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Cover of The Familiar

The Familiar

by Leigh Bardugo

🌶️🌶️🌶️moderate·spoiler

Why Read This?

A beautifully rendered, emotionally devastating exploration of love, sacrifice, and survival in a world where magic is both a gift and a curse.

Synopsis

From the New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House , Hell Bent , and creator of the Grishaverse series comes a highly anticipated historical fantasy set during 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 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 line between magic, science, and fraud is 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.

At a Glance

3.74 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🌶️🌶️🌶️moderate
Endingspoiler
PairingM/F
Romance Pacingslow burn

Top Tropes

captive romanceforced proximityhidden identity

Mood

gothicmysteriousintensedarkatmospheric

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

3.74 ★

Page Count

379 pages

Published

2024

Primary Genre

Romantasy

Pairing

M/F

POV

Third Person

Romance Pacing

Slow Burn

Cliffhanger

spoiler

Audiobook

Available

Yes

Format

Standard

Narrator

Lauren Fortgang

Narrator Count

Single

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

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Mood & Vibe

Mood

sign in to see writing style, pacing & more

Characters

FMC: reluctant hero sign in to unlock

Spice Details 🌶️

emotional / loving sign in to unlock

deathtraumaviolencebloodcaptivitycolonialismexecutiongriefwar

World & Setting

historical sign in to unlock

Reading Context

the angst delivered sign in to unlock

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