The Familiar
In sixteenth-century Madrid, at the height of the Spanish Inquisition, Luzia Cotado is a scullion in an impoverished noble household, a young Converso woman quietly using a handful of inherited Ladino phrases to make small, domestic miracles in the kitchen, a cracked egg healed, a burnt loaf restored. When her mistress catches her, Luzia is put forward for a royal tournament meant to identify a wonder-worker worthy of King Philip's court, under the coaching of an immortal familiar named Guillén Santángel. What follows is a dangerous, escalating performance in front of nobles who would like her talents, or her body, or her death, depending on what she proves to be. Leigh Bardugo's standalone blends historical rigor, Spanish folklore, and a slow-burn romance into her first fully adult novel.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about The Familiar
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
In Golden Age Madrid, scullion Luzia Cotado quietly works small miracles in her mistress's kitchen, mending burnt bread and ruined sauces. When she is pulled into a noble's contest at court, the Inquisition takes notice.
Multiple works share this title. The most commonly searched recently is The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (2024), a standalone historical fantasy set in 1500s Spain. Mark Z. Danielewski also wrote a five-volume Familiar series.
No. The Familiar (2024) is a standalone historical fantasy, separate from Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse (Shadow and Bone, Six of Crows) and Ninth House series.
The Familiar is 424 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Familiar takes most readers 6 to 9 hours to finish.
The Familiar is a standalone novel by an unknown author, not part of a series.
The Familiar is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.