I was STOKED for a cozy fantasy but I just didn’t feel invested in this one. First we have Leo who is a spoiled rich boy who enjoys getting drunk and hooking up but he won’t stop talking about it like a 15 year old boy who is trying to impress the older kids. Then there’s Grimm who has as much emotion as me when I was on lexapro (absolutely fucking none).
These two are supposedly falling for each other and I get this is supposed to be a “slow burn” but this burned slower than American Spirits.
I did however enjoy the creativity of this world. It really felt magical to be in this story but unfortunately the characters and I just didn’t mesh

Thank you Orbit Books, Maiga Doocy, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this review.

WOW. I absolutely loved and needed this book. I'm an avid enjoyer of M/M romance and this book does the romantasy genre so well.

I’m having a difficult time putting into words just how much I loved this book. It’s stunning. It’s funny, it’s irritating (in a very good way), it’s heartwarming, it’s quite possibly the best book I’ve read this year. Thank you to NetGalley for the arc, this was truly a spectacular read.

A Sorcery of Small Magics follows Leo and Grimm, a spell writer and caster duo placed together not by choice, but instead professor-picked partners. They have a history of hating each other and disastrous encounters. This story follows them during their fifth academic year. I feel like any more than that would just be spoiling the journey.

If you enjoy dnd, you may find yourself tucked into the perfect quest narrative. The magic system is wonderfully unique. I’d put it on the softer side, but there’s enough boundaries that these sorcerers by no means seem endlessly powerful. There’s very enjoyable wit and humor.

Truly this was such a simply yet so perfectly crafted book. I simply cannot wait for book two.

Unfortunately I loved this book less than I wanted to. I found myself aggravated by the main character's reckless and selfish behavior--perhaps I thought of him a little like the love interest did in the beginning! But while they had magic to help them fall in love, I did not. That said, I enjoyed the worldbuilding and how the magic systems work. I feel the marketing for this one was a little off, because them delving into the dark woods to explore how to break their curse didn't happen until midway through the book, and progressed in a way that made me feel like the book didn't really live up to its expectations. It was more of a magical school feeling, where we are exploring how magic works as the character is struggling with it. Additionally, the world didn't feel truly lived in, because as a reader we had no inkling about some of these magic issues in the world until another character mentioned it to the main character, and then we got an info dump about it... I would have preferred having some allusion or sense of scope to this before it was info dumped. But maybe it was because the story was being told through the lens of such a self-involved character. Either way, unfortunately, it wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the eARC!

I absolutely loved this book. I love a good slow burn, and this is the second slowest burn I’ve ever read, which is ultimately very hard to do well, but oh boy does Maiga Doocy deliver. From magic studies rivals to cursed to work closer together than desired or anticipated to the slightest of feelings that are still yet to be fully acknowledged by the end of the book, this first book in The Wildersongs Trilogy does slow burn in a very unique way, and I found it VERY hard to put down.

Through the first person narrative of the unreliable Leovander Loveage we get to see this first book unfold alongside his favourite person to prank and poke fun at, Sebastian Grimm. While he is definitely a bully to Grimm, it becomes obvious fairly early on that there is a lot of underlying trauma that leads to his actions, and as he and Grimm are forced to work together, we see both of their stubbornness and rigidity unraveled and explained really well.

This is also an excellent depiction of the ADHD class clown and the rule following Autistic pairing that is absolutely delightful to witness on page. In this, at times I felt some of the same vibes that Robin and Edwin give off before they fall in love in Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light, but the enemies part lasts deliciously much longer.

The magic system is also really unique. I found that particularly compelling! There are both Scrivers and Casters, and very rarely can someone do both. But in addition to that, Maiga has woven in a storyline that combines the two through music, and seems to connect Leo and Grimm in a type of magical compatibility through the use of song casting that is really beautiful and cool! As a musician myself, I love love love this storyline.

If you love a cool magic system, cozy fantasy, control curses, magical forest navigation, sorcerers in towers in the woods, a good slow burn enemies to not quite yet lovers, and music, you will devour this book like I did. What a great debut novel for Maiga Doocy! I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in the trilogy!

4.75 stars This was fast-paced and understandably explained the magic system. The romance, or not romance, between the MMCs is believable. I would recommend this to someone who is looking for a M/M romance that was slow build, and I mean slow. So slow it needs another book to get there.

This was such a ridiculously fun romp! I'm so excited it's going to be a series.

Leo's voice grabbed me from page one. Even though this is a cozy book, he has a very sardonic sense of humor that I thought balanced the cozy elements really well. The book has this perfect, slow-burn, electric chemistry queer romance that I could eat up fast enough. It's got grumpy x sunshine vibes, which I adore, and a romance dynamic where they slowly come to accept the others' presence in their lives. I also really adored the magic system, because it was a take on similar magic systems that I've never seen before. This made the magic and the world feel both familiar and intriguingly unique, a blend that I found to be wonderfully nostalgic.

I've only been hearing good things about this book, and for good reason. It's a delight, and I think all fantasy fans will enjoy it.

Thank you so much to Orbit and Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank everything that’s good that this is a trilogy. I was not satisfied with this ending - it’s good but my heart was temporarily broken with “that’s it? It’s over? 🥺” at the last word. I confirmed the story continues, and I can breathe confidently again. I love, love, love Leo. In all ways. I also love Grimm for very different reasons. I love their banter, tension and general push/pull. I hate not having more. The character dynamics in this story have a vice grip on my heart. I genuinely adore this book.

Oh this story. It’s cozy-ish. It’s academia. It’s school enemies to forced partners. It’s an adventure. It’s mysterious tower in the woods and the paroles to get there. There are monsters/creatures. Are they what they seem to be?? Clearly I loved this and encourage anyone to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Maiga Doocy, Hachette audio, and Orbit books for this audio and eARC. I did personally purchase this as well.

Overall Rating: 4.25 / 5 (rounded down to 4)

This book is a perfect addition to everyone’s cozy fantasy shelf. The narrative style reminded me a lot of “The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches” while the plot had solid stakes like “Nettle & Bone”.

Overall I enjoyed reading through Leovander Loveage (Leo) and his best attempts to stay as far away as possible from Sebastian Grimm. Leo is a fun narrator to follow along with, witty and unserious but also very observant. The major plot of this is revealed quite quickly but I did find it satisfying to watch the progression of the spell that bound the two together. I also appreciated that solving the curse did not come easily to the characters, in fact making some situations even messier than before.

However, with the major conflict being revealed pretty early in the story, it did feel like the pacing was uneven. The beginning felt very well paced to me, still feeling pretty quick even though there was world building, character introductions, and descriptions of the magic system. Then it began to slow down as more time was given to Leo’s self-discovery, which I thought did a fantastic job to flesh out his character further, but I was getting antsy to see where the story would head to next. I did also find the resolution of the major conflict a bit underwhelming, but I am interested enough to read the sequel to see if it is explained in further detail.

I definitely enjoyed this author’s writing style and I plan on reading their future works.

I knew that I would love Sorcery and Small Magics from the description, but nothing could have prepared me for this perfectly charming, heart wrenching, magical little book.

Our protagonists are Leovander and Sebastian—better known to Leo as his last name, Grimm—who are studying sorcerers on opposite sides of a beautiful, original magical system where some are blessed to write spells and others are blessed to cast them. Leovander does small magic—aesthetic changes like eye color, socks that always stay cozy. He doesn't touch grand magic with a ten foot pole because it always seems to go wrong. Grimm is a skilled caster and Leovander's favorite person...to bother. Just bother. Until one day, paired in class, a spell gone wrong means Leovander is cursed to obey Grimm's every command.

The journey they take to attempt to break the curse is filled with charming side characters and dynamic plot beats that help to flesh out an utterly lush world that made me thrilled when I recalled this book would be the first in a series as opposed to a standalone. I was so in it that I'd forgotten, and was immediately excited when I recalled I would have more time than these pages to spend in the universe the author built out.

However, as much as I loved the universe, the story's core is the dynamic between Leovander and Grimm. Rivals, mutual annoyances, however you'd like to see them—it's easy when a book starts with characters the way they are to fall into typical tropes and make a story feel done before. And while the slow (SLOW) burn between them does feel cozy and homey, harkening to relationship beats I adore, Doocy was consistently surprising me, both with reveals about each character individually and how they engaged with one another.

The book did an incredible job at making me feel satisfied with the story I had just read, but also instantly chomping at the bit for more. Not only am I eagerly anticipating the next installment, but I also know anything this author does, I'll be right in line.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for the eARC for review, though I immediately pre-ordered copies of my own so I could own this book forever.

Leo and Grimm have joined the ranks of my favorite fictional characters. They lept off the page, made me feel so many things. This is the sort of book I loved so much moving on to my next read doesn't seem appealing. I swooned, I laughed, I sobbed and I nearly chucked my Kindle when I realized it was the end. I cannot wait for Leo and Grimm's continued adventure!

Sorcery and Small Magics is a highly character-driven story, but the setting and world-building are equally well done. It leans more towards "light academia" rather than dark, with the characters spending a good deal of time away from the school. One of the highlights for me was the realistic portrayal of family dynamics, which added depth to the story.
The romance is very much a slow burn, and the story is told entirely from the point of view of one of the male main characters (MMC). Personally, I would have preferred a dual POV, as I wasn’t too fond of the character we followed.
Although I liked the book, it didn’t engage me enough to make me rush to pick up the sequel. I’ll likely read it at some point, but it’s not high on my priority list.

Thanks to Netgalley, Maia Doocy and Orbit for this e-ARC

Sorcery and Small Magics was a fun and whimsical fall read with lots of cozy vibes. I fell in love with the world of the story, and I can't wait t read future installments.

One of my favorite things about this book was the magic system. I love how magic felt like a force that was alive and sentient, responding to its own whims. Along the same vein, I'm obsessed with any book that has a spooky forest, especially one that's law unto its own. Aside from the vibes, I loved both of the characters and how they grew from adversaries to reluctant allies and then friends (or more?). I also really liked the hints of political tensions we got in this book. I wish we got a bit more of it in this book, but I'm sure it's coming. I'm looking forward to seeing how these elements play out in future books in the trilogy.

I will say, despite the blurb, this book barely qualifies as a romance. While there's romantic tension in heaps, it's very very slow burn and the romance is more of a sub-plot. While I'm anticipating more romance later in the series, I do wish that publishers would stop leaning on romance as a crux to market books. I love romance, dearly, but books can stand (and sell) on their own without needing to play up romantic elements that are actually just romantic undertones.

This one was really fun, if a bit slow at the start, and perfect for getting into fall reading.

3.5 stars

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

While cozy fantasy has been more a miss than a hit this year, I ever live in optimism! Plus, it’s nice to see a romantic fantasy novel marketed as “rivals to lovers” instead of the getting-very-tired “enemies to lovers” (especially when the so-called “enemies” are nothing of the sort more often than not!). Add on top of that the promise of monsters and spooky woods, and this one sounded well-worth my time to check out!

For the most part, I very much enjoyed this one! This is definitely one of those books, however, that lives or dies with its main character. It’s told from a single POV (which I love and always wish would become more the standard), so if readers are not on board with the character, there may be challenges ahead. Beyond that, much of the book is made up of smaller moments between the two main characters, with much emphasis placed on their banter and their growth as they begin to understand and care for one another.

I also really appreciated the fact that this is a true slow-burn romance. By the end, even, very little actual “romance” has occurred. But in this way, the story feels more true and more meaningful. The author spends the time building up this love story slowly, giving the reader plenty of time to become attached to both characters together and separately. It’s also a great way to wet the palate for the sequel, since you’ll be sure to want more of what promises to be a great love story!

I also enjoyed the world-building that we got to see. There were tons of fun magical monsters, mysterious, enchanted rooms, and, of course, the curse that binds our two characters together. I also enjoyed the exploration of the magic system and the way high and low magic, essentially, worked in this world. As a lover of detailed magic systems and world-building, I could have used a bit more in both of these arenas, however. I, for one, always appreciate a map, for example! But, as I said earlier, this is a character-forward story, so this lighter touch on world-building and fantasy elements makes sense and works with the low-key vibes of the book itself.

Overall, this was a quick, fun read and a breath of fresh air for me personally, as it reminded me of the joys that can be found in cozy fantasy. Readers who enjoy slow-burn romances and whimsical fantasy stories should definitely check this one out!

Rating 8: A character-driven cozy fantasy that is full of heart and humor!

Link will go live on The Library Ladies on November 23

It took me a couple of starts and stops to get going with this one, only because the protagonist has such a distinct voice and I really had to be in the mood for it. That's not a bad thing. Once I got to reading it in earnest, I couldn't put it down.

Leo reminds me a lot of Dorian from Dragon Age: Inquisition (IYKYK). I like the dynamic between Leo and Grimm. Both had good characterization and backstory.

I liked the world building, and I think the author did a really great job of describing each setting along the journey. Each place felt distinct and fully realized.

I think the plot itself could have been a little stronger, and I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about the ending. I think I would have liked to see more from Grimm's POV, and maybe a stronger, less ambiguous, hint to where their relationship is headed. I'm not sure what the sequel is going to look like, but I'm interested to see where it goes!

4.15-25 stars rounded up!

"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."

Sorcery and Small Magics is a cozy, queer (MLM) fantasy with a slow-burn romance, unique magic system, and very lovable characters.

Tropes:
- Gay (MLM)
- Grumpy / sunshine
- Slow burn
- Forced proximity
- Rivals-to-lovers
- Tragic pasts
- Sorcerery

The main MMC Levander is a "master of small magics" but this doesn't earn him much respect from his father or other sorcerers. The thing is, every time he tries bigger spells, they blow up in his face. And now his recent attempt at forbidden magic has left him to bound obey the commands of his longtime nemesis Sebastien, Sebastien is everything Levander is not - talented, respected, and a complete grump. Now, they must chase down a powerful sorcerer who can undo curses, a quest that brings them up against a number of outlaws and other obstacles and foes. To survive, they have to work together, and to try to ignore some very obvious sparks flying.

The side characters did feel a little underdeveloped, but I loved Levander and Sebastien so much that the book really made up for this issue. Both were incredibly well-written and well fleshed out characters that I was invested in and and felt deeply for. This was a fantastically fun time that I highly, highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit, and Magia Doocy for providing this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I'm not a huge romantasy reader but every once in a while I find a book I loved and this was the perfect example of that. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I couldn’t get into the storyline of this book at all, it was an intriguing concept but the execution and writing style was not for me.

Firstly the cover is absolutely stunning. I truly enjoyed this book, I feel like books involving queer characters and things with fantasy like magic are so far and inbetween that I am always so happy to get a book that does. very well done!

Am absolutely delightful read with characters who appear, at first, to be filling trope roles but quickly become much more than they appear. Lots of wonderful surprises along the way that pop up just when you think you have things figured out and also, monsters. A little academia, a little social commentary, a little adventuring, and some accidental romance - really the perfect blend along with a high fantasy setting that manages to get out of its own way and allow the story to thrive. Really loved it.