The Teller of Small Fortunes

Written by Julie Leong

Narrated by Phyllis Ho

USA TODAY BESTSELLER • A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this cozy fantasy debut, hailed as “perfection…a beautiful treasure of a book that will warm your heart and heal your soul.”—Sarah Beth Durst, Author of The Spellshop

“The warmest, loveliest book I’ve read in ages.”—Sangu Mandanna, author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Audio
• Release date: Nov 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9780593942734

Reviews for The Teller of Small Fortunes

[young.rylie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a sweet, cozy, fantasy read! I love a good story about the friends we make along the way that turn out to be the best parts of our lives!

[Johanna Velez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Heart warming and cute story. Loved all the characters and loved the ending.

[Kayla Pratt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this very much. I was furious with Tao's mom and her stepfather for most of the book because of how they neglected her as a child and just expected her to fall in place and do as she was told while a MAJOR decision was made on her behalf that would affect her entire future. I loved how she stood her ground and found her own way and held them accountable. I also loved how she made friends. They are all mismatched but they are perfect for each other. I love that for her.

4.25 stars

[Dwon Davis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Such an enjoyable cozy and sweet fantasy read. Loved it

[bookczuk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think I saw this book on a friend's bookshelf and was intrigued. I got it, read it, and liked it, plain and simple. A gentle fantasy tale, no orcs or fearsome killing monsters (though there was a grumpy troll), a ragtag band of friends (and a cat), a journey, and even a mission. I'm a fan of small things, and small fortunes are worth seeking. Everything red not be big and brash.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tao is a wandering fortune teller. She doesn’t predict life changing events, but small things, like when a cow will calve or who the barmaid will kiss. In her travels, she eventually joins forces with mostly reformed thief, a practicing baker, a man looking for his missing young daughter, and a somewhat magical cat. But Tao has a secret she hasn’t shared with everyone yet, even though it may affect all of them. This lovely and gentle fantasy may not be a page turner in the same way a thriller is, but it will, nevertheless, keep you turning pages. Tao will have to decide if her abilities are a blessing or a curse, to herself and to others. As she grows and comes into her own, the story takes on a deeper meaning and resonance. Well written and peopled with delightful characters, readers will find themselves immersed in this warm and wonderful debut novel.

[catseyegreen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A comforting read about a young girl who traveling in a wagon and telling fortunes for her living.

library book read 3/22/2025

[quondame · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A young woman traveling alone with her house-wagon and mule through the kingdom in which she is racially an outsider is being careful to limit her use of her fortune-telling abilities. By the time the reader learns why, she has acquired a few companions and a cat, and it's clear she is being pursued. There is a bit more tension in the telling than in most comfy reads, but not nearly enough to put it out of the class.

[spiritedstardust · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fortune cookie origin story.
Group of lovable rogues find family & their calling.

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful - one of the best things I've read this year. Rich and complex characters, situations ranging from the personal to national to international crises. I love her, and I love the found family that accretes around her. I was seriously crying a couple times - talking to her mother, and near the end. The solution to the quest is a trifle convenient, but someone would have located her eventually. This will be a multiple reread, I'm sure - and I suspect I'll see new things every time I read it.

[bookwren · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Truly a cosy, heart-warming and comforting tale full of gentle adventure, humor, tears, and loving friendship. The characters stick together and help each other grow more kind and forgiving. The animals, especially Laohu the mule and Fidelitus the cat are characters as important ast the people and well-loved. I look forward to more novels by Julie Leong. Includes discussion questions.

[sennebec · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Families are messy and often those we are born into don't work. This is Tao's lot. She lost her father right at the time she discovered her fortune telling ability and still feels a sense of guilt. After making a painful choice to leave home and make her way in a cramped wagon by telling what she calls 'small fortunes', She's mostly content, but then a reformed thief and ex-mercenary, both older and seeking the mercenary's lost daughter, coerce her into joining in the search. What follows involves a new understanding of family, trust, and loyalty, not to mention moments of delight and high adventure. Truly a reading delight.

[beserene · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A sweet, cozy fantasy with gentle emotional growth and little in the way of subtext; you absolutely can judge it by its cover. The prose is basic but the characters are endearing and the pacing reasonably swift, enough to keep one reading. Not as adept with the heartstrings as Becky Chambers nor as firmly tongue-in-cheek as Travis Baldree, but Julie Leong's novel will still satisfy those who need a gentle break from the chaos of the world.

[bookappeal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very light, feel-good, heart-warming fantasy with a medieval feeling. Themes of found family and the pain of never belonging to one group or another are explored in this adventurous tale as a group of misfits travel together.

[jennybeast · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lovely ad-friend-ture, about finding companionship that eases your burdens, gives purpose to your days and allows the space to move on from old hurts. It's slow and gentle for the most part. I enjoyed the characters very much, and I enjoyed how they challenged and supported each other. The only part that felt a bit off was the sudden insertion of a D&D hero adventure in the midst of their wanderings -- I wonder if it's a teaser for tales yet to be told. Just enough conflict, just enough sass. Very nice.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tao travels around the country in a mule-drawn wagon, telling small fortunes. She can't tell you if it's going to be a good harvest, or about matters of life or death, but she might see you buying a new shirt, or traveling to the next town over, or lending a pot to your careless neighbor who will dent it. On her travels, she is joined by Marsh, an ex-mercenary, and Silt, an ex- (really! he promises!) thief, then by Kina, a baker, and Fidelitus, a cranky cat. This unlikely group bands together in search of Leah, Marsh's missing daughter -- a quest that will eventually lead Tao to confront her past as a child of two countries who feels at home in neither.

This is a lovely cozy fantasy featuring a band of friends who eventually become found family. It has a similar feel to Becky Chambers' Monk & Robot series, and I would recommend it to fans of that author, or anyone who wants a cozy quest fantasy.

[carolee888 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The beautiful cover drew me in, I very rarely read fantasy but this book spoke to my heart. I am saving my copy for the next time I see my son and grandkids from Shanghai. There are so many wonderful happenings, characters and magic in this book. The importance of family and elements of Asian culture wind through this book.

I loved how the main character Tao felt that she did not belong any more in the country that she was born in or in the new country that she was in. My husband is an immigrant and my son now works in China. Both are straddling two cultures. But that is not all, When Tao fled her country as a small girl and became a teller of small fortunes, she had a secret that made her feel so bad but as she journeys in the new country, she meets and obstacle and adds two unique friends, one who loves creating poetry and is searching for his daughter and a reformed thief. Later, as fortune would have it, a young woman baker who makes delicious jams but not so good looking pastries joins the group. A cat with its unique abilities and the donkey, Laohu which means lion in Chinese have their own special traits.

This book is very special and it needs to be shared with all your family!