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The Familiar

By: Leigh Bardugo
Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER


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 better the family's social position.

What begins as simple amusement for the bored 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 Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Ninth House, Hell Bent and creator of the Grishaverse comes a bewitching historical novel set in the Spanish Golden Age, brimming with peril and dark deeds.

'Impossible to put down' - Stephen King

‘A pacey read with electric prose’ Independent

‘Crackling dialogue and sumptuous description. Bardugo dives deep into this world… if you’re not careful, it’ll steal all your time’ New York Times

©2024 Leigh Bardugo (P)2024 Penguin Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: Romance
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Editorial Review

An unmissable historical fantasy from the author of the Grishaverse and Ninth House
The Familiar feels like the perfect match of story and author. The historical setting of Madrid during the Spanish Inquisition meets Leigh Bardugo’s gothic aesthetic and penchant for darkly turned fantasy so well, it’s almost crazy to think that she hasn’t written this story sooner. Lauren Fortgang, Bardugo’s longtime narrator, seamlessly slips into the many accents and personalities of the Spanish Golden Age. I deeply enjoyed listening to this very real-feeling historical fantasy about a girl with a Jewish past owning a magic that betrays her persecuted lineage. Bardugo is also so good at making bruised, confusingly lovable heroes, and I believe our poor Santángel is going to be added to that list. This is a lovingly written, intricately detailed fantasy that’s not to be missed. —Melissa B., Audible Editor

What listeners say about The Familiar

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Brilliant narrator, in depth, at sometimes slow, but immersive story

I really liked this book. After reading others by the same author I will say it doesn't quite meet my expectations however it did leave me thinking about it afterwards for a few days and made me cry at the end so enjoyable.
It was quite a slow story and I think I didn't really get invested until two thirds of the way through. It's very dialogue driven, so for me when more interesting events began happening to flesh out the dialogue it was more enjoyable.
It seems very well researched, and while I know very little about the time setting of the book, I felt very immersed. Definitely a mature content book, but not gratuitous, it all fits with the tone and characters.
Solid Leigh Bardugo book. But if you're expecting Six of Crows level of wow, it may fall flat.
Really like the main character though, she's brilliant.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Dark, spellbinding and entertaining

Desire, greed and fortune are more complicated when there is magic involved. A simple maid with a complicated history finds herself embroiled in intrigue and a series of escalating problems and opportunities as she reveals a secret power. From obscurity to revelation, Lucia and the women around her make the most of their varied and difficult circumstances, drawing the eye of the powerful and in Lucia's case of a mysterious familiar. set in Spain at the time of the inquisition, this fantastic story is not without pain and misery but is also filled with a howling humour and twists that keep the reader gripped with every intrigue.

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  • Overall
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A lovely story

Well written and beautifully read. I was engaged from the very start. It was the kind of book which I didn’t want to end.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not my favourite

The six of crows is my favourite book and I’ve loved everything Leigh Bardugo writes and I’m gutted I didn’t fall in love with this book. She is a master mind of weaving together stories and this is the case here. You can easily enjoy the story telling. Ultimately, it is a heavy listen and I didn’t warm to the characters. The story based in Inquisition Spain is really interesting. What the book missed is the amazing world building of her other books.

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Historical fiction with a fantasy twist

I'm predisposed to enjoy a Leigh Bardugo novel. I've enjoyed every book she's written, and Ninth House is my favourite book of all time. But I'm also extremely turned off by the historical fiction genre— it does nothing to excite me. But now that I've seen how broad the 'fiction' part of historical fiction can be, I'm re-evaluating my previous stance.

This book is dark fantasy at its finest, with interesting, fleshed-out characters and a story that takes you in unexpected directions again and again. As the story unfolded, I found myself wanting more and more; developing complicated relationships with the characters and shifting my opinions from one chapter to the next. And the ending satisfied me to no end— only Leigh Bardugo can yank you in so many directions, keep you guessing until the last moment, and still nail the landing.

Lauren Fortgang is a phenomenal narrator. Not only are her performances always great, but she has the gift of a voice that I'm quite happy to listen to for hours and hours.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A Brilliant Spanish Fantasy

This was a fantastic telling of a really enticing story. The fantasy elements blended so well with the Spanish setting and made for a great read.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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Maddening narration

The story is good but the narrator speaks no Spanish so that names of people and places are unintelligible, which detracts from the plot.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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One of life’s true storytellers

I have enjoyed every book written by Leigh Bardugo, this is no exception.
The imagery, the detail, the magic, were all just wonderful

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Historical Fantasy

3.5/5 ⭐️

I don't read much historical fiction, but of course, I had to dive into this one as it's written by Leigh Bardugo. When I heard it would be a gothic historical fantasy, I was pretty sold and knew I had to get to it soon. I have to say I really enjoyed this one overall, although I did have some personal issues with it that held me back from rating it higher. The story starts out quite slow, which I don't particularly mind. It definitely introduced the characters, their dynamics with each other, and the atmosphere and tone for the book. However, I would have liked to see a lot more worldbuilding. This was such an intriguing time in history, and I really think it could have been more fleshed out with more vivid descriptions. I was also really looking forward to the marketed gothic element to this story. However, that also let me down as I wouldn't really call this gothic overall. There were, however, some scenes that definitely bordered on gothic, gory, and we're more macabre, and I really loved those.

All those factors considered, this story was really interesting. This was a very character-driven story that I always love. Luzia's character was so intriguing, from her strong-willed and determined personality, to her heritage and background, to her magic abilities. Also, Valentina's character surprised me most, and I have to say her story arc may have been my favourite.

Lastly, the romance was unexpected but brought me a lot of joy. From their initial wariness of each other, to their chemistry and banter, and finally their coming together and defying all odds set against them. The ending is emotional, but I would not have had it any other way. I truly loved it!

I really recommend this one to anyone who is a fan of Leigh's immersive and beautiful writing, but also to those wanting to dip their toes into historical fiction or historical fantasy with some really great commentary on issues surrounding class, the treatment of women, and religion.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Captivating

Five stars all around. Love the story and character developments. The reader did a great job and actually liked the ending!

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