I purchased this book for my own collection. I borrowed the audiobook from the library.
Publisher: Flatiron Books / Macmillan Audio
Published: March 25, 2025 (paperback) / April 9, 2024 (audio)
Summary:
n a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family’s social position.
What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain’s king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England’s heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king’s favor.
Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition’s wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.
My thoughts:
Fantasy is not usually my go-to but I was attending an event and Leigh Bardugo was going to be there talking about this book, so I decided to read it. Since this is a blend of fantasy and historical fiction, I decided it might work for me and I was right…I loved it! In fact, I will probably reread it at some point, after I have some more fantasy under my belt…I’m sure I missed a few things being new to the genre.
I loved the historical setting – I haven’t read too many books set during the Spanish Inquisition and that made for some interesting background. I did feel this book was more historical based than fantasy and maybe that’s why it worked for me…who knows, but I found once I started this one, I was hooked! Who doesn’t love a story filled with betrayal, love, secrets, a little magic and self-discovery? This book was so atmospheric, and the darkness was a total vibe throughout. I also loved that the story was inspired by the author’s own family history.
This was a huge win for me. It reminded me of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, another unexpected favorite.
Audio thoughts:
I decided to do an immersive read with this, pairing the audio with the print and that really worked for me. The narrator, Lauren Fortgang, a new-to-me narrator, did an amazing job bringing this book to life, handling all the characters with ease.
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