The Familiar
#7823.74 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2024 Reading commitment Low Leigh Bardugo Last reviewed 2026-10-25
Overview
Leigh Bardugo's The Familiar is a standalone historical fantasy set in sixteenth-century Madrid, the new capital of the Spanish Golden Age, as the Inquisition looms. Luzia Cotado, a scullion who uses scraps of magic, little miracles, to get through her days of endless toil while hiding the truth about her ancestry, is drawn into a secret royal tournament of magic, and must rely on Guillén Santángel, an embittered immortal familiar with deadly secrets of his own. A New York Times bestseller, it stands apart from Bardugo's Grishaverse and Alex Stern books.
Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Familiar Leigh Bardugo
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Familiar | 2024 | 1 | core | 3.74 (137,654 ratings) |
Leigh Bardugo's standalone historical fantasy.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Familiar? The Familiar's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Familiar finished? Complete (2024).
- How much reading does The Familiar take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Familiar ranked? #782 in this site's official ranking, based on 137,654 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #782?
Ranked #782 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.74 across 1 core book.
- Backed by 138k reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #781, The Bird King (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 1 book · Complete · 138k ratings · Ranks #782 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment historical fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Suggestions computed from what The Familiar and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
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- Eternal Sky Epic fantasy / Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.80
- Sorcerer to the Crown Fantasy of manners / Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.74
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.74 across 137,654 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon extension: The Familiar (Leigh Bardugo); Amie Kaufman bio accepted 2026-10-25
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-10-25
Rule: Core Canon = The Familiar (2024), a standalone.