Book Review: The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by Devin Elle Kurtz
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Standalone
Genre: Fantasy, Cozy Fantasy
Pages: 336 pages (Paperback edition)
Publish date: 5th November 2024 by Ace (US) & Hodderscape (UK)
The Teller of Small Fortunes could become the new benchmark for cozy fantasy novel.
“One could choose to be nothing, or one could choose to be happy.”
More than two years ago, back in 2022, Legends and Lattes took the fantasy world by coffee and comfort. Since then, the publication of cozy fantasy novels has exploded and persevered. Instead of appearing as a one-hit wonder, the publication of Legends and Lattes seems to make the subgenre the new trend together with romantasy. Whether the trend will stay, we will find out. As I mentioned multiple times, I am a fan of reading slice-of-life manga or watching slice-of-life anime. Nichijou, Natsume Yuujinchouu, or Frieren is a superb example of this. However, reading cozy fantasy novels is not something I often search for. I have to make sure I’m in the right reading mood for it, and even with that in mind, the book itself will have to do a great job at captivating me with its relatively lower-stake conflicts. And lately, I feel like those who try to follow the trends of cozy fantasy novels failed to convey the subgenre’s main purpose: comfort. The Teller of Small Fortunes managed to achieve everything Legends and Lattes did without it feeling like a clone of Legends and Lattes. It is its own thing, and in some aspects, I’ll argue this debut novel did some things superior to most cozy fantasy novels I’ve tried and abandoned.
“Familiarity could look very much like love from a certain angle, if one didn’t look too hard. Everyone deserves a home… And what was a home but somewhere you wouldn’t have to feel quite so alone?”
The Teller of Small Fortunes revolves around a wandering fortune teller who finds an unexpected family. Tao is an immigrant fortune teller who travels between villages with just her trusty mule for company. Even though she could tell big fortunes, Tao resolves to only tell relatively small fortunes. Tao knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with heavy consequences… But even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. And 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 are joined by a baker with a knead for adventures. And—of course—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 will have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.
“Some forks were clear as water while some were muddied and hard to trace; the latter she ignored. She avoided, too , the heaviest pathways that pulled at her like anchors—for those would be the big truths, the grand fortunes, the life-altering visions of tragedy, and triumph, and grief, and Tao had no business looking at those. She was a teller of small fortunes only.”
There are many integral and resonating themes imbued into the narrative. I believe whether readers can connect with them or not will be one of the main appeals of The Teller of Small Fortunes. Found family, forgiveness, languages, starting something new, finding people who care about you, following your passion, and most importantly, believing that you and what you do are enough. For such a small novel, The Teller of Small Fortunes contained many incredible lessons to do good and be better. It fits the tagline. Small fortunes. Big feelings.
“You’re wrong. There’s no such thing as greater good—there’s just good, and the more if it we can do, the better.”
Personally, and I think I can say this for most readers, I am confident one of the reasons we read epic fantasy and the SFF genre is for escapism. We want to feel and experience something more exciting and adventurous in a different world compared to our mundane and daily lives while being safe from literal threats. (The danger of lifting and reading books or having your big books or Kindle fall on your face is not part of the equation.) One of the ways we achieve that is to read fantasy books. Some of them can be inspiring enough to make us want to achieve something more. To do more. To be more emphatic. The Teller of Small Fortunes did mostly the same thing in a different way. One of the main themes of this novel is to emphasize that what we have is enough. Although our winding path as living beings eventually leads to the same destination, it is not a mistake to have fun and do our best as we live through our lives. I feel it is noteworthy to remember this.
“Because I’m here! And why not! Aye, our lives are short and shaped by circumstances, and maybe we can’t control most of what’s to come. But we can control how we feel. We can savor the sweetness of a blackberry scone, and the company of our friends, and the warmth of the summer wind at night, and be grateful for it. We can be nothing, and choose to be miserable about it, like you—or we can be nothing, but choose to be happy, and let that be purpose enough. Which sounds more worthwhile to you?”
It is truly a book that will tell you clearly that you are enough to exist and do your best in everything. Baking, cooking, making tea, and just to be better every day. Through the characters, Leong successfully delivered the crucial messages and themes of The Teller of Small Fortunes. Heavy topics were being discussed as well. The disappearance of languages as we settle in a new location. The difficulty of being an immigrant. Dealing with prejudice. Or, in a similar manner to The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu, to appreciate and be proud of your language and culture. The several themes handled in this book while ensuring the book remains a cozy fantasy were done slightly better than Legends and Lattes, in my opinion.
“I think you have changed… In enough small ways that you just don’t quite notice it while it’s happening, but then you look in the mirror one day, and you’re altogether different. That’s how it was for me, anyway.”
None of the characters are perfect. They are all, at their core, kind-hearted individuals. However, they come with their respective flaws. With each chapter, the characters try to get better and better as a person. Without going into spoiler territory, Tao, for example, can be quite self-centered at times. She might not realize this at first, but some actions and inner mind of her certainly put her in the self-centered category, especially when it comes to her usage of fortune-telling. She does have a valid reason behind her reluctance, though. And it’s not only just Tao. The other three main characters—Mash, Silt, and Kina—all developed organically. None ever felt forced. And reading this can be emotional, comforting, and fun at the same time. When you think about it, even though this is a cozy fantasy, it almost feels like reading a relaxing DnD campaign. Tao is the wizard, Mash is the knight, Silt is the thief, and Kina is the baker. Or healer? Let’s not forget about the animal companions, too! This is an endearing cast of characters that will charm many readers.
“People aren’t like that, Silt, not really. We’re not always cheerful and funny. We’ve sadness, and anxiety, and all these other bitter things wrapped up inside, too, and that’s what makes the sweetness all the sweeter.”
One last thing. This is an element I think Leong excels more than many other authors trying to write cozy fantasy. Leong knows the purpose of the genre, and she stuck with it. When we read epic fantasy novels, we usually would love to be surprised by some unexpected elements of the plotline and development. To not know the ending or to start the book with as little knowledge as possible usually benefits the readers of the genre. Except for the promise of a new world in a high fantasy subgenre, it is often safe to expect the unexpected. In cozy fantasy, it is almost always the other way around. Readers read cozy fantasies to feel comforted. To enjoy the slice-of-life moments and kind more than anything. This isn’t to say conflicts are not allowed. Conflicts among the characters (even if they are very minimal in scope) must still exist. Otherwise, it would still be a boring book. However, many cozy fantasy novels seem to forget their identity and try to blend intense actions into their own cozy fantasy novel. Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne is an example of this. And on some level, even the prequel novel to Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree, Bookshops and Bonedust, is guilty of this as well. When they include relatively many detailed action scenes, the overall quality of the cozy fantasy novels decreases. The best parts of Bookshops and Bonedust are every moment the battle scenes are not on the pages. This mistake does not happen in The Teller of Small Fortunes. It stays to the cozy fantasy umbrella from the beginning to the end, just like Legends and Lattes. And it is one of the many reasons I stated above why fans of the subgenre must give this novel a read.
“In the evenings, when they sat a table near the hearth eating fresh-baked bread with stewed turnips for supper, Tao let the others carry the conversation and enjoyed the novelty of simply being part of a group with nothing expected of her but her presence.”
Heartwarming, cozy, and comforting. Even though my interest in reading The Teller of Small Fortunes was first sparked thanks to the beautiful cover art by Devin Elle Kurtz, the novel successfully won me over, and it will be on my list of favorite books of the year. It is the best cozy fantasy novel since the publication of Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree, and I am not saying that lightly. This book will be out in about a week from now. If you are a fan of cozy fantasy, then this one is a must-read. If you aren’t a fan of the subgenre, I still believe this book will be suitable when you need a break from your intense and epic-scope fantasy reading. You might end up being pleasantly surprised.
You can pre-order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)
The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
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