The Familiar - by Leigh Bardugo

Book Synopsis

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER * #1 INDIE BESTSELLER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"An immersive, sensual experience." --The New York Times

"Essential." --The Washington Post

In a shabby house in the new capital of Madrid, a lowly kitchen scullion hides a gift for little miracles. But when her employer discovers Luzia Cotado's secret talent, she demands Luzia use her illusions to win over the royal court.

Determined to forge a better life for herself, Luzia plunges into a world of power-hungry nobility, desperate kings, holy men, and hucksters, where the lines between magic, science, and fraud blur. With the pyres of the Inquisition burning, she must use every bit of her wit and will to win fame and hide the truth of her ancestry--even if that means enlisting the help of the notorious Guillén Santángel, whose own secrets could doom them both.

Review Quotes

"Reading Bardugo is an immersive, sensual experience... One can't help sinking into Luzia and Santángel's world and wishing never to leave."
--The New York Times

"The Familiar feels distinct from similar tales -- including Bardugo's own -- because it explores a brutal and shameful real-life history... Bardugo brilliantly explores the wavy line between the supernatural and the divine: Magic is forbidden, but miracles come from God."
--The Washington Post

"Full of hidden perils and twisting machinations, The Familiar is Bardugo's most assured and mature work yet, a remarkable portrait of the magic of exiles and the traumatic echoes of the Spanish Inquisition."
--BookPage (starred review)

"The sharp realism mixes with a genuine feeling of enchantment to create a top tier historical fantasy."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The Familiar highlights all of the things that make Bardugo so well loved: a romance with maddening chemistry, an artfully built world, side characters with their own deep backstories, and a plot full of dark twists and spiderweb connections."
--Booklist (starred review)

"Lush, gorgeous, precise language and propulsive plotting sweep readers into a story as intelligent as it is atmospheric."
--Kirkus (starred review)

"Bardugo masterfully weaves magical realism with historical fiction and romance, which makes this book impossible to put down."
--Library Journal (starred review)

"At this point it seems fair to wonder--is there anything Leigh Bardugo can't do?"
--Paste Magazine

"If you appreciate rich historical fantasy with gorgeous descriptions and powerful displays of magic, check out The Familiar."
--Geek Girl Authority

"A richly imagined, intricate tale... I loved every word of this novel, and it's a must-read for those who are seeking a little magic in their lives."
--Deborah Harkness, #1 bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches

"Riveting... Leigh Bardugo's characters are so three-dimensional you want to reach through the page."
--Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Outlander

"A wonderful, transporting ride through a moment in history, where you can see the height of Spanish power but also sense the rot underneath. I really enjoyed it, it definitely made me think, and, of course, it's deeply romantic."
--Katherine Arden, author of The Warm Hands of Ghosts

About the Author