The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo Plot Summary and Spoilers for The Familiar + ALL Your Questions Answered and the Ending Explained (sort of!) I’ve been a Leigh Bardugo fan since her first book back in 2012 and have even interviewed her! I’m here to tell you everything you need to know about The Familiar. Will you like it? What is all this history, anyway? Let’s figure it out together!
Written and edited by Jen Ryland. Last updated on:
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo Plot Summary + Spoilers
- Brief Plot Summary of The Familiar with Spoilers
- What was the ending of The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo?
- How Does The Familiar compare to Bardugo’s other books?
- Links to my Interview with Leigh Bardugo, which offers interesting insight into The Familiar
- A Quick Refresher on The World of The Familiar (The Spanish Inquisition and the Reformation)
- How to get my Book Club Questions for The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Plot Summary + Spoilers for The Familiar
- Luzia Cotado works in the kitchen of a socially ambitious couple in 16th century Madrid, Don Marius Ordoño and his wife Valentina.
- Luzia is an orphan hiding her Jewish ancestry. Being openly Jewish is forbidden in Catholic Spain during the time of the Spanish Inquisition. Luzia’s only relative is her Aunt Hualit, who disguises herself as the widow Catalina de Castro de Oro.
- One day, Luzia uses magic to fix burned bread. Valentina witnesses this and forces Luzia to perform magic for her guests.
- Luzia’s performance draws the attention of Aunt Hualit’s lover, Víctor de Paredes, known as the luckiest man in Madrid.
- Don Víctor sees an opportunity. Antonio Pérez, former secretary to the king, hopes to get back in the king’s good graces, and is hosting a tournament to find a holy champion.
- Don Víctor promises Guillén Santángel, his enigmatic assistant, that if he can train Luzia to win, Santángel will be released from service.
- The cook tells Luzia that Santángel is known as El Elacrán, the scorpion, and that he made a deal with the devil for eternal life.
The Tournament Begins in The Familiar
- Luzia travels to the tournament with Don Marius and Valentina. After two trials, the king will watch the final competitors face off.
- Trial Two ends horribly. Someone practicing dark magic summons a demon that causes death and chaos. Luzia is able to defeat the demon.
- Santángel confides in Luzia about the dark bargain that bound him to Víctor’s family and gave him eternal life.
- One tournament competitor quits and the other is dragged away as a heretic. That leaves Luzia and Fortún Donadei, who can play music that controls the natural world.
- Fortún tells Luzia that Santángel must be behind the dark magic and suggests they work together, but Luzia is unsure whom to trust.
- Well, it wasn’t Fortun! He betrays Luzia during the competition and she flees for her life along with Santángel.
- Luzia ends up in prison. Víctor keeps and Santángel prisoner in a crawlspace under his house.
What is the Ending of The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo?
- Víctor tells Santángel he will help Luzia escape prison or execution if Santángel will agree that both he and Luzia will be bound to his family for eternity.
- Santángel does not want this fate for them, so when the testifies in Luzia’s trial he admits to being a demon.
- Fortún also shows up and testifies that Santángel and Luzia were lovers. They are both sentenced to be burned at the stake
- On their execution day, Luzia destroys the magic emerald in Fortún’s crucifix and makes herself and Santángel disappear as they burn.
- In the end, Santángel and Luzia are in hiding and immortal, so either they are in the afterlife together, or between Luzia’s magic and Santángel’s curse, they have both achieved freedom and immortality. What do you think? (I’m picking option B.)
How Does The Familiar Compare to Leigh Bardugo’s Other Books?
In my opinion, and from what I have seen on social media and Goodreads, the readers who like The Familiar most are fans of The Shadow and Bone series.
While The Familiar is an adult book, not YA. The Familiar is standalone historical fiction/fantasy that uses many well-loved YA tropes, though.
Check out my Interview with Leigh Bardugo!
Back in 2013, I interviewed Leigh Bardugo (she was a big deal then too!). When I went back to re-read that interview, I was surprised by how much of what we discussed had to do with this book too.
We discussed her work as a make-up artist and illusion vs. reality, women claiming their power, even Queen Elizabeth I (!)
A Quick Refresher on the Spanish Inquisition
I didn’t study much European History in school, but I’m trying to make up for that.
This Quick Refresher on the Spanish Inquisition helped me contextualize the time:
- Roman Catholic monarchs King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile began the Spanish Inquisition in 1478.
- The goal was to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms by 1) requiring that Spanish Jews and Muslims either leave the country or convert to Catholicism and 2) identifying “heretics” (secret dissenters) among those who agreed to convert.
- During the Inquisition, suspected heretics were imprisoned, tortured during interrogation, and even put to death.
- The Spanish Inquisition continued (on and off) until the early 1800s.
What did Queen Elizabeth have to do with this?
Modern European monarchies are VERY geneologically connected, as kings and queens used to marry their children to one another to cement alliances.
Elizabeth I, who is mentioned in the book, was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. She reigned as Queen from 1558 to 1603. Her father, Henry VIII, initiated the Reformation (the separation of the Church of England from the Pope and the Roman Catholic church).
Elizabeth’s half-sister Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, reigned as Queen immediately before Elizabeth, from 1553 to 1558. Catherine of Aragon was the youngest child of Ferdinand and Isabella (mentioned above), making Queen Mary I their granddaughter. Mary tried to reverse the Reformation.
Two of the significant aspects of the reign of Elizabeth I were her support of Protestantism and England’s rivalry with Spain.
I think that the King Philip in the book is probably Philip II, King of Spain from 1556-1598. Or at least based on him. He was descended from Ferdinand and Isabella.
Book Club Questions for The Familiar
I’ve created a full-color, three page guide to the book that is perfect for book clubs, readers new to historical fiction, and readers who just want to get more out of the book. You can download it here!
Questions About the Familiar
Who did you suspect of being behind the dark magic in the Familiar?
I thought it was the female playwright (Quiteria Escáraga) who kept being mentioned and who attended the tournaments. Wrong! She was a good person, as were pretty much all the female characters in The Familiar.
How much of The Familiar is real?
A lot, actually! Many of the characters are either real people or inspired by real people. You can find the list on my guide, linked above!
What did you think of the book?
I wasn’t sure at first but really enjoyed it! As I detail in my complete review, it reminded me a lot of my favorite Leigh Bardugo series.