The Reading Bud

Book Details:

Author: Amanda White
Release Date: January 27, 2025 
Series:
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Format: E-book 
Pages: 192 pages
Publisher: –
Blurb:
Legends and common knowledge don’t always agree, but when it comes to wizards the facts are not so far from the stories.
Both say that tunics are made from wild magic. Both say that a len who catches, tames, and puts on a tunic is a wizard. And both say that a wizard is named and known by his deeds. Take Duin the Fearless or Bjarne the Vengeful as examples.
My name is Hol and I am a wizard of the kingdom of Dar.

Though this is true, what name will come from my deeds is yet unknown.
From the time I was young, my mother said I would be known as Hol the Proud. The Queen once called me Hol the Loyal. The other wizards of Dar call me Hol the Upstart. Most times, I fear I will be remembered as Hol the Failed.
My tunic has its own opinions about what I should be called.
In fact, my tunic has opinions about everything.
If it has its way, I will be known as Hol the Fortunetelling Wizard.
But there hasn’t been a fortunetelling wizard in Dar in over eight hundred years and because I didn’t actually catch or tame my tunic, I fear even more that I might not even be a wizard at all.
I want to prove my mother wrong.
I want to prove the other wizards wrong.
And most of all, even if my tunic ends up being right, I hope I prove myself wrong as well.

Review

Amanda White’s The Fortunetelling Wizard and Other Stories from the Kingdom of Dar is a lushly imagined fantasy tale set in the kingdom of Dar, where magic is not merely spectacle but a dangerous, demanding force. At its heart is Hol, a young wizard bound to a tunic of wild magic, who dares to take on the mantle of being the fortune-telling wizard, thought to be extinct for over eight hundred years.

What makes the book so compelling is its voice. Told in first person, Hol’s narration is both intimate and wry, colored by his constant dialogue with his sentient tunic. This relationship, half companion and half conscience, lends the story a unique freshness, layering humor and heart into scenes that might otherwise veer too dark. The mythology of fortunetelling wizards is richly drawn, giving the narrative a depth of history that feels lived-in.

Thematically, the novel is about destiny versus agency. Hol is repeatedly warned that “knowing the future does not save one from it”, yet he clings to the belief that “telling the future saves others.” This tension drives the story, especially as he becomes entangled with kings, queens, banshees, and form stealers.

The book’s greatest strength, its rich and lyrical prose, is also, at times, its weakness. Sentences often seem to run long, layered with description and lore. While this creates atmosphere, it occasionally hampers pacing. A leaner approach could heighten the urgency of the plot without sacrificing its richness.

That said, author White succeeds in crafting a tale that feels both old and new. The interplay of folklore, political intrigue, and personal ambition gives the novel a layered texture, and Hol’s determination to prove himself makes him an endearing protagonist. The climactic confrontations, especially with the form stealer, are vivid, cinematic, and emotionally charged.

On the whole, The Fortunetelling Wizard is a thoughtful, atmospheric fantasy that stands out for its inventive magic system and its narrator’s unique voice. Though it could benefit from tighter pacing in places, it remains a worthy, ambitious contribution to the genre.

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