The Teller of Small Fortunes

By: Julie Leong

Narrated by: Phyllis Ho

Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER

A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for fans of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna.

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 a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a "knead" for adventure, and—of course—a slightly magical cat.

Tao starts 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 close in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.

©2024 Julie Leong (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"If you're running a little low on serotonin, trust me: brew yourself a hot drink, curl up with this treasure of a tale, and thank me later! It's the warmest, loveliest book I've read in ages."—Sangu Mandanna, national bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

"The Teller of Small Fortunes is perfection! A lovely and comforting cozy fantasy about finding your own family and choosing your own path, this is a beautiful treasure of a book that will warm your heart and heal your soul. I absolutely loved every second of it!"—Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop

"With clever language, a stunning world, and uplifting characters, Leong expertly weaves the future of cozy fantasy: a diverse landscape where comfort comes in many forms, and friendship and belonging forms the heart of it all."—Rebecca Thorne, USA Today bestselling author of Can't Spell Treason Without Tea

Soothing and perfect escape.

This felt like a warm hug of a book and was easy to fall into.

Enjoyable

Nothing really wrong with the story. It is enjoyable. The four stars is merely because nothing stood out to me to give it that fifth star.

Entertaining

I enjoyed the story and the characters. I look forward to reading other books by this author.

Really enjoyed this gentle and sweet fairytale

I like its simplicity, gentle characters, lovely story, clean and magical story. Twists and turns, gentle and steady pace, relying completely on character development and adventure to keep us riveted rather than anything sexy. A real relief to have just a super story and beautifully read.

A very kind story

It’s like the boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse, just longer.

Narrator sounds like she has a cold and is very nasal. It’s distracting, but still tolerable.

Enjoyable Adventure

I was looking for my next book choice and this title popped up. After reading the description, I took a chance on it and ended up enjoying every minute. This haphazard group of charming characters take a chance on each other and come out better for it. I needed a comforting book and this one is both warm and inviting, but full of adventure and intrigue. I’m looking forward to more from this author. Thank you - I loved truly love it. I miss the ride already!

Not usually a fantasy reader.

Once you get used to the narrator's voice, this story is very enjoyable. The fantasy/magic in this work is not overwhelming;very believable. The story line is relatable. Nothing too dark. Lots of feel goods as that is the kind of literature I enjoy.

Found family and hope

I loved everything about this book. The characters are warm and interesting. The difficulties feel real. I loved that the epilogue showed what happened to minor characters from the story. It’s a warm cozy story focused on found family and looking forward with hope. If you’re looking for a cozy read you can’t go wrong with this book. I highly recommend this story.

Lovely cozy fantasy

My new favorite genre. Interesting characters. Fun world building. Found family. Baked goods. Cannot lose.

Sweet & uplifting

This story started out slow. I’d just finished one of my favorite reads of the year and this didn’t start out as strong. I’m glad I didn’t turn it off because it was totally worth it. The narrative is a bit simple at times, but it’s comforting and I’d rather have sweet and simple than complex aggression right now.