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.

In college, on some rainy nights, my roommate would pull out her deck of tarot cards. She would dive into vivid descriptions of my friends’ pasts, presents, and futures, and we would spend hours luxuriating in her storytelling and the possibilities that sprang from it. Reading The Teller of Small Fortunes reminded me of those evenings—slightly eerie, super entertaining, and filled with a cozy sense of community.

Tao, a fortune teller, reads palms and analyzes tea leaves. Traveling from town to town with only her mule and her wagon, Tao lives a solitary and nomadic life. That is, until she meets Mash and Silt, two men on the hunt for Mash’s missing daughter, who decide to accompany Tao on her travels. Then, Kina, an amateur baker from a faraway port village, joins the growing entourage. All of a sudden, Tao finds her journey is filled with new connection. So, when she is faced with the challenges of her past, Tao has her new friends to help her keep moving forward.

One of the joys of reading is feeling like you are friends with the characters in your books. Unexpectedly warm and inviting, The Teller of Small Fortunes exemplified that experience for me, reminding me that the smallest things, like tarot card readings on dreary nights, the people you meet along the way, and an escape into a fantasy world, can make the biggest difference.