Review: The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

The Teller of Small Fortunes
by Julie Leong

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Cozy Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: no romance

Blurb:
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 starts 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 close in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.

My Review

When I saw this cover on the Caffeinated Reviewer blog I knew I had to read it. The cover is just so pretty and I love the cozy fantasy genre and this one sounded so fun. I bought it on release day and started it shortly after.

The Teller of Small Fortunes is a lovely cozy fantasy story. It is told mostly from the point of view of Tao, who travels in her wagon and tells small fortunes. Along her travels she meets some other characters who travel with her and it has a wonderful found family theme. It felt a bit different from most cozy fantasy books I read as this one had more of the adventuring vibe with them traveling from city to city. I thought this worked well here.

The characters are all interesting, at first they only have a few defining characteristics, but as the book progresses they all get more depth. There were some hints to something in Tao’s past that happened and that gets dealt with later on as well as hints of a possible war. Despite this the book stays very cozy with low stakes and low drama. There was a section with a quest they go on that didn’t work for me, but after that it got better again. There isn’t a lot of world building and there are some clear parallels with countries/ regions in the real world. I liked the magic and especially reading about the small fortunes Tao tells and how they influence the lives of those she tells them to. I think the characters, the found family theme and the cozy vibes are my favorite parts of this book and I had a great time following their adventures.

To summarize: This book has a lovely cozy fantasy vibe. I liked the low stakes and low drama plot line. The characters are all interesting and grow in depth as the story progresses. I liked the adventure vibes this one had with them all traveling throughout the country. Despite a traumatic event in Tao’s and hints to a possible war, this one remains a very cozy read. There isn’t as much world building, but I didn’t mind too much as I enjoyed the other elements enough to make up for it. The fortune telling magic was fun to read about and I liked those scenes and seeing how her fortunes made a difference for the people. All in all I really enjoyed this one and I can definitely recommend it to cozy fantasy fans.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.