Thanks so much to @berkleypub for the free book!
For pretty much everyone, October means spooky season and cozy reads. But I don’t love spooky, so for me, that really just means anything witchy and magical.
When I heard about The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong, I was immediately sold. A slow burn romance between two mages {well, one novice and one mage} who are forced to spend time together in a quiet town where magic has disappeared? I’m in! Luckily, I had the opportunity to read it early thanks to the publisher and let me tell you, this is a MUST read if fall means cozy for you, too!
About the Book:
Certainty Bulrush wants to be useful- to the Guild of Mages that took her in as a novice, to the little brother who depends on her, and to anyone else she can help. Unfortunately, her tepid magic hasn’t proven much use to anyone. When Certainty has the chance to earn her magehood via a seemingly straightforward assignment, she takes it. Nevermind that she’ll have to work with Mage Aurelia, the brilliant, unfairly attractive overachiever who’s managed to alienate everyone around her.
The two must transport minorly magical artifacts somewhere safe: Shpelling, the dullest, least magical village around. There, they must fix up an old warehouse, separate the gossipy teapots from the kind-of-flaming swords, corral an unruly little catdragon who has tagged along, and above all, avoid complications. The Guild’s uneasy relationship with citizens is at a tipping point, and the last thing needed is a magical incident.
Still, as mage and novice come to know Shpelling’s residents—and each other—they realize the Guild’s hoarded magic might do more good being shared. Friendships blossom while Certainty and Aurelia work to make Shpelling the haven it could be. But magic is fickle—add attraction and it might spell trouble.
What I Loved
The writing style was really sweet- Certainty felt like a friend who was telling me her story and the descriptions of the town and the other characters were all the right amount of descriptive- I could imagine I was there, but I wasn’t overloaded with details.
The town of Shpelling came into it’s own and was an entire character! It was so great seeing what happened in Shpelling over the course of the book and was even a bit inspirational.
Without spoiling anything, a big breakthrough moment occurred in act 3 that I was SO excited about! I can’t say more on that without giving it away but when you read it, you’ll know!
Note
The only thing I didn’t love was Certainty’s name- at first. I really struggled reading the sentences properly for the first chapter or two as I got used to her name. However, I got over it completely, so I share this only to let you know that if you’re in the same boat, it’ll feel normal soon.
Who Would Love It
This book is PERFECT for fall reading, especially with the lead up to Halloween. If you want to read something with magic and mages and without anything truly scary {besides disappointing your parents, your teachers, and an entire town, I suppose} then this is the book for you!
Buy It:
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You can find The Keeper of Magical Things on Amazon via paperback, kindle or audiobook starting today!
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