After a month of reading chilling things that make your heart rate pound, Nils and Beth were looking for something a little cosier – the perfect time to buddy read Julie Leong’s latest cosy fantasy THE KEEPER OF MAGICAL THINGS (or, as Beth kept calling it in her voice notes, The Magical Keeper of Things)

Certainty Bulrush wants to be useful – to the Guild of Mages, to the brother who depends on her, and to anyone else she can help. Unfortunately, her tepid magic hasn’t proven much use to anyone.

So when Certainty is offered the chance to earn her magehood, she jumps on it. Never mind that the assignment is to transport minor artefacts to the dull, unmagical village of Shpelling, or that it involves working with Mage Aurelia, a brilliant, unfairly attractive overachiever who’s managed to alienate everyone around her.

In Shpelling, the two must deal with testy villagers, an unruly catdragon, and their growing attraction to each other, while avoiding any incidents that could further damage the Guild’s testy relationship with the kingdom’s citizens. But magic is fickle – sooner or later, it is bound to spell trouble . . .

The Keeper of Magical Things is available now. You can order your copy from Bookshop.org

Hodderscape have super helpfully included discussion points at the end of the book, and Nils and Beth have decided to include some of them (or versions of them if they’re too spoilery) as part of their review..

Why were you looking forward to this one, and did your first impressions meet your expectations?

Beth: The Keeper of Magical Things is Julie Leong’s second novel; her first, The Teller of Small Fortunes, Nils and I read together and I absolutely loved it. So I’ve been invested in following Leong’s socials keeping an eye out for her next book, and although I knew this wasn’t a direct sequel (it’s set in the same world but doesn’t follow the same characters) I was just looking forward to diving back into Leong’s writing style and her cosy world. I couldn’t wait to see what she’d bring us this time.

Nils: Leong’s first book really swept me away, there was an adventure, humour, some magic and plenty of mystery and I remember being enveloped with warmth throughout. Leong’s theme of immigration and being the child of immigrant parents, was so well represented throughout which made the book that bit extra special to me. So much like Beth, I was keen to see Leong’s follow up be announced on socials, and when it was announced that we would be returning to the world of Eshtera, albeit with different characters, I was delighted.

Beth: As for expectations, so firstly I made a note of the dedication because it really struck a chord with me:

“To everyone who’s spent too long chasing someone else’s idea of greatness your magic was never theirs to measure. Be kind. Kindness is great enough.”

I think that’s such an important and positive message that we don’t tell ourselves enough, and of course it’s an introduction to the key theme of the book, the pressures we put ourselves under.

The second note I made was how the writing had strong Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett vibes, and looking back on our review of The Teller of Small Fortunes, that was the exact same first impression I had of that too, which has really made me smile. 

The Keeper of Magical Things has a great opening, doesn’t it Nils!

Nils: Yes, Beth the opening was fantastic and immediately immersed me back into this world. The first thing I noticed was how playful and fun Leong’s prose was. There was a lighthearted and whimsical feel to it and it certainly gave me strong studio Ghibli vibes. I am quite a visual reader and so I like to picture scenes in my mind. There’s something about Leong’s descriptions that make it easy to do that, to picture it all as an anime. In Keeper of Magical Things we are delved into life at the Guild, a kind of magical Academy, and I was excited to learn more about its inner workings as in the previous book, we only had a glimpse of it. Once again there was a warming feeling, an adventure was being promised and I just couldn’t wait to read on. You could definitely say my expectations were met and this was only in the first couple of chapters!

Tell us about the key characters we meet

Beth: The first character we meet is also our protagonist (this isn’t a multi-POV story), and that is Certainty Bullrush of Potshire, or Cert to her friends. Now, I have to confess, I wasn’t a huge fan of the name! I can’t even put my finger on why? But this is a great example of not judging the book by the cover, because even with that name (that my inner narrative voice kept tripping over whenever I read it), Cert herself is a wonderful character who I almost immediately fell for.

Nils: Myself and Beth always send each other lots of WhatsApp messages whilst we are buddy reading and our first message to each other was “I’m not sure about the name Certainty!” Yet the unusual name did not spoil her character one bit because Certainty was such a good protagonist to follow. 

Beth: It’s a good allegory for her personality as a whole, as Cert has spent the last six years trying, and failing, to graduate from being a novice to a mage. Unfortunately, her magic just hasn’t been strong enough, and we meet her despairing of this fact as she carries out her menial chores. But back to judging books by covers or characters by names, others judge Cert somewhat for being a novice, and for being such a long-term novice, but there is so much more to her – and learning that about her, and following her as, more importantly, she learns it about herself, made for an achingly heartwarming story.

Nils: Absolutely agree here. Like Beth has just said, we learn that Certainty has been a novice at the Guild for much longer than her peers and that she sees her ability to communicate with inanimate objects as a rather useless magical talent. Therefore she does self-doubt quite a bit, but she’s not whiny or melancholic or even bitter towards others about it. No, Cert is immediately illustrated as kind. She is just determined to finally achieve her goal of not being novice Certainty but Mage Certainty when an opportunity is presented to her. 

Later on in the book when we do eventually find out why her parents called her Certainty, it all made sense, didn’t it Beth?

Beth: I suppose – her parents named their children after virtues they wanted them to have; so they wanted Cert to have Certainty, and her younger brother Aspiration… I’ll expand on my thoughts on this in a later question! Nils, do you want to introduce the second key character?

Nils:  Ah Mage Aurelia, our supposed “Ice Queen”, known for her reclusive and prickly nature. When Aurelia is paired with Certainty to go on a mission to a remote village, Shpelling, to catalogue and store some magical artefacts, she is less than pleased at this. I have to say when we first met Aurelia, I knew she would be a character that would eventually thaw but I was slightly dreading the prospect of these two characters bickering and snapping at each other for many chapters to come. This was not the case. In Leong’s hands both Certainty and Aurelia grow in wonderful ways, their backstories reveal so much and as they begin to understand each other, a lot of Aurelia’s mindset made sense. These are two characters that I sympathised with a lot. What were your first impressions of Aurelia, Beth? 

Beth: Similarly to you Nils, I could see that Aurelia was going to be a character that had a lot to learn, that she’d go through a thawing process. I was worried there was going to be bickering and misunderstanding too, and there is a little of that but Leong did a great job in avoiding the usual pitfalls of this trope as Cert is such an understanding character!I remember thinking with Teller that this is a story that does exactly what it says on the tin, and Keeper is the same; yes it may be easy to fathom where these characters’ development will go, but there’s a comfort in that knowing and being able to go along for the ride, for the excellent writing.

How do Certainty’s and Aurelia’s relationships with their families influence their actions and beliefs?

Beth: This was an aspect of the story we felt really quite strongly about, wasn’t it Nils? As both their families put so much pressure on our girls, but in very different ways!

Nils: Absolutely, we were quite angered by both families, weren’t we?

Without giving away too much, Certainty had financial pressures placed upon her as her family were farmers and therefore not extremely wealthy. Though her family never explicitly ask her to provide for them, a reliance on her is definitely felt through their subtle hints in their letters to her, and this rather annoyed me. Her family are not unkind in any way but I feel it’s the job of the parent to deal with financial difficulties and to put that on Certainty, who is clearly trying her best, didn’t seem fair? What did you think Beth? 

Beth: I totally agree, we argued that even though her parents don’t ask her explicitly for help, I wasn’t sure why they were telling her about this specific issue, as it puts indirect pressure on her. But then, I think it’s fair to say that even if they hadn’t, Cert was still the kind of person who would take it upon herself to want to try to help, to feel it was her responsibility to help her family.

Nils: Excellent point! Certainty would put it upon herself regardless. 

Beth: There’s also a kind of indirect pressure on the names her parents gave her and her brother; it’s that kind of ‘we just want the best for you’ thinking that makes you in turn feel like you have something to live up to, even though this would never have been their intention. To have certainty and to aspire to things are good virtues to try and teach your children, but actually naming them for them implies a level of expectation that, had my parents named me Certainty, would have me anxious any time I was uncertain about anything!

Nils: Haha! 

Then looking at Aurelia’s parents, we do see that they are much crueler, and I wasn’t sure if that was because they wanted the absolute best potential for their child and so they pushed her towards it or if it was because they wanted to uphold their status in the Guild. Either way, these parents shaped Aurelia to stay completely focused, work relentlessly at her magical abilities and ignore every type of feeling. With that, now you can see why she was misunderstood as an “Ice Queen.” When learning more about Aurelia’s parents, I kept thinking who would do this to their child? But of course I have actually seen parents who have done this to their child, who have pushed too hard, and frankly it’s really sad. 

Beth: I definitely felt the most sorry for Aurellia, for the direct pressure her parents put her under and the clear expectations they had for her and the stress of living up to them. Their influence was also clear in Aurelia’s prejudices about the people of Shpelling and ‘country folk’ in general. When Cert and Aurelia first arrive in the village, it’s very neglected, and Aurelia jumps to the conclusion that this is because the people are uneducated and don’t know any better. She treats the place and people with derision, and then feels vindicated in her beliefs when they are unfriendly towards her. This is an attitude I’ve had first hand experience of, but again this is a topic to explore further in a later question. 

I do think it’s fair to point out that there was plenty about Cert’s relationship with her family that was positive, as well, and had set her up well in life to be able to go on and build relationships with others. She had a lot to teach Aurelia about community and respecting others that she’d obviously learned from home. 

Nils: Very true and it was also clear that Certainty was loved by her parents and that they cared about her happiness above everything else.

How did Certainty and Aurelia’s relationship evolve from their first meeting in the High Mage’s office to their last? How did the relationship weave into the story’s overall themes?

Beth: We’re coming back again to don’t judge a book by its cover here. As Nils said earlier, Aurelia had a reputation for being something of an Ice Queen, and whereas I don’t think it’s fair to say Cert necessarily thought that of her, she did seem at least intimidated by her and worried they would be too different to get along, so I think Cert is a little guilty of it.

Nils: I think Certainty believed that Aurelia looked down upon her because she was merely a novice, and that comes from Certainty’s own self-doubt and insecurities.

Beth: That’s true! To a certain extent those beliefs weren’t unfounded, there was a time Aurelia was quoting a writer and was surprised Cert knew the rest of the quote! 

Nils: Yes, I was glad to see Aurelia proven wrong there! 

It was nice to see Certainty really tried to communicate with Aurelia at the beginning, to try and open up conversations and get to know the woman she would be spending a lot of time with. Although there was a shaky start, I absolutely loved watching their relationship grow.

Beth: I agree, Leong really presented this journey well. As we’ve said before in this review, it’s really easy to do the whole miscommunication thing in these types of stories, and it drives me round the bend. Instead what we have here is a person who isn’t very good at communication (Aurelia) and a person with plenty of understanding (Cert) and that made for a fantastic recipe. It’s not to say they didn’t have their arguments, but it definitely made it all the more upsetting when they did.

Nils: Through Certainty our Aurelia becomes kinder, more open and begins to enjoy the simple pleasures in life rather than always working or studying. In turn Certainty becomes more confident, she gains a sense of purpose and no longer sees herself as just a useless novice. Their relationship is really quite special and Leong crafts them so beautifully. 

Beth: Yes! I think they both did so much for each other, didn’t they? Aurelia really helped Cert accept herself for who she is – you included a beautiful quote further on that highlights this.

Nils: Yay, clever me! 

What was your favorite minorly magical artifact?

Beth: So the minorly magical artifacts were hands down my favourite aspect of the book, but mostly because of Cert’s magical ability. She is able to speak to objects, and their voices are what brought them to life and made them so memorable. As annoying as it might possibly end up being sometimes, I did love the idea of a tea pot that is able to brew the perfect cup of tea, but chatters incessantly whilst it does so. I don’t mind a good natter, and I love a good cuppa, and I feel like the teapot had lots of good tips and advice, and seemed to really care about Cert and Aurelia, so the teapot was definitely my favourite.

Nils: I absolutely loved how this book was so wildly magical and whimsical and how each object had such great, fun personalities. I could just see you with a talking teapot Beth! 😆For me, it was the battering ram, it’s rather destructive and deadly personality made me laugh so much. All it wanted to do was destroy its foes and so when it gets used for something entirely different, Certainty still had to make it believe it was slaying an enemy, which was hilarious! 

Beth: I knew you were going to bring up the battering ram! Whimsical is exactly the right word for this kind of magic; if you love Diana Wynne Jones’ magical style, think of that, think of 100 league boots and you’ll be right at home here. In the acknowledgements, Leong talks about rooting through her kitchen drawers for inspiration, and I loved that image so much! She clearly has such a rich imagination which just shone through the story so beautifully. The box!! We didn’t talk about the box! Although I don’t want to spoil the joke here for future readers, so I won’t say anything more, except the box was most definitely my favourite. We had such a good laugh about it!

Nils: Meow is all I’ll say!

The village of Shpelling undergoes a significant transformation. How does the village’s rejuvenation parallel Certainty’s and Aurelia’s personal journeys? (And was it really the magic of the artifacts that transformed it?)

Beth: Well first of all I want to note how, again, I wasn’t keen on the name of the village! I felt like there’s a joke there I wasn’t getting – and in my defense, Aurelia brings it up at one point too. I’m not sure if it’s possibly a nod to Terry Pratchett’s Magrat and her daughter Esmerelda Margaret Note Spelling? 

Nils: oh my god writing Shpelling in the WhatsApp chats made my head hurt (autocorrect did not like it one bit!!) But actually, by the end I got used to it. 

I think my favourite part of the book was Certainty and Aurelia using some of these magical artefacts to help the people of Shpelling restore their village that had otherwise become dilapidated. Beth and I love a good transformation/rejuvenation plot so this was perfect for us. Beth, you said it reminded you of Legends and Lattes, didn’t it? 

Beth: It really did! I think the reason Legends and Lattes struck that cosy note with people was because it dealt with improving something, there’s something healing about following someone as they take something broken and fix it up, and in doing so fix themselves. My favourite part of the adaptation of Howl’s Moving Castle is when Sophie cleans the castle, for the same reason. And it’s the same here, it’s that feeling of a community learning to love each other again and banding together. It has the same vibes as those Christmas movies where they need to save the school or village hall or whatever. I will always be here for it.

Nils: Yes, the theme of healing was so well shown! At the beginning of the book, the villagers, Gertha, Hull, and Ferdinand were not happy at the prospect of two Guild mages interfering in their lives at all and it was clear that their village wasn’t welcoming to other outsiders either. There was a kind of prejudice shown on all sides, with the villagers being prejudiced against the Guild because of the history of the Mage Wars, Aurelia being prejudiced against this rural, small ‘backward or backwater’ place she had been assigned to and poor Certainty trying to ease tensions on all sides. Although magic plays a great part in earning the villagers trust, I believe it’s more their warming to Aurelia and Certainty, their growing fondness of these two women who just wanted to help, who gives them hope, that ultimately changes Shpelling into a bright, friendly and cosy place. 

Beth: I really felt for the villagers, to be honest I could understand their reticence, because they seem to get difficulties from so many angles; they had been abandoned by the Guild who were purportedly supposed to help the country, they were looked down on by their nearest neighbours instead of helped by them, they were neglected by their Lord – this last one in particular made me cross because he had a responsibility to his tenants and was clearly not upholding it. It didn’t surprise me that it took them a while to come around to Cert and Aurelia, that the girls had to prove themselves unlike everyone else who Shpelling had dealings with. It’s difficult to come around and trust when you’ve been burned so badly before. But once they do accept Cert and Aurelia, seeing how mutually beneficial it was for the girls as well as the village was so very heartwarming. 

Nils: Yes, their reluctance or prejudice wasn’t unfounded but I’m so glad that Certainly and Aurelia did eventually win them over. 

Favourite Quotes

Beth:

“And…” The dwarf’s eyes flicked over to Aurelia. “Be careful with that one, aye? Sometimes polished gems crack the easiest.”

It suddenly felt to her that this conversation was a curcial one. That how she repsonded to Aurelia would take the two of them down one forking pathway or another, and that her answer could change everything, or nothing at all. But what was the right answer? Certainty didn’t know. So she spoke as honestly as she could.
‘Aurelia… I think most of us just want to be happy.’
‘Oh.’ Each word from Aurelia’s mouth was a small, breakable thing; a butterfly caught in a glass. ‘But I want that, too. I just haven’t figured out how.’

Certainty marveled at her; Aurelia exuded sheer competence the way a candle gave off light.

Nils:

“Don’t say that you’re not important. Don’t make yourself smaller than you are. Other people will always try to do so, but don’t do it for them. You are important. And you belong there as much as anyone does.” 

“She was Certainty Bulrush of Potshire, godsdamnit. She would find a way. There were times for ordered and scholarly thinking, and there were times for being resolutely, pigheadedly stubborn —and she rather thought now was a time that called for both.”

Overall impressions

Nils: The Keeper of Magical Things is another wonderfully warming delight by Julie Leong.

Certainty and Aurelia are both characters who grow, change and find their place in the world in remarkable ways. There’s a fantastic balance of magic, whimsy, humour and light academia which kept me turning the pages wanting more. We explore themes of kindness, understanding and learning to put less pressure on ourselves which I absolutely loved.

Leong just knows the recipe for a hug in a book and I hope she returns to this world with many more tales to come. 

Beth: Nils puts it so perfectly, I don’t know how to expand on that! 

There’s always a question hanging over an author’s second book, whether the first was a fluke, whether the second will hold up as well. The Keeper of Magical Things most certainly does; in fact, personally, it far exceeds the first.

This is a gentle and heartwarming story that invites you in with open arms. It’s the perfect example of not needing life and death stakes to make your readers invest; I was hooked on these characters, on their happiness and the fate of their relationship. Leong’s writing is packed full of whimsy and humour (‘I assume you’re not not down to one bed, as well?’ The innkeeper looked offended. ‘Of course not! What sort of respectable inn doesn’t have any extra beds?’), whilst also packing plenty of thought-provoking and emotional lines – there were plenty of quotes I found myself making note of. 

All in all, The Keeper of Magical Things has cemented Leong as a writer I know I can return to with confidence for an entertaining story that will sweep me away and warm the cockles of my heart. I can’t wait to see what she brings us next!

The Keeper of Magical Things is available now. You can order your copy from Bookshop.org