I just completed Foretold by Violet Lumani. This was an ARC provided to by NetGalley for an honest review. This story was very good. There will be a sequel and I will be interested in reading this. The main protagonist is a teenage girl with extreme OCD. While dealing with OCD episodes she also has visions of future events. She meets a sweet guy and foresees something going to happen to him. She finds out she is a scryer and has a lot to learn. But she also finds out that she can possibly change future events - at a cost. What are those costs? Read the book because there are some worthwhile twists to this one. Further notes - the main character is quite likable and she touched my heart when she talked about her mom. I liked the majority of her friends and there is a guy that I am interested to see her decide to possibly let become more than a friend. The storyline was good and flowed well. I liked this enough to rate it 4 stars.

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

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.


Wow, this surprised me, and now I'm dying for the second book when the first one isn't even out yet! Cassie is a 17 year old girl who suffers quite badly from OCD. She finds out she is actually a 'scryer', and some of her visions are not a product of OCD, but a product of her abilities. Cue the really cool, science-based magic school for scrying. And the vision that her boyfriend is destined to die. Here is my CAWPILE breakdown:

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.

The lore of Lumani's world was intricate and fascinating, and I was utterly intoxicated by the secret scrying community living in plain sight. The ways in which scryers blended into society, doing mundane tasks with the scrying abilities was completely brilliant. I mean, insurance sales to people they know will never ever need it? Genius! There was so much going on, but not in an overwhelming way. I kept wanting to go back and pick up my book at every possible moment, and tearing myself away from it to work on my masters thesis was agony.

Cassie stares across the street in horror as a boy dies from being hit by a car. Except it didn't really happen. She initially brushes it off as a manifestation of her OCD until she learns that she has the gift of scrying, seeing events that will happen in the future. Cassie then decides to spend the summer training to become a scryer as part of her effort to save the boy from the accident. Along the way, she makes her first friends since the death of her mother and gets pulled into political conspiracies while trying to cope with her OCD and grief.

The depiction of OCD in this book was spectacular. The author did an excellent job of providing a vivid picture of what it is like inside the head of someone with this disorder. As a therapist, I also enjoyed seeing the character use some of the most common therapeutic techniques often taught to clients with this disorder. Additionally, I just loved the premise of turning something that many people see as a liability into a superpower of sorts. This book did that very well. It did a great job of showing the potential impacts of grief on a family and friend system, as well. Seeing how Cassie began to open up despite her grief was one of my favorite things about the book. Overall, I was really impressed with the tackling of mental health topics in this book.

The idea of the 'coil' was a really interesting one. It provided the story with a perfect test for the main character. It made use of interesting imagery and mystery while requiring the characters to overcome their fears in an inventive way. It also provided a great obstacle to someone with OCD since completing the task successfully required control over one's mind.

While a lot of the plot was predictable, there were some surprises at the end that I did not see coming, which makes me interested to see where the story goes. There were also surprises about some of the characters that I enjoyed, and I was happy to see some assumptions about particular characters turned on their head throughout the story. It helped to keep the story engaging.

Large parts of this book were nothing but an info dump. After Cassie started her training, there were countless descriptions of her learning stuff in class. It felt like I was sitting in the classroom with her, which is what I assume the author was going for. However, I wish the world-building would have been more organic and allowed me to learn about the world from the things happening to the character rather than being taught the information. And despite all the info dumps, I don't feel like I know this world all that well. I still don't understand the coil or the society of scryers much better than before starting the book.

The writing of the romance in this book made me cringe. The language used and the insta-love were annoying. And for the love of God, why did there have to be a love triangle. It was completely unnecessary and added nothing to this story.

This book was an enjoyable read that boldly tackled tough mental health topics in an imaginative and unique way. Despite the clunkiness of the world-building in numerous info dumps and the cringy romance, there was a lot to like. Therefore, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for individuals interested in mental health, fantasy, or love triangles.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Please take in mind it’s my opinion, and everyone is allowed to have one.

This book was truly interesting, I liked it.. BUT there was a moment or two where there was so many information at once, where I even forgot things or what or why it’s happening.

I liked Cassandra, she was such a great character naive at sometimes but still amazing. Cassandra really developed and grew as a person.

The book overall was great, the ending was what I expected but also not what I expected. So I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen in book 2.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a honest review. Okay, so let's start.
There are things I really liked in this book and there are other things that are not my cup of tea.
First, to what I did like: The protagonist has OCD and it was written in a very real and honest way. I felt her struggles, her fears, how her OCD reflected in her day to day life. Seriously, there are so few books about mental health, so I really loved how it was portrayed and, also, in such a good way.
The cover for this book is beautiful and it was what called me in first, so, a bonus to that.
In regarding the characters, I liked Reagan, Griffin and Colin the best. I do like how Griffin was growing on me page by page (it remind me a lot of some of my friends at school when I was younger, how they started out annoying, but slowly grew on me and are currently on my life until this day). To what I did not like: The plot was predictable. I don't know if it is because I grow up reading fantasy, but everything was really obvious to me. Also, I'm not a fan of insta-love (despite liking Colin's character I thought it was kinda off how Cassie was willing to risk everything to save a boy she met what? A few weeks ago), so it did felt boring to me. The writing pace is good, but, somewhere in the middle it became really slow to me and I suffered to finish.
Overall, it was a good read. Don't know if I'll continue with the series (probably no), but I still recommend it, because we all have different tastes and styles, so, what didn't work for me, may as well work for another!

Foretold by Violet Lumani is such a unique concept and I loved the writing. I rooted for Cassandra the whole time I was reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book.

Exciting premise, lacking execution.

I was immediately intrigued by both the unique premise of this story and the promise of better OCD representation in literature.

I think Cassandra’s OCD is represented in refreshingly vulnerable way, delivering on the promise of accurate representation. Her internal monologue and frustration with herself is the most compelling writing in the novel.

Unfortunately, the story lacks fundamental story-telling mechanisms, which made it difficult to fully immerse myself in Cassandra’s world. For instance, the stakes aren’t high enough, so time passes a little too casually throughout the novel. It lacks a sense of urgency. There are certainly “odd” things that Cassandra sees/encounters, but it takes too long for anything actually happen.

A second major issue I had with this book was a lack of description when the reader needed it most. Obviously, some things happen that can’t be explained, and sometimes you have feelings you can’t explain (that’s part of the mystery). But your reader is relying on you in those moments to know what they should be feeling. I felt like those descriptions were often missing.

Ultimately, I had high hopes for this novel, but the execution fell short. I did enjoy the story, but it wasn’t told in a way that resonates deeply with me.

1.5/5.0

Foretold is a wonderful and incredibly rich fantasy novel, so well built and fast paced that I wasn't able to put it down till I reached the end. I was absolutely captivated by the atmosphere, and the characters.

This novel submerges the reader in a landscape so imaginative and detailed that the information of the world building/plot never feels forced, and is never difficult to understand or picture in one's mind.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 - FIVE STARS
I was trying to come up with words to express how much the OCD representation in this book meant to me but I’m not finding them. There was a lot of plot and turns and twists that others have covered better than I can, but the book’s beating heart is the really well done character arcs and the sensitive way pain and loss and mental health were dealt with. This book snuck up on me, and it wasn’t what I expected. It’s good writing for a first book or even for a fifth book, so I’m excited to see what books 2 and 3 bring.

Thank you to NetGalley and Uproar for my first ARC

~Thank you NetGalley and Uproar Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!~

*This is a spoiler-free review, so you can read it even if you haven’t read the book yet!*

My Rating: 3 stars

The synopsis and cover were both so well done that I was sure I would l love this! And though I did enjoy some parts, there were also things that I didn’t like as much which is why I gave this three stars.

Characters: Cassie was an okay main character, but I couldn’t fully connect to her. She was just so bland to me and I felt like I was barely even rooting for her. I liked some of the secondary characters like Reagan and Colin better Reagan was a great friend for her, and I loved how enthusiastic and supportive she was of Cassie from the moment they met to their time at the academy.

I’m not usually a fan of insta-love but I liked Colin’s character(sadly more than the MC) and I found myself hoping that he would make it through to the end, more for his sake than Cassie’s. I do wish we got to see more of him though, since the whole time she’s in the “camp” he isn’t really there, and we don’t get much of him.

Things I liked

-Dialogue + Writing Style

-Mental Health Representation: Cassie’s OCD was treated perfectly because it showed what is was really like for her and what she was dealing with, while also being sensitive about it. I think it’s really important for books to have an accurate and realistic representation of mental health and this book did a great job of that.

What I didn’t like

-Some parts where really predictable
I won’t spoil what exactly was predictable, but there was love triangle in there and it was super obvious and not at all unexpected.

-The Plot was messy
The pacing was really slow in the middle and I often found myself skimming because of it. There were just so many scenes of her in her classes, and the entire 60 percent of the novel is her getting used to her new life and realizing how it will be very difficult and dangerous to save Colin’s life. It’s clear that it will be dangerous and will require a sacrifice, so I don’t fully understand why that’s repeated so many times in so many different ways. It takes more than half of the novel until she actually starts to try to save him.

But finally, at about 70 percent of the book, things finally start speeding up a little, and then the ending was wow. I was soo surprised and yet I felt like I should have seen it coming. But I’m not going to say anything else about it because if you want to know then you have to read it :)

Overall, this wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t nearly as good as I expected either. If anyone does plan to read it, I hope you enjoy it more than I did! :)

✨ You can find this review and others on my blog! ✨

2.5 stars

First of cover is stunning and I like concept of this but in execution it felt short. Pacing was all over the place while I found romance flat because insta-love. One thing I liked was OCD representation and I would read sequel.

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.

This is a great magic realism YA fantasy book. It follows the main character, Cassandra, and her life as a teenager that is diagnosed with OCD, and an unusual power of seeing visions. The world-building for this book is great and the pacing of the plot was excellent. I will definitely recommend this to my peers and friends. I am looking forward to the other books in this trilogy and to how the author puts us back on track with the story.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

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.