I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Sorcery and Small Magics is a charming queer fantasy romance that I wish I had loved more. The positives were absolutely the magic and the worldbuilding. Those parts of the story had me intrigued the entire time.

However, unfortunately, it was the characters that fell flat for me while reading this. I understand why Leo feels the way he does, and the way his trauma affects his magic is an interesting plot point to explore, but it is what he does due to his internal issues that is hard to read, especially in the beginning. He repeatedly decides to purposely mess up, and the secondhand embarrassment was intense enough to make me put the book down multiple times and not want to pick it back up. Because of the way Leo treats everyone around him, pushing everyone away, the side characters felt underdeveloped. Since this is a trilogy, hopefully the side characters get more of a chance to shine in later books.

I still think this is a good debut, and I know many readers whose personal tolerance for secondhand embarrassment is higher than mine will love this.

I loved this so much! Enemies/rivals to lovers, lots of sass, and a really engaging plot. The character development was stellar as well!

I went into this book blind and the cover gave me completely different vibes. But I was captivated and wanting to devour this fun unique and heartwarming story. I loved the characters and how they start as rivals and how their relationship progresses from tolerance to need to understanding. It is such a joyful story and I'm definitely going to have these characters in my heart for a while to come. Hoping for more in this storyline.

Thank you for the arc!
This was just kind of okay to me. I liked Leo as a main character, but I never bought into the romance or Sebastian Grimm as an entire character. I am very intrigued by where the series will go though! I look forward to the sequel and hope it builds on this potential.

This book has it all.

A plucky protagonist ✔️

A grumpy gray-haired prodigy ✔️

Forced proximity ✔️

Idiots in love ✔️

I almost never read books in one day anymore. But I couldn’t put this one down.

Leo and Grimm are my ideal book couple. The only thing stronger than their mutual dislike of one another is the serious third degree yearns from both of them.

And this one is a SLOWWWWW burn. As in, we’re still smoldering on the last page. As someone who appreciates but is a bit tired of the insta-love trope in romantasy, this was refreshing.

Also incredibly refreshing? No internal monologue about how horny the MC was the whole time. No constant reminders of the state of his genitalia. Just an odd curse, the nature of which Leo (and I) were not aware of until LATE in the game that gave this book a really interesting paradigm shift. Is this a romance when one party is FORCED to love the other? And how much of those feelings will prove to be real when the curse is lifted? Can you trust your assessment of those feelings? Only time (and a sequel) will tell. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Really enjoyed this book! The POV voice is wonderfully entertaining, and the magic is clever snd fun to discover. I’m just infuriated that I didn’t realize it wasn’t a standalone. 😅

So not sure if you guys have noticed but by now I adore cozy fantasies and this one is not strange. i loved it . So damn cute 🥰 , I hope the other books in the series are about this two because I want more , so much more . Loved it

It was delightful. It’s a rivals to lovers story set at a magic academy. Leovander Lovage is the son of a wealthy magician. But he is too afraid to use grand magic after an incident in his childhood that went terribly awry. His rival at the academy is a man named Sebastian Grimm, a student from the lower classes with a secret he’d rather not have his snobby classmates to know about.
When Sebastian and Leo end up paired together for a crucial class, a spell casting goes wrong leaving Leo compelled to follow Sebastian’s commands as the result of a highly illegal curse. If anyone finds out about the mistake they’ll both be face serious consequences. But as they start to grudgingly work together Leo finds himself being more and more drawn to Sebastian, but how can he trust this feeling when it’s probably just the work of the curse?

Favorite Parts - I loved seeing Leo’s progress as he grows emotionally through the story. What initially seems like a superficial flighty character turns out to have a lot more going on behind a pretty face. The same for Sebastian, his gruff exterior hides a lot of deep emotions. The thing I loved the most was the magic system and how it brought them together. To use magic you need a scriver to write the spell and a caster to speak it into being. I loved the partnership aspect. And for Leo to find a way of bring his passion and his music into the process was beautiful.

Cozy fantasy and a quest to a magical forest get together to deliver a whimsical story.

Impulsive sorcerer of small magics and violinist, Leovander Loveage (I absolutely love his name), and his totally opposite, rule-follower, talented sorcerer, and one of his least favorite people in the world, Sebastian Grimm, are forced to work together in one of their classes. After an accident with a forbidden spell, the two are obliged to venture to the Unquiet Woods full of monsters and dangerous outlaws in the search of a counterspell.

This is a fun and cozy story with a very unique magic system, magic trough music and a little bit of chaos.

Thank you Net Galley and Orbit books for an ARC of this book. I can't wait to read book 2. I have a feeling Grimm did not use the feather.

The magical MM romance book reads like a warm cozy hug. Leovander Loveage and Sebastian Grimm are opposites in every way and avoid one another in their magical community. Forced together by a forbidden spell that binds Leo to follow all of Grimm’s commands, the pair must go on a quest through the Unquiet Wood to find a powerful sorcerer who can undo the curse.

I’m a sucker for grump/sunshine, forced proximity, and banter and Doocy delivers! Leo’s free spirit, incessant chattiness, and adoration for small prank charms and music were easy to love, while Grimm’s quiet intensity, desire for order, exceptional talent, and sense of loyalty were a perfect complement to Leo’s magic.

Watching these two slowly learn more about one another’s hidden insecurities while simultaneously falling for each other was a joyful journey. I laughed, teared up, and celebrated when Leo and Grimm find their magical abilities, when working together, are unique and powerful! This book sets up a new magical series and I cannot wait to return to this world.

4.25

This book was cute and cozy but with enough adventure to keep things interesting. It starts out with grumpy/sunshine HP fanfic vibes (complimentary) with Leo and Grimm as enemies at a magic school. But once a curse goes awry, they set off together on a quest for a cure into the dangerous magical wood. I enjoyed Leo as a narrator, and the magic system and his relationship to it was fun to read about. He and Grimm complimented each other perfectly, and I loved reading their relationship growing. I did think the book was a bit long, and there were parts that felt slow to me. I also expected it to be a standalone, and it's actually the first in a trilogy, so be aware of that going in! Overall I recommend this for a lighter, if somewhat meandering, read. Thanks to Orbit and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

I really loved this book!

This felt like a great fanfic vibe of a story. And I mean that as a HUGE compliment. I love fanfic. And this was the type I'd reread constantly.

For some reason I thought this was a standalone and I think that made me not enjoy it as much as I would've if I knew it was a series. I kept waiting for the love story aspect to pick up and things to get resolved and so the ending felt very dissatisfying until I turned the page and realized it said there would be another.

I liked the characters a lot.

Leo was fun and I love that we got a little of the backstory to see the real him behind cocky give no shits attitude.

Grimm was stoic and I love how loyal he is. I like the backstory we got, but I hope we learn a lot more about him.

I think the love story was cute, but was a little underwhelmed. Most of the book was just them two, yet I feel like I didn't get super invested in them. Like, I am! And I want them together, but I'm not as obsessed with them as I was hoping.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and I'm definitely excited to see where it goes next!

I enjoyed this book a lot. I read another review that this was Ella Enchanted for the gays, and it definitely had some elements from that.

I thought the book was very easy to read and paced well. Even though this book is tagged romance and there are hints of a future romance, there is none in this book. I did not realize this was the beginning of a trilogy, but I look forward to reading the others. The magic in this book was interesting with people who specialized in writing the spells and others in casting. I also like the connection between music and magic and want to see that explored in future books. The world can be easily expanded and so can the side characters. Overall, a fun book that I will definitely read the others in the series.

I really enjoyed this sweet story! It's not necessarily as cozy as I expected because the stakes are quite high at times, but I loved the relationship development and the cast of characters. Looking forward to reading the next!

🌟4.5 Stars🌟

This was such a rich and interesting magic system. The romance was also such a good time, with some really great buildup. I will say I went into this book assuming that it was a standalone so for a bit I was really concerned that we weren’t wrapping up the story. However, I’m happy to know that this series is going to keep going with these two boys. This slow burn enemies to lovers is going to be delectable. I can’t wait for book two, I need more of these dumb boys in denial.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A fantastic fantasy novel. What a joy. I am glad I learned it was the start of a series, though, because otherwise I would've felt the pacing was a bit slow.

I found myself quickly wrapped up in the lives of Leo and Sebastian. The world Maiga Doocy has created could easily fit into novels like Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries and leans heavily into the cozy aspect, but be prepared for an incredibly slow burn in the romance department. After finishing more spicy novels, it took me a bit to adjust but was charmed by the forced proximity and adversaries to lovers trope as those are some of my favorites.

Overall giving this 4 stars as I found a heavy desire to know more about the magical systems as it relates to the world. There were hints of larger conflicts going on, but not enough time was spent delving into why these magicians would go into the Coterie. And in regards to the characters, I would have liked to seen some more softer (or lighter) moments from Sebastian.

I definitely look forward to the rest of the series to see if those novels give more of what I was desiring from this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for this ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

Leovander Lovage is a sarcastic and witty character. Quick to turn to humor when things grow uncomfortable, and has a penchant for mischief. Leo has a complicated relationship with magic, and discovering his limitations is enlightening and heartbreaking. While he is a scriver, he is limited to writing small magics. Anything else grows out of control when cast. There is much Leo has buried from his past which influences how he writes magic.

Sebastian Grimm has his own difficult past with magic as a caster. And having to deal with Leo’s constant pestering wears down on his nerves. When he is paired up with Leo as his scriver, things quickly go from downright annoying to terribly wrong when a curse is accidentally included in Leo’s spells. And while at first, they think they’ll have enough time to deal with it on their own, the curse has other ideas.

Forced together to find a cure, Leo and Sebastian must embark on a quest to traverse a dangerous forest and find the one sorcerer who can help them. Leo’s going to have to learn to curb his mischievous side if they're going to make it out alive. And all the while the curse, a love spell no less, will hammer away at his emotions driving him closer to Grimm. The rivals will have quite the journey, and mishaps along the way as they search for the sorcerer.

The evolution of Leo and Grimm’s characters is entertaining and remarkable. Forced into a situation neither of them wants, they have to work together and put aside their rivalry. The curse adds an extra layer of complication, and Leo begins to second guess everything he feels. The tension between not only the characters, but the sense of running out of time heightens the reader’s experience. Coupled with sarcastic humor and witty banter, Sorcery and Small Magics is for those who enjoy magic and fantasy have to read.

4.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Maiga Doocy, and Orbit Publishing for allowing me to read this early.

The plot to this book seems simple enough and one we've heard before. The characters are cursed and they want to find a way to break the curse. It seems simple enough but not this time. The author took this idea and ran with it in a new and unique was that I haven't seen before and made it fun and refreshing!

This is a slow burn for sure, like slooooow burn. It is the first book in a trilogy and I am sure that the romance will amp up in the next two books. I hope it will at least. The Leo and Grimm definitely have chemistry and I enjoyed their banter and relationship, especially with them being rivals, I just definitely need more of them together in future books.

The world building was wonderful and the magic system they created was artfully done. From the first few pages I felt like I was in the world I was reading and that's always a huge plus for me.

I do feel like some things were left unanswered, and I know that there are going to be more books, but I had hoped that some of the things would have been wrapped up at the end of book one or at least slightly answered. I'm hoping we'll get the answers in books 2 and 3.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book and can't wait to get my Fairyloot edition of it!