I have been extending my reading from cozy mystery to cozy fiction in general. I am especially enjoying cozy fantasy and The Teller of Small Fortunes fits the bill. Author Julie Leong tells the story Tao, a young woman on her own, traveling the country in a mule-drawn wagon, Tao earns her living by telling fortunes, but only small ones. Tao fears that using her greater vision will bring her to the attention of the Mage's Guild. One day Tao meets a pair of adventurers. She tells the fortune of one and, even though it is small, her vision reveals something remarkable. Before Tao knows how it happens, she finds herself travelling with the men and a young woman, a baker, who longs to see the world. At first Tao isn't sure she wants their company. She's used to being on her own. But as the group get to know each other, friendships are forged, obstacles are faced and problems are solved. The bonds between Tao and her new companions grow stronger until Tao is willing to risk everything, including her freedom, to help them. This is a heartwarming story of bonds forged and broken ties mended. Readers will be filled with warm fuzzy feelings by the end of the story.

A calming and cozy fantasy centered on found family, goodness and change. I often contemplate what it means to be a good person and Tao's journey takes a reflection of that, using a simple plot but complex feelings to have you evaluate yourself.

I absolutely adored the found family trope here. Just an overall comforting, thoughtful read.

A cozy fantasy about Tao, a traveling teller of small fortunes, who is soon joined by a small cast of colorful characters on journeys of their own.

Tao, who left home to avoid being placed in service to the mages, is happy traveling with her donkey to small villages to offer small fortunes. Wary of giving bigger fortunes as that would undoubtedly draw the eye of those she is trying to hide from. Giving fortunes is how she meets up with a pair of men desperate to find a lost child. Can she help? Can she see where the girl has gone?

A tale of adventure, found family, becoming who you were meant to be and learning to trust again those who have hurt you in your past.

The best of magical road trips! the characters were fleshed out. and I loved the found family aspect. such a fun read.

Cozy fantasy isn’t my favorite genre as these stories can be a bit slow with the low stakes tropes. But I really enjoyed this one! The characters were lovable and I always enjoy a good found family trope. Just don’t go in expecting anything ultra exciting.

every christmas, i end up having a book that i feel just makes the perfect book for a gift among my family and friends… and then i seem to tell everyone that while writing a review for said book. well, this was a phenomenal debut novel, that i purchased 10+ copies of and gave out for christmas this year! this really just had the perfect balance of comfort and high stakes, while also feeling so inspiring and thought provoking. and this just ultimately is a story about being the person you want to be, and going on the adventures you want to go on, with the people you want to surround yourself (and grow) with in life. hopefully all my loved ones are reading this after christmas, but i just really believe this is a top tier story for a gift, and truly a good reminder of how i want to live my life. (this is also a preamble to say that i think you, dear review reader, will also enjoy this one, because i think most people will enjoy this story and the messages within it! 👉👈)

okay okay, me never being able to write intros to reviews anymore? yes! this story stars tao, who is an immigrant traveling the world via her wagon, and making a living by telling fortunes, but only small ones. she brings people peace, while trying to not to use too much magic and make too much of an impression on all the towns she is traveling through. but her path soon crosses with an ex-thief and someone very desperate to find their daughter - which ends up being a major quest tao accepts. but the crew soon also picks up a baker apprentice and one very hungry kitty. and together they go town to town, looking for information on a missing child, while also accepting so many side quests, ranging from sapphic nuns to trolls and bridges.

this is also a story about being scared to let anyone in, especially when you feel like your identity has been broken in half for most of your life. this book deeply celebrates the importance of honoring your culture, while also discussing things like shame when you feel disconnected from who you and your ancestors are. yet, there is so much hope within these pages, about balancing life and becoming the version(s) of yourself you want to be. there really is so much good at the heart of this already beautiful story all about adventures. i hope this author keeps giving us stories in this world, even though i feel like i could read forever about tao.

trigger + content warnings: racism, loss of father in past, missing child, mention of illness, mention of hate crime abuse in past, ptsd / trauma in past, grief, anxiety, panic attack

Tao has carved a small, self-sufficient life for herself by travelling from small town to small town, telling small, personal fortunes. She avoids looking at larger fortunes, like death, war, politics, or destiny. All is well unti she happens into two mercenaries who are determined to travel with her. One small fortune has turned into a quest, forcing Tao to make lasting connections with other people. Unfortunately, this also means that she has made enoguh waves for her past to find her.

Like the main character, this novel focuses on ordinary life and ordinary people as much as possible. It is very sweet and moving and made me cry.

I read THE TELLER OF FORTUNES at just the right time because this cozy fantasy perfectly suited my mood and worked well as I was distracted by being away on an extended trip. It was easy to slip into this tale, and I did come to care for the group of characters that gets assembled before the halfway point. I liked tagging along on their adventures, and seeing their relationships grow as they shared more experiences. And even though things escalated and wrapped up pretty quickly, it felt right for a tale that was meant to be slice of life(ish) and cozy.

Thank you so much to Berkley Pub for the copy of this book!

This is the exactly the type of fantasy I need in my life. I had heard that if you enjoyed Travis Baldree's books that you would enjoy this and I have to agree.

"One could choose to be nothing, or one could choose to be happy."

I will say this book kind of gave me The Wizard of Oz feel? Not sure if it's enough to say its a retelling but the vibes are very similar and I was here for it. You have Tao who travels city to city to do small fortunates and she meets Mash and Silt (both former thieves) along the way who join her and then eventually meet Kina, a baker. There's even a cat (Fidelitus) who they take care of on the travel. They meet a man who asks them to fulfil a quest. Just similar themes. There was a moment where Tao was separated from the rest of the group and they came to rescue her and it was just so sweet how they banded together to get to her (including the cat). They became each other's family.

I love the relationship between all the characters and how they were so determined to help Mash find his daughter. I was happy to see Tao re-establish her relationship with her mom after essentially running away.

If you are looking for a fantasy lite read with a cozy feel about a group of people traveling - give this one a try!

PS - They met a troll at a bridge! This was a very exciting encounter just because of it being stereotypical and I could picture it so vividly.

4.5

Cozy adventure fantasy. I wasn't expecting this to be a cozy fantasy, with semi low stakes. It was an interesting take on epic adventure fantasy.
I did enjoy this, especially the camaraderie that develops between the group members.
It is a bit slow paced, but not in a bad way, as it seems to fit. All in all a good solid fantasy read.
Thanks so much to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC

Huge thank you to @prhaudio @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.
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This audio sucked me right into the story! Tao is a fortune teller that travels with companions that become family. This one isn’t just about telling fortunes. There’s mystery, friendship, love and a bit of magic.

Rating: Loved It, 4.5 Stars

This book was such a quiet treat. I had a fantastic time with it - it made me chuckle and it made me cry. In this, we follow Tao, a teller of small fortunes who travels the country from town to town, never staying anywhere very long, and never creating any lasting connections with the people she meets. However, as we join her, we come alongside her as she slowly creates her own little found family consisting of a rogue, a baker, a mercenary, and a one-eyed cat. Tao is an immigrant from a different nation, and has always had to grapple with the reality that she never feels she fits in anywhere.

Overall, I really loved this book. I thought it was quiet and unassuming, but it really had me caring about the characters. It did a wonderful job of building their relationships with each other, and I loved the journey that Tao took. I think that the only thing that held me back from a full 5 stars is that it felt like there were a lot of different things happening, and like it was almost trying to do too much. There were threads that were started that never felt like they wrapped up all the way. And as far as I am aware, this is meant to be a standalone.

That being said, I didn't mind too much. This is a quiet, cozy fantasy with medium-level stakes and a really delightful found family. All in all, it was a fantastic book, and I am very glad to have read it.

I know it's overused a lot - but this is the epitome of a cozy fantasy. For some, that will cause you steer clear... But I continue to chase the whimsy, dammit!

Following a ragtag team of a fortune teller, a baker, and two reformed thieves who all come together, the forged friendships and chosen family vibes were so perfect. I really enjoyed Tao's opening up about her past and the relationship she has with her powers. The world building was also very compelling and immersive for a relatively short book, and i would be excited for more from this world.

The cover caught my eye, the storyline sounded interesting and it was the book suggested for a Buddy Read group I am in, so I double-tapped request on this one. I like to have the option to read the audio book I am listening to, in case a suspenseful or scary part comes up, so I am glad that I had both options for this one. There wasn't a lot that was scary or suspenseful, but for the few parts that were like that, it helped me out.

This is what I would assume is called "cottage-core" or "cozy fantasy". Low stakes, Found Family (FAVORITE. TROPE. EVAR!!!), light magic and world building. There are some heavier themes that are dealt with, as the MC is from a neighboring country and clearly does not resemble the people of the country she is in. There is also child kidnapping/endangerment, homophobia that a side character is dealing with and a potential war with said neighboring country, as well as being hunted/chased by employees of the country she is residing in, so there are some larger themes at play, but nothing is too stressful. It is all delivered very low-key, but not in a lackluster way. Hard to explain, but I guess it would fall under the sub-genre of cozy very well.

My favorite part of the whole book is the Found Family and how they all rally around one another in each's time of need. The book didn't wow me with action, but it was almost calming. Despite being somewhat slow moving, which is not what I usually go for, this was enjoyable and I am glad that it was the first book chosen for my reading group's Buddy Read.

4, super sweet and gentle, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group/Ace, libro.fm and Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group for an eARC and ALC of this book to read/listen to and review.

I absolutely adored this cozy fantasy book. Tao was an incredibly endearing main character to follow along with, and the found-family-along the way is a theme / trope that when done well, as in this book, makes my heart swoon. I found all of the characters in this plot enjoyable and delightful, although they do remain pretty surface level caricatures of what you might typically find in a fantasy book. The plot is very much not high-stakes, and it all wraps up with a happy little bow at the end, which for me is exactly what I was looking for in this book following a string of heavy reads. However, for any fantasy fans who want in-depth character analysis or development, or a fast-moving, intriguing plot mirroring the troubles of our own modern society, you will not find that here. This book is great for a cozy-reading session where you want to fall in love with characters, watch their bonds grow, and follow along on a fantasy-light adventure with a guaranteed happy ending.

I enjoyed the character development in the teller of small fortunes, the fantasy elements were just right for me. The pacing was slow at times and I wanted to give up. I'm glad I finished it and hope to learn more about this world and these characters in the future.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review an electronic ARC of this book.

If you are a fan of cozy, heartwarming reads, this is for you. It brings to mind Legends & Lattes, The House in the Cerulean Sea, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and The Spellshop. It just brings the warmth. What an endearing, comforting read.

I was swept away by this sweet but well-developed world and complex characters. The familiar tropes of cozy fantasy are spun with more than the usual depth, and yet the characters retained the goodness that we crave in cozies. I'll be looking forward to the next book by Julie Leong!

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc! 3.5/5 stars rounded down, a wonderfully cozy fantasy read

one thing I really appreciated about this cozy fantasy in particular was that there were some political tensions going on throughout the entire book - like yes, it is a cozy fantasy, but leong does a great job of balance the feel good coziness with the real world issues going on in the background and how they affect both the plot and the characters. it lent more gravity to a genre that tends to just be pure fluff, though there's nothing wrong with that. still, the plot was relatively low tension, low stakes - mostly just people handling the obstacles in their lives and finding ways to make connections and stay true to themselves despite it all. overall, a great cozy read if you're looking for fantasy to take your mind off things

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong [Berkley Publishing Group #egalley #gifted ; purchased physical copy ]

I love cozy fantasy titles and the past few years has been so good for this genre. The Teller of Small Fortunes falls right into this wonderful genre and does not disappoint. Tao is a traveling fortune teller, with secrets of her own that keep her traveling from town to town. As she travels, she begins to make connections leading her to eventually travel alongside three companions. As the three journey together and learn of each other's stories, they also discover more about themselves and what they desire from their lives. This was filled with magic, loyalty, and found family vibes that was absolutely perfect.