I liked this on-the-cozy-side romantasy quite a bit, but the ending frustrated me. Here are the deets:

Leo and Grimm are both students at a magical university. Leo is a scrivener, which means he can write spells; Grimm is a caster, who can take those words and make magic from them. They can't stand each other, but (unsurprisingly, since this is a romance) are paired together in class. When Grimm unwittingly casts a "control spell" on Leo, they have to go on a quest to get it removed. And when it turns out it's also a love spell, they're quite motivated!

Great! Forced proximity, "I can't tell if I'm attracted to him because of the spell or because he's just SO HOT," chaos + order, social class differences... this is a solid romance setup and the fantasy is fun, too! But it wasn't until I was at the very end of the book that I realized Doocy wasn't even giving the reader an HFN. No, they end as "friends"/"spellcasting partners" (though any reader will realize they're both totally in love with each other). It feels like sequel bait for the reader to go through a whole section of will they/won't they in the next book, when I know I, for one, would have been just as happy to read a sequel about the beginning of a tentative new relationship without a spell bringing them together.

I still recommend this book, but with the caveat that romance readers might feel a little cheated.

I listened to this one, and the narration was well-performed! I tend to like listening to first person, present tense books even more than third person, and it worked really well here.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

This is perfect for lovers of cozy fantasy. The main character is absolutely hilarious, and I felt happy and at ease throughout most of the book. This reminds me most of Legends and Latte meets Voyage of the Damned.

The only point of critique, is that the book lends itself towards cliques. Not often, but noticably so.

The narrator was perfect.

Leo and Grimm are both studying to be sorcerers, but there the similarity ends. Leo is good with small magics, but his larger efforts tend to go dangerously awry. Grimm is gifted, there is no way of getting around that, but he certainly lacks Leo's charm!

The unlikely duo find themselves in the uncomfortable position of having to collaborate when they enter the Unquiet Wood in search of a sorcerer powerful enough to help them out of a sticky situation. But will they survive the dangers in their path to find a way of disentangling themselves from each other? And do they even want to?

This is a well written and entertaining story with plenty of humour. It is likely to find its fair share of fans.

Impulsive sorcerer Leovander Loveage, a master of small magics, and his grumpy rival, Sebastian Grimm, set off into the Unquiet Wood to find a counterspell for a magic mishap that now forces Leo to obey Grimm’s every command. As they trek through the dangerous forest, they have to put aside their differences, tap into Leo’s hidden magical potential, and face a connection that just might be more than magic.

Grimm and Leo were so well-written that I felt like I knew them right away, and the narration by Saward took it to the next level. The writing hit just the right balance—never too fancy or too plain—and the pacing kept me hooked. The magic was whimsical and fun, and the slow burn between Leo and Grimm? Possibly the slowest burn ever, but absolutely worth the wait. I laughed, I was on edge, and it gave me all the feels.

Maiga Doocy has created a whimsical, heartwarming, and adventurous world, and I can’t wait to dive back in!

Narrated by the brilliant Ciaran Saward—who really brought these characters to life!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio 🎧❤️

i received an ARC in exchange for an honest review of my own free will

i’d already read an e-ARC but decided to also listen to the audiobook ARC and GOD was it good. the narrator was incredible and really brought Leo and Grimm to life. this was such a lovely listen and has certainly become a comfort for me to listen to during blood draws or when i’m sad.

5 Stars!!!

This is my favorite audiobook to date, this is saying a lot because I've listened to some great books recently.

I love Leo, I love his character development and I love his rebelliousness, he's stubborn but when it comes time to taking that leap he does it. His heart is always in the right place. Sebastian is good person, always knowing there was more to Leo and that he was wasting his potential. I love how their friendship blossoms throughout the book, naturally and unforced even with the love curse in place. I would love to see their relationship further and see the duo in action working together to change things for the better.

The narrator was amazing at capturing Leo's and Sebastians personality.

Thank you so much again, and when the next book comes out I would love to listen to it,

This was absolutely delightful. Listen, I too, can relate to being a huge disappointment to my parents! haha.

but seriously, I have not read many male - male romances and I will 1000000% be picking up the second installment of this series!

I thought the audiobook narrator had a great voice and told the story with proper emotions. I absolutely loved that this story was in first person! I really enjoy being in the mind of the characters. Orbit never fails to pick up books that are right up my alley. I cannot wait to read more from this author and of these characters.

I love every part of this book. It was cozy. It was serious. It was hilarious. It made me cry, and also felt like I was getting a warm hug. Everything about it was perfection. If you love the Honey Witch, I recommend this book!

Charming. Whimsy. Slow burn. Queer.

Leovander Loveage is cursed to obey his grumpy rival, Sebastian Grimm. Desperate to break the spell, they venture into the treacherous Unquiet Wood in search of a counterspell.
As they face deadly monsters and their own differences, they might just discover that magic isn’t the only force drawing them together. I loved this book and can't wait for book two!!

Thanks so much to netgalley and hachette audio for the early copy!!

The narrator of this book absolutely killed it and made me fall in love with the characters so much, especially Leo. He had distinct voices for all the characters that felt matched really well with them, making sure the humor and emotion is placed in the narration to make listening to the book enjoyable. It makes me wonder if I would have loved the book as much if I read read it vs listening to it, sometimes the narrator simply is perfect. There were still some tense moments that made it feel less of a cozy read and with some higher stakes, which I absolutely enjoyed. The cozy genre has definitely a new contender for favorite of mine. I felt the book has a nice wrap but still left many questions for future books. The magic system is definitely unique, more of which I want to learn about. It will certainly require a reread when the second book will be released. While the beginning was slower for me, I certainly felt it picked up and gave a broad setting of the world and didn’t feel so simplified to one place like the school. Thank you so much for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastic story of magic, casting and slow burn romance with great worldbuilding. Sorcery and Small Magics was a great book to read and listen to via audio which I recommend. This was a lovingly crafted machination of a story about the inner workings of magic alongside the slowest of slow burns, which I love.

Leo and Sebastian are such a believable (eventually) slow burn couple because it was done in a fresh way with a new light cast on similar takes of the stereotypical tropes of grumpy/sunshine couples. One of my favourite scenes was the first spell casting especially when inner feelings are explored through dialogue.

The tension of moments in the forest with monsters and outlaws were good for an otherwise "cosy" fantasy. However, saying this, the stakes were at medium level for the plot and the worldbuilding added to this. I thoroughly enjoyed this and can't wait for the sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for allowing me a copy of this audio book in return for an honest review.

Set in a world of magic where magicians are trained to protect the country from monsters that live in the Unquiet Wood. After a forbidden spell mix up leaves Leovander Loveage under the compulsion of fellow student and rival Sebastian Grimm, the two young men are forced to work together or risk more than expulsion. Their hunt for a cure to the curse leads them to the Unquiet Wood, where the monsters are only one of their problems.

Ciaran Saward performed masterfully, making each character come alive and had me laughing out loud at Leo’s internal monologue.

I utterly adored this book, the magic rules were brilliantly thought out, the world building was excellent and the characters were wonderful. I am so glad this is part of a trilogy as I’m really looking forward to more interactions between Leo and Sebastian!

Final Thoughts: The first book of what looks to be a magnificent slow burn romantasy.

Who would enjoy this: Fans of light fantasy, with a build up to romance. Those who appreciate enemy to lovers, mismatched pairings and forced proximity tropes.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook via NetGalley.

Magic students Leo and Sebastian are rivals, until one day a curse goes wrong and binds them together in unexpected ways. They must then work together to find a way to reverse this curse without their teachers or parents finding out what happened, and a series of adventures and mishaps ensues. This is being marketed as a romantasy but there is very little romance, and it reads very young despite being listed as adult rather than YA. The stakes are low and the vibe is whimsical, so to me it felt like a New Adult queer cozy fantasy. The magical system is interesting, it has good pacing, the story is interesting, and the characters are likeable. This is a great debut novel for Maiga Doocy! I felt there were some missed opportunities to add depth and character development in this book, but since it's the first of a planned trilogy it's entirely possible that these will come later in the series.

This book was enjoyable and I had a great time listening to it! Feels perfect for the fall season and I look forward to the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sorcery and Small Magics is the first installment in The Wildersongs Trilogy series. In this queer and whimsical cozy fantasy, Leo and Grimm are unexpectedly magically bound to one another by a curse and traipse through a magical forest in search of a cure. They of course happen experience magical monsters and mishaps along the way, while also fighting the tension between them.

The magic system was really interesting where spells there are those that write spells and those that cast them as well as Leo is able to do his magic through music. The book is very character driven, has low to no spice and low romance, but I think it is set up for more romance in the sequel.

Cozy fantasy for me can be very hit or miss, but I enjoyed this one, and I am interested to know what happens in the second book.

Ciaran Saward did an excellent job narrating the different characters.

What to Expect:
- MM - super, super slow burn
- Rivals to allies to ?
- Musical magic 🎻🪄
- Obedience curse
- Forced proximity
- Magical forest 🌳
- Grumpy / chaotic sunshine

Thank you to Maiga Doocy, Hachette Audio | Orbit, and to NetGalley for providing an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

We are getting a trilogy?! OMG I am so excited to see how this progresses.

This was such a fun, slow burn, opposites-attract, rivals to lovers story with a unique twist on magic - there are scrivers who write spells and casters who actually cast the spells. When Leo is paired with Grimm for a school project - two students who are forbidden to work together typically because of how opposite they are and how much they bicker - things become a bit more complicated when Leo accidentally has Grimm cast a curse that ties them together and is nearly impossible to break.

You can only imagine that clashing of personalities ensue along with hilarious bickering while they work together to try to fix the damage that they did, or risk explosion.

I had so much fun with this one and really enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review!

If you love the enemies-to-lovers trope with a side of snappy humor, Sorcery and Small Magics will sweep you off your feet! I was beyond impressed with this book! This book had me grinning throughout with its clever banter and slow-burn romance. Leo and Grim? Oh, they’re the definition of “we had never been anything but too much for each other”—and I lived for every second of their verbal sparring.

The book doesn’t just nail the slow-burn romance; it’s also full of adventure, light academia vibes (think magical quests, hidden libraries, and spell-casting exams), and some seriously cool magic systems. The world-building is fresh, with a twist: magic is divided into two roles—one group writes the spells, and the other casts them. Talk about teamwork! Except our leading men, who cannot stand one another! But our main character? Yeah, they break the mold entirely with magic powered by music. Music-based magic? Unique and oh-so-magical.

Now, let’s talk about forced proximity (because, of course, there is). Toss two bickering characters into a quest to break a curse, curse one of them with an obedience spell that forces them to obey their rival, and watch the tension explode. The spell adds a hilarious and tension-filled layer to their already strained dynamic, forcing them into situations where they have to rely on (and resist) each other. Whether they were driving each other crazy or pretending not to notice how much chemistry was flying around, it was pure gold.

If you're into magical adventures, snarky banter, and watching two characters fall reluctantly in love, Sorcery and Small Magics is a must-read. It’s as full of heart as it is humor, and by the end, you’ll be just as enchanted by the story as you are by its romance. I was dying of laughter! I cannot wait for book 2!!!!

this was an utter delight! I love books with sarcastic narrators but it’s difficult to strike the right balance and this was perfect, not overdone - this was very much helped by the narrator of the audiobook, well done! Great characters, both the main and supportive (I really really hope we will see more of Sibylla - I don’t know the spelling since I had the ALC - in the following parts). The story was nicely developed, the magic system is unusual (I’m not sold 100% but I’m keen to get to know more). Fair warning - there is not much romance in this instalment, expect more enemies to friends, but I have high hopes for interesting development coming.
PS I want the the seven-eyed monster as a pet. Or at least a plushie 🥹

I absolutely LOVE this story! Our MCs were a little obnoxious in the start, but once the story picked up steam, they were wonderful. The world is unique, truly different from anything I’ve read in the past. I especially like the playful, teleporting wolf! (I don’t want to butcher the spelling, since I listened to the audio). The narrator was perfect for this story! Their voice fit the age of the characters and the setting. I can’t wait for the next book in the trilogy!

This book is a fantastic blend of fantasy, slow-burn romance, & magic.
The main character Leo is a breath of fresh air, not only is he funny but kind, and a little bit reckless especially at school. His foil is Grimm who is a nonsense rule follower. After Leo gets cursed, they are thrown together to find a cure. Their adventure leads them to the forbidden forest full of monsters & unknown danger.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Books & @HachetteAudio for letting me read this book in advance! I can't wait for the second book!