The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Fredas Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. **Note: Freda @ Freda's Voice is taking a break from The Friday 56; Anne @Head is Full of Books is hosting for now.**
Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.
Synopsis from Goodreads...
From the New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House, Hell Bent, and creator of the Grishaverse series comes a highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age
In 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.
Beginning: "If the bread hadn't burned, this would be a very different story."
56: "He thought of the winding streets of Toledo, the hills of Granada. Madrid bored him."
Comments: The Familiar was one of my most anticipated book releases of 2024, and I loved the story. What are you reading this weekend?
This sounds like a perfect mix of historical fiction and fantasy! I'm going to have to read it soon! Here is my Friday post: https://thissideofstoryland.blogspot.com/2024/06/book-beginnings-friday-56-reckless.html
ReplyDeleteIt was. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteThose excerpts sound interesting I hope you are enjoying this one.
ReplyDeleteI did, and it's one of my favorite novels by Bardugo. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI love that opening! It could be because it's from The Familiar which I really really really want to read, but it's also got that right mix of humor and hook. I hope you have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI also love the opening. And I hope you enjoy The Familiar if you read it. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI'm so glad you loved this story. I'm a big fan of Bardugo's, so I'm eager to read this one soon. :D
ReplyDeleteSame. It was one of my most anticipated book releases of the year, so I'm glad I liked it as much as I did. Thanks for stopping by!
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