What a lovey whimsical read! The perfect vibes I was looking for.
The characters Leo and Seb are written so perfectly, flaws and all. They felt so real.
Loved being in this world. A great debut from Maiga Doocy!

What a debut! Sorcery and Small Magics is a beautiful example of how when you nail characters, their imperfections and wonderful quirks you get a story that is so utterly gorgeous you just want to step into it an experience it first hand.

Leovander Loveage and Sebastian Grimm, are long standing academic rivals at The Fount, a magical University based in the city of Luxe. Yet being paired together in Duality class is the start of a slight mishap with an unplanned curse.

In desperate need to break the curse, they go in search of a powerful sorcerer rumoured to reside in a hidden tower in the Unquiet Wood. Yet the woods are home to beasts, monsters and outlaws and their journey may reveal much more than either had planned...

The story is full of whimsical fancies and cosy moments that keep the butterflies in your stomach happy and a grin on your face!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC. I am already excited for book 2!

This book was more delicious than a cream tea at Betty's Tearooms! I think I am completely besotted by the hapless Leo Lovage and his sorcerer rival Sebastian Grimm, in this light academia cosy fantasy.

Doocy has created a charming world of magic and music but her masterful characterisation is the real appeal here.

Written in first person narrative style, we follow Leo as he tries to coast through magical university (The Fount) doing only small magics, avoiding the grand sorcery that might guarantee himself a place in the Coterie, a special magical guard that defends the realm from monsters that leap over the border causing mayhem. Roguishly charming, he buts heads with rival Sebastian Grimm, who might be the star pupil, but he's a bit too serious and frankly could do with lightening up. The two opposites are thrown together when a spell goes wrong and ties them together in a complicated knot leading to forced proximity. Leo has to work out how to cancel the spell, but it's not as easy as it might seem!

To say that I heartily enjoyed this is an understatement! It's the quickest I've read a book all year and I can't wait to reread this one. With everything from cantrips to counterspells, freakish but adorable monster creatures, it's got all the low stakes feels of a cosy fantasy, but the real stakes are whether Leo is going to wake up to himself and sort his life out!

As much as I like to read fantasy novels about fully-formed, kick-ass heroes, I am a sucker for imperfect, mild-mannered folk who could do with a good hug.

My only minor disappointment was that the book ended when I did not want it to end, but I'm hopeful these two characters will return for more adventures very soon!

Thanks to Orbit for sending me an ebook arc of this book.

Reconozco que empecé Sorcery and Small Magics con las expectativas bajas, porque no conocía a la autora y porque quizá la sinopsis no era de esas de rompe y rasga. Pero mira, me alegro de haberme equivocado, me he encontrado un libro majo que tiene una lectura muy agradable, un romantasy de mecha larga y la tensión va subiendo poco a poco y que deja un agradable sabor de boca, aún descubriendo que es el primero de una trilogía (se ve que en fantasía está prohibido escribir libros auto conclusivos).

Una de las ventajas del libro es que es antiépico, si me permitís la invención de la palabra. Se basa en un problema que afecta a dos personas, hay pocos personajes, no se decidirá el destino de imperios en estas páginas… pero no hace falta. La empatía que desprenden los personajes encandilará al lector con su propio minimalismo, con la intrahistoria de su pasado y con su relación para el futuro.

El sistema mágico es bastante curioso. Por un lado tenemos los escribas de los conjuros y por otro lado los magos propiamente dichos, que hacen uso de estos hechizos. Leovander Loveage, la voz del libro, es uno de los primeros, pero algo pasa con su magia que le obliga a centrarse en hechizos de poca valía y complejidad, ya que cada vez que intenta hacer algo de mayores proporciones, todo acaba fatal. La verdad es que Leo tiene la autoestima por el subsuelo y esto Maiga Doocy lo consigue representar de una forma tan natural como reconocible. El otro personaje importante es Sebastian Grimm, que comparte academia de magia con Leo y es de los que sí lanza hechizos. Los orígenes plebeyo de Sebastian también coartan su forma de ser y de expresarse, ya que ansía la tranquilidad que le supondría conseguir un puesto en el ejército gracias a sus capacidades. Dos personas con caracteres opuestos, a los que una maldición obligará a trabajar mano a mano.

Sin entrar en más detalles de la historia, aunque os podéis imaginar un poco por dónde irán los derroteros, Sorcery and Small Magics es un libro liviano y de lectura rápida, que te hará sonreír en ocasiones y que sin duda, te calentará el corazoncito. Estoy deseando leer el siguiente.

With thanks to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a delightful whimsical read! I thoroughly enjoyed every page, and I cannot wait to get my own copy of this book. This is a strong debut and I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series goes.

The worldbuilding is explained very well without dumping a ton of information on the reader. The characters are flawed and stubborn and crafted very well. I adored so many moments in this book, and I can tell this is going to be a personal favourite read of the year. The dynamics between our two main characters kept me hooked, and the slow burn is perfect.

The magic system seems very standard, but it held my interest enough that I’m eager to see how it develops. There’s a lot more to explore in the rest of the series!

Overall, I do highly recommend this for fans of slow burn, whimsical fantasy.

This was a fun, whimsical romantic fantasy, and I'm sure many people will absolutely adore it. I enjoyed our main character, and the slow burn romance at the heart, but I do feel like there wasn't quite enough resolution in this first book, either with the wider plot, or with the romance.

the perfect magical, heart fluttering cozy fantasy! This book was just everything I had a hard time putting it down.

this story was full of magic and self discovery, overcoming past traumas and learning to trust yourself. i fell so deeply in love with these characters and this world.

Sebastian and Leo, my sweet boys! i love them both so much, a slight twist on the grumpy/sunshine trope really had my heart fluttering! Leo was infuriating at points but i really understood him and saw a lot of myself in him, he was so hilarious and had me laughing out loud. Sebastian was oh so serious but seeing him break down his walls was everything, each slight smile had me kicking my feet!

Watching Sebastians and Leo’s relationship was truly magical and one of the best slow burns i’ve read in a while, i don’t think i’ve smiled at a book as much as i did with this one!

the magic in this book was wonderfully clever and not something i’ve seen before. beautifully crafted & it fit so well into this story! Everything was so vivid in this story, the world, the magic & the characters!

i’m so so ready for the next book, i need to see what’s coming next!!

Sorcery and Small Magics is the first book in The Wildersongs Trilogy. This book has been on my tbr since I first saw the announcement. I am really happy to say that I loved the story so much. The author created a very unique magic system. Leovander and Sebastian were adorable and I really enjoyed their slow burn romance. I highly recommend this book if you want to read an amazing queer story with rival romance. I can't wait to read the next installment and see how the story continue. Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the arc.

Maybe it's because I grew up reading a certain book series' fanfiction and later on wizard school alternate universes in other fandoms on AO3 but god this book. I adored this book. Sorcery and Small Magics is the kind of cozy fantasy I love - it's cozy, charming, whimsical in a way cozy fantasies tend to be but also still a well written worldbuilding that leaves you satisfied enough to continue reading and filled with lovable and strong characters. This book was also so funny - I loved the banter between the characters and how unserious the plot can be sometimes.

Leo was such a great character - I loved his humor, wit but also how kind hearted he is deep down, and Grimm was also a fantastic grumpy character to Leo's sunshine. I adored the romance - can you even call it that? It's so slow burn that you barely see any romance in this at all BUT at the same time you know it's there. That ending had me shrieking!!! I am very excited to follow Leo's and Grimm's development in their friendship(?) in the next book. Another thing I also enjoyed was both Grimm and Leo's character development, especially Leo in regards to the way he thought of his privileges and also the reality of the world outside of his, like with the thieves and also the villages.

Would definitely recommend this to those who loves reading cozy fantasies, comedy in their fantasy or just those in need of a new series with a slow burn romance that will keep you up all night the same way you keep up all night finishing your ao3 fanfictions HEHEH.

I loved this book so damn much. If you want to read about a great story, a very interesting magic system, amazing relationships, you have to read Sorcery and Small Magics.
I laughed, I cried, it was so satisfying. I'm just mad at myself for not doing my research and then being very suprised that this is not a stand-alone. But I am also very happy, because then I'll get to read more of this amazing and extremely interesting world, and about these wonderful characters.
Now that I'm aware it's the first book of a trilogy, it makes sense. It has the vibe of a first book with the lot of exposition, but it is also a great story by itself. So while it makes me really excited for the next books, it doesn't make me want to sell my soul so I could have them now.
It isn't a grand story that wants to change the world and it doesn't have to. It's just a great time and I will be looking out for what comes next.

This is a really fun, whimsical, fantasy with an interesting magic system.
Sebastian Grimm and Leovander Loveage are classmates learning magic – Grimm as a Caster, Leo as a Scriver (the one who writes the spells for the caster to use). The problem is that Leo only deals in little trifles – small magics - and refuses to use any grandmagics, much to the annoyance of his new, highly skilled course partner Grimm. When there's an unfortunate mix-up one day, Leo and Grimm end up bound by a curse that seems to be getting worse by the day. What follows is a bit of a quest to find someone who can help - can a rumoured Sorcerer living in a dangerous, magical and outlaw infested forest be the key?

Both characters are charming and annoying in equal measure: Grimm is stiff and rigidly follows rules; Leo seems not to take anything seriously and actively tries to disappoint people. Obviously, as the story progresses, their layers are peeled back to reveal more depth to their characters.

I really enjoyed everything about this, it felt fun and refreshing. I liked that the magic system isn't entirely understood even by the experts and the spellsongs that Leo messes about with. The world isn't fully developed, but there's intriguing things encountered on their journey or mentioned in the background that I imagine will be explored more in the sequels - I didn't realise this was the start of a trilogy when I read this, but I'm not disappointed!

If you're looking for an adventurous, whimsical, slightly cosy fantasy with a super slow burn romance, this could be the book for you

If you’re looking for a (mostly) low stakes cozy fantasy with a charming magic system and a queer slow burn romance, Sorcery and Small Magics could be the perfect book for you.
In this story we’re following Leovander Lovage and his “enemy” Sebastian Grimm, two sorcerers currently in their final year of the magical institution the Fount. Due to a magical accident, the bubbly Leo and (like his name almost says) more grumpy Grimm are bound to each other by a curse. To remove this curse, they travel into the Unquiet Woods, a land full of wild magic and monsters in which a legendary sorceress proficient in curse removal supposedly lives.

I’m a big fan on cozy fantasy and Maiga Doocy managed to hit the right spot for me. This is really whimsical and charming read. Due to the lower stakes, it is really faced paced and you will find yourself flying through this book. Having Leo as your main narrator definitely adds to this. Leo is a very outgoing and bubbly character, he’s fond of small magic and fun. As part of the gentry in this world, he has the means to not take life too seriously which often results in chaotic behaviour and mischief. I can imagine that not everybody vibes with him but I found him charming and throughout the story you get some glimpses behind his bubbly facade. On the opposite of Leo we have Grimm, a hardworking and extremely talented sorcerer. He’s often unapproachable and more on the grumpy side. I enjoyed reading about their relationship, if you’re a fan of “enemies” to lovers and grumpy vs. sunshine romance, this will be great for you. The author managed to write a slow burn romance full of yearning which was delightful to read about.
My favourite part of this book was the magic though, especially the small magic and the Unquiet Woods. I loved reading about all the different “monsters” and dangerous flora in this land and really hope that we will spend more time there. A highlight was also the legendary sorceress, a quirky and charming character about who I want to learn more about. Her character felt a bit flat at times but you can see the potential and I hope we will see more of her in the rest of the trilogy.

While the magic was my favourite part of the book, parts of the magic is also the reason for my lower rating. In this book we have two types of sorcerers: scrivers and casters. While scrivers invent new spells and also write the spells for the casters, the casters are dependent on what the scrivers write for them. They need a written spell to do magic which is then consumed after casting. While I really enjoyed the team work this magic system leads to, I couldn’t figure out the casters relationship to the written spells. I was surprised that this accident at the beginning of the book happened as it did, this dependance on the writing of scrivers is prone to lead to more accidents like this. Especially Grimm, who may not have had the same education as gentry kids but is a hardworking student and very talented sorcerer with a good understanding of magic, I expected to have some more knowledge of the meaning of spells. I hope we will get more insight into the magic system in the following books (I may have also just misunderstood it).

Overall, this is a very charming read with a well written slow burn romance, lovable characters and a fun magical land. I’m excited to see where Leo and Grimm’s story will go. I’d rate this 3.75 stars.

Title: Sorcery and Small Magics (The Wildersongs Trilogy Book 1)
Author: Maiga Doocy
Pages: 416
Rating: 5/5

Arc Copy (gifted) - review left voluntarily
Publish date - 17th October 2024

"Desperate to undo the curse binding them to each other, an impulsive sorcerer and his curmudgeonly rival venture deep into a magical forest in search of a counterspell—only to discover that magic might not be the only thing pulling them together.".

Excuse me a minute while I just mourn the end of this book!!!

I didn't think I'd read anything as good as house in the Cerulean Sea yet here we are with Maiga Doocy's debut novel!!

What a beautiful read!

Grab a blanket, snacks and tea and enjoy this beautiful, magical, whimsical journey with Loveage and Grimm.

The characters and world building is so beautifully written. This book is like Maiga has delved into my brain and picked out everything I love in a storyline.

I was mesmerised, hooked and absolutely head over heels with this read.

You'll love this book if you like
- cosy fantasy
- whimsical reads
- queer romance
- grumpy x sunshine
- slowburn
- low stakes
- enemies to lovers
- no spice
- forced proximity

Thank you netgalley, orbit books and little brown book group for allowing me to review.

Will you read it? If you've read it already, what were your thoughts??

Love love love! This is such a fun cosy read! I love the magic concept, the creatures, the plot... everything! I can't wait for book two already!

Leo is a great main character who has great character development. Grimm hopefully will come out his shell a bit more in book two.

The story got more interesting from when they set out for the forest. It developed a more magical quality like Emily Wilde. Highly recommend

Leo is chaos on legs. Always causing mayhem wherever he goes. Lovely slow burn romance. A perfect cozy read.

If you’re in the market for the perfect cosy, character driven slowwwww burn queer romantasy, Sorcery and Small Magics is the PERFECT read. I absolutely loved it!

After a spell goes wrong and locks Leo and Grimm, two antagonistic rivals and a magical institute for sorcery, together in a bonding of emotions and wills, the venture into the Unquiet Wood in an attempt to break it. Bursting with magic, a subtly woven romance and self discovery, this is such a wonderful book that had me grinning the entire time. I loved how cautious both Leo and Grimm were and how delicate the emotions are between them, and can’t WAIT to see where it goes in the next two books. The magic system was fresh and unique and such a great take on both the magical school and enchanted wood setting. I honestly just loved every single page, it’s such a fabulous debut!!

In their final year at The Fount-a magic academy, Leovander Loveage and Sebastian Grimm could not be more different. Leo is a scriver, the person responsible for writing spells and Grimm is a caster, responsible for making the spell work. Leo doesn’t take his studies seriously and believes he is not capable of serious magic so when he is partnered with Grimm who is an expert caster he has spent the last four years winding up it doesn’t go well. Add in a spell mix up and a curse that links them together and they have to go on a quest into the Unquiet Forest. I thought this was a really cute first instalment of a series! I don’t think it was groundbreaking but the writing was good and I was rooting for Leo and Grimm to actually talk to each other and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in book 2!

How much I loved this book can probably be summed up by this: I somehow did not realise this was the first book in a trilogy, and seeing I had a few pages left, I was ready to finally get the last thing I wanted from this book. I turned the page, and immediately and very much out loud, yelled. Because there, before me, was not the final thing I wanted to read in Leo and Grimm's story, but "the story continues in book 2".

My initial distress aside, I am extremely excited for book 2. This book was such a delight to read. I adore the characters and the humour. The plot was light but just what I needed. I really love the magic system, and the combination of magic and music that Leo uses is so cool too. Absolutely cannot wait to read more.

Sorcery and Small Magics is a total gem and a fantastic start to what I’m sure will be a must-read trilogy—I finished it in under two days and am now eagerly awaiting the next one.

The story follows Leovander Loveage and Sebastian Grimm, two sorcerers who have to team up despite totally hating each other. Thanks to a spell gone wrong, they end up bound together in ways they never saw coming. Their partnership is a hilarious mess! Plus, the book has a really unique magic system that needs both a Scriver (Leo) and a Caster (Grimm) to make magic work, leading to some great character dynamics.

Leo and Grimm totally won me over—they reminded me so much of Simon and Baz from Carry On. Leo is whimsical and charming, while Grimm is grumpy but has a soft side. Their slow-burn romance is so well done—it’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion, but in the best way. I’m guessing it’ll take the whole trilogy for these two to sort things out, and I’m here for every moment of it.

The magical creatures and monsters add a quirky charm, reminiscent of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries—cute with a touch of danger. The world-building is solid but feels like there’s a lot more to discover, so I’m excited to see where the next books take us.

I’m particularly intrigued by Grimm and hope the next book dives deeper into his backstory. Getting his point of view would be amazing!

In short, Sorcery and Small Magics is definitely one of my top reads of the year. It’s fun, witty, and offers a fresh take on magic with a slow-burn romance that keeps you hooked. I can’t wait for the next book to continue Leo and Grimm’s adventures. If you love imaginative fantasy, queer and cozy, and slow-burn romances (very slow!), this one’s a must-read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a reading copy.

Sorcery and Small Magics isn't a book that would've caught my eye based on the cover. In my opinion, the cover is chaotic and doesn't at all reflect the story inside, where we follow two magical opposites. One is a caster, whereas the other is a scriver. One is composed, motivated and follows the rules. The other is rebellious, wild and talkative. One seems to have it all whereas the other had one chance only. One is loved by many, the other.... is about to be expelled.

The two characters are matched up when their teachers decide to 'switch up the teams' a bit. Knowing that Grimm and Leo can not work together at all, it seems they have set Leo (the about the expelled one) up for disaster. And a disaster happened, when by mistake a curse was cast and Loveander (Leo) has to hide the fact that Grimm now has complete control over him. He could command him and there is no way to refuse any order he would give him. The curse over time grows more and more unbearable as the needs to be close to Grimm get worse and he is forced to talk to him about it. Rather than risk the punishment for using a forbidden spell, they (reluctantly) agree to follow a lead of a sorceress in the Unquiet Woods who may be able to help them lift it. The problem? The sorceress is more legend than reality and the Woods are known to be rather... unsafe.

This is a more cosy fantasy read where the story is mainly focused on the two characters than really going in depth about their surroundings. Which is a disappointment in my opinion, because I find the mysterious sorceress and the woods to be the most intriguing part. While most time is indeed spend there, I would've liked it if both we're dipped more into mystery. I would've liked to really wonder if the sorceress is good or bad.. or in between? I would've loved to be on my toes in the woods along with Grimm and Leo, finding the weirdest creatures ones mind can create.

I thought the tower where she lived was a very interesting take! The tower seems to "jump" into spots and therefor is hard to direct to. It's like she chooses to find you instead. There's plenty of doors left to open, in that regard (if you know you know).

Leovander was an interesting person and rather than seeing the perspective from someone who doesn't have a thing in the world but wants to, it's nice to switch up the pov to someone who has it all but wants to carve a different path for himself (or does he?)

All in all, I didn't think the story was bad at all. The writing was actually pretty smooth and fluent and I liked the story she picked. It's also to have such different characters, however it's kinda tough to get bonded with Grimm... him being so.. grim. I think the advertisement for a slow-burn romance is however false. The curse set the love in motion, whatever remains of it, is not too believable. I also don't really "feel" their connection, mainly because of Sebastian Grimm I suppose. He's not really one that, shows about anything, is he? Very static character. It's not really a romance, just two lads being stuck with one another because it's literally the curse making it unbearable to stay away. I think calling it a slow-burn really sets the expectations wrong from the start.

It won't be a book that will stay on my mind for long, but if you enjoy a character based cosy fantasy with magic imbued with music - you'll enjoy this read!