Book Review: Foretold (The Scryers #1) (ARC)

Author: Violet Lumani

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.

Cassandra Morai is a 16-year-old (almost 17) student with OCD. She is sometimes overwhelmed by the “what ifs” in situations can see death around her. While waiting to cross the street, she has a vision of the boy on the other side dying from a car accident. The boy ends up being her new neighbor and the two of them get to know each other. Cassie wishes more than anything to find a way to save the boy, Colin. Soon, Cassie finds out that her thoughts are something more and she has the ability of foresight. To hone her abilities she is signed up to begin a scryer “summer camp,” which will pair her with a mentor and teach her about the different methods.

The story takes a bit to get going as the action moves forward once Cassie starts training and meets some new friends. However, the portion before is a good introduction into Colin and Cassie getting to know each other, although I wish there was a little more to not have it come across as insta-love-y. It was interesting how Cassie makes it her mission to save Colin when they only knew each other for a short time. Once Cassie enters her training, she makes a lovely group of friends. There is Regan, Cassie’s new best friend, Noah and Griffin, two boys they meet and become part of their group, and Sebastian, the older prefect and son of the founder.  There are some romances with all the different members, so it will be interesting to see how these develop, and how the friendships develop further, as the series continues.

There are a lot of descriptions of everything from the facility to the classes, which can feel a little slow. While it was nice to get to know the world more, there were times where it felt like too much and I could have done with a few less passages. The “Coil” was an amazing concept as it was such an enigmatic entity. I love how it was described and how each other character interacts with it differently.  It will be interesting to see how the world is going to be described in the future as there is a lot going on in this world and I am curious to learn more.

Overall, this was a very interesting concept. The different backgrounds of students all brought together gave me a Harry Potter-vibe. There is the knowledgeable one, like Regan, who knows all about the facility and basics the first day, whereas you have the clueless hero, Cassie, who has zero background yet is very skilled.  Cassie’s OCD and anxiety was well integrated into the story and I love how it fit naturally into the story. Although Cassie may not be the same as others, she is still accepted and I loved how it was written. While there was some predictability, I did not mind it as I was captivated once the story got going. The characters were fun and I love Cassie and her newfound group. I am definitely curious to read, Hindsight, as I cannot wait to see what happens next!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Uproar Books, for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**