4.5 stars
This was so great! The perfect mix of cozy fantasy and adventure and romance. I loved the forced proximity, the banter, the characters.
More, please!

A charming and well-developed opening to a series - satisfying, but left me eager for the sequel.

The audiobook was well-produced, with a strong narrator and audio quality. There was a pretty wide cast of characters, but the narrator differentiated voices without going over-the-top.

What a dark horse! I did not expect to love this book the way I did. The narration was lovely, the characters were so interesting, and honestly it was just pure fun. I loved the slow burn romance, the banter was excellent, and it was just a really good time.

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 may be in the minority about this book but it just wasn't enough for me. It felt really lacking. The first half was so slow and I barely dragged myself through it. I did find it picked up though while Sebastian and Leo were journeying through the forest and I got more pulled in. I wanted to like it because it almost seemed like a queer Ella Enchanted. The banter was fun and I did enjoy the two main characters. The rest of the side characters fell flat though. I would've liked to know more about Leo's friends, especially Agnes since she seemed to play a large part in his life. I'm not sure if I'll continue on with the other two books or not.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC of this book.

Doocy’s writing is both lyrical and accessible, with a strong sense of place that pulls readers into a world where even the tiniest spell can change everything. The world-building is rich and imaginative, filled with delightful magical creatures and intriguing magical systems that feel fresh and original. The characters, particularly the protagonist, are well-developed and relatable, with a mix of strength, vulnerability, and charm that make them easy to root for.

loved this! from the start with the two of them trying to get over a fence cause they missed curfew, to them on their adventure together to the end. the characters seemed real. It was cozy and exciting!

Despite being a sucker for a good romance, I think I might need more on the fantasy side of the story than romantasy is designed to offer.

All that to say, I did enjoy SORCERY AND SMALL MAGICS, but I didn’t love it. But I don’t think that’s the book’s fault and I definitely think other readers mileage will vary.

SORCERY AND SMALL MAGICS does a lot of things I really liked.

It’s a cozy, slow (SLOW) burn romance with grumpy-sunshine duo on a journey/quest, and features forced proximity, misunderstandings and a touch of rivals-to-lovers. The plot is a little slow going (but, again, I do think that’s the vibe intended) but I really started to enjoy it in the latter part, where everything got a bit more action-packed and dangerous.

The two main characters are really well rounded and have an interesting dynamic, and the world-building has lots of interesting features that I’d have liked to explore more. It’s the first in a trilogy (The Wildersongs), so there’s still plenty of time for things to develop and be fleshed out more fully.

It’s a well-written book with lots of potential, and could easy be the start to an amazing series. While I’m not chomping at the bit for the second book to come out, I am intrigued enough that I’ll be keeping an eye out for it, and probably decide whether or not to pick it up once I see what the summary looks like.

ORCERY AND SMALL MAGICS is great read for someone looking for a low-stakes, queer, romantasy adventure and I’d recommend it to anyone who thinks it would suite their tastes.

Audio Specific Review: Ciaran Saward does a great job. This sort of book often comes with a dual POV and therefore a narrator duo, but SORCERY AND SMALL MAGICS is purely Leo's POV so Saward carries the voices for both main characters alone. Both Leo and Grimm still manage to sound unique and distinct from each other, and I had no problem following along with the narration.

4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

Audiobook

I really enjoyed listening to Sorcery and Small Magics, the narrator did a great job of bringing Leovander and Sebastian and their story to life.

This was set in a fantasy world with an interesting magic system which kept me interested throughout. The very slow-burn romance didn't really occur until near the end as their friendship grew while they spent time together on their adventure into the magical forest to undo the forbidden spell on Leo.

I would have liked it to have been dual POV rather than singularly told from Leo's POV but that didn't stop my enjoyment of this fun read.

I am looking forward to seeing where this story goes in the next two books and seeing Leo and Sebastian's friendship and romance grow. I'm also looking forward to uncovering more about the magics and goings on in their world. I'll be keeping my eyes out for book 2.

What a fun start to a new trilogy!
Leo and Grimm are like oil and water... Leo is fun loving and a bit of a disaster of his own making and Grimm is studious and serious... and a curse gone awry forces them to work together verrrrryyyy closely.
The world building was interesting. Magic users require a scribe to write out their spells before they can be cast by a stronger magic user, the caster, so only very simply spells can be cast without a duo working together. And here we have Grimm and Leo, and unlikely duo forced to work together, and travel together, to find a counter-curse for an accidently cast spell. They travel through the Unquiet Wood in search of The Sorceress, and her expertise, and run into a band of outlaws and have quite the adventure along the way.
I enjoyed our two main characters very much, but would definitely like to see more of the Sorceress and some of the side characters again in future books. Very much looking forward to what comes next!

2/5

Leo Loveage is a scriver, someone who writes magical spells, and not a very good one at that. Everything he does is silly and inconsequential, thought there is a reason for that, which doesn't make him many friends. Add to that his disregard for rules and his perchance for mischief, and it's no wonder Sebastian Grimm, a very talented and serious caster, cannot stand him. But when a mix up with a spell leaves them forced to remain close, and for Leo to follow all of Grimm's commands, the two of them will have to put aside their grievances and work together to vanish the spell. Regular solutions don't seem to help and, with no one they can turn to for help, they decide to take a trip deep into the dangerous and monster ridden Unquiet Wood where they might find the counterspell if they manage to survive.

I actually started liking this and then it just lost me. The pacing was one of the main problems, the promised Unquiet Wood's adventure doesn't start until 50% or so and, after a while of the same repetitive events from Leo's unchanging point of view, it got boring. Maybe if there had been more about the school or the magic system it could have been tolerable, and even enjoyable, but the way it is right now wasn't interesting. Then there's Leo and Grimm. As a narrator, Leo was ok at first, but he quickly started grinding on my gears. I understand the kind of character he is, the jokester who is secretly very hurt and uses humor as a defense mechanism, but there was never much internal evolution or a change in perspective from him. I needed more development. Grimm was even worse because there's nothing there. Silent and strong, ok? And what else? You have to give me something more. For this reason I never rooted for the romance, not that there was much to be honest.

Full transparency here, before finishing my reading I did read a couple reviews and I could not stop thinking about two of them that mentioned similitudes to The Untamed and I kinda see it. Magical school, forced to work together, their first meeting that we see has one of them drunk and breaking curfew, learning sword forms as part of their magic lessons, a nice supportive female character that is like a big sister, a brash big brother convinced that the main character wants to join him in his work, musical instruments used to cast magic and that being considered unorthodox... yeah. I don't think it's a copy of it, but I can understand the comparison and I'll admit that it might have colored my perception of the book a bit.

Other than that I can see people liking this, especially anyone who enjoys really low stakes cozy fantasy. The ARC I got was the audiobook edition and I do recommend it, I think the narrator was great. He carried Leo the whole book, making him more charming than I considered the character to be. The other characters had distinct voices and the audio was easy to understand.

Beautiful, lyrical Fantasy that embraces the magic of the unknown. I loved every second of this simmering, shining story. Doocy has crafted a poetic fantasy that will capture your heart and spark your imagination. Not only is the world-building and character development fantastic, but the romance is steamy and sweet at the same time. For fans of Freya Marske, Trip Galley, and Alexis Hall.

Whooo boy this book took me by surprise! If you loved Baz and Simon from the Carry On series this book is definitely one to pick up. I adored the magic school element and the school rivalry that Grimm and Leo have. I related to Leo so hard. Characters who are sassy and act like they don't have a care in the world but actually they care deeply and just want to be seen and loved capture my whole heart. The forced proximity was absolutely delicious. The romance is very light in this book but it's the gradual progression is going to make it so much more worth it when they acknowledge their feelings. I am so excited to see where this series goes!
A huge part of my enjoyment of the book is because of Ciaran Saward's excellent narration. He really brought out all of Leo's humor and sass while also conveying the vulnerability and yearning both characters are feeling. I fell so hard for both characters and I hope he decides to come back for book 2 because I need to hear the rest of these hooligan's adventures told with all the heart and humor that Ciaran can bring.

Truly delightful! Sorcery of Small Magics follows two academic rivals who—after one accidentally curses the other—embark on a quest to reverse the spell.

❤️ What I loved: This book has an excellent cast of characters, both main and supporting. The chaotic Leo and uptight Grimm were so endearing, and I was invested in their development—individually and as a partnership—as the story progressed. The unique magical world was another highlight, and it came to life through a beautifully described Regency-esque setting.
💔 What I didn’t love: This wasn’t much of a detractor for me, but more a comment on marketing. While this is marketed as a romance, this is a slow burn romance. As this is part of a planned series, do not expect much romantic development in this book.

Fans of whimsical queer fantasy and/or books like Freya Marske’s The Last Binding trilogy or Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde series will find a lot to love in Sorcery and Small Magics. I eagerly await the next book in the series!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (4.5-5)

Acknowledgments & Disclaimers
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Maiga Doocy, and Hachette Audio, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book. ✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. ✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

The love story unfolds at a leisurely pace, with the narrative presented entirely through the eyes of one of the male lead characters (MMC). Personally, I would have preferred a story told from two perspectives, as I found the character we followed somewhat unappealing.

This book is so great. It’s sure to be a hit. I can see several major book boxes doing special editions of this. Definitely worth the read.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio | Orbit for this ARC Audio Copy! 3.5 Stars

I was so excited about this book when I received the ARC. I love these kind of stories and this one was good, but it was not my favorite of all time. I really enjoyed the M/M slow burn romance, and I enjoyed the journey where our main characters go out on an adventure to cure a spell that is keeping them in forced proximity. It was cute but I just never could get into the world or really understand the magic system. I don't think it was supposed to be heavy on the magic and politics, which is my preference, so if that is not what you are looking for then you will really enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for gifting me this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved this book! It had exactly the balance of magic, adventure and romance I was looking for, and I could not put it down! I loved the dynamic between the main characters, and the depth and complexity they had in their own right. It felt like a perfect enemies to...something more relationship and I truly can't wait to see their relationship continue to grow as the series goes on. I also really enjoyed the magic system, and how our main characters explored their powers together and worked to each others' strengths. Overall, the book was exciting and poignant and fun in equal measure, and fans of heartwarming fantasy adventure should definitely give it a try. The narrator of this audiobook was fantastic, and I thoroughly enjoyed the listening experience.

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.

I read this via audio so far. I’m fairly confident I will reread this one with my eyeballs as well. The audio is as perfect as a single narrator performance can be. I absolutely recommend it.

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

<i>Ella Enchanted</i> meets <i>Howl’s Moving Castle</i> in this adorably fun fantasy romcom about two rivals who are brought together by an accidental curse.

This was a riot. Grimm was delightfully curmudgeonly and studious (almost Darcy-esque in his blunt takedowns), while Leo served as an excellent foil—comedic and unserious through and through. Making Leo the POV character was the perfect choice since he gave this book the levity it needed to absolutely enthrall me.

The romance was very sweet, but a certain complication I won’t mention due to spoilers undermined it a bit for me. I’m really excited Doocy opted for a slow burn with this one, though, because I’m kind of dying to see where this couple goes from here.

Overall, this was a hilarious, fun romp and, while I can’t give it more than 4 stars due to the vague and haphazard world building, I was glued to this book from start to finish and had such a blast reading it.

<i>A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Hachette Audio, for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!</i>