Firstly, Thanks Net Galley for the ARC of Violet Lumani’s Foretold ♥️

The beginning felt like a struggle, I kept putting it down and doing other things. However after a few chapters I started to fall in love, maybe it was the Greek myth references that really caught my attention.
(With out spoiling it) the ending left me breathless and mad! Mainly because I wasn’t ready for how it ended. Definitely didn’t see that coming

Now the main reason why I think this book stands out. I love the way Violet wrote about OCD. This wasn’t a throw away line used to add depth to the protagonist. But rather something that she struggled with every step of the way. All of this was beautifully written and really made you feel like you gained a new understanding for people struggling with mental health.

📚📚📚 I highly recommend reading this when it comes out on July 20th 2021! 📚📚📚

This is a strong 3.5 for me. While I admit that the cover was my favorite part, I will also say that I liked the characters more than I thought I would. They are, for the most part, well-drawn and reasonably easy to empathize with. That said: The pacing felt bizarre for more than half of the book and was, at best, inconsistent.

“The most beautiful dead boy in the world is looking over at me for the second time today.”

This line opens up a cascading row of events that flow on to each other so seamlessly that I finished this book almost in one sitting (I would have, if not for work).

Cassandra is grieving the death of her mother and learning to deal with her severe OCD one day at a time and trying to keep it together for herself and her dad. She has visions, which she thinks is because of anxiety but sometimes her most dreaded visions do come true.

The world-building, the fantasy elements, the magic system, they just fit each other perfectly. It's like Harry Potter universe and Hunger Games merged together to form this unique piece of strong friendships, family, and magic woven into its soul.

Though I must say, the ending did leave me heart broken, but I can't wait to dig into the next one as soon as it comes out!

Ever since the death of her mother two years before, Cassie has suffered from OCD and extreme anxiety. On the day she meets the cute boy next door she foresees his death and she is determined to save him. Cassie is introduced to a secret society of seers and is invited to learn how to use her gifts, but not everything is as it seems and there is always a price to pay when changing the future. This was an excellent and intriguing story. The character development was strong for most characters. I'm hoping to learn more about Sebastian and Aunt Bree in the next installment. The writing is well done and the story is well told. I was drawn to the gorgeous cover, but the story is what really pulled me in. I will definitely be reading the next book in this series! Thank you to NetGalley and Uproar Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up

This was a fun and easy read - I whipped through this in an afternoon, and definitely enjoyed it. It is the first in a new series by Violent Lumani, and it's safe to say I will absolutely be reading the rest of the series.

The book's shining moments come from Lumani's reflections on OCD and mental illness. At times, this feels like a poignant and moving meditation on the pain of grief, and the repercussions on one's mental health. These themes were handled with incredible sensitivity and genuine emotion, and it made for a very moving read. I also loved the subtle references to certain mythological/historical moments - as a history and mythology buff, these were very much appreciate.

I think for me, the issue was that at times it fell into standard YA tropes that I am not the biggest fan of. Whilst Cassie was a fabulous protagonist, I wish some of the side characters had been more fully developed. I do think the relationship between Cassie and Colin progressed a little too quickly. It felt a little bit Insta-love, and I would have liked to have seen a little more development between them. However, this could be because I am now in my 20s and am more critical of this kind of thing. I have no doubt that many younger readers would absolutely love this.

Overall, this was a fast paced YA with a brilliant protagonist at its centre. Lumani shows great promise as a writer, and I will definitely be checking out more of her work in the future.

It’s been a long time since I posted on here, but I’m back and excited to share an upcoming book! Foretold by Violet Lumani is a fast-paced young adult fantasy centered around the lovely Cassandra, a teenage girl with debilitating OCD whose visions of death and destruction further ostracize her from her fellow classmates. When Cass discovers that her visions may not just be a symptom of her disease, but could mean actual psychic abilities, she is drawn into a world where the mystical comes to life. Other young people, with similar abilities, all drawn together to determine who is the best and the brightest of their generation of scryers. For that’s what she is. A scryer whose raw talent must be developed...especially if she intends to save the life of someone she loves for whom she foresaw a gruesome death. But every ritual comes at a cost, and despite her fortitude and determination to save her loved one she doesn’t know that she has also been drawn into a conflict that places her between two enemies who both wish to use her as an unknowing pawn in their war.

I love the hints back to classic literature peppered throughout this book, and I fell in love with Cass and the friends she makes along the way. She is so scared of her OCD and her powers, but despite those fears pushes on to help others. A story of friendship, love, and found family - Foretold is sure to be a hit! Make sure to pick up your copy when it releases on July 20th. My thanks to @netgalley, Uproar Books, and Violet Lumani for the opportunity to read this book! I can’t wait to pick up my physical copy!

“The most beautiful dead boy in the world is looking over at me for the second time today.”

I really loved the OCD/anxiety rep in this one. As someone who suffers from extreme anxiety, I related so much to Cassandra it was COOL. I found it easy to get lost in this world, the characters, the setting, plot... it was really fun to read this one. I also loved that Violet Lumani made her world balanced, that power comes at a cost and there is always a price to pay.

Thank you NetGalley and Uproar Books for the arc.

My disappointment from this book has absolutely nothing to do with Cassie’s OCD/anxiety. That was actually the only thing that made her an interesting character. Otherwise, she fell flat like most of the other characters and plot. It was hard to care about this book because there was not enough interest in the main character's goal. Cassie knew Colin for two seconds before she decided she would rather die than let her vision come to pass. I get instant love happens sometimes but this was a bit dramatic. Cassie’s overall behavior was juvenile. It did go along with the plot though so I guess it worked.

Besides Cassie’s quest to change her vision, I am not sure what her Aunt's big plot was. It was never really explained. In the end, the book was confusing. I wish the plot had been better because the mental health aspect was represented well.

I enjoyed a lot about this book- the imagery and the world that is created, the bonds made between friends. There are love triangles, new and hidden feelings of affection as with most high school aged stories. Life struggles, overcoming mean characters and lots of exciting adventures. Cassie allows her feelings to overrule her common sense on many occasions which took away from the story for me. I kept thinking that she was making too many self sacrifices with too much self doubt and negative self talk. There were plenty of powerful moments that had me reading furiously to find out the outcome. Life altering challenges fought and good insight into a life with OCD. The end seemed abrupt and although it is going to be a series I still felt that there was too much left unfinished. All this won’t stop me from reading the second book in the series as I am eager to see how the story progresses. Thank you Violet Lumani and Uproar Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

thanks to netgalley for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

this book was a basic ya with no depth and no character development. the characters were annoying and the love triangle was very much tired. everything was predictable. the writing was mediocre, and the plot was boring and had nothing going for it. the main character was dull and uninteresting and barely had a personality. she was beyond frustrating to read from. i was excited for the OCD representation in this book and it fell very short for me. had to skim the last part of the book because it was that infuriating to get through.

“The most beautiful dead boy in the world is looking over at me for the second time today.”

Sixteen year old Cassandra Mori has suffered from OCD and extreme anxiety since the death of her mother two years ago. So much so in fact,that her anxiety attacks manifest into envisioning death and disaster around her, including the death of the boy next door,Colin.

“It wasn’t real. But my mind whispers back: You’ve been wrong before.”

Cassandra doesn’t believe it was just her imagination,she’s predicted death before-her mum’s.In order to stop her vision coming true, she joins a secret organisation of clairvoyants and fortunes tellers who promise they can teach her how to Change the path that leads to death.

But as Cassandra learns more about her magic she realises that there’s always a price to pay. As the saying goes,you can’t cheat death.

This debut YA Fantasy from Violet Lumani was exceptionally good,the author cleverly uses Cassandra’s similarities with her mythical namesake to lull us into a false sense of security and kept me in thrall.

The writing style was enjoyable and the description of Cassandra’s conditions (OCD, anxiety) were handled sensitively and I felt brought realism and empathy to the her grief.(which made sense after finding out the author’s personal struggle with OCD inspired the story).

There were also a couple of characters, descriptions and places alluded to that, for a history / mythology buff will be appreciated. Overall it was a Superb start to a new series and I’d wholeheartedly recommend to any lovers YA Fantasy or books involving light mythology/occult themes.

I’d also just like to thank Uproar Books and Net Galley For the digital ARC.

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.

It's hard to convey what it means to have a heroine hounded by the hidden condition you feel you've been cursed with since childhood but faring well (and in a fantasy context!) anyway, and for this the unfiltered heart of Foretold has to be commended. Overwhelmed when she discovers her talent for divination, a recently grief-ridden Cassandra is torn from her day-to-day groove of Trivinometry games and take-out dinners with her dad and tossed into the tantalizing territories of the obscure - omens and ornithomancy, occult devices and dark designs. Naive and anxious about arcane rituals and newfound romances alike - and all the while trapped in a tussle with her OCD tendencies (which are always drawn accurately and dealt with delicately by the author's authority) - Cassandra navigates the novelties of her Scryer schooling with apt nods to her namesake, netting some ardent sidekicks and shifty acquaintances along the ride. Largely faithful to the forms and fashions of YA fantasy - though the love triangle trope is a little too tired - and in line with the tragic fortunes of the lore from which it founts, the table-turning and lurching twists of fForetold's finale are flooring and fantastically full-circle. the lure of OCD-founded forecasting faculties is fresh and compelling, and it is in communicating the frustrations of compulsions that Lumani flourishes (and in furnishing cliffhangers, too, consigning Cassandra to unfurl further labyrinths both literal and conceptual). What docks marks for me was that mixed up in this otherwise delightful microcosmic world's myths and divining magic is a dearth of obvious diversity in other domains; some of the side-characters seemed like stock stereotypes and make some digs that are (maturity-wise) discomforting. Slight insensitivities aside, since it's the initial installment of a series it'd be sterling to see this improve in the sequel.

Crying in the corner because this cover is so beautiful and I desperately wanted to like this book but I just couldn’t get into it for the life of me.

This book seemed like the kind of thing I’d be into and I really liked the mental health rep and as someone who has experience with OCD, I enjoyed reading a realistic representation of this.
However, I couldn’t get into this book. I didn’t like the plot and the characters were so bland. I found myself forgetting who different people were because they were written exactly the same so everything muddled together.
I found the writing kind of dull too. I thought the pacing was a bit chaotic. For example, the book starts off so fast and then slows and then speeds up and it’s not consistent with what is happening with the plot.
I found the romance aspect boring as well. Cassie seemed to be head over heels straight away and there’s nothing worse than insta-love.

I don’t really know how to review this book because I found it painfully boring but I also can appreciate some of the good elements this story has. Family, mental health representation and this cover!
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.