The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

 November 25, 2024

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

Tao is a traveling fortune teller, roaming the countryside in her wagon with her mule Laohu. She tells what she refers to as small fortunes: what day will the cow have her calf, what day is the best to go fishing, who will the barmaid go to the dance with. Once she told a "large" fortune that had dire consequences, and someone she loved ended up dying. Since then, Tao has vowed to tell only small harmless fortunes. But when two mercenaries and later a baker end up joining her on her travels for their own reasons, Tao learns that family and home can be whatever you choose them to be.

A sweet and heartwarming cozy fantasy in the same vein as Legends and Lattes, or The Spellshop, although I thought both of those novels had more developed characters and stronger plotlines. Leong's novel is like a palette cleanser when you need a break from heavier fantasy fiction or genres. Recommended for readers of fantasy, cozy mysteries, or romantasy.

Tea leaf fortune telling, Tao's favorite method of fortune telling

The Accidental Medium by Tracy Whitwell

September 26, 2023

The Accidental Medium by Tracy Whitwell

Tanz is an out-of-work actress who takes a job at a crystal shop until her next role. She is interested in New Age stuff so the job appears to be a good fit. But she gets more than she expected when she starts hearing voices in her head and realizes that they are the voices of dead people.

This was a quick and overall fun read with good characters and entertaining dialogue. The issue I had with the book is that the mystery doesn't start until about 2/3 of the way through the story. I think it's going to disappoint readers who are expecting a standard mystery. First book in a planned cozy mystery series.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Typical New Age metaphysical shop

The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

September 12, 2023

Red and her father are itinerant entertainers (don't call them gypsies), barely scraping by doing magic shows and telling fortunes. After her father's death, Red is taken in by a wealthy gentleman who lives in Bath and raised as a lady. She is skilled at fortune telling and entertains acquaintances by reading their cards. Many years later, Red finds a number of mysterious items in a trunk that belonged to her father, including an astrological chart and a legal document. She begins to suspect that her mother was part of an aristocratic family that disowned her when she married Red's father. Red sets out to learn the truth about her past.

DNF. I went into this book thinking that I would really enjoy it. But it was long, well over 500 pages, and SLOOOOW. The plot seemed clever but it took too long to get moving. I gave up about 1/3 of the way in and skipped to the ending and read the last two chapters, which filled in the previous 300 pages. Both plot and characters would have been better served by less minute detail and an editor whacking out about 100 pages. If you like long winding stories with loads of characters and a plot that doesn't move very fast and is loaded with minutiae, you will probably enjoy this historical novel.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Bath, England - the original wellness spa

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

November 15, 2022

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

Ann Stilwell is a Renaissance art graduate student who is offered a summer internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, but when she arrives, the only position available is at The Cloisters, a branch of MOMA that specializes in medieval art. At The Cloisters, Ann works with the stunning Rachel and Patrick, the equally stunning curator who is obsessed with finding an original tarot deck from the 15th century. When one of her co-workers is murdered, Ann realizes that she is part of a dangerous game.

I love all things medieval and I've always wanted to visit The Cloisters in New York. Medieval literature was one of my concentrations in grad school, so I was looking forward to reading Hays' novel. I loved the setting, and the descriptions of the museum and the gardens were wonderful. But the plot really dragged, and the characters were irritating. Ann was incredibly naive, Rachel vacillated between brilliant, manipulative, and extremely childish, and Patrick's only real interests were tarot and Rachel. There is also a lot about the cutthroat world of academia. I guess publishing houses don't have editors anymore?

Many thanks to Edeweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC. Wish I had liked it more.

The Cloisters museum in New York