The Teller Of Small Fortunes is a cozy fantasy book with an abundance of heart and adventure. The story follows an immigrant fortune teller, Tao, who travels between villages alongside her mule, telling small fortunes. On her travels she meets Mash, an ex-mercenary recruit; Silt, a former thief; Kana, a future baker; and a magical cat. Together they travel, finding new adventures and people to help while searching for Mash’s missing daughter. There’s a very profound found family element to this book that is very heartwarming and inspiring.

The character development is the strongest aspect of the story. Tao, an immigrant who experienced a past of injustice and prejudice, remains very optimistic and is extremely likeable. It’s clear from the very beginning that she wants to help others and is in desperate need of friendship and companionship. Mash and Silt are equally likeable characters, both with poor reputations from sordid pasts. Mash is most easy to empathize with as he’s desperate to find his missing daughter. Silt provides a lot of comic relief to the story with his funny quips and playful attitude. Together with Kana, the baker, and a magical cat, the group becomes very endearing, and they all perfectly balance each other out.

Beneath the cover of a cozy fantasy, there’s deeper subject matter presented in the story, including prejudice, forgiveness, loneliness, finding one’s identity, and belonging. Anyone who’s an immigrant or part of a minority group will most definitely resonate with the characters and find some of their unpleasant circumstances quite relatable. Despite these darker subjects, the story never becomes heavy or sad. The camaraderie of the travellers, their funny banter, and whimsical personalities keep the story lighthearted and upbeat.

Tao’s directionless travels through Eshtera gain purpose when she bands together with the others, especially with the common goal of finding Mash’s missing daughter. Their travels take them through a variety of fairytale-like towns and even into an enchanted forest. It should be noted that there’s a lot of travelling in this book. Often the characters move from one destination to the next too quickly for readers to get a real picture of the setting. Even still, the worldbuilding is quite expansive in its diversity, as the author describes town squares, capital cities, mountainside roads, travelling terrains, forests, and villages.

Overall, this book is a very enjoyable read that includes all the elements of cozy fantasy: travelling companions, tea, baked goods, magical creatures, and funny banter. Narrator Phyllis Ho does a satisfactory job. Her narration is well paced and easy enough to follow, but it lacks enough emotional expression and vocal range to do justice to the characters and story. She uses the same tone for much of the narration and doesn’t provide enough distinction in the character voices to always identify who is speaking. Reading a physical copy of the book might prove to be a more engaging and enjoyable experience in this case. Whatever format is chosen, this book is sure to delight fans of cozy fantasy and those looking for a heartwarming adventure read!