Synopsis
A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna.
Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells “small” fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the barmaid will kiss; when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences…
Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a knead for adventure, and—of course—a slightly magical cat.
Tao sets down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past are closing in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.
Review
I’ve been sitting on this for quite a while and just never really knew what to write. This was a highly anticipated book for me because I just fell in love with this cover so much. When it finally became time to actually read it though, I struggled to pick up my copy each time. This is why I don’t like being so hyped for a book. Most of the time I’m then scared to actually read it for fear of disappointment. This didn’t actually turn out to be a bad book for me – there wasn’t a specific reason in it that made me not read it at the beginning – but I do wonder if I would’ve loved it more if I hadn’t held it on this pedestal before I even got it.
This was more of an adventure than I get from most of my other cozy reads, which are more slice-of-life stories. The cozy feel did let it get away with some things though, I think, because some parts did feel pretty convenient and easy to solve to move the story forward. For the most part that didn’t really bother me though. It was probably, in part, a choice to avoid the kind of violence that could’ve taken the story out of the cozy sphere.
The characters were likable and I enjoyed seeing their development throughout. The animal companions especially were a favorite. I liked how they weren’t just there for the “awes” but played important roles themselves.
The world building was probably one of my favorites. I always enjoy hearing about the magic systems, politics, and societies of a new-to-me world and this didn’t disappoint.
I do plan on rereading this in a few years because some aspects did stick with me and I’m curious to see if it’ll be the comfort read that I think it could be. It just maybe wasn’t fair that I put impossible expectations on it from the start.
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