4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley, Ace Books, and Berkley Publishing Group for this advanced copy! You can pick up The Teller of Small Fortunes on November 5, 2024.

I absolutely adored this cozy fantasy! Tao was a brilliant protagonist with fascinating magic, and I loved the relationships she formed throughout her journey with Mash, Silt, and Kina. While there's no main romance, the bonds of friendship and family (old and new) propel the story along perfectly. We see Tao confront her past guilt, overcome her loneliness and distrust of others, and welcome this band of misfits into her heart. The ending did make me cry, and it just left a warm feeling in my heart after turning the final page.

I can't wait to see what else Julie Leong might put out, and I hope everyone picks this one up come November!

I liked this one though I think it was a little slow for me, I did enjoy the characters and the setting but I think the party is not entirely for me.

I'm so happy that I'm seeing more diverse cozy whimsy mystery/fantasy books coming out that feel like they are being given more popularity. This book is so good and cute and It felt like such a hug.

This book is absolutely the most wonderfully cozy, heartwarming read I've had in quite awhile. There are oodles of relatable scenes and characters that make it so surely anyone would be able to find something to identify with. It's also quite interesting that even though our fortune teller 'gives away' plenty of events or happenings throughout the book, you never feel like knowing the end results takes away at all from the story of getting there. A very sweet story, and interesting from the beginning to the end.

The Teller of Small Fortunes felt as delightful as sipping a nice cup of tea while under a cozy blanket. It had just the right amount of adventure, found family, cats, heartfelt moments, and baked goods. All the characters felt unique and interesting, and I was rooting for them all to have a happy ending. Overall it was just really charming and an enjoyable read.

Tao lives a solitary life, traveling to small villages to tell her small fortunes, with only her mule Laohu as a companion. She’s an outsider, and doesn’t want to attract too much attention. But that quickly changes when she encounters Mash, Silt, and Kina along her travels, stumbling into quite an adventure. I loved spending time with these characters and witnessing how their friendships shifted and grew over time. (And of course, I loved Fidelitus the sweet and cranky cat). I was drawn to the book because of its gorgeous cover, and was delighted to find it more than lived up to it. I will be recommending it widely at the library, especially to fans of T Kingfisher and Becky Chambers, and I look forward to reading more from the author.

The perfect blend of cozy fantasy and traveling adventure, with a dash of found family and a sprinkling of true friendship. Great world-building and excellent character development. Highly recommended.

Tao makes her living by traveling across the land telling small fortunes. A fear of the past keeps Tao from using more of her prodigious magical power, but when she’s swept up in a search for a child (alongside an ex-mercenary, a bombastic thief, an adventurous baker, and a magic cat) she discovers the strength to confront her fears and abilities. While many cozy fantasies promise found family, this read really delivers. Every friendship and new connection glows in Julie Leong’s fantasy novel debut.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this lovely novel. Tao's journey and her found family are warm and cozy without too sweet and cloying. Rather like her tea. Reminiscent of Becky Chambers' Psalm for the Wild-built, there is adventure mixed with tenderness, and an ending that gives hope for all our futures.

Oh hello cozy fantasy book. I love this book that moves at a perfectly cozy and content pace, even when there is danger or drama. It truly is a story of finding you family, finding where you belong and feel safe and happy. It is full of characters who are just trying to do their best, and this is why I love cozy books. There is never anything heart-pounding, but there are a lot of emotions (I absolutely teared up at the end) and lots of growth for all the characters. The splashes of magic are lovely and well thought out. The comradery between the MCs is something that we all search for in life and I especially am drawn to in stories. Tao's struggle between her past and figuring out her present and future are so relatable in so many different aspects (no spoilers). I smiled almost the entire time and enjoyed reading this so much.

Thanks to the publisher for a free ARC; my thoughts and review are my own.

Tao uses the accoutrements of a carnival fortune teller to conceal the fact that she is actually a powerful psychic. She only tells small fortunes, terrified of her own abilities. Her perambulatory lifestyle does not encourage companionship, until suddenly it does. Tao finds herself traveling with Mash, an ex-soldier looking for his missing daughter, Silt the reformed thief, and Kina, an apprentice baker with wanderlust. These strange companions soon become a found family, their adventures together helping each face their greatest challenges in life. This heartwarming cozy fantasy hits all the right notes. There's even a cat.

Tao travels a land she was brought to as a small child telling small fortunes. Nothing too big because the one time she did, something awful happened. This is a gentle story of found family and making peace with the past.

At the onset A Teller of Small Fortunes was everything I could want in a story. Tao, a fortune teller, is a traveler by necessity, as her magic makes her a target. It's safer, she thinks, to be alone--that is, until she makes some friends. She meets Mash and Silt, erstwhile thieves, who are searching for Mash's missing daughter. Then she meets Kina, a baker, and is adopted by a cat called Fidelitus. Together they make a charming chosen family, and I grew to love them.

The premise is wonderful, but the resolution of the plot really let me down and knocked my rating by at least a star. You can't tell me that the bad guys are actually just well-meaning bureaucrats in the end! Come onnnnnnnnnnn. I think this would be better marketed as Middle Grade.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

Cozy fantasy is having a real renaissance in 2024 and we are truly blessed!

The Teller of Small Fortunes is a story about a young woman named Tao who makes her way as a traveling fortune teller. She keeps her predictions small and inconsequential (despite having the ability to do more) in order to avoid the notice of the government which conscripts all magic users. In her travels, Tao comes to meet Mash and Silt (a mercenary and a thief) and who are looking for Mash’s kidnapped daughter, and Kina, a baker that Tao foretells will leave her home and take up baking on the road! The little band sets off to find Mash’s daughter and to make some money telling fortunes and baking questionable scones.

Adventure and hijinks ensue!

I loved all of the characters, the found family element was strong with this one and totally gave me all the feels! The plot is on the slower side, as with many cozy fantasy books, but there were some surprisingly tense moments and the second half of the book really picked up. Some plot points were resolved rather easily, but again, this feels common in cozy fantasy. You read it for the feels and we definitely get lots of feels in this one! I was totally teary by the end.

I also loved that there was no big romance plot in this one. No idea if Tao is aroace but I like the possibility!

I loved that I felt like I was in the middle of a DnD campaign while reading this.

Rating: 4 ⭐️

"Theres no such things as greater good-there's just good, and the more of it we can do, the better."

The Teller of Small Fortunes begins with our main character, Tao, as she goes from town to town telling life-changing fortunes such as, you will receive a new green tunic, or your neighbor will dent your pan. The important things. And of course, as with any cozy fantasy, she meets friends along the way!

This book had a little bit of everything for the cozy fantasy reader: found family, animal sidekicks, magical creatures, and baked goods! Sometimes I need a book that makes me feel happy. It was light-hearted and funny, filled with quips and a cast of slightly ridiculous characters. And that's what cozy fantasy is all about.

I would like to thank Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing me The Teller of Small Fortunes in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Ace/Berkeley publishing group and #NetGalley for the chance to read an egalley of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to like this book, in part because I had so liked [book:A Psalm for the Wild-Built|40864002] but this is a very basic quest story with interesting characters, but nothing so original and engaging that you can't put it down.

I did like the characters, and some of the dialogue, but I couldn't really get over knowing the ending before I was through the first chapter.

Recommended for someone new to fantasy who cares more about characters than plot.

Tao is a teller of small fortunes. She roams the western part of the empire, never staying long in one place and always on her own until one day she meets two wandering mercenaries who are searching for a lost child. As they travel together they are joined by a young baker looking for adventure and eventually a lost cat looking for a home. As they travel together searching for the child and avoiding the magic users searching for Tao they are soon faced with choices and changes they may not welcome.
This is a slow moving story, almost totally focused on character growth. There is only one real “dangerous adventure” incident and is mostly a cosy and warm story of friendships and found family. I really liked all the characters and how they grew and changed as they forged ties with each other. Recommended

This was a super sweet, low stakes, cozy fantasy that will pull you in from the first page. The author does an amazing job blending Asian culture into a traditional fantasy setting in a way that will feel both familiar and unique while reading.

Tao was a great protagonist, and her journey does a great job of delicately highlighting the difficulties immigrants can face in a new culture and the importance of acceptance. I loved how she remained compassionate throughout her trials and worked hard to remain kind despite how she’s treated by others.

Although Tao was my favorite, none of the other MC’s were far behind. Each one will capture your heart as you’re reading and you can’t help but cheer as they overcome their own personal challenges on their journey together.

This books has so many layers to uncover while reading, each with its own beautiful message for you to find. Reading this book felt like a warm blanket or a big hug from an old friend. If you need a story to bring some light into your life, pick up The Teller of Small Fortunes. Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub Date: November 5, 2024

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for my free e-reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This satisfying, quiet story follows a teller of small fortunes--those day-to-day events that often change lives--as she travels her adopted country and finds surprising friends along the way. Tao is a Shinn outsider in the kingdom of Eshtera, brought there as a child by her widowed mother. Although she was raised in Eshteran ways, due to her appearance and background, she never fit in. When her Eshteran stepfather tries to force her into either a marriage or to join the Mage Guild where her ability to foresee the future would be used for the Crown's advantage, Tao runs away and becomes a travelling fortune teller. This is where the story begins and how she meets the people who become her friends, the adventures they have, and the growth all of them achieve with the help of each other makes for a wonderful story. It's well worth travelling with them as they go.
Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own. This blog post includes affiliate links.
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong is a sweetheart of a fantasy that left me with a full heart & the reminder that friendship is so important to life happiness.

When the book opens, Tao is a solitary teller of small fortunes who left her remaining family for a life on the road. She soon runs into Mash & Silt, who are looking for Mash’s missing daughter, & later, Kira, who’s a baker with a desire to travel.

As the group travels together, they run into mysterious/magical/annoying figures along the way, all encounters building the friendship that Tao has never had before.

If you like low-stakes fantasy, you might like this one. With that being said, Tao is dealing with emotional pain & a ruptured relationship with her surviving parent, but it all wraps up fairly nicely & leaves the reader feeling the love.

4.5⭐️. Out 11/05.

CWs: previous death of parent; ruptured relationship with surviving parent; discord with step-parent.

[ID: Jess wears a blue floral dress & holds the ebook while standing next to orange flowers.]