I really enjoyed reading this book! I didn't love it for about the first third of the book, but once I got invested, I literally couldn't stop reading until I finished the book. <i>Foretold</i> discussed grief and OCD in very real and sometimes hard to read ways. Lumani didn't sugar-coat Cassie's personal struggles, but she also made sure to never demonize her for any of that behavior, which was so important. Theban was such an interesting concept and the friends Cassie made there were honestly some of the best characters in the whole book (especially Griffin and Regan). Her relationship with her father was complex and, once again, just seemed intensely real. The romance was a bit boring and the ending broke my heart just a little bit. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series since this one ended in such a cliffhanger.

This review may contain minor spoilers.

Foretold follows Cassandra, a teenage girl who suffers from OCD and who thinks all her thoughts are catastrophically made up by her brain, only to discover that some of them are actually true. She then learns she’s a Scryer, meaning she’s able to predict the future and sometimes change it. After, she goes on a hunt to find a way to protect the boy next door, Colin, from what’s coming to him.

The premise of this book was awesome. The execution? Not so much. There was so much info dumping I couldn’t keep track of who was who or what was actually happening for most of the time. Lumani threw so much information at us without proper explanation that I had a hard time keeping focus on was happening, as I was trying to tie everything together. There were too many characters introduced and we knew nothing about them other than their names, practically. The magic system was also not properly explained, and we didn’t get to know why they did rituals to Scry, what are the full extent of their abilities, etc. And the fact that there was so much information being handled left and right, when some things were brought up throughout the book, I couldn’t remember why they were important.

Everything was so all over the place I had a hard time with the time frame of the book. Sometimes two days would go by, sometimes a week, sometimes we wouldn’t know after reading multiple chapters.

One thing I really liked were the characters, especially Cassandra’s relationship with her father and Regan and Griffin.

I still enjoyed reading it and will be reading the second installment when it comes out.

Synopsis:
Cassandra sees death and devastation all around her. In vivid detail.

It’s the price of living with her OCD and extreme anxiety. In every situation, Cass imagines the worst possible fate for everyone in her life. Her dad in a pool of blood after a break-in. Her beloved older neighbor, homeless. A splinter in her finger turned to gangrene.

But this time, it’s not her imagination. The boy next door, Colin, is destined to die. Cass has foretold a real death before; she knows this is a true vision.

Desperate to save Colin's life, Cass immerses herself in a secret organization of soothsayers that promises to teach her how to change the future she foresees. But as she descends into their hidden world of divinatory magic and predictive technology, she discovers there's always a price to pay for unraveling fate's strands. And cheating death will cost her everything.

Ok first off, the cover is so pretty! - look at it!! I got attracted by it and made me read the synopsis - which then drew me to read the book.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book. The trilogy has great potential and it looks like in this first book, we only discovered a small part of what can be a wonderful new world.

Thank you ti NetGalley for the arc of this book!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review! this has not affected my review in any way, all opinions are mine.

3.5/5, rounded up!

cassandra has extreme anxiety, ocd, and visions of death. she thinks that last bit is just a symptom when she finds out she’s a scryer with the power to see the future. and maybe, just maybe, she can change the deadly future she’s seen.

i wish i had liked this book just a little bit more than i had. i love the concept, and the portrayal of mental illness and ocd was both realistic and relevant to the story that was very well done. as a mythology and history buff, i loved all the references throughout the story.

the dialogue was...rough. it was probably the book’s weakest part for me. while i still enjoyed it, some of the conversations between collin and cass just felt incredibly inaccurate to how teenagers talk, and some of the slang made me cringe. i know teenager speak is notoriously hard to write, but o u c h some of this stuff was outdated in 2012. by the time i was halfway through, i was just used to it as an aspect of the book and it wasn’t as noticable, but i still wish the dialogue was a little smoother and realistic

and pacing wise, i think there could have been some improvement. as the first in a series with relatively intensive worldbuilding, there was a lot of exposition. at times that really slowed down the plot, and other times it wasn’t even exposition making things slow. other times, things went so fast that i had to go back and reread because i wasn’t sure where people ended up.

however, i did really like the characters (although i’m not sure i really bought into the romances) and their friendships. i’ll definitely be reading the upcoming books to see where this series goes, because i think it has a lot of potential!

Foretold is the story of Cassandra, a 17 year old with OCD who is plagued by catastrophic thoughts and visions. Most of the time these visions are just visions, her anxious imagination working overtime -- except for that time she saw her mom die. Now she's seen a vision of a teen boy dying in front of her, and when she gets home and discovers he's her new neighbor, she realizes it must be true. Can she save him? Is it even possible?

I liked Cass and Lumani's portrayal of anxiety and OCD. She felt like a real character, whether it was the way she picked at her hands, or the way she daydreamed about the boy she liked. I also really liked that organization Cass becomes involved with covers a wide range of divination techniques. This wasn't just about crystal balls, or seeing visions. There were scrying mirrors, and dream interpretation, and reading tea leaves. The folklore roots run deep. It was also interesting to conceive of how something that seems so passive, like seeing the future, can be weaponized. The supporting characters are good, and some even surprise you.

In the end, I am left with a number of unanswered questions, but that just makes me look forward to the next one!

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book. I spent so long at the beginning not knowing what was going on, or where the story was going - around the first 20%. The cover is gorgeous, the premise was great but for me the execution was not enough. I know some others loved it though, so maybe it's just not for me. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

There were so many things I was intrigued by at first glance. The cover? Gorgeous. The synopsis? Intriguing. I downloaded the arc right away, expecting a wonderfully immersive story. I hate to say it, but I just simply did not enjoy this book. This is Lumani's debut novel, and sometimes that showed. 1.5 stars.

I've never really been a fan of writing negative reviews. There are very few books that I've taken glee in trashing. This is not one of them. Foretold has decent bones, but its execution did not live up to the hype I created in my head. Perhaps that's my own fault.

The major problem I had with this was I found it hard to follow. The world building for this one could use some work; I had no idea what was what, or what was going on, or how things were happening. It was exacerbated by info-dumps throughout the novel. There were characters who were mentioned that I didn't remember meeting, plot points that were difficult to follow, etc. I appreciate the mental health rep, and think that this book had a modest start point, but just struggled to follow through.

-thank you NetGalley and Uproar Books for the eARC, in exchange for an honest review-

foretold by violet lumani
my rating: 4 stars

the cover of this book is absolutely stunning, which peaked my interest from the very start and all i can say is that the synopsis was even more intriguing.

i'm unsure whether it was the greek mythology references or the cute insta romance, but i was hooked and couldn't put down the book by the 4th chapter.

the main character, Cassandra, Cass for short, has foretold a real death before, but this time it's her next door neighbor. she later finds out where the "visions" come from, and is thrown into a whole new world.

the characters each had their own personality, and that's something i love to see in books i read, especially when there's so many.
-one thing though that was a bit sad, was the fact we didn't get to see a whole lot of Colin while Cass was at "camp"

I liked
-Mental Health Rep:
-I think that when a book includes mental health that it's portrayed correctly, Violet Lumani does a fantastic job with Cassandra's OCD and Anxiety.
-I also loved the dialogue, and the how the characters were written.

I didn't like
-there wasn't much i didn't like, but i wasn't a fun of the love triangle and how predictable it was.

Overall, i can say that i'm already dying for a physical copy of Foretold, and a sequel, when both aren't even out yet.

Foretold is the first book in the Scryer Series.
I was quite driven by this book so I found it hard to put it down. I love that the book included different aspects from fantasy, romance, and mental health.

I think including Intrusive Thoughts, into a fantasy book was an ingenious feature. Using these thoughts to foretell the future is astonishing. I love this concept. Having intrusive thoughts definitely makes you second guess yourself and the world around you.

Once I was introduced into the world or community of Theban Group, I saw the magic appear before my eyes. I enjoyed the visual content that was shown in the book, I was not disappointed. It felt as if I was in the realm myself. Just purely magical.

I'm going to have to patiently wait until next year for book 2.

This book Foretold will be out on the 20th July 2021.

Thank you to Netgalley Uproar books and to Violet Lumani.

I feel like this was another one that let me down. I was excited about the series potential, the actual experience with OCD to direct the characters, and the general description but it just ... didn't work for me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of #Foretold.

Cassandra has always seen death around her, her imagined worries a result of her crippling OCD and anxiety. But not every worry is imagined. Cass has a vision of a young boy dying hours before she meets him. To save his life, she joins a secret organization of scryers. The deeper she gets, the more she realizes that changing the future comes with a price and that price could cost her everything. Foretold is the first in Violet Lumani’s Scryers trilogy and her YA debut novel.

The mental health representation in this book was fantastic. Lumani herself notes that the book was informed by her own struggles with OCD and it definitely reflects. Writing in first person, so you see the absolute depth of Cassie’s struggle with her mental health was a great choice by the author.

In terms of world building, what I got was great. The magic system was unique and interesting but took a backseat to character development and buildup. The core characters (Cassie, Regan, Griffin, Colin) felt well developed and unique. The banter between them and the pop culture references kept the dialogue interesting and made the characters relatable. I’m always a sucker for found family. To me, the excessive amount background characters all blurred together and was a lot to muddle through. Same with all the types of scrying and the rules related to them. I’d love to see it explained more in depth as the series evolves.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. The summary piqued my interest (magic and secret societies and mental health rep, what more could you want?) but I didn’t love the writing. The book was fast paced for a series, heavily character driven, and the plot lacked depth for it. I would still absolutely recommend this book and I’m excited to see where Cassie’s story heads next.

The writing is excellent and the cover is STUNNING, However, this one wasn’t so much for me. The concept, while very clever and interesting feels like something from a past generation of young adult and I struggled to get invested in the protagonist. I would certainly have no qualms recommending it to someone who may sit more squarely in the books’ target audience! It seems like a great one to read if you love Taherah Mafi’s Shatter Me series.

Overall rating: 3.5 ⭐️

I've expressed my thoughts about some of the plot/world-building and character relationships on goodreads, but there were a few more point's I'd like to make!

The writing

I love the way the author portrayed the interior thoughts and ideas of Cassie! The descriptions flowed, and kept me invested in the story. I found that the writing was weakest with some of the dialogue; some ideas were choppy, like on page 32 when Colin makes a comment on Cassie's shirt. It just did not flow with the speech manner that I thought Colin used, but it also might just be me being picky about how I like dialogue written.

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Cassie's instant trust in her Aunt Bree + her conviction for saving Colin

I touched on Cassie's trust in being introduced to the scryer world in my goodreads review, but I was also a little frustrated with Cassie blindly performing the ritual for her aunt later on in the plot. Before knowing she had visions, it seemed that her relationship with her Aunt Bree was already rocky, and her role in Cassie's life has been practically non-existent. There's an automatic coldness with how Aunt Bree talks to her niece, and she barely checks up on her during her time of 'training'. Then suddenly Cassie needs to perform a forbidden ritual - the same Cassie that fairly recently found out about this whole world and her abilities? It seems weird that she wouldn't question anything - although she is only sixteen-turning-seventeen, so I could let it slide.

Cassie's need to save Colin is the main premise surrounding the plot; I feel that it could have been elaborated on a little bit more. Sure, she doesn't want him to die - but I didn't see their relationship evolve to the point of her turning her life upside down and around just to save him. I really wish we saw how much of an impact he had on her life before she left to train/study, instead of a few minor exchanges at the beginning of the story.

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Overall, despite my points made above, I would DEFINITELY recommend this book to others, and i cannot wait for the rest of the trilogy. I cannot stress enough how much I appreciate mental illness being touched on in a real, non-glorifying, non-stereotyping way!!

Once again, thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I appreciated the OCD rep. I'm going to rant for a minute. Too often people think of OCD as nothing but wanting your mugs all lined up the same way. For some people, it can be absolutely crippling. What Cassandra suffered with was bad, but it wasn't the worst I've seen. Imagine that one day you start getting vivid intrusive thoughts, sexual thoughts, about children. You know you aren't sexually attracted to children, you are absolutely mortified by these thoughts, but they don't stop. They keep coming, and you start doubting yourself. You know it isn't true, and yet, what if deep down it is? What if you're a terrible person? What if you're a child molester and you're a danger to society? Who do you talk to about this? Who can you tell? Your psychiatrist and no one else. What would you think if someone you cared about told you this? Would you think that maybe it was true because you don't understand OCD like the majority of the world doesn't? What if you have terrible intrusive thoughts that you're going to murder the people you love most in life? You love your mother, but every time you open the kitchen drawer and see that knife... what if one day you do it? What if you push your best friend into traffic?

People with OCD live their lives not being able to trust themselves or the world around them. People kill themselves over OCD. They live in pain and shame and misery. They scrub until they bleed, brilliant people, because logic has absolutely no place in this. You cannot reason with it. It's incredibly difficult to treat, and it fucking sucks.

Ahem.

Anyway, this book had some faults. It moved a little too fast. It's already a series, so I feel like it should have been stretched out a bit more, fleshed out a bit more, and it would have been better. The summer camp thing was a bit of a stretch, something that takes place over 2 weeks, and suddenly these kids are supposed to have all the knowledge and skill they need to survive in the coil. It makes no sense and there's no justification for it. Why would they need to move so fast? Why would people send their children off to potentially lose their minds or die after 2 weeks? Whatever.

At any rate, I still enjoyed it. It made me bawl like a baby when they discussed the death of Cass's mom. I just lost someone really close to me, and I felt it man. I felt it. I was nodding along like YES IT'S AWFUL JUST LIKE THAT. I enjoyed the beginnings of romance. I enjoyed most of the characters except for Noah who is hot garbage. It ended on a semi cliffhanger; you know stuff is coming, and you don't know what it is exactly, but it wasn't the kind of cliffhanger where you find out who the killer is and then it fades to black and you need to wait for the next book to find out. I didn't expect the twist at the end until it was already in my face. I feel like this book laid some good groundwork, and I'm looking forward to reading what comes next.

Foretold follows the story of Cassandra, a 16-year-old with OCD who then learns that her intrusive thoughts are more than just that; they’re visions.

In terms of the plot, it’s fascinating, and has plenty of potential (which it definitely lived up to). There are so many unexpected jaw-dropping moments in the book that left me confused, trying to figure out what happens next. The characters individual storylines are very well explored and contribute to the plot as a whole.

It’s a magical world that you see come alive in front of your eyes (I mean, come on, you can tell the future and change it too? How much better does it get?)

The pace, however, is slow… like… very slow… it takes a while to pick up and then drops again; it was hard to get into the book because of how dry it was initially. A lot of the information could have been condensed into fewer passages. However, the development of Noah, Regan, Griffin and Cass’s relationship is entertaining to read, and I flipped through it before I knew it.

Naturally, and I’m sure you’ll agree- not everyone is willing to give up their life to save someone they met a few days ago (when their death is quite literally destined). However, we get to see how Cassie’s OCD and heroism comes into play when she embarks on a death-defying mission.

And finally… this doesn’t usually happen… but, I did not see the ending coming.

Being written in first person, it’s simply delightful to read, especially when Cassandra has her visions and her OCD is portrayed. Violet does a beautiful job bringing forth her emotions and thought process so much so it feels like you’re living through it.

The world-building at first was hard to grasp because of how complicated it could become and how much there was going on at once. However, it eventually started making sense as Cass made her way through the process. There was a considerable amount of info-dumping that wasn’t necessarily necessary; the book could have done without it or shortened it, which I ended up skimming through.

There are some raw and absolutely beautiful quotes throughout the story. Cassandras struggle with OCD is brilliantly shown in the book, deviating from the usual stereotypical jargon. It’s not overdone to show her constantly helpless nor belittled but shows her journey as a character as she grows through her struggles.

There are few aspects that are consistently mentioned in the book but never referred to again (which I’m hoping are in book two) and a few hidden messages in the subtext that you can pick up on if you pay attention. *side eye*

(oh, and I just have to add that the book cover is an absolute dreaam, it so so pretty)

Found-family trope? Count. Me. In.

I absolutely adore the dynamic between Regan and Cass, anddd, well, Noah… I guess …
And my love for Griffin is unparalleled, his snarky comments, his wit and sarcasm and him going soft when someone needs it? (Growth!)

Watching the characters grow throughout the book was simply amazing; they all oddly complement each other. Even though they have their differences, there’s a lot of trust between them. I don’t know how to explain them without straight-up spoiling the book, but I’ll say that there are some that you will love like your own and some you will hate with every fibre of your being and some that will leave you… confused? Questioning? Betrayed? Angry?

Cassandra is the classic female protagonist; she can do no harm to others, wants to right the wrongs and can be very naive, but we see her grow through the book (thankfully, she doesn’t suddenly drop off her mental illnesses and become ‘invincible’). I’m excited to see where she goes after how the book ended.

The characters were all complex and multifaceted. Even though Violet didn’t divulge into their backstory a lot (which I need to see in book two and three), every interaction between them was fun to read.
Okay, now there are a bunch of other characters who are, well… interesting, to say the least; but I don’t want to spoil the book because you just have to meet them for the first time through Violet’s words.

If you’re dealing with grief and pain, how far wouldn’t you go to prevent it? Especially if you had the power to see the future… and change it?

Overall, Foretold was a scintillating read. Slightly long at times but definitely incredible, with great characters, chemistry and plot twists. Once I got past the first few chapters, I could not put it down. I’m not one for series, but I cannot wait for book two!

If you love a good, found family trope, a whimsical twist on fortune-telling, and insight into anxiety and OCD, this book is definitely for you.

This is such a beautiful book! Full of fortune telling, freindship and acceptance. The characters fit together well and the plot keeps you on your toes. I cannot wait for the sequel .

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Foretold is the first installment in the Scryers series, following teenage Cass as she navigates life after her mother's death, her own OCD, anxiety, and visions of the future. The way Lumani discusses these mental health topics is tasteful and relatable, and I think that combining these issues into a more magical plot will really engage teenage readers! 4/5 stars overall.

Genre: Fantasy | YA

Release Date: Expected 20th July 2021

Publisher: Uproar Books



After living her whole life with chronic anxiety and OCD, Cassandra is used to thinking the worst; to thinking there's death and destruction around every corner. Therapy helped teach her to cope and her Father has been as supportive as he could be but nothing has been the same since she lost her mother.

This time it's different though and she knows it. Colin, the boy next door and her newly found friend is going to due. It's happened once before, her visions becoming devastatingly real and now it's happening all over again.

Desperate to cheat death and save Colin from his untimely death, Cass finds herself enrolled in an Organisation of Scryers and Soothsayers, for people like her, that promise to help to her find a way to change the things she sees. But as she desceneds further into their world of magic she learns that changing fate and cheating death always comes with a price - and she's got to pay it.

Foretold is the first installment in the Scryers series, inspired by the authors own struggles with OCD that made this story so authentic and yet so magical at the same time. Right from the second line, I was locked in. I wanted to know Cass he world she lived in. She was introdued to us as a naive, quiet, somewhat sad young girl who played trivnometry and ate lasagne with her Dad every friday night and she grew and evolved in front of our eyes to a powerful, magical woman.

There were those quiet sparks of romance scattered throughout, but didn't take focus away from Cass and the friends she met on her journey who recognised that someone who is constantly having to fight a battle with their own mind is a true badass.

This story was full of familiar and comforting classic tropes without being boring - the universe and the lore created were rich and engrossing, although there were a few points throughout the story I felt that I didn't really know what was going on and maybe things could have been explained better.

I can't wait to see what Cass & Co get up to in their next adventure.



RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Violet Lumani, Uproar Books, IBPA and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

I love so much about this book! I can't believe I have had the pleasure of being able to read it a bit early. This is a story of future-telling, friendship, family, and accepting who you are. It is the start of a series that it seems, and I am highly anticipating the sequel. The characters flowed together so nicely. The friendship between Cassandra and Regan is so beautiful. I relate to them as I have a friendship sort of like that. I love the intentions that Cassie has through the plot line and how not all good things means it will last through the long run. I was blown away by Lumani's ability to throw me into the world by the flow of the words and the entrancing plot line. I thought the pace was great and the concept was so new for me.

I am beyond excited to give this five stars! It is soon released, so go get your copies, because this is one you will not want to stroll past in the bookstore.

**I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review!

I spent most of this book waiting for the plot to really pick up and then when it finally did I wasn't all that excited about it. The love triangle aspect was okay, but didn't hook me, but I will say that the characters are well written. I did enjoy reading through Cassie's POV and witnessing her dealing with her anxiety and OCD. I thought that aspect was really well done. So were the friendships. The ending was kind of a shock but then again, not really, overall, I was intrigued with the book and how it took neuro-atypicalness and merged it into a fortune telling type thing--that was cool and something I hadn't read before.
*ARC recieved from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*