Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells “small” fortunes: whether it will hail next week, which boy the barmaid will kiss, when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences.
Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when Silt, a (semi) reformed thief, and Mash, an ex-mercenary, recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by Kira, a baker with a ‘knead’ for adventure, and a slightly magical cat.
Tao sets down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past are closing in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.
What a warm, cozy fantasy tale. Such a nice change of pace from the overly complicated and stressful fantasy stories I’m used to reading.
I love the humor and the dynamics between Tao and her three unexpected travel companions. The found family trope is one of my favorites. Silt reminded me of Flynn Rider/Eugene Fitzherbert from Tangled. Mash is one of those big tough guys who’s actually a big sweetheart. And no caravan adventure team is complete without a baker like Kira.
Tao has made a living out of telling small fortunes. She’s hesitant to use her powers to help find the lost child because she fears she might see something terrible and that by seeing it, she causes it. This is why she sticks with nice, simple, small fortunes, out of fear of being blamed for the outcome of her visions. It makes no sense to blame a fortune teller for what they see. It reminded me of Bruno from the Disney movie “Encanto”. The poor man was ostracized and blamed for the negative occurrences his visions predicted. The visions mentioned in the song, “We Don’t Talk about Bruno,” aren’t even that bad. He predicted a goldfish would die, and the whole town made him out to be some malicious villain.
The big aspect of the story is how Tao is a Shinn immigrant from the across the sea empire of Shinara. The Shinara culture had a distinct Asian theme. I found this to be an unconventional but welcoming concept for a fantasy story. The bigotry and microaggressions Tao experiences throughout the kingdom of Eshterea are relatable to Asian immigrants.
Overall, this is a charming, cozy fantasy with a ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ feeling to it.