I fell in love with this book harder and faster than I expected. Although there were some minor issues dotted around, such as a unfleshed-out faculty members and some pacing fluxes here and there, all in all I can’t help but give this 5 stars.

The characters are lovable and show a natural growth, and at times deterioration, dictated by their personalities dealing with the events at hand. Through the main character thoughts we are shown a realistic depiction of OCD with intrusive thoughts and the struggles that pertain to it. That regardless of what magical adventure you are dropped into you will still remain yourself, issues and all, and that’s ok.

What got me the most was how easy it was to read and how gripped I was, resenting the time spent doing the daily chores until I could jump back into its pages. Before I knew it I was on the last page and heartbroken at having to wait for more. 2022 can’t come quickly enough.

trigger warning
<spoiler> mental illness, anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma, grief, panic attacks </spoiler>

Cassandra has a vision of her crush dying in front of her, but as she has OCD and is seen as catastrophizing every single day, nobody believes her.

The fun thing about this retelling is that Cassandra knows the Greek myth of her namesake.
Oh, and it turns out: Yes, she's a seer. There are other seers. And now she needs a magical education which is hidden from suspicious eyes as summer camp.

This feels like a smashup of the Raven Boys Cycle and Umbrella Academy, but sadly without any of the good stuff. Our heroine has to save this boys, and the school she visits to learn how to do that is run by a corporation with dubious motivs.

There is this old woman who runs a Bodega who kind of has adopted Cassie, but most characters are young, beautiful, white, cis and hetero. It's bland. The main group consists of the female friend who infodumps frequently, the guy who is nice and likes weird words, and the guy who is an asshole all the time. You are painfully aware at all points of their jobs in the plot and they don't really feel like real characters.

The plot is very predictable at all times.
For the next installment, I foresee a love triangle situation between Cassie, her crush she wants to save in this book, and the good looking prefect Sebastian.
Oh, that reminds me - what is the role of a prefect? Harry Potter led me to assume it's to keep an eye on younger students and help with questions, but Sebastian is also in there at every single class, assissting the teachers, and in an emergency has the rights to comandeer people. At this point in time, this makes no sense.

All in all, can't really recommend it unless you really, really want something with a school of seers or are into YA as it was about 15 years ago. Won't continue the series.
The arc was provided by the publisher.

I loved the cover and loved the premise even more, but I just couldn’t seem to get into this book. I stopped and started multiple times but couldn’t make myself like the story. Although I enjoyed reading about an MC with anxiety and mental health issues there were aspects of the story that just didn’t feel realistic. I didn’t buy the insta love and had a hard time connecting with the characters of the story. Certain characters felt like ways to dump info and a bunch of parts of the story didn’t seem necessary and could have been left out. This took away from the story and slowed it down to the point I found my mind wandering. Although well written this story lacks the stakes and the spark that makes you want to keep reading.

The novel Foretold, by Violet Lumani, is an #ownvoices novel, as the author, like the protagonist, suffers from OCD. This first title in a trilogy introduces Cass, whose debilitating OCD leads her to imagine people's deaths on repeat.

In this world created by Lumani, there is a whole community of individuals with the ability to scry (foresee the future). Cass' aunt recognizes her ability, and as a higher up in the organization, she tricks Cass' father to get her involved. Cass only joins in the hopes of being able to prevent a death that she scryed, but it proves more difficult than she imagined.

I like the premise of the novel, and some of the characters are endearing, but as the first novel in a trilogy, I find that there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the various characters. Although they are bound to be developed throughout the series, I think I would have liked to get to know them a little better already. A lot was hinted at, but not much was clearly indicated yet.

I am definitely curious to see where the author goes with this series, and I look forward to reading Book 2.

Foretold is the first book in The Scryers series. it follows Cassandra a teenager who has these visions but does not tell anyone, she also suffers from OCD which consumes her at times. I really liked the main character and felt so bad for her when her OCD would kick into overdrive. The magical part is really interesting, I found the scrying thing very cool and loved the idea of a place that one could go to learn how to use the craft properly. While I did not really care for many of the other characters other than her mentor, I still found them interesting enough. I think this series has a lot of potential and it is really well written. I look forward to the next book.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was around 3.5 stars for me. The book starts a bit slow and there are a few lulls but the ending has me waiting for the next book!!

This book isn't quite what I expected. We follow Cassandra as she navigates an ability to see the future along with her OCD. As she meets other young people with similar abilities she has to decide who she trusts. There's hinted love triangles and other general teen romance. I think my biggest issue is that even though the book talks about sacrifice I wasn't really clear on what the stakes were and once that happened the story picked up for me. This is ultimately a story about family and loss.

The magic aspect of the world is interesting and there are some enjoyable and memorable characters. An intriguing ending that has me waiting for the rest of the series!

A great magical realism read. I loved how this magical world was intertwined and built into this every day world. I loved that the author was so truthful in writing about Cassandra and her OCD and anxiety. Sometimes books use these obstacles as a writing prompt and don't fully have the characters embrace in them. As someone with intrusive thoughts I could very much relate to imagining worst case scenarios. I can't even begin to do justice to this book because of how unique and wonderful it really is.

This is a great fantasy YA novel. The author did a great job building the world revolving around Cassandra’s new found “powers”. I enjoyed reading about The Coils. I must admit that it all reminded me a tad bit like a dark Harry Potter. So if you’re into Harry Potter and darker themes, than this novel is a definite go.

Cassandra has a few “quirks” that I felt needed a bit more beefing up. I understand that she has OCD but those tendencies only played out a few times throughout the novel. As the novel was from her perspective, I would have thought we would see more of those tendencies shine through.

I enjoyed the novel. As a YA novel, I felt the reading was appropriate and the pace was excellent. There were a few times I had to go back and reread a few pages to make sure I understood what was happening but I felt that was more so because of the cryptic messages hidden within the text than the writing itself. The ending got me shook. I couldn’t believe it. My brain exploded. It felt like we were on a set path and then BAM!!! I look forward to reading the next novel in the series to see what the author does to put us back on track or maybe derail the main character some more?!?!

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I was a little hesitant at the beginning to read another YA book. However, I enjoyed thr plot description and gave it a shot. I'm really glad I did! While the MC is a 16/17 year old, the mental health issues, loss of her mother when she was young, and the other decisions and weights that come in her throughout the book from her actions and others do not place it in the typical angsty, teen category. There were no editing issues that stuck with me, I was able to easily read the story and follow it, and I found myself staying up late to read it until the last dozen chapters. Then, I made myself slow down so it would last. I will make sure to get the second book. While the ending was able to be foreseen (ha,ha), Lumani didn't make it into a "been there, done that" twist or cliffhanger. While I wasn't surprised, I still enjoyed hope she portrayed the climax to the first book. A solid 4 stars and anticipation for the second book!

Mythology, secret societies, and premonitions?! Sounds like it would be awesome, right? Sadly, no.

Basically after the death of her mom, Cassandra’s extreme ocd and anxiety spikes. She sees death and destruction wherever she goes, blaming her illnesses for envisioning the multitudes of possible demises, she is surprised to learn they’re actually visions. She ends up seeing the death of her neighbor, who she likes, and decides to stop his death from happening—enter the secret society.

I was so excited to read this book. The gorgeous cover and the description really snagged my attention, but the book fell flat for me. The pacing is really odd and slow, and I didn’t really feel connected to the storyline or characters.

Steeped in Greek Mythology, Violet Lumani introduces a world where Scrying, a talent passed down generations, is not limited to fortune-telling in a tent, but rather a world with technology, politics and where there is politics there is always deception.

Following the death of her mother, Cassandra has debilitating OCD and anxiety. Everywhere she looks she sees Death. Not literally, of course. But wait? It all kicks off when she sees a boy die across the street only to meet him ten minutes later - he's her new next-door neighbour.

WHAT!?

How does that even work?

Cassandra is a scryer and her goal is to save the boy because basically, she likes him. He likes her. And she's not so sure that's ever going to happen again.

The best thing about this book was the fact that it reps OCD and anxiety and gifts them to a girl, who works to overcome them. However, the pacing of the book was off - it would start slowly and then be racing along making it hard to follow. Also, I wasn't a fan of the insta-love which was problematic for a number of reasons.

Overall very good though. I loved the concept, the representation of mental illness, the unpredictable twists and the villains.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Uproar Books and Violet Lumani for the opportunity to read this E-Arc in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

2 Stars

I had such high hopes for this book. The cover is gorgeous, and the synopsis made me want to read this book. I was sadly disappointed with what I got and expected so much more from this.

This book focuses on our main character, Cassandra. She sees death and devastation all around her. Cassandra suffers from OCD, and she imagines the worst possible situations. But these situations aren’t her imagination rather, these are visions she has. When Cassandra foretold the death of her next-door neighbor, Colin, She must immerse herself in a secret organization to help him.

Cool Concept, Right? Unfortunately, it was not executed well and end up being lacklustre. One of the main problems with the book is worldbuilding. (Specifically how this worldbuilding is) When we are introduced to this secret organization, information is thrown at us. This book suffers from lots of info-dumping. This caused lots of confusion. It was hard for me to grasp the concept of their magic system and how they scry visions. I felt like this could have been better if the worldbuilding was not thrown at us at once, but rather dropping bits of information here and there.

The pacing of this book was not consistent at all. At the beginning of the book, it takes a while for it to pick up. Same for the middle, it still keeps this pretty slow pace and doesn’t pick up towards the very end. It finally starts to pick up within the last 100 pages or so. This leads to the ending feeling very rushed and makes the ending very sloppy. Earlier sections in the book could have shortened the length, or they could have taken out scenes altogether. Mainly the pacing is what took me so long to read this book. When I first started reading the book, I could only read a little at a time because I would start to get bored. If the pacing was more consistent and didn’t drag so much, I feel like I could have enjoyed this book more.

One thing I did like about the book was the OCD representation. Our main character, Cassandra has OCD and extreme anxiety. Lumani brought Cassandra’s OCD to life and brought empathy to her grief. She handled it respectfully. Her OCD is drawn accurately, and it helps me to understand what it’s like to live with OCD. I appreciate how Lumani doesn’t try to portray OCD in a pop culture clique way but rather did it sensitively and thoughtfully.

The romance was a bit insta-love for me. It felt like Cassandra immediately had feelings for the boy she liked and it didn’t feel developed that much. Sure, you have scenes where they are joking around like friends, but then all of the sudden Cassandra has feelings for him. I would have liked if this relationship was developed more because we only see this relationship towards the beginning and end. This is mainly due to Cassandra being at camp, so she is not spending as much time with the boy.

The whole plot that the Aunt had planned also made no sense to me. It wasn’t developed, and the way it was written made it confusing to follow. The writing was also okay in this book. It wasn’t anything amazing, but just bland most of the time.

The characters were very bland. Most of them were very forgettable, and none of them stood out. Usually, when I’m reading, I want to root for a character and wish for the best to happen for them. But here, I’m not invested in the characters. Cassandra was bland and uninteresting. I wasn’t invested in her goal or journey through this book. She doesn’t have a personality of her own, and she doesn’t even feel like the main character. She feels like one of those characters that are present for five to ten chapters and then goes away.

Overall, this could have been a spectacular book, but many flaws held it back from reaching that potential. Overall, it was a bland book with many technical flaws.

TW: Blood, Death

Thank you to NetGallery for this Arc in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 4.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Uproar Books for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Foretold is the first book in The Scryers series. We follow Cassandra, who suffers from OCD and anxiety since her mother’s death.
This book grabbed my attention with the very first paragraph and didn’t let go for one moment. I binge read this book in one afternoon!
The writing style was really enjoyable, and the description of Cassie’s conditions were handled and executed really well. Because it was sometimes hard to read, you learn and understand more how hard having a condition like OCD really is. I felt and bought the realism, and I could relate to her. She was just an amazing relatable character who I kept rooting for during the whole book. After reading the author’s own struggle which inspired the story that all made sense and I truly applaud her for the execution!
It really became a fantasy book when Cassie goes starts to learn and control her abilities. I love this different take on powers. It isn’t something that I’ve seen much in books as the main power in the world. The story really distinguishes itself in this category. I was a bit confused by the Coil and its workings, but not enough for it to overshadow the enjoyment of reading this book.
The romance is sweet and the awkwardness that the characters as teenagers bring with them is really fun to read. The potential and hints for a love triangle isn’t really something I love though.
I loved all the little facts thrown into the story and honestly it really made me wanna play trivinometry. The hints to classic literature throughout the book are also really nice to read.
Overall, it was a super start to a new series, it left me wanting more and I can’t wait to see what it’ll bring in future books! I’m definitely pre-ordering this book just to read it again when it comes out!

Firstly, Thanks Net Galley for the ARC of Violet Lumani’s Foretold ♥️

The beginning felt like a struggle, I kept putting it down and doing other things. However after a few chapters I started to fall in love, maybe it was the Greek myth references that really caught my attention.
(With out spoiling it) the ending left me breathless and mad! Mainly because I wasn’t ready for how it ended. Definitely didn’t see that coming

Now the main reason why I think this book stands out. I love the way Violet wrote about OCD. This wasn’t a throw away line used to add depth to the protagonist. But rather something that she struggled with every step of the way. All of this was beautifully written and really made you feel like you gained a new understanding for people struggling with mental health.

📚📚📚 I highly recommend reading this when it comes out on July 20th 2021! 📚📚📚

This is a strong 3.5 for me. While I admit that the cover was my favorite part, I will also say that I liked the characters more than I thought I would. They are, for the most part, well-drawn and reasonably easy to empathize with. That said: The pacing felt bizarre for more than half of the book and was, at best, inconsistent.

“The most beautiful dead boy in the world is looking over at me for the second time today.”

This line opens up a cascading row of events that flow on to each other so seamlessly that I finished this book almost in one sitting (I would have, if not for work).

Cassandra is grieving the death of her mother and learning to deal with her severe OCD one day at a time and trying to keep it together for herself and her dad. She has visions, which she thinks is because of anxiety but sometimes her most dreaded visions do come true.

The world-building, the fantasy elements, the magic system, they just fit each other perfectly. It's like Harry Potter universe and Hunger Games merged together to form this unique piece of strong friendships, family, and magic woven into its soul.

Though I must say, the ending did leave me heart broken, but I can't wait to dig into the next one as soon as it comes out!

Ever since the death of her mother two years before, Cassie has suffered from OCD and extreme anxiety. On the day she meets the cute boy next door she foresees his death and she is determined to save him. Cassie is introduced to a secret society of seers and is invited to learn how to use her gifts, but not everything is as it seems and there is always a price to pay when changing the future. This was an excellent and intriguing story. The character development was strong for most characters. I'm hoping to learn more about Sebastian and Aunt Bree in the next installment. The writing is well done and the story is well told. I was drawn to the gorgeous cover, but the story is what really pulled me in. I will definitely be reading the next book in this series! Thank you to NetGalley and Uproar Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up

This was a fun and easy read - I whipped through this in an afternoon, and definitely enjoyed it. It is the first in a new series by Violent Lumani, and it's safe to say I will absolutely be reading the rest of the series.

The book's shining moments come from Lumani's reflections on OCD and mental illness. At times, this feels like a poignant and moving meditation on the pain of grief, and the repercussions on one's mental health. These themes were handled with incredible sensitivity and genuine emotion, and it made for a very moving read. I also loved the subtle references to certain mythological/historical moments - as a history and mythology buff, these were very much appreciate.

I think for me, the issue was that at times it fell into standard YA tropes that I am not the biggest fan of. Whilst Cassie was a fabulous protagonist, I wish some of the side characters had been more fully developed. I do think the relationship between Cassie and Colin progressed a little too quickly. It felt a little bit Insta-love, and I would have liked to have seen a little more development between them. However, this could be because I am now in my 20s and am more critical of this kind of thing. I have no doubt that many younger readers would absolutely love this.

Overall, this was a fast paced YA with a brilliant protagonist at its centre. Lumani shows great promise as a writer, and I will definitely be checking out more of her work in the future.

It’s been a long time since I posted on here, but I’m back and excited to share an upcoming book! Foretold by Violet Lumani is a fast-paced young adult fantasy centered around the lovely Cassandra, a teenage girl with debilitating OCD whose visions of death and destruction further ostracize her from her fellow classmates. When Cass discovers that her visions may not just be a symptom of her disease, but could mean actual psychic abilities, she is drawn into a world where the mystical comes to life. Other young people, with similar abilities, all drawn together to determine who is the best and the brightest of their generation of scryers. For that’s what she is. A scryer whose raw talent must be developed...especially if she intends to save the life of someone she loves for whom she foresaw a gruesome death. But every ritual comes at a cost, and despite her fortitude and determination to save her loved one she doesn’t know that she has also been drawn into a conflict that places her between two enemies who both wish to use her as an unknowing pawn in their war.

I love the hints back to classic literature peppered throughout this book, and I fell in love with Cass and the friends she makes along the way. She is so scared of her OCD and her powers, but despite those fears pushes on to help others. A story of friendship, love, and found family - Foretold is sure to be a hit! Make sure to pick up your copy when it releases on July 20th. My thanks to @netgalley, Uproar Books, and Violet Lumani for the opportunity to read this book! I can’t wait to pick up my physical copy!

“The most beautiful dead boy in the world is looking over at me for the second time today.”

I really loved the OCD/anxiety rep in this one. As someone who suffers from extreme anxiety, I related so much to Cassandra it was COOL. I found it easy to get lost in this world, the characters, the setting, plot... it was really fun to read this one. I also loved that Violet Lumani made her world balanced, that power comes at a cost and there is always a price to pay.

Thank you NetGalley and Uproar Books for the arc.