen―and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor.
Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the lines between magic, science, and fraud are never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive―even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santángel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.
Emily's Review
I was utterly sucked into this story from the very first chapter. Leigh Bardugo knows how to write a story that demands your attention.
Set in Spain during the Golden Age, when Spain made its great riches through colonization and religious oppression, this is a story about curses and the determination to overcome them. We follow a group of characters who are each cursed in a different way—some outright and some through their unfortunate circumstances.
Luzia is a housemaid who can perform miracles. She is also a Jew, a fact that she must keep secret under pain of death. But when her employer realizes she can perform miracles, she forces her to enter a tournament that could win them both renown and great wealth, assuming that she can prevent anyone from finding out about her dangerous ancestry.
She meets Santangel, an immortal familiar who is enlisted to help Luzia win but who also harbors secrets and a dark past. But with the threat of the Inquisition hanging over the competition, is anyone safe?
This story has everything - magic, political intrigue, romance, and an underlying darkness. I loved how the author wove her family's ancestry into the story. The pacing was perfect; the writing is captivating. If you love historical fantasy, you will want to pick this up!
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