"Reading Bardugo is an immersive, sensual experience... One can't help sinking into Luzia and Santángel's world and wishing never to leave."
--The New York Times
"The Familiar feels distinct from similar tales -- including Bardugo's own -- because it explores a brutal and shameful real-life history... Bardugo brilliantly explores the wavy line between the supernatural and the divine: Magic is forbidden, but miracles come from God."
--The Washington Post "Full of hidden perils and twisting machinations,
The Familiar is Bardugo's most assured and mature work yet, a remarkable portrait of the magic of exiles and the traumatic echoes of the Spanish Inquisition."
--BookPage (starred review) "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)
"At this point it seems fair to wonder--is there anything Leigh Bardugo can't do?"
--Paste Magazine "If you appreciate rich historical fantasy with gorgeous descriptions and powerful displays of magic, check out
The Familiar."
--Geek Girl Authority "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
