A young woman desperate to become a mage and improve her family's fortunes finds an unlikely chance at love and fulfillment in the cozy, uplifting romantic fantasy The Keeper of Magical Things, set in the same world as author Julie Leong's previous novel, The Teller of Small Fortunes.
Certainty Bulrush is six years into her mage training, but her ability to speak with inanimate objects has still not earned her a promotion from being a novice. She feels useless to the Guild of Mages and her family, whom she could help if her pay rose. Hope arrives via a deceptively simple assignment: transport, catalog, and store a troublesome surplus load of minorly magical artifacts in exchange for promotion to full mage. Her assignment partner, Aurelia, is a beautiful, abrasive mage whose polished exterior hides a secret pain. They take the artifacts to Shpelling, a "remote, unwelcoming, bafflingly garlicky" village where surly locals, unfit lodgings, and a diet of garlic and bean stew with garlic bread wear on them. They learn a magical drought is ruining the village, and Certainty has the idea to "test" the artifacts to help the community. A spark grows between Certainty and Aurelia as their seemingly harmless efforts bear fruit, but one wrong spell could threaten everything they have built.
Leong's second novel hums with warmth and cheer, the power of community, and a sweet love story. Talkative magical objects and a dragon-winged cat add charm and humor. This dreamy, healing fantasy journey will beguile readers of Sarah Beth Durst and Travis Baldree. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads