The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru, Olesya Salnikova Gilmore (Review by Lara Ferguson)
Rating: 4.0/5 Stars
It took me a few chapters to get invested, but once it got me, The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru offered a spooky, intriguing tale full of strong characters and compelling mystery. While the beginning is a slow burn—spending a lot of time setting the scene at the Samovar tea house in 1920s Paris—the incredible characters and mysterious vibes eventually take over and don’t let go.
The heart of the book is the relationship between Zina and her grandmother, Baba Valya and Zina’s search for her mother’s story. Baba Valya came from imperial Russia with her daughter, Zina’s mother and carries incredible weight from her unspoken trauma, stories that she has not shared with Zina. Zina is a young woman who wants to understand where she came from. Their bond is so authentic—they’re both stubborn and determined to protect the other, which makes their clashes and their fierce love for each other feel very real.
The story really comes alive through their “found family” in the Russian émigré community. All of whom weave in and out of the story as it unfolds. From old friends of Zina’s mother to the women she and her grandmother tell fortunes to, each has played an essential part in Zina’s story and will eventually come together at the climax of the narrative.
The haunting elements are where the book gets genuinely chilling. When Zina accidentally summons the vengeful spirit of a Russian Grand Duke during a séance, the tea shop transforms from a sanctuary into a place of atmospheric dread. Through this element, the reader discovers the entire backstory from the vantage point of Zina–the ghost isn’t just there to be scary; he’s a literal manifestation of the family’s dark past and the secrets surrounding Zina’s mother’s death.
Watching the characters band together to protect their home and face these “dark forces” is the best part. It’s a story about survival and the extreme lengths people will go to for the ones they love. If you enjoy a rich, twisty mystery with a serious “spooky season” feel, this is a great pick.