The keeper of magical things

In this delightfully cozy romantasy, Leong (The Teller of Small Fortunes) introduces mage-in-training Certainty "Cert" Bulrush, who has the ability to communicate with objects via touch to determine their purpose and alter them in minor ways. ("She could sweet-talk a cup of tea into being less bitter; she could shame a shirt into unwrinkling--but, unfortunately, that was about the extent of her powers.") Her limited abilities make it unlikely she'll ever be promoted to full mage--until the Mage Guild assigns her a small but vital task: to accompany a shipment of magical artifacts to the remote village of Shpelling for identification, cataloging, and storage. Do it well and she may earn that promotion. Unfortunately, accompanying her is the brilliant but frosty mage Aurelia Mirellan, and winning over the locals in desolate, unwelcoming Shpelling proves a challenge. Though Cert and Aurelia initially butt heads, the two find common ground--and unexpected love--as they work together. There's a tongue-in-cheek playfulness to Leong's magic system as Cert and Aurora reinvent simple pleasures like steam baths and tasty cuisine using enchanted objects. Themes of companionship and community undergird the sweet romance as the heroines discover what they truly value in life. The result is a quietly satisfying tale set in a world readers will be eager to return to. (Oct.)

The Teller of Small Fortunes explored the costs and consequences of remaining free of the powerful Eshteran Mage's Guild. This follow-up details the costs of trying to remain part of that same guild for a novice who overstayed her training and a mage who burned out her gifts. Certainty Bulrush, a novice, and Aurelia Mirellan, a mage, are sent to a village without magic on a thankless task to catalog the guild's overflow of minorly magical artifacts. However, they discover that it only takes a bit of magic--along with a ton of elbow grease and a whole lot of heart--to bring hope, prosperity, and even real magic back to the most cursed of villages and the most frozen of hearts. Certainty and Aurelia go from enemies to lovers in this cozy, slow-burn sapphic romantasy, even as the town takes them to its heart and vice-versa. VERDICT Leong's charming and delightfully cozy fantasy of found family, village reawakening, and fending off bullies is highly recommended to readers of Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree and A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic by J. Penner.--Marlene Harris