Review: Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy

Sorcery and Small Magics

Maiga Doocy

(The Wildersongs Trilogy #1)

Publication Date: October 15, 2024

Paperback, 416 pages, Orbit

Genres: Adult, LGBTQ+, Fantasy

Goodreads

 

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.

 

Leovander Loveage is a master of small magics.

 

He can summon butterflies with a song, or turn someone’s hair pink by snapping his fingers. Such minor charms don’t earn him much admiration from other sorcerers (or his father), but anything more elaborate always blows up in his face. Which is why Leo vowed years ago to never again write powerful magic.

 

That is, until a mix-up involving a forbidden spell binds Leo to obey the commands of his longtime nemesis, Sebastian Grimm. Grimm is Leo’s complete opposite—respected, exceptionally talented, and an absolutely insufferable curmudgeon. The only thing they agree on is that getting caught using forbidden magic would mean the end of their careers. They need a counterspell, and fast. But Grimm casts spells, he doesn’t undo them, and Leo doesn’t mess with powerful magic.

 

Chasing rumors of a powerful sorcerer with a knack for undoing curses, Leo and Grimm enter the Unquiet Wood, a forest infested with murderous monsters and dangerous outlaws alike. To dissolve the curse, they’ll have to uncover the true depths of Leo’s magic, set aside their long-standing rivalry, and—much to their horror—work together.

 

Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them.

My Review

Sorcery and Small Magics was a perfect fall-transition book. It's light and fluffy with plenty of magical hijinks and strange magical creatures. Plus, Leovander Loveage is never boring. His inner thoughts and resulting actions made him a fairly dramatic main character, not that he didn't have adequate reasons for his dramatics, but things did get quite out of hand no matter what decision he made.

Leo is a hot mess 99% of the time, but Sebastian Grimm, his nemesis, is the stoical grump to Leo's sunshine. And when they unintentionally get stuck together, it's honestly a great time. The few chapters that didn't have Leo and Grimm interacting, while still important to the story, were my least favorite. The banter between the two main characters was what I lived for. The academic "rival" tension was just too good. I wanted more. Leo was so good at pestering Grimm.

I will say that the story skewed a bit from what it originally started out as. And while that's in the synopsis, I still wasn't expecting it to take up a large portion of the book. The spell Grimm and Leo unintentionally casts that gets them stuck together means they have to go on a quest of sorts to get it fixed. So we go from a magical academy setting to a magical forest one instead. They go into this forest and all sorts of random antics ensure. There are bandits, musically-obsessed creatures, enchanted towers, and a good-boy wolf monster. Grimm and Leo have to work together to make it through all of this and get their curse undone, and I had a great time following their journey. I also was surprised to find that this book isn't a standalone. It actually ends with quite a few things unresolved. I guess I'll have to (im)patiently wait for book two to get my answers.

All in all, if you like TJ Klune's whimsical stories, Rebecca Ross's musical magic in A River Enchanted, or Freya Marske's The Last Binding series, then Sorcery and Small Magics just might be for you. It's a light-hearted fantasy with two main characters that have zero idea what they're doing, and watching them bumble their way through the problem they created is quite entertaining. I'm excited to see what book two has in store.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher. This in no way affected my opinion/review.