A Cozy Fantasy Book That Feels Like a Warm Hug
The year is 2024. We wake up each morning to devastating news on a local, national, and global level. Increasingly frequent climate disasters have us wondering if this whole humanity experiment is on its way out. The horrors persist and so do we. But honestly, we could all use a hug.
In some rare good news, I’ve got just the hug (in book form) you’ve been looking for.
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
Tao is a traveling fortune teller. But if you’re looking for answers to your life’s biggest questions, she’s not the fortune teller for you. Tao tells small fortunes only — like, your neighbor will ask you for a cup of sugar tomorrow or your horse will escape the paddock. Bigger fortunes come with bigger consequences, and Tao prefers to play it safe.
Her journeys from town to town across Eshtera are lonely, just Tao and the donkey pulling her wagon. That changes when she encounters a mercenary looking for his missing daughter and his friend, an ex-thief trying to live more ethically. Tao agrees to use her limited powers to help in their search. And along the way, their party grows when they meet a sweet baker who makes the ugliest pastries they’ve ever seen, plus a cat who might just be a little magical.
From the first page, The Teller of Small Fortunes is a total delight, full of lovable characters, magical mishaps, and Dungeons & Dragons-esque side quests. Since it’s a cozy fantasy, readers can relax into the story knowing that no matter what troubles they encounter, Tao and her friends will find their way to a happy ending.
But it’s also so much more than just a lighthearted good time. Tao is an immigrant, born in the far-off land of Shinara. Having left her homeland with her mother as a small child, Tao is often treated as an outsider, even though she hardly remembers life outside of Eshtera. Her search for belonging, found family, and a way to reckon her Shinn heritage with her life in Eshtera is beautifully explored in the story.
Cozy fantasy is a genre on the rise, and thus far, white authors have garnered the most attention in this space. When it comes to books by authors of color, traditional publishing has spent decades prioritizing stories that center trauma and tragedy, something at odds with the rising popularity of “cozy” books. The Teller of Small Fortunes is a reminder that BIPOC characters can grapple with racism and marginalization in a way that feels authentic and meaningful while also still finding their own happy endings. Immigrant stories don’t have to be heartbreaking; they can also be heart-mending, healing, and delightfully cozy.
