I had a really enjoyable time with Sorcery and Small Magics. This book is the perfect mix of light-hearted fun and a bit of fantasy flair, with enough charm and wit to keep me turning the pages. It’s the kind of cozy read that’s easy to sink into without feeling weighed down, but still delivers on character depth and magic.
Leo is the kind of protagonist I find myself rooting for, even when he’s making questionable decisions. He has a self-awareness about his flaws that makes him feel real and relatable. His journey is full of ups and downs, and I really appreciated how his character grows through his actions, even when those actions don’t always go according to plan. Then there’s Grimm—she’s a wonderful foil to Leo’s more chaotic energy, and their dynamic adds a great layer of tension and humor to the story, I really like a grumpy sunshine dynamic, so the two of them really appealed to me.
The magic system in this book is simple, but I found it really effective in the context of the story. The idea of spell-casters and spell-writers is a unique twist that added a nice layer of complexity to the world, even if I did want to know a bit more about how the magic itself works behind the scenes. It’s not an overly detailed world-building experience, but I appreciated the focus on the characters and their personal stakes.
Sorcery and Small Magics is a fun, cozy fantasy and a nice read for those who enjoy character-driven fantasy with a slow burn romance and a touch of whimsy. I’m definitely interested to read the next book.

I've recently read Sorcery and Small Magics and enjoyed it! I was a bit afraid in the very beginning as the main character was a bit too much for me, but honestly, it became more understandable with the character's backstory. So if you're looking for a book with curses, banter and quests, I recommend it. The second half was amazing, and honestly, it has some horror elements to it too with the imagery.

I gave it 4 stars and I'll read from this author again!

Fun, cozy and magic. Sorcery and small magics is a slow burn enemies to lovers with forced proximity and great characters. It took me a little while to get in the right mood to read this to be honest as I’m kind of sick of enemies to lovers and the start of this book is very much enemies to lovers. But after I got through the beginning the magic of the book immediately pulled me back in with music and magical forest adventures.

Whimsical, queer, slow burn - if that delightful combination of words isn’t enough to make you want to read this then I don’t know what will.

Sorcery and Small Magics follows Sebastian Grimm and Leovander Loveage after a mistaken spell binds these two much closer than they would ever have expected. Their dynamic is so much fun and I adored the tension between the two. I loved the magic system with the idea of a scriver and a caster. I hope we will learn more about the magic system as the Wildersongs trilogy progresses.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and need more from Grimm and Leo immediately.

Such a brilliant fantasy debut I can’t recommend this enough to readers who love independent and quirky characters, slow burn romance and I can’t wait for the next instalment of this fantastic story

Despite the horrifically ugly cover (I have no idea what Orbit was thinking, my sympathies to poor Doocy) this was a lot of fun! Leo is a snarky character who is well aware of his own flaws, which is a combination I enjoy very much, and although the worldbuilding is a bit simple for my taste, a) there’s more than enough story to compensate, and b) there are hints that things (such as the way magic really works) are a lot more complicated than Leo thinks.

The magic system…is also pretty simple, but it fit the story really well: there are sorcerers who can cast spells, and sorcerers who can write spells, and no one can do both. Spells are (usually) written, and once cast, you need a spell-writer to write it for you again if you want to cast it again. Somehow this has not resulted in the veneration of spell-writers, which I found quite odd.

But that really didn’t matter, because I had so much FUN reading this! It’s immersive, super readable, and just the right blend of escapist+serious. The stakes are high for the characters – the spell that forces Leo to obey any order of Sebastian’s is seriously screwed-up, and also gets worse the longer it’s in effect, and that keeps both the characters and the story moving along at a great pace. And everything that goes down in the Unquiet Wood? *chef’s kiss*

When I first got my arc, there was no mention of this being the start of a series, which made the ending (not a cliffhanger, but leaving some important things unresolved!) a surprise. I am MUCH relieved that the story’s not over, although I have no idea where the rest of the series (trilogy?) is going – we weren’t presented with any kind of Big Bad, so Sorcery ends without clearly aiming the characters at the Next Thing. We’ll just have to find out with the next book! (Which I am ABSOLUTELY going to be reading!)

3.75 stars
I enjoyed this immensely! The concept was so fresh and unique and it had a great cast of characters. I am so looking forward to the next book.

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

I had a great time with this book. It was super entertaining, cozy, and easy to dive into. The magic system is refreshingly unique: magic requires two parts, a spell-writer and a caster. And let's not forget the lovable, quirky monsters that add so much charm!

The main character, Leo, is a bit of a lovable disaster, funny yet sometimes frustrating, but his actions have a deeper meaning, which makes him so endearing. Then there’s Grimm, with all his grumpiness. And when they say this is a slow burn, they mean sloooooow burn! I love a slow burn romance, but this one took it to another level, leaving me eagerly awaiting the next book for more!

As for the plot, I found myself wanting a bit more depth. At times, it felt like things were moving slowly or that certain aspects—like some characters, the magic system, or political elements—were left unexplored. I hope the next book dives deeper into the world and answers some of those lingering questions.

Overall, this was a cozy, fun, and utterly charming read that left me smiling.

Leo is a scriver and he is always getting into scrapes. He could be better if he took the bother to pay attention. He is partnered with Grimm who is his opposite and he is a caster.
Leo writes spells to be cast in class but accidentally gets one he didn't write mixed up with his. Grimm casts and Leo ends up under a spell which means he can't do without seeing Grimm.
We follow their story trying to undo this.
Grimm reminded me of Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock in some respects.
This book is different definitely different.
Thanks to publisher and Netgalley.

Firstly, I have to say that I love this cover, it's clearly inspired by The Marvellous Light (like most current queer fantasy books) but it fits the book so well and looks gorgeous.

As for the book, I had a lot of fun reading it. And a lot of trouble putting it down. I was actually surprised that in print it has 400 pages. Usually it takes me longer to read a book this size.

This story is a real slow burn, not only because of the romance, but also, the beginning of the story is quite slow. There's a lot of world building in it (which is fascinating), so if you're in the mood for a slow, cozy fantasy book, then this is it. The stakes are a little higher since our characters keep getting into trouble, but there's still nothing world changing.

And for me, the characters are the highlight of this book. Yes, they are quite stereotypical grumpy/sunshine with tragic backstories, but I grew to really like them. The whole book has only one pov from Leo. It's okay, but sometimes he gets annoying, so I think that a double pov would be more interesting. Especially at the end, when we can clearly see that Sebastian really changed during their journey.

I will definitely pick up the second book in the series.

Sorcery and Small Magics is a fun and easy to read book. It follows a unique magic system as our main characters Leo has to work with his 'enemy/academic rival' type character Grimm after a spell goes wrong. There are lots of twists and more plot development that I was initially expecting from this book and it does set up for the continuation of the story in further books in the series. Overall this is a whimsical, cosy magical story which I really enjoyed.

It just didn't work for me

Sorcery and Small Magics is set in a magical world and, more specifically in a school of magic, where Leo and Grimm - opposites in all the ways, it seems - go to. However, Leo is really a master of small magics because he says that, every time he tries anything more complex than that, it splatters in his face (sometimes literally). They are partnered in one of their classes and, due to a mix-up with a forbidden spell, Leo ends up spellbound to Grimm, his longtime nemesis. We readers follow their journey as they try to discover a way to undo the spell, and the ongoing tension between the two, which sometimes is not as oppositional as it might appear...

I had such high hopes for this one, but, in the end, it just wasn't for me. I didn't think the magic system/world was developed enough, and also the characters' chemistry just wasn't there for me.

Thank you very much to Orbit UK and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

Magic and grumpy/sunshine, sign me right up. This book was so cosy and I loved every moment. I feel like Doocy is an auto-buy author for me now.

This was such an endearing and cute read! The dynamic between chaotic but loveable Leo and stern but kind Sebastian was a pleasure to read about. I'm looking forward to the sequel

This was a fun, quick read with a super interesting magic system and a cozy, yet exciting world 🏞️

In the beginning I wasn't so sure about the story and the main characters, because Leo was a little annoying and the conflict seemed a bit trivial, but he grew on me and towards the end the plot was a lot more engaging than I expected. I still think the book would have profited from having Grimm's perspective as well, I definitely would have loved that because he is more my type of character. I really liked the character growths Leo underwent in the course of the book and the changes that invoked in his behaviour (less lashing out, more calm reflection and awesome magic), as I think that's realistic.

We don't really get to see a lot of the world (yet), but the woodland setting was super cool and I loved all the fun and eerie monsters 😁 The magical school somehow reminded me of The Name of the Wind and its academy, but as only about half of the book takes place there, we don’t really learn a lot about it. I wouldn’t have minded getting more information about the magical world and its political system and workings, but I’m curious what other parts of the world will be shown in the next book(s), for which I will keep an eye out 👀

For me the most interesting feature was the magic system which was pretty unique. Some aspects were a bit vague (what is special about Scrives that can't be done by casters if they also know the words for example), but I really liked the enhancement of magic through music and song and the idea of magic having its own mind and acting out sometimes 😊

I definitely recommend this book for everyone looking for a whimsical fantasy world, some action, no spice (so far), queer mcs and a lot of banter and quirky magic 😊✨

Such a fun and cozy book! It includes a very slow burn grumpy/sunshine enemies-to-lovers romance, forced proximity caused by a curse, music magic, and a wonderful adventure through a magical forest. While I really enjoyed the MCs relationship and dynamic, I was a little disappointed because the side characters are slightly underdeveloped; it's not that big of a deal, but there are some that deserved more attention and maybe more of a backstory.

That being said, overall this is a great debut novel, perfect if you're looking for a cozy fantasy with slow burn MM romance. I am looking forward to the sequel because I still have some questions that remain unanswered and I also need more romance! (However I am not complaining about the slow burn, that was really good)

Rivals Leo and Grimm have to work together, which wouldn't be ideal on a normal day, but due to an accidental curse Leo now has to obey his rival's every command. And as if using forbidden magic wasn't enough to undo the curse they have to go into the Unquiet Wood, a forbidden forest full of monsters and lethal flora. There they might find a legendary sorcerer who can undo the curse with a counterspell, or they might die trying. And no, they cannot ask their teachers, because that would get them expelled.

I really enjoyed this first book in a new series. The writing and pacing of this debut novel were good and kept my attention throughout the story.

I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the advance reader copy.

This was an unexpected surprise of a read - I had requested it as it was the Fairyloot adult pick and wanted to read it beforehand and am so happy I did.

This is a cute romance, that I can see growing in the next books! The main characters are funny and also have layers to them which I appreciated.

Overall a fun read and an interesting magic system.

Sorcery of Small Magics brings whimsy and charm, with Leo and Grimm’s rivalry-turned-partnership being an amusing highlight. The magical world is creative, especially with Leo's quirky small magics, but the story feels somewhat underdeveloped at times. Some plot points lack depth, and the pacing can feel uneven, though the banter between characters is fun. While it doesn’t reach its full potential, it offers a lighthearted fantasy escape.

One trope to describe Sorcery and Small Magics: Forced Proximity.

Leo through a mishap with some paperwork is accidently cursed to obey every command given by his rival Grimm, Leo and Grimm don't get along Leo is dyeing Grimms hair pink and a coming up with songs that do nothing for Grimm's popularity.

Sorcery and Small Magics: is super cozy and perfect for October, so add this to your cozy, autumnal reading list. There's magic, mushrooms, music and witches in tall towers perhaps not in that order. I thought the premise was cute forced proximity is always a favourite with rivals to lovers, combine it with a slow burn romance and you've got a winning combination.

I liked it and I want to read book two. My only issue/s are that Leo is a self-destructive protagonist and those are my least favourite, well them and the annoying ones, I'm an equal opportunity protagonist hater. He faces a lot of trouble throughout this book but most of it he causes himself. Leo is also a terrible friend there's really only one person he thinks about and that's himself, it was odd just how clear at times Agnes had to make herself that it wasn't all about Leo, even Grimm had to make a comment to Leo about the rich/poor divide between themselves - he just wasn't aware of anything outside himself. It was that lack of awareness and the self-loathing and a childishness that was at times insufferable that at times made Leo an unbearable MC. That being said, we had character development which I love, Sybilla thank goodness for her saved the day, no doubt my favourite character. Leo developed into a slightly more bearable man, but I didn't like that ending to me it seemed odd that Grimm would have been find with the ending. I don't quite know how to phrase it without giving the game away.

We don't get an actual conclusion, which is because Sorcery and Small Magics is the start of a new trilogy! I'm very excited to see where we go with Leo and Grimm and look forward to continuing the series.

Thank you, Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit, Netgalley and Maiga Doocy for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.