Book Review: The Keeper

Reviewed by Alexandria Ducksworth

D.L. Gardner sure knows how to keep the fantasy alive.

Welcome back to the island of Cho Nisi! This time, the legendary island is under a major threat: its magic is fading. Someone has stolen the island’s ability to protect the land from foreign invasions. Once it’s gone, they’re vulnerable against anybody who is willing to take over their long-reigning kingdom. 

12-year-old Maurice, the son of King Arell and Queen Ericka, is more worried about the current island’s state than anything. He sets out against his parents’ orders to seek help, but it will come in the form of a mythical dragon. 

Anna, daughter of traitorous Lord, is just trying to make ends meet when a group of sorcerers kidnap her and take her to their airship. There, Anna learns who is behind the magic from Cho Nisi and the plan that’ll lead her back to Prince Barin, a man she once loved and was supposed to forget. 

Many things are at stake in Gardner’s latest Cho Nisi book. There’s great adventure and deep lore, but the story also develops various themes of bravery, politics, and traditional vs. modernity.

The slowly disappearing magic of Cho Nisi is one side of the kingdom’s problem, but it only signifies the loss of hundreds of years of history. While Arell and Ericka are prepared for the transformation, young Maurice is determined to keep the old traditions alive. 

Maurice, ever the one asking questions, gets his answers when he meets The Keeper, the last dragon to help him restore the island’s magic. Representing the rising modernity of Cho Nisi, Maurice’s parents are ready to rule a land of no more magic. Maurice, ironically part of the younger generation, represents the old ways fighting to stay alive. D.L. Gardner makes a number of smart choices when it comes to developing these characters and revealing their ideals. 

The arrival of the mysterious The Enchantress airship reveals there’s more to the Cho Nisi than we even realize. Yet, this is how we’ll come to know that there’s room for growth when new challenges arise. The people of Cho Nisi might have been used to their bows, arrows, swords, and ancient magic before foreign sorcerers arrived, but it blossoms into a great opportunity to grow stronger.

The Keeper is wonderful addition to the Cho Nisiseries! We’ve unlocked new entries to the world’s lore but returned to characters we’ve come to love from previous tales. Like the other books in the series, this book comes with loads of heart, acting as a reminder that there is enough magic in each of us to overcome any challenge.

Thank you for reading Alexandria Ducksworth’s book review of The Keeper (Sword of Cho Nisi) by D.L. Gardner! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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