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Sign up todayThe Familiar
A Novel
Narrator
Lauren Fortgang
This audiobook uses AI narration.
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Length
12 hours 57 minutes
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“Dark and atmospheric, this rich fantasy steeped in the history of the Inquisition will have you cheering for our prickly heroine.”
— Chelsea • Sidetrack Bookshop
Bookseller recommendation
“Two words: Entertaining and propulsive! Set during the inquisition in 16th century Spain, it’s a political thriller and historical fiction with a dose of magic. Full of secret agendas, pain, fear and desire, you won't want to stop listening to this story. ”
— Anne • Newtonville Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Luzia and Santángel, a duo for the ages! A scullion and an immortal familiar team up to win the king’s competition in the Spanish Golden Age as the Inquisition looms. The Familiar will lead you down new paths you won’t ever forget.”
— Coco Zephir • Phoenix Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Just read it, you won't regret the time spent (safely through a book) during the Spanish Inquisition time period. Richly researched, Bardugo's writing will leave you wanting more magic in your life.”
— Jenny • E. Shaver, bookseller
Bookseller recommendation
“Set in 16th century Spain, this Jewish fantasy CONSUMED me! It's all about magic, the Spanish Inquisition, greed, lust, a holy magical tournament, and a hot little scorpion man named Santangel. The book starts off at a languid pace, but by page 100, I was hooked! There is no way The Familiar is not making my top 5 of 2024! ”
— Suzanne • Underground Books
Bookseller recommendation
“The Familiar is so special! I read it in one day. It is a historical fantasy set in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. This book is filled with the most interesting characters that I enjoyed seeing develop throughout the story. The main character, Luzia, is a witty, strong willed and determined servant with magical abilities. The family she works for forces her to use her magic competitively to gain favor with influential people. She has to keep her Jewish heritage hidden in order to survive. I stressed until the very last page over how it would end. The ending was PERFECT! ”
— Sandra • Underground Books
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER * #1 INDIE BESTSELLER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“An immersive, sensual experience.” —The New York Times
"Essential." —The Washington Post
"Narrator Lauren Fortgang channels the currents of magic and intrigue running throughout Bardugo’s layered historical fantasy...Skillful narration combined with an enchanting storyline makes for great listening."—AudioFile
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo comes a spellbinding novel set in the Spanish Golden Age.
“A must-read for those who are seeking a little magic in their lives.” —Deborah Harkness, #1 bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches
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.
A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.
Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of the Alex Stern series and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology—and much more. Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Los Angeles and is an associate fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University.
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Reviews
"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)
“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
"Leigh Bardugo’s lush prose rolls off the tongue of narrator Lauren Fortgang in a most magical way, making the listener want to stay ensconced in the fantastical world of Luzia and Santángel. You’ll want to linger to learn what comes next in this Gothic fantasy filled with peril, personality and passion. Fortgang’s ease with Bardugo’s text is perhaps the most enchanting part of this audiobook, as she deftly slips between characters. The Familiar is a compelling listen that will leave you wanting more."—The Berkshire Eagle
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