Publishers Weekly
04/11/2022
Spector debuts with a promising fantasy that stumbles a bit in delivery. Kalyna Aljosanovna is widely believed to be next in line to a family of soothsayers in Tetrarchia. But in truth, she possesses none of her clan’s gift and heavily relies on her ailing father’s magic to fake psychic powers for her clients, otherwise “telling customers what is apparent, what they want to hear, and what is deeply vague.” After Kalyna helps a patron evade a deadly ambush, she is abducted by Prince Friedhelm, who wants Kalyna to use her supposed gift to look into the growing turmoil within Tetrarchia. Having no other means to escape the palace, Kalyna must commit fraud on a higher level than ever before, offering fake predictions for Tetrarchia’s royalty. But the longer she feigns divining everyone’s fates, the more deeply entwined she becomes with court politics. Kalyna’s resolve to escape her captors propels the story forward, and there’s plenty of tension and intrigue at court, but exposition bogs down Kalyna’s stilted first-person narration, making the stakes feel low and the peril less than immediate. The premise will draw readers in, but many will grow frustrated by the style. Agent: Hannah Bowman, Liza Dawson Assoc. (July)
From the Publisher
The intricate worldbuilding includes intriguing court politics and nefarious plotting galore. [Kalyna] is both a witty and a determined heroine. . . . A fabulous puzzle box of a fantasy novel.” —Foreword Reviews “A well-crafted world . . . Kalyna narrates her story with appealing wit while not shying away from her insecurities. For those who enjoyed S. A. Chakraborty’s The City of Brass or Tasha Suri’s Empire of Sand.” —Booklist “Kalyna is a character after my own heart: a conniving liar whose love for her family threatens to be her downfall. Hilarious and heartbreaking by turns, Kalyna the Soothsayer is a reminder that if you can't see the future you want, sometimes you have to make it.” —C. L. Clark, author of The Unbroken “A gorgeous, layered debut, both intricate and propulsive, with a singularly brilliant heroine at its center. Kalyna is a twisty, entrancing, and totally unique entry into epic fantasy.” —Ava Reid, internationally bestselling author of The Wolf and the Woodsman “Full of hilarious wit, intrigue, spycraft and charlatans, Kalyna the Soothsayer is a classic adventure with a sardonic twist. At the turn of the last page, I was sad to leave these lovable rogues. I've been waiting a long time to read an intelligent swashbuckling story like this...it's the perfect fantastical escape.” —Marissa Levien, author of The World Gives Way “Kalyna the Soothsayer is dangerously good: a spellbinding story, captivatingly told, with a cast of unforgettable characters and plot twists that kept me turning pages past my bedtime.” —Melissa Caruso, author of The Obsidian Tower
