The fact that I got to read this book for free is a criminal offense that I will immediately remedy to by preordering a physical copy right this instant. October is so far away :,)

Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and the author for giving me an eARC of this book.

I cannot believe that this is a debut book because the style is already so engaging. Leo had me on the first page. He has a voice, he has a vibe and he IS the moment. I took to highlighting in green the moments where he made me laugh or when I just found him charming. There is a lot of green in my book now. I have a lot of love for Leo, but Grimm is just as interesting in all his taciturnity and glowering. Case in point: I have more red tabs (Leo and Grimm moments) than I have green (Leo alone) and Leo's the narrator. ALSO! This book is how you do an "enemies"/rivals/whatever to...well not lovers but they will get there. The connection they experienced felt genuine, beyond the spell and beyond their differences. I love them both so much.

Anyways I will talk about this book until the end of time, and I already know what my sister is getting for Christmas.

This one wasn't for me. I'm really not interested in romance, at least not when it's a main theme of the book. Romance exists in most people's lives, so I get that there will be some that I'll have to get through, but it was too much a focus of this one for me. If you're into romantasy, however, this will be for you!

I loved so much of this book. I raved about this book to anyone who would listen to me. I swear, liking this was my only personality trait for the week I spent reading it. It had nice, cozy fantasy vibes, and I am obsessed with how the slow burn was done. The main characters were both hilarious in their own ways, and I loved their dynamic (Grimm is one of my favourite characters at the moment). Based on how the magic system was explained, Leo's place as a Scriver who can occasionally cast via spellsongs confuses me, but I am assuming that may be intentional and explored further in the following books. Even the side characters and supporting cast were all extremely memorable and adorable characters in their own right. Honestly, I would probably read short stories/novellas based on a lot of their lives before and after their encounters with the main duo.

While I loved this book so much and hoped it would be a five-star read, I couldn't get over the cave/valley scene. [The "and everyone clapped" vibes it gave me broke my immersion so much that I had to put the book down and take a little break. I wanted to love it because "MC overcoming their greatest fear to save their loved one" is such a fun trope, but I couldn't stand how it was executed for some reason. (hide spoiler)]

I'm going to be entirely honest and say this book put me in a reading slump because of how much I didn't want to finish it and have to wait forever for the next book. However, how Grimm acted in the final chapter gave me enough information to know that I will eagerly wait for the release of the next book, and I will likely have a similar love for it as well.

Ah, yes, finally something to fill the hole that the ending of Freya Marske’s The Last Binding trilogy left within me. This feels in a lot of ways just like that trilogy, if not almost exactly the same. I won’t say this book is doing anything entirely new, but it’s fun and has a pretty good slowburn with hate to love. Not my favorite, but fun and engaging. I’m glad I read it— I just don’t know if I’d reread it.

Are you aching for a story to fill you with the joy that Freya Marske’s The Last Binding filled you with? Sorcery and Small Magics is perfect for you. The magic may be small, but the fun is not.

Rival sorcerers are forced to work together when one of them accidentally places an obedience curse on the other. If anyone discovers the curse, they'll be expelled or even imprisoned. With the effects of the curse growing ever worse, they'll have to venture into the dangerous woods and confront what exactly it is that makes them hate each other so much-- or even whether they hate each other at all. 5 wonderfully gay stars for the enemies to lovers cozy fantasy of my dreams 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Such an absolute pleasure to read! I was invested in Leo and Sebastian. This has the right combination of humor, adventure, and romance. I look forward to reading more in this world!

This was a lot of fun! The narrative voice (1st-person POV of Leo) is so strong and carries consistently throughout the novel. Leo is a very interesting and complex character, to me. He has such a wealth of guilt and self-hatred that morphs into sabotaging himself at every turn, but he does it with a smile or a violin accompaniment because he is, if nothing else, an enjoyer of FUN. This, obviously, puts him at direct odds with Sebastian who's a bit of a tougher nut to crack as a reader because the entirety of the book is in Leo's POV, which skews the perception of Sebastian as a character a certain way. What is readily apparent though is that he's studious, serious, and doesn't like to suffer fools. I did want a bit more moments of... understanding(?) I guess between Leo and Sebastian. Mostly because, while this book is a very, very slow burn in the romance department, it sort of felt like it was missing that little something that made the burgeoning relationship click for me.

Despite that, I'd highly recommend this. It's such a strong debut and a strong start to a hopefully strong trilogy. I definitely look forward to seeing more in this world and more of Sebastian and Leo!

If you are still skeptical about the hype surrounding the sudden popularity of cozy fantasy stories Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy will definitely convince you that the hype is real. This book has been a delight to read. So much in fact that it took away my Saturday and you know what it definitely deserved it. Sorcery and Small Magics is a delightful debut by Maiga Doocy that will make a great addition to your bookshelf.

4.25 stars

This was a really fun book full of magic, adventure, and friendship. This was somewhere between low and medium stakes - like, there were things to be accomplished but it wasn’t stressful. Leo and Grimm were both really interesting characters and watching them go from rivals to friends (to maybe more in the future????) was really fun. I would’ve liked a little more of Grimm’s backstory but since this is the first book in a series I expect that will come (at least I hope so!) I liked all the side quests and characters and thought this was just a fun, light fantasy read

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC!

Tha k you so much NetGalley and Orbit Books for this arc!!

5/5 stars!!!

This was FANTASTIC! Definitely one of if not my my favourite book I've read so far this year. This was full of funny antics and adventures, I was highly entertained from start to finish. Leo is such a well fleshed out character with such a funny and distinct personality, he was instantly cast as Robert Sheehan and I will take no other suggestions, thank you. Their sense of humour, sarcastic wit, and comedic timing are perfectly matched. Grimm was so grumpy and stoic, it was really lovely watching him become softer and more receptive to things in time, in his own way. He couldn't be anyone other than book/movie six Draco, all brooding angst and high tension. This did feel like it might have been Drarry inspired, and tbh I'm not mad about it 😂

I loved this book from start to finish, and I desperately need book two now please 🥹

This book was so enjoyable from start to finish. It managed to take the wizard school trope we all love and create something completely unique with it! I absolutely love the way in which we get an enemies to lovers through an LGBTQ lens- not to mention how that is so completely normalized in this magical world. I couldn't put this book down, it really kept me on my toes in the best way possible!

I loved this book so much. I was engrossed pretty much from the very beginning and could barely put it down. The story was a lot of fun. There's something about magic schools that just get my going, it's probably one of my favorite tropes.

The characters were a lot of fun as well. Leovander Loveage (Can we talk about his name? I love it so much) is such a fun character to read about. I loved reading about all of his antics and his apparent problem with out other main character, Sebastian Grimm.

Grimm's character is one of my favorites. I'm a sucker for them. He seems all dark and brooding (and while he probably is) he honestly just wants to be left alone, but of course Leo can't have that.

The magic system is a lot of fun as well. It's sort of a checks and balances system. You can cast spells, but you can't write them, and vice versa. It's really interesting, in my opinion, and I can't wait to see more of it in the other books.

I love the gentle way that Leo and Grimm became, well, almost friends. It was subtle, but good god I need more, like right now.

The stakes in this book aren't world-ending but more personal, and it was really refreshing not to have such bombastic reasoning for doing things. It was as low stakes as it could possibly get, but it was still so refreshing to read. Of course, there are a lot of challenges along the way, and I cannot wait to see how these two get on in the later books.

This was such a cute read, and I 100% recommend giving it a shot.

Such a delight to read! I was fully enraptured from the start. I felt like I was walking through a wild forest filled with monsters along with Leo and Grimm. I loved how Leo’s violin-playing was so woven into the plot (reminiscent of The Name of the Wind or This Savage Song). The ending had my heart all twisted up and now I just have to wait for book two?! 😩

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit books for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

The ultimate clown moment was me not knowing this was going to be a series when I started it - even though it’s written right under the title on Goodreads🤡

Anyways clownery aside, I really enjoyed this. This book managed to take what was already one of my favorite settings (a magical academy) and then change it to another one of my favorite settings (forests) so it could have done literally nothing else and I still would have been satisfied with the vibes.

This was relatively low stakes - or as low stakes as a book can be when the plot revolves around lifting a curse - but the plot still manages to be consistently engaging and nicely paced. The magic system was another highlight, it was simple but effective and had some creative bonuses.

I will say, at first the romance had me worried. For the first 20% ish I honestly wasn’t feeling the chemistry - turns out I just needed to trust the process. I wound up loving how much of a slow burn this was and the progression of their relationship felt really natural to me.

I really don’t want to be nit-picky but there were a few moments where this felt a little too tropey for me. Honestly though, that’s probably to be blamed on all the terrible romance books I’ve read where the authors have the same motto toward tropes that people have toward Pokémon cards, so I doubt this will bother people who don’t mind a couple popular tropes thrown in. I just have personally grown tired of most of them. Even with those tropes though, this was still so lighthearted and cozy it didn’t bother me too much.

Overall, this was cute, cozy, and quick and sometimes that’s all you need. This goes to show how much of a perfect blend those things can be when they’re executed well. Thank GOD that this book didn’t end on a super dramatic cliffhanger, so hopefully I’ll be able to patiently wait for the second one. For now I’m going to give it a 3.75 but I’ll probably wind up bumping that up so I’m giving it a four on here instead of rounding down.


~🄾🅅🄴🅁🄰🄻🄻 🅁🄰🅃🄸🄽🄶: ★ ★ ★ ✰ ✰.75~

Today I’m reviewing Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy. In this fantasy romance, we follow our MC Leovander (Leo for short) Loveage, the class clown, if you will, in his magical world. It’s his last year at what I think would be equivalent to University, and he’s on thin ice. During one of his classes, Leo is partnered with possibly his least favorite classmate Sebastian Grimm, who, by the way, accidently places a forbidden spell on Leo.

Gasp.

What an absolutely delightful book!

Every page was a delectable treat! From the world building, the magic system, to our two main characters, it reads like magic. The way most beloved stories do. And as for the romance, dearest readers, it’s a confection of favorite tropes: opposites attract, forced proximity (and it’s chef’s kiss when you find out what spell Grimm actually casts on Leo), to the slowest burn, mixed together with action and adventure, like me, you’ll be anxiously awaiting the sequel.

I could not get enough of this book. I’m already thinking about a re-read or requesting the audiobook.

I think this will become your next bookish obsession, especially if you love romantasy. Where you will constantly refresh NetGalley to see when the second novel will be available for download. 😂

Don’t hesitate to pre-order this one.

Books like these make me both adore and loathe being given ARCs in enhance for reviews. Why? Well, the synopsis of this book was interesting enough to make me add it to my TBR... where it most likely would have sat for the rest of eternity had it not been for NetGalley, which would have been a shame given just how much I enjoyed this whimsical, cozy fantasy novel. But now I have to wait for (what seems to be) an eternity to read book 2!

Leo Lovelace is his own worst enemy in Sorcery and Small Magics and tries to distract himself from his past trauma by antagonizing those around him (in mostly harmless ways). If no one expects anything from Leo (beyond mayhem) then Leo can't expect anything from himself, either. He believes this is the way to protect himself and others from the sheer power of his magic that he can't seem to control.

When Leo accidentally gives his nemesis a spell to cast that links the two in a not-so-lovely way, Leo must finally face his past and all he's running from in order to break the curse. As Leo and Sebastian get to know one another as more than rivals, though, it becomes clear that it's more than the spell that's strengthening their magical partnership. Together, they start to see themselves, see each other, and see the world in new (and more profound) ways.

Romance wise, Sorcery and Small Magics is definitely a slow-burn... but I think the author did a fantastic job at setting up the foundation for Leo and Sebastian's relationship in the sequel.

I loved how the book explored trauma and grief while also remaining light-hearted and cozy, and I can't wait to see where book 2 goes with those themes once it's (eventually) released.

And of course, (begrudgingly) thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, I'm delightfully surprised by how much I enjoyed this! It really reminded me of magic books from my youth, all grown up. I loved the characters, the atmosphere, and the magic system is one I can see getting even more interesting and complex as the trilogy goes on. I felt like some world-building could have been more in-depth (you're really thrown right into the action here which makes it a fun, compelling read) but you're sort of left to your own devices when it comes to figuring out the the magic, government, and different lands that are all mentioned here as if you already know about them. I got past it quickly, though, and genuinely just had so much fun reading this. I cannot wait for the sequel and hopefully the slow burn romance gets a lil' more juicy in the next round!

I'm kind of mad at this ending like can those two lovable idiot define the relationship first?? Now I have to wait for book two?? This is such a slow burn. I really loved this though, kind of felt like cozy fantasy for most of it and I love the relationship between those two!

DNF @25%

I am very sad that this book didn’t work for me, but them’s the brakes. I wanted to give this book a fair shot when I noticed the ton was quickly not for me - I’m not super in to cozy fantasy, but other parts of the synopsis sounded fantastic - but I had issues with the pacing and Leo as an MC - especially as the narrator.

Leo - This young man cannot get out of his own way and he knows it, which makes it impossible to root for him. Being stuck in his head was tiring and eye-roll inducing at points. There is also so, so much mentioning of drinking or Leo being drunk, as well - it colored my opinion of him and he never redeemed himself.

Sebastian, we barely knew you but you seem very serious. Best of luck.

As for the plot, the “enemies” portion of “enemies to lovers” was there and well done, I could tell the burn would be long and slow to get these two to “lovers” and I was fine with that (until I couldn’t stand Leo). However, the major plot point - the curse - happens early on - and it seems like nobody who knows is that concerned with getting the curse removed from Leo in a timely fashion. Also, this very super serious curse taking place in such a cozy setting was a bit of whiplash.

I did feel like the world-building was well done and interesting. The character work really lacked for me, as did the pacing. The idea of plodding along with Sebastian and Leo for another 300 pages wasn’t something I was looking forward to, and I won’t be.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Leo is studying magic only because his wealthy father insists: and if he doesn't, he won't receive the beloved estate left him by his dead mother. And despite his early magical promise, Leo only performs the smallest, most frivolous of tricks these days: he'll change someone's hair color or summon a flock of butterflies.

Grimm, meanwhile, is a scholarship student, hard-working and ambitious. If he has a good year (it's something like senior year is school), he hopes to join the royal protection corps that keeps the land safe.

But then a lab assignment goes horribly awry, and the two are bound by a curse that binds them tighter and tighter. Unable to seek help at school (Leo will be ejected, and Grimm would face criminal charges, regardless of how innocently he cast the spell), they head into the wilds to seek the help of a nameless, possibly imaginary wizard.

The novel is whimsical and propulsive: I gulped it down during a long day of plane travel, emerging from the story both satisfied and also looking forward to episode 2. It's tempting to list the tropes, but instead, let me focus on the good writing that lifts this entertainment above its fellow cozy-magic-academia fellows: the magic system — spells are written by one and cast by another — is fleshed out and plumbed, while the society, with its careful demarcations of class and talent, feels complete. The characters each has an essential hurt, but each is more than the that single issue, and their very delicate, tentative friendship unfolds organically.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit publishing for the eARC in exchange for my unfettered opinion.