Caffeinated Reviewer

Narrated by Phyllis Ho, The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong delivered a delightful fantasy with found family, adventure and personal growth. If you love Travis Baldree stories as I do, you won’t want to miss this debut.

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" 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.

Tao tells small fortunes, only small ones for each comes with a risk and big ones can end in disaster as she very well knows. Tao told an enormous fortune only once and her village was destroyed, her father killed and from there her life fell apart. Her mother remarried and moved them to live with strangers. So Tao ran away and now travels alone, moving from town to town telling safe, small fortunes.

When Tao tells a small fortune, it changes everything. She tells traveling mercenary he will be greeted by his little girl in front of his home. Only his little girl has been missing for months and he has traveled in search of her. Along with his companion, a thief, they decide to travel with Tao in search of his daughter. As they go, small fortunes soon have others joining them, and Tao finds herself with a found family.

However, her stepfather has sent a mage to find Tao, and her small/big fortunes soon draw his attention. The tale that unfolds was rich, beautifully detailed with characters I couldn’t help but root for. I found myself ripped from reality and lost in the story. I absolutely love when that happens.

Phyllis Ho narrates and captures each character and their personality wonderfully. Her tone and pacing enhanced this enchanting tale. I highly recommend grabbing your earbuds for this story. While this appears to be a standalone, I welcome more stories from this author and world.

Amazon | Audible

About Julie Leong

Julie Leong is a Malaysian Chinese American fantasy author. Her debut novel, The Teller of Small Fortunes, is a cozy fantasy that will be published by Ace/Berkley (US), Hodderscape (UK), and Heyne (Germany) in November 2024. The younger daughter of Malaysian Chinese immigrants, Julie grew up in Old Bridge, New Jersey and lived in Beijing, China as a teenager. Her experiences of being too Asian for suburban America and too American for China color her stories of identity and belonging. Julie graduated from Yale University with degrees in Economics and Political Science. She lives in San Francisco, California with her husband and their spoiled rescue pup, Kaya. When she’s not writing, she enjoys making unnecessary spreadsheets and flambéing things.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2024 Audiobook Challenge

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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