The Familiar

Starred review from February 5, 2024
Two people with magical powers and sketchy pasts plot their escape from the Spanish Inquisition in this poignant romantic fantasy from bestseller Bardugo (Hell Bent). After Luzia Cotado, a housemaid hiding her Jewish heritage, allows her ambitious employer a glimpse of her ability to cast spells using “refranes” (Hebrew-Spanish proverbs), he enters her into a competition for royal miracle workers. Sponsored by Víctor de Paredes, a wealthy social climber, Luzia is trained by his “familiar,” Guillén Santángel, an undying retainer who long ago traded away his luck and freedom for immortality. Despite being initially suspicious of each other, Luzia and Santángel find that among the competition’s fake psychics, dangerous real magicians, and even more deadly patrons, they can only rely on their own powers and their growing mutual attraction. Bardugo puts an earthy spin on heavenly miracles, with much attention given to the mundane drudgery of daily life that is not erased—even with magic that can unburn bread. Luzia’s pursuit of her powers, even at risk of burning at the stake, comes across as both empowering and practical compared to a life of unrewarding toil, making it easy to root for her through the competition. The sharp realism mixes with a genuine feeling of enchantment to create a top tier historical fantasy. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary. (Apr.)Correction: An earlier version of this review misspelled the name of one of the characters.

February 1, 2024

Best-selling Bardugo, creator of the Grishaverse books (now a Netflix series), pens a historical fantasy set in Spain. Lowly kitchen servant Luzia uses a bit of magic to get through her days, but when her ability to produce small miracles is discovered, it launches her into a dangerous world. With a 500K-copy first printing. Prepub Alert.

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Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2024
In 16th-century Madrid, a crypto-Jew with a talent for casting spells tries to steer clear of the Inquisition. Luzia Cotado, a scullion and an orphan, has secrets to keep: "It was a game she and her mother had played, saying one thing and thinking another, the bits and pieces of Hebrew handed down like chipped plates." Also handed down are "refranes"--proverbs--in "not quite Spanish, just as Luzia was not quite Spanish." When Luzia sings the refranes, they take on power. "Aboltar cazal, aboltar mazal" ("A change of scene, a change of fortune") can mend a torn gown or turn burnt bread into a perfect loaf; "Quien no risica, no rosica" ("Whoever doesn't laugh, doesn't bloom") can summon a riot of foliage in the depths of winter. The Inquisition hangs over the story like Chekhov's famous gun on the wall. When Luzia's employer catches her using magic, the ambitions of both mistress and servant catapult her into fame and danger. A new, even more ambitious patron instructs his supernatural servant, Guill�n Sant�ngel, to train Luzia for a magical contest. Sant�ngel, not Luzia, is the familiar of the title; he has been tricked into trading his freedom and luck to his master's family in exchange for something he no longer craves but can't give up. The novel comes up against an issue common in fantasy fiction: Why don't the characters just use their magic to solve all their problems? Bardugo has clearly given it some thought, but her solutions aren't quite convincing, especially toward the end of the book. These small faults would be harder to forgive if she weren't such a beautiful writer. Part fairy tale, part political thriller, part romance, the novel unfolds like a winter tree bursting into unnatural bloom in response to one of Luzia's refranes, as she and Sant�ngel learn about power, trust, betrayal, and love. Lush, gorgeous, precise language and propulsive plotting sweep readers into a story as intelligent as it is atmospheric.

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Starred review from February 15, 2024
Servant Luzia Cotado hides her talent for milagritos (little miracles) in fear that their discovery would also uncover her Jewish roots and the Ladino spells she uses to fix burnt bread and broken glasses, bringing the Inquisition to her door. But when her magic is discovered, it attracts the attention of a patron who's desperate for the favor of the king--and she's quickly tossed into a contest of miracles that is at the center of the politics of a struggling Spain. As she begins lessons under the mysterious, dark force of nature Sant�ngel, she realizes that survival is not enough for her; Luzia wants to show the world what she's capable of. The Familiar highlights all of the things that make Bardugo (Hell Bent, 2023) 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. The Sephardic Jewish representation is intricate and lovely. Luzia is reminiscent of many favorite YA heroines--Katniss Everdeen comes to mind--and the historical fantasy built around her is vivid. Fans of historical fantasy, tortured love interests, and Bardugo's Grishaverse will fall hard for this new novel. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A new Bardugo is a major event for adult and teen readers alike, and this historical fantasy is sure to dazzle.

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