Name: Eleanor Luhar's review of Foretold by Violet Lumani
Item: Foretold
Rating: 4.5
Author: Eleanor Luhar

Violet Lumani

As if struggling with OCD and extreme anxiety wasn't enough, high schooler Cass Morai discovers she can also see the future. But only by joining a secret organization of soothsayers can she hope to rewrite fate and save the life of the boy she's falling in love with. Cassandra sees death and devastation all around her. In vivid detail. It's the price of living with her OCD and extreme anxiety. In every situation, Cass imagines the worst possible fate for everyone in her life. Her dad in a pool of blood after a break-in. Her beloved older neighbor, homeless. A splinter in her finger turned to gangrene. But this time, it's not her imagination. The boy next door, Colin, is destined to die. Cass has foretold a real death before; she knows this is a true vision. Desperate to save Colin's life, Cass immerses herself in a secret organization of soothsayers that promises to teach her how to change the future she foresees. But as she descends into their hidden world of divinatory magic and predictive technology, she discovers there's always a price to pay for unraveling fate's strands. And cheating death will cost her everything. Author info: Violet Lumani was raised in a family of superstitious omen-watchers, absorbing the stories and myths her family brought to America with them. She holds a BA from Barnard College of Columbia University, and an MBA from UCONN and lives in Connecticut with her husband, two kids, and forever-dieting chihuahua named Kiwi.

Foretold

Nessa Luna

Eleanor Luhar

I just have to say, first of all, that I love this cover. I'm generally not into anything to do with scrying or psychics or mystics or even really astrology, but something about that delicate violet cloud of smoke and the golden lettering... It just really screams magic and fantasy, doesn't it? It definitely drew me in immediately.
If you've read any of my other reviews on my blog, you'll probably know that I'm a sucker for any novel that includes mental health issues - as long as it's told well. This is one of those. The protagonist, Cassie, has OCD and extreme anxiety and catastrophic thinking. It's not the *focus* of the story, but it's also obvious how it impacts her life in so many ways. This is a delicate balance. As someone with their own struggles, I know how irritating it is to be defined by your diagnoses, yet it's equally infuriating when people don't understand how these illnesses can affect you in *so many ways*. I loved how Cassie's compulsions showed up seemingly out of the blue at times, or how such 'random' things could be so meaningful or triggering for her. But, like I said, I also appreciate that this isn't the main plot, and so it isn't focused on too much, either, in my opinion.
As for the fantasy side of things, that was also great! It was all explained well - as in, I was made to believe that it was plausible, it was *possible*. I was immersed in the world of Cassie and her friends as they learned to harness their gifts, and I was fascinated to see how far Cassie would go in order to change the fate she's seen. It was exciting and action-packed for sure, and I'm beyond intrigued to find out more.
There was, of course, a romance element, too. I'm not much into teen/YA romance but I didn't hate it. There was a sort of love triangle that develops, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Even so, I was invested in Cassie's aim to save Collin, and I generally liked all the characters and enjoyed their relationships and interactions.
This was one of those proper fantasy books that you can get lost in, which is what we all need sometimes, right? It definitely was not sugarcoated - there are a lot of harsh realities, moments of grief and pain and loss, and no fairytale happy ending. But there are elements of humour, too, bittersweet memories and touching moments. It certainly left me wanting to read on. 4.5 stars.

Amivi

I dnf this book pretty early on. The writing style wasn’t for me and I didn’t like any of the characters. I think the pacing was off for me as well and overall this story wasn’t for me.

Kaeli Wolf 

I love the easy writing style that makes it easy to get lost in the book. I like the characters and the development throughout the story. It is definitely suitable for a teen audience.

Lysh (She/Her)

*Thank you to NetGalley and Uproar Books for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

TW/CW: Grief, Loss of Parent, OCD, Anxiety, Skin Picking, Blood, Loneliness, toxic family, mentions of sex (implicit), fatphobia (two jokes, not called out by other characters), STD joke (not called out)

The cover and the premise were what originally drew me into this book. The cover art is absolutely stunning. This paired together with the promise of OCD and anxiety rep won me over. 

This story follows Cassandra Morai, a teenager who suffers from severe OCD and anxiety. Every now and then, particularly in times of stress, she is struck by scary and gruesome visions, and sometimes they come true. She foresees the death of her new next door neighbour, Colin, and will do everything in her power to save him. 

What I really enjoyed about this book was the overall plot. I liked the Scrying school. I liked the range of classes and the idea of the character ensemble that had been created. There were tensions and mysterious pasts to be unraveled. Cassie was dealing with the grief of recently losing her mother, which further added to the emotional stakes of the book. I likes the way that Cassie's anxiety and OCD were portrayed in her thoughts, showing the reader what it is like to live with these conditions. As someone who lives with a medium, yet fluxuating level of anxiety, I found this true to some of my own experiences. I also enjoyed the ending, the plot twists, and the direction it was headed for book 2.

Where this book lost me was the worldbuilding and transitioning. It jumped around a lot and I never felt like I completely understood the magic system or where the plot was headed. There were some points where we were thrown into a different setting for what felt like convenience. The characters, although well-placed for a vast range of plot points and experiences, were quite dull. I didn't really know anything concrete about them and they therefore came off fairly bland. There also wasn't much diversity beyond the OCD and anxiety rep, which was disappointing given there were so many chances to include these details. I think that would have made a world of difference for me. What really got to me emotionally was that at about 50% of the way through, Cassie really wanted to be "normal". I understand these sentiments as what she deals with is really challenging, but even though another character told her that it was ok to be herself and her condition doesn't control her life, this was never really resolved and it felt like an emotional downer on the rest of the book. (It's not a happy book by any means, but when there's rep for these conditions a little hope is what I was wanting. They/We already know it is hard as hell). That being said, this may be the perfect rep for someone else, so this is a highly personal experience and opinion. 

If I'd picked this up a few years ago when I read with a less critical eye for detail and plot then I would have really enjoyed it. It may be better suited to a younger audience (think upper high school? Capable of handling the upsetting and emotional aspect of this book but perhaps introducing themselves to these magical worlds?). 

I once again thank the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately it wasn't for me, but I can see that others would really enjoy it!

**Edit: I've sat on this for 24 hours now and have to drop my rating from 2 stars to 1 star. I've gone back through my notes and remembered why I felt so iffy about this book. There were a few instances of fat jokes and one instance of a herpes joke which weren't resolved properly, if at all. If these are triggering for you, please be aware and look after yourselves.

Nessa Luna &
Foretold by Violet Lumani

Reviews

Join the club

Nessa Luna &Foretold by Violet Lumani

Reviews

Join the club

Nessa Luna &
Foretold by Violet Lumani