Jerry Cooke
4.75⭐️ - A charming sapphic cosy fantasy that shows that small magics can have the biggest impact!
Certainty Bulrush has not just an unfortunate name, but also weak magic compared to her peers. Her niche magical power, that of the ability to talk to the 'object mind' of magical and non-magical objects alike, is one that has some minor practical applications, but it's very flashy. After six years as a novice and with two failed attempts to pass the mage trails, she's close to giving up. That is, until wild magic starts to spread through the Mage's Guild, caused by the build up of magical artefacts. The High Mage decides that the best place for these to go, to reduce those levels is the small village of Shpelling, where the mage wars left the area void of any magic.
With her ability to identify magic items, and seeing an opportunity to avoid time and money on identify spells, the High Mage things Certainty is the best person to sort and log all the minor magical items. However, she can't go alone, so she's assigned Mage Aurelia - colloquially known as 'the ice queen' but Certainty's peers. Cold and standoffish, Aurelia isn't any more pleased with the pairing than Certainty, but it's made very clear it's mandatory. There's also the rather sizeable carrot of an upgrade to 'mage' status for Certainty if the quest goes well, so it's fair to say she's motivated. What they find in the village is more than they could have imagined and it transpires that they're far more use to each other and to the village than they thought.
This was another beautifully adorable story by Julie Leong. It's in the same world as The Teller of Small Fortunes, but stands on its own just fine without having read the first book. The romance is adorably awkward and unsure, the towns folk, are distinct and interesting, and the magic items are super fun. There's everything from a mirror that sends you to the beach, a magical pasta maker, a box that produces cats, and a kettle that will make you a perfect cup of tea, but only if it can talk your ear off for the time it takes to boil. All in all, it was such a well made magical world and I loved it!
Originally posted at www.tiktok.com.
4.75⭐️ - A charming sapphic cosy fantasy that shows that small magics can have the biggest impact!
Certainty Bulrush has not just an unfortunate name, but also weak magic compared to her peers. Her niche magical power, that of the ability to talk to the 'object mind' of magical and non-magical objects alike, is one that has some minor practical applications, but it's very flashy. After six years as a novice and with two failed attempts to pass the mage trails, she's close to giving up. That is, until wild magic starts to spread through the Mage's Guild, caused by the build up of magical artefacts. The High Mage decides that the best place for these to go, to reduce those levels is the small village of Shpelling, where the mage wars left the area void of any magic.
With her ability to identify magic items, and seeing an opportunity to avoid time and money on identify spells, the High Mage things Certainty is the best person to sort and log all the minor magical items. However, she can't go alone, so she's assigned Mage Aurelia - colloquially known as 'the ice queen' but Certainty's peers. Cold and standoffish, Aurelia isn't any more pleased with the pairing than Certainty, but it's made very clear it's mandatory. There's also the rather sizeable carrot of an upgrade to 'mage' status for Certainty if the quest goes well, so it's fair to say she's motivated. What they find in the village is more than they could have imagined and it transpires that they're far more use to each other and to the village than they thought.
This was another beautifully adorable story by Julie Leong. It's in the same world as The Teller of Small Fortunes, but stands on its own just fine without having read the first book. The romance is adorably awkward and unsure, the towns folk, are distinct and interesting, and the magic items are super fun. There's everything from a mirror that sends you to the beach, a magical pasta maker, a box that produces cats, and a kettle that will make you a perfect cup of tea, but only if it can talk your ear off for the time it takes to boil. All in all, it was such a well made magical world and I loved it!
Originally posted at www.tiktok.com.