Pride Reads: “The Keeper of Magical Things” by Julie Leong

The Keeper of Magical Things is a cozy, sapphic fantasy about not judging a book by its cover and the importance of small kindnesses. It’s a perfect read for Pride month, and a great book to pull me back into Pride Reads!

I both can and cannot believe that it’s been three years since I was able to finish a book for Pride Reads. I have tried, but my attention span is just not what it used to be, and it’s made focusing on books extremely difficult. So I’m honestly thrilled that I was able to make it the entire way through The Keeper of Magical Things. And I know that makes it sound like it was a slog, but it really, truly is the fact that my brain just cannot concentrate the way that it used to.

The Keeper of Magical Things was actually quite adorable, and it was engrossing enough that when I sat down and gave myself dedicated time to read, I was able to finish in a few days.

The story centers around Certainty, a Novice at the Guild of Mages. She has been a novice for years, because although she’s rather skilled at her particular ability – talking to objects – she lacks any other magical powers. But when an overflow of magical essence starts turning the Guild’s kitchen staff into vegetables, Certainty’s unique talent makes her the perfect candidate to catalog the excess magical objects that can no longer be stored at the Guild.

Certainty’s partner on this assignment – and eventual love interest – is Aurelia, a Mage with a rare and highly-prized talent who also has a reputation around the Guild for being cold and unfriendly. Together, the two venture to a remote town in the country entirely devoid of magic – the perfect location to store a bunch of magical artifacts.

At its core, The Keeper of Magical Things is about not judging people based on appearances. Certainty and Aurelia had very different upbringings, come from very different backgrounds, and have very different family dynamics. As such, it causes a lot of misunderstandings. Aurelia has intentionally isolated herself from her peers, so her social skills could use some work. And Certainty has spent years struggling to become a proper Mage, so her behavior is affected by her sometimes crippling self-doubt.

This is the basis of Certainty and Aurelia’s relationship. Both of them must challenge their preconceived notions of the other and confront their places in the world. This happens naturally, as they are forced to spend a lot of time together due to the nature of the assignment they’ve been given. We are only shown Certainty’s perspective, but I did so enjoy watching her stumble into her feelings.

The moral of not judging by appearances also extends to the small, dying town of Shpelling. The townsfolk are distrustful of Mages, and Aurelia’s haughty nature does not help. The longer the two ladies stay, the more they grow to understand its residents, and even become enamored with the town itself.

And thus we come to the second major element of this book: the importance of small kindnesses. Certainty has been promised a promotion to Mage if she successfully completes her assignment. She’s been instructed to keep her head down and stay out of trouble, but as she and Aurelia begin going through the artifacts, she realizes how many of them could be used to help Shpelling and its people slow – or even reverse – some of the town’s decline.

I really liked this book. I love the magic system, where people can have some general magic talent, but everyone has a very niche ability. I got a kick out of how the magical objects were extremely specific – like a magic wand that can only summon bees, or a bomb that explodes into butterflies. And I so badly want a catdragon.

Plus, as someone from a small town who now lives in a big city, I appreciate the emphasis on small towns having their own charms. People have very different wants and expectations out of their lives, so while some may truly love living in a city, others are perfectly content with a slower way of life. Neither is inherently better or worse than the other; it all depends on your perspective.

The Keeper of Magical Things is a charming and idyllic fantasy, a story about challenging your prejudices, believing in yourself, and being kind. Given everything that’s going on pretty much everywhere at the moment, I feel like everyone could use a book like this right now.

———

The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong is published by Berkeley and is currently available wherever books are sold.

Please do check out our previous Pride Reads!

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

Twitter

Help support independent journalism. Subscribe to our Patreon.

Copyright © The Geekiary