Kalyna the Soothsayer

For generations, everyone in Kalyna’s family has been a seer. Everyone except Kalyna. Stuck caring for her cruel grandmother and disabled father, she is the sole breadwinner for her family. Paying spies for information and then staging elaborate cons is hard, but Kalyna does what she has to do.

But when Kalyna is “conscripted” by the Prince to use her seer gifts to help find those looking to harm the royal family, she knows it will be her toughest con yet, especially with her family’s lives hanging in the balance. When her father has an alarming vision about the end of the Tetrarchia, Kalyna knows she has to get her family out… before the world ends.

This book was a refreshing addition to the fantasy genre! Kalyna was a brash, witty, and cynical heroine with an in-depth, believable arc. The sexual diversity representation in the book was on point! The plot was interesting, and the historical aspect to the book was well-researched. While some parts of the book lagged for me and I felt the doom was a bit over-emphasized, I do think that anyone who loves a complex, original fantasy tale will thoroughly enjoy this story.