Thank you so much to Berkley Pub for the copy of this book!
Thank you to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio!

This book is out now!

This is the exactly the type of fantasy I need in my life. I had heard that if you enjoyed Travis Baldree's books that you would enjoy this and I have to agree.

I will say this book kind of gave me The Wizard of Oz feel? Not sure if it's enough to say its a retelling but the vibes are very similar and I was here for it. You have Tao who travels city to city to do small fortunates and she meets Mash and Silt (both former thieves) along the way who join her and then eventually meet Kina, a baker. There's even a cat (Fidelitus) who they take care of on the travel. They meet a man who asks them to fulfil a quest. Just similar themes. There was a moment where Tao was separated from the rest of the group and they came to rescue her and it was just so sweet how they banded together to get to her (including the cat). They became each other's family.

I love the relationship between all the characters and how they were so determined to help Mash find his daughter. I was happy to see Tao re-establish her relationship with her mom after essentially running away.

I paired my reading with the audiobook which helps my comprehension so much especially while reading any sort of magical realism/fantasy. The narrator Phyllis Ho did a great job! Her tone was very calm and made the listening

If you are looking for a fantasy lite read with a cozy feel about a group of people traveling - give this one a try!

PS - They met a troll at a bridge! This was a very exciting encounter just because of it being stereotypical and I could picture it so vividly.