Sorcery and Small Magics is a cozy, whimsical fantasy with a slow burn romance that develops amidst the backdrop of a world where mastering Grandmagic, and passing the five tiers of magical education, cement your place in the gentry of magical society.
Our main characters - Leo Loveage, an upper-class rakish magician who can't cast Grandmagic, and Sebastian Grimm, an exceptionally powerful magician yet from a humble background - are charming in their own grumpy x sunshine, academic-rivals-to-lovers way, yet sometimes they felt rather disconnected to the world around them. The plot was great at the beginning, but towards the latter half it felt like most of the focus was on building the relationship than the world; if you enjoy character-driven stories more than plot-driven, this may be right up your alley.

I absolutely loved this story filled with:

A creative and unusual magic system
Rival magicians cursed together
A beautiful and deadly forest
A sorcerer in an enchanted tower
Characters with complex feelings
Secret histories to uncover

This felt like a really refreshing and fun story and I really can’t wait for the next instalment - do be aware though that it’s part of a series!

If you enjoy a cozyish magical adventure with curses, feelings, and fun this could be for you.

4.5 ⭐️ This was such an enjoyable and delightful book, from the beginning to the end! It definitely felt like a cozy fantasy, and the world building and magic system were really well done in my opinion. This was definitely quite a character driven book but it worked well as the characters (particularly Leo and Grimm) were very likeable and all their interactions were genuinely interesting. One of my only criticisms would probably be that I wish the side characters were developed a bit more, but honestly this book is almost perfect. The writing was fun and witty and made me literally unable to put the book down. Definitely, definitely recommend and I will for sure be reading book 2 when it comes out!

This book has interesting world building and plot. While I enjoyed it and the characters I would have liked a bit more character focus as suppose to plot, since that at time felt a bit drawn out. I however loved the last 90 pages pacing emensly.

It is a very promising first outing for a debut author and I would be interested in reading the sequel.

(This review will also be available on storygraph)

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for the ARC

A whimsical and enjoyable cozy fantasy. The book had complex and relatable characters, which I feel I don't see a lot of in fantasy. It was an enemies to lovers relationship and seeing the couple go from one end to another in their liking for each other was such a pleasure. The book also had a weird, magical forest which gave all the vibes. A fun mm cozy fantasy romance perfect for fans of TJ Klune

2024 has been a year of many good books I've enjoyed, but somehow I've managed to only pick up one that's left me with a five-star feeling and it's left me wondering for months on end - where is my next five-star read lurking? It only took a few chapters for me to warm up to our narrator Leo - I absolutely loved his voice and humour. Add to that a magic school setting with a rival character who is true to his name - Grimm - and you've already got a pretty good starting point.

If I've learned anything about myself as a reader and romance, it's that I love opposites attract and I love slow burn - the slower the better. This book does both perfectly well. Leo and Grimm are completely different in so many ways which leads to so many hilarious clashes that the odds of these two finding any common ground seems nearly impossible. Their dynamics were so much fun to read about and gradually see the shift over the course of the novel. That being said, as this is a trilogy, I was a wee bit worried what this would mean for the series. As it stands, it was so perfectly done in this first instalment that it leaves more than enough room for the follow up - I was nothing but a little frustrated that I didn't already have the second book on hand to see how things will further develop. I would also be very interested to see Grimm's point of view in the sequel, but I would just as happily follow Leo again as I truly loved his narrative.

Romance aside, it is generally speaking quite a standard European-esque fantasy world, but the magic system is interesting and I enjoyed that it requires at least two people to work together. I also like the new forms of Magic Leo and Grimm have been exploring as well as the Unquiet Wood. I'll never say no to a magic forest that may be as magical as it is deadly. I hope we will return to this setting in future instalments as I think there is still much left to be explored. I enjoyed the monsters which were equally terrifying and loveable if given the chance.

The pacing was great, the side characters were likeable and I genuinely can't think of a single thing I did not enjoy about this book. Leo and Grimm in particular will go down as some of my new favourite characters but as a whole, I am both eager to see how their story continues as well as what happens next in their world. And here we are - at long last, my second five-star read of 2024 - better late than never!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
4 stars book from me. Loved the plot and the storytelling in Sorcery and Small Magics and the relatable, likable characters,. Loved every single second reading it.

I loved this book. It's whimsical, with some pretty interesting worldbuilding, a magic academia setting combined with a very weird forest, and two loveable, complex characters at its heart.

Magic in this world is wielded by sorcerers, and there are two types of sorcerers. Scrivers write spells, but cannot cast except in very limited amounts. Casters cast spells, but need scrivers to write them for them. This means either type of magic users is pretty much useless without the other, which I though was a pretty cool concept.
The main function of sorcerers in this world is to protect the country from the wild forest surrounding it, where monsters live and even random plants are deadly. Anything from there can cross over and then it's trouble the sorcerers have to fix.

Leo is in his last year of sorcerer school, and he's on thin ice. He doesn't actually want to attend school, but his father made finishing this school a condition for his inheritance so he goes. He's a scriver, and while he's pretty good with cantrips and charms, he doesn't do grand magic. Whenever he tries, it goes horribly wrong so he's given up altogether. He's kind of the class clown, only tries enough that he doesn't get kicked out of school.

The book is written from Leo's 1st person POV, but the other major character is Sebastian Grimm, referred to as Grimm throughout the book. He and Leo can't stand each other, but somehow they can't stay away either. Leo loves to annoy him, the only thing he really can't stand is Grimm's indifference.

Unfortunately for both of them, they are paired together in duality class, where the casters practice with their scriver partner's spells, and one spell goes horribly wrong, leaving Leo bound to obey Grimm. Neither is willing to ask teachers for help considering what they've done is super illegal, and Leo won't try to write an antispell since he doesn't do grand magic.
Instead, they set out into the super deadly forest to seek out a sorcerer who lives there who specializes in countercurses.

This is very much a character driven book, while the world can be quite deadly the stakes are very personal, and Leo has a strong character arc throughout the book. He could be annoying at first but I loved being in his head and I loved watching him grow. His banter and antagonism with Grimm was funny and entertaining, but over the course of the book it turns into something deeper.
The romance in this is very slowburn, which I really appreciated. I hate when something is rivals or enemies to lovers and they want to bang within the first hundred pages of the book. Not the case here, they take their time, neither really in tune with their feelings, and it takes a lot of moments for the pair to see each other in different light, and while each moment only had some progress, these were beautiful to watch.

I enjoyed the side characters too, but won't give too much away about them, and I liked how Leo interacted with them. He's nice and easygoing where Grimm is very strict and grumpy and not that great with people.

I can't wait to read the next book and see where this is going, and am desperately hoping we'll get Grimm POV at some point in the future.

Would recommend this to people who like whimsical vibes, queer romance with very strong character work and personal stakes, and cool and unique world building.

Sorcery and Small Magics
by Maiga Doocy
Pub Date: 17th October 2024

Thank you so much to Little Brown Book Group for this ARC!

What a spellbinding and nostalgic read this turned out to be! Reading this book felt like a comforting mash-up of my favorite fantasy media, for who doesn’t love a story with a wizard school, a magical woods, and a lovable cast of characters?

The main highlight is definitely our two main characters: Sebastian Grimm and Leovander Lovage, who are not only enemies-to-friends, but have a hilarious repertoire and a fascinating arc. My weakness is sunshine characters who hide their pain with jokes and grumpy characters who actually have a heart of gold, which perfectly sums up the essence of Leo and Sebastian. I also loved how both characters revealed their secrets throughout the narrative, turning them from the more two-dimensional grumpy and sunshine archetypes, into conflicted and complex individuals. I cannot wait to see how their dynamic grows further!

The crux of the book is that a spell needs breaking. This brings me to the matter of magic – I enjoyed how this magic system not only divided magicians into casters and scrivers, but also how stakes and rules were used with the main spell, to add urgency to its undoing. This acted as scaffolding for the plot and intensified the pacing – it even acted as a distraction, so I did not see certain plot twists coming! Another magical aspect I appreciated was the atmosphere. I could see light filtering through the forest leaves, I could smell the old library, hear the patter of rain. It was beautifully done and made being enfolded in this beautiful world a great experience!

That being said, the book did feel a little ‘unlock achievement and get to the next level’, in terms of plot advancements. There were also moments where gaps in plot-time made the story a bit stop and start, which stopped the narrative from flowing all the way through, especially towards the ending: where there could have been more detail and consistency. I also wish the side-characters got more development and book-time, but cannot wait to see some of them go through fascinating character developments in book two and three!

The climactic point was a perfect culmination of all the choices and revelations made up to that point, which made it especially emotional and satisfying. Plus, I don’t think this often, but the ending was a great place to stop and left a lot of intrigue in place for book two. Cannot wait to read more of the trilogy and highly recommend this book to those who still believe in the warm glow of magic!

This cosy fantasy follows the wonderfully flawed Leocander Loveage who always aims to entertain even if it veers into self destruction. Forced to work alongside the ever perfect Grimm, a reminder of all of Leo's failings as a student, Leo sets out to antagonise his rival to the best of his ability landing the two of them on a path that will have them confront magical creatures, an unknowable sorceress and most terrifying of all, themselves

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the magic system was truly wonderful, I loved all of the magical creatures lurking in the unquiet wood and, for me, it had the perfect stakes to coziness ratio

Leo and Grimm are excellent multidimensional characters. Leo in particular made me want to smack him upside the head one page and then weep for him the next. I also personally thought they came across as neurodivergent and though this is never confirmed within the book I felt oddly seen by them, also Sybilla and Agnes are angels and I love them

My main grievances with this book are A) more Agnes pls B) Maiga how could you possibly end it there?? Pls I'm begging you

3.5/5

Thank you to Maiga Doocy, Little Brown Book Group, and NetGalley for providing this ARC 💜

Leo is a walking disaster, just trying to keep it together to pass his final year at the Fount, a school for sorcerers.
Shouldn’t be too hard right? Only thing is, his rival, the perfect Grimm, the best caster, is partnered with him. Then, they unknowingly fall victim to a curse which compels Leo to do whatever Grimm says. If authority finds out, they’re both screwed.

To break the curse, they must brave the strange and sprawling Wilderlands beyond the borders, where magic flourished unhindered, producing all sorts of odd creatures and plant life. Picture giants, flowers which can kill you, dogs with mouths for eyes.

“You're usually kept apart because anything else is more trouble than it's worth for the rest of us, but that's not the same thing as avoiding each other. Those restrictions were put in place because you both seem incapable of doing just that.”

Leo is a scriver, someone who writes spells, whereas Grimm is a caster. However, Leo refuses to write anything more powerful than small magic or charms as any time he attempted to write Grandmagic, it twisted to something wrong.
I liked how this was used to explore trauma and uncertainty and fear.

This was grumpy and sunshine troupe, non-stop talking, annoying each other as if it’s a sport. This is also sloooow burn.

Also, prepare yourself for an infuriating main character in Leo. Someone who seems to cause chaos wherever he goes (accidentally but normally purposefully).

Those bones had always been there, but their function had been silent, invisible. Then suddenly, with each painful breath, I was aware of them - their placement and their flaw. Perhaps it was dramatic to compare love to an injury, but that's how this felt. Like something that needed to be mended.

This reminded me of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, but I enjoyed this a lot more!

This was a fun break between longer, more intricate reads! I literally finished it in a day!
Recommended cozy high three stars! 🌟

Thank you to Little Brown Book Group for providing an arc in exchange for a review!

oooh I loved this book.
The character of Leo is so well written: fully developed, amusing, annoying, believable. I loved him.
The author crafts a well fleshed- out world of magic and society. The dialogue is good and relationships between characters are well thought out.
We follow our main character as he navigates his way into his final year of scriving (writing spells) with some reluctance. The reasons for which aren’t quite revealed until very near the end.. He is paired up with Sebastian Grimm. Totally different. Totally frustrating. An errant bit of casting and they find themselves drawn together on a mission to unspell their binding.
I laughed and cried and devoured it in one day.
Brilliant

Such joy, such magic, such whimsy! The most cosy of cosy reads that is perfect for all the family and has made me feel so ready for the upcoming autumn season

I got hooked by the writing style and stayed because of the funny banter and situations of the main characters. When they are together, chaos erupts between them. And because they are the polar opposites, it was fascinating to see how they started to understand each other because of the curse.
I really liked the slow build up of their friendship. It was a fun and cozy evening read, the time just flew by and I wanted to read more about Leovander and Sebastian. I can't wait for the second book.

This was fun and whimsical and I probably won't remember much of it a few months from now but that's okay!

The writing was very engaging and hooked me pretty much instantly. I don't always vibe with first person POVs, but this one worked for me, even if the narrator, Leo, is a bit of an annoyance at times. This is very much a grumpy-sunshine trope with a slooooowwwww burn, and Leo is the often-overbearing sunshine in this one.

However, I did find that made Leo more real. Yes, he is an unrelenting annoyance, but in a way that he's someone who often hides behind humour and nonchalance to hide his underlying feelings (yearning and guilt and earnestness, mainly). So, I get it.

The magic in this is fun, as you need both a scriver to write the spells and a caster to cast the spells, which obviously lends itself to forced proximity tropes, if that's what you're here for. And if you're not, well, I'd steer clear of this one, since the premise is that an accidental spell forces Leo into forced proximity with his academic nemesis, Sebastian Grimm. That's it, that's the book.

I found the settings of this book really shone, whether it be at the Fount, at Grimm's family farm in Dwull, or especially in the Unquiet Woods, which is full of danger and magical creatures and the best characters (Jayne and especially Sybilla). The writing brought the settings to life in a wonderful way.

I really enjoyed Sybilla as a character! I'm not even sure that I can articulate why that is, but I found her fascinating and just a joy to read. She was easily my favourite character; yes, even above Leo and Grimm, and it wasn't even a competition.

They were both fine characters. They were developed, they had personalities and backstories, and I could see their relationship building, which is lovely, but I just never fully attached to them myself.

Overall, this book had a lot of good ideas, writing, characters, magic, and setting, but it just never got beyond surface level for me. You'd think that would be good news, then, that it's the first book in a trilogy, but I do think this maybe should have been a standalone. I can see how you can expand the universe, but the ending of this one felt . . . abrupt. Not a cliffhanger, but just a "Is that it?" kind of moment.

It's a cute book, and if you want a cosy or whimsical fantasy, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. (It's also not particularly adult in content or in writing, so it can work fine for younger readers too.) I enjoyed reading this, even if it may not stick with me - here for a good time, not a long one.

3.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher, Orbit, and to NetGalley for the ARC.

I could sing this book’s praises all day, but I think the highest possible praise I can offer is how wonderfully original the story is.

The magic system was entirely new to me (someone who has read a tremendous amount of fantasy in my lifetime), the MCs at each others’ throats for the majority of the story had their character flaws at the forefront of my mind (which interestingly endeared me to them more), and while I knew the coziness meant that it’d probably all work out in the end I did find myself agonizing over the outcome of their circumstance and if everyone was going to end up okay.

The romance in the book yielded very little spice (or even steam, really) and has a glacially slow burn to it, but I appreciate the speed given how much Grimm & Leo really disliked each other at the start. For the romantics out there - fear not! The relationship forged between the two MCs is tender & easy to spot in their small gestures.

Doocy is masterful in her ability to craft beautiful, flawed, messy, lovable characters who feel genuinely real in the way they engage with each other and interact with their world. I am so excited for book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book gripped me from the start and would not let me go.

(To give that a bit more context, I finished it at 1am, and had only started it that evening.)

Leo specialises in small, and often trivial, spells, much to the chagrin of his rival classmate, Sebastian Grimm. When the pair become involved with a far more sinister magic, their lives are interwoven, and they must seek out aid before they are stuck together forever.

I loved the dynamic of these two characters, particularly how well Leo's humourous narration blends with the genuinely emotional moments of the story. The distinctions between their magic added some really interesting dimensions to the worldbuilding, and I loved how the quest narrative really gives the reader the opportunity to learn about this world alongside its protagonists.

The romantic elements were really well incorporated, and both the enemies to lovers and forced proximity tropes were used without feeling like a cliché. It was hard not to get drawn into their story, particularly as more and more secrets about the pair's history are revealed.

I'm a big fan of fantasies that blend both the cosy and high stakes, and this definitely hits the mark. I went through every emotion over the course of several hours, and will gladly do it again when I get to read the sequel!

Books with similar vibes - The Binding by Bridget Collins, A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft, Witchmark by C L Polk, and The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst.

I was quickly swept away by this story set in a fantastically built world, full of exciting characters and fascinating mysteries. I really appreciated the originality of the situation and seeing that every element of the story had a real purpose in the plot. From beginning to end, we are carried along by the author's writing, leaving us eager for the second book!

I absolutely adored this book!

We follow Leovander Lovage. A charming sorcerer who is only capable of scribing small Magics, charms and cantrips. Due to small mishap during one of his classes in University he ends up being ‘tied’ to his rival Sebastian Grimm. This is the story of how they go about trying to fix it.

The writing is exquisitely well done. The pacing starts off slow, gradually building until the end. The characters feel well fleshed out, multidimensional and real. The relationship building is superb. Leo and Agnes are hilarious together and you can feel how much they care for each other. Grimm and Lovage’s relationship is wonderfully rich and complex in the best of ways. There’s no instalove here. They’ve known eacvih other for a long time before the book begins, we see them grow from rivals, to unwilling allies, to friends etc. it’s all very gradual and feels believable. Yes the pacing is slow but the story is better because of it. It gives us the chance to see what the characters see in each other.

The Magic system is well thought out, original and not overly complicated. I loved how it worked and how Leovander already before the story even starts has found a way to be able to work with what he has adapt well. I felt well and truly invested all throughout and came to care a great deal about Leo and Sebastian.

Overall, this was a truly enjoyable read. You can tell the author has put their heart and soul into writing this book. It shows though their writing, the attention given to their characters and the thought behind the magic system.

I cannot wait until the next book and would recommend this to anyone who will listen.

Thank you to Little Brown Book Group Uk and NetGalley for the Arc. All opinions are my own and I’m leaving a review voluntarily

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I love picking up a book with no expectations and then absolutely devouring it.

Sorcery and Small Magics is an incredibly smooth read. There is nothing overly complicated about the plot or the world building, but there are still real stakes and twists that had me on the edge of my seat. Magic gone wrong, journeying through a murderous forest, yet all of that is background to the core of the story; the relationship between two very different characters with a very well-written relationship arc.

This author knows how to do a slow burn correctly. I have such a problem with enemies to lovers romances lately because they do rarely feel believable and they always feel a little toxic. Yet here, their relationship grows very naturally into begrudging respect and even friendship. (Mostly due to that delightful forced proximity trope)

I can’t wait for the next instalment of this and definitely recommend picking this one up!

5⭐️