Maybe you are like me, and suffering from a lack of motivation to read much during the long hot summer, in which case I invite you to look up Julie Leong’s delightful fantasy books. The Keeper of Magical Things, her second book, is technically set in the same universe as her first (The Teller of Small Fortunes), but they are both standalones, so don’t hesitate to dive in to this one first. It is a fun little fantasy about unlikely partners, cheerful problem solving and community building, and a budding relationship.
Certainty Bulrush is a mage apprentice from a tiny rural village who is desperate to make the jump to full mage but is unable to make the magical progress necessary. Her main talent is in the ability to talk to objects. When an opportunity comes up to take part in an official mission—transporting and cataloging minor magical artifacts to make room in the main archive—she is excited for the chance to do something useful enough to earn her promotion and be able to help her family. The only fly in the ointment? The senior mage on the mission is Mage Aurelia, who has a cold and unfriendly reputation within the Guild. Still, as they set off for Shpelling, least magical part of the country, in order to set up a warehouse. Once there, they encounter unfriendly village residents, a lack of any advance preparation, and more garlic than anyone ever needs.
Aurelia and Certainty are a mismatched pair from the beginning, but seasoned readers will see where this is going from the start—we love the slow burn of a slowly lowering defense, and Aurelia has barriers a mile high at the beginning of the novel. She even has a magical necklace that constantly tells her that she needs to be better and not lose focus. She easily antagonizes the villagers of Shpelling with her lack of empathy, and she is initially unwilling to deviate from the mission or the rules by the slightest bit. But Certainty is still a practical village girl at heart and relatively unflappable, and when she realizes that they can help the village with the objects they are cataloging, Aurelia can’t hold out long against her earnest determination and cheerful logic. I really liked the way they started to open up to each other slowly over the course of the book—it made sense with how they much they were around each other and yet coming from entirely different life perspectives. Unlike the instant swarm of bees summoned at one point, their relationship slowly blossoms as the village prospers over the course of the season. It’s very sweet, and it’s why I believe their relationship will last through the end climax of the book.
The magical problem solving, on the other hand, does get a little bit rote by the end, but it’s always cute. Whatever the problem, there’s going to be a magical artifact to fix it, but it’s not going to be in a normal or straightforward way. It’s the least supported part of the story, in my opinion, because I have questions about the long term viability of some of these solutions, but it is very cute and fun to read, and I do like to fantasize about things like “what if I could ask my clothes to reject a stain with my magic” and “what if I had a flying cat.” And I think it’s worthwhile to read a story that is not so much about the complex economics of world-building but rather focusing on things like how helping people builds community and small actions matter in the end. It’s a reminder that while the mages who can do realm-saving magics get the headlines, someone who can get necessary things done is what keeps things really going.
In conclusion, if you need some cute things to get you over the final stretch of summer, you could do worse than pick of one of Julie Leong’s adorable fantasies. The Keeper of Magical Things is cute and it’s funny, and it’s about creating community and relationships. I hope Leong continues to give us more of these, because I would love to read more of this delightful magical country.
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