Maiga Doocy lives in a house where the people are outnumbered by cats, has a serious tea habit, and loves sad songs. She likes to write stories that are full of bittersweet longing and as much unexplainable magic as she can get away with. Her debut novel, Sorcery and Small Magics, will be published in 2024 by Orbit.
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. Though such minor charms don’t earn him much respect, anything more elaborate always blows up in his face, and so Leo vowed long ago never to use powerful magic again.
That is, until a mishap with a forbidden spell binds Leo to obey the commands of his longtime rival, Sebastian Grimm. Grimm is Leo’s complete opposite—respected, exceptionally talented, and absolutely insufferable. The only thing they can agree on is that revealing the curse between them would mean the end of their respective magical careers. They need a counterspell, and fast.
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 break the curse, they will have to uncover the true depths of Leo’s magic, set aside their long-standing rivalry, and—much to their horror—work together.
Sorcery and Small Magics is a whimsical, cozy fantasy with a highly unique magic system and the first book in The Wildersongs Trilogy. This book can definitely be classified as a queer romantasy, as it features several popular romance tropes, including slow burn romance, forced proximity, and enemies to lovers (eventually). The story also includes some darker subject matter, including unresolved childhood trauma, grief, and guilt. Although the stakes in this story are more personal than world-shattering, there is still a compelling urgency to resolve the story’s main conflict, which readers can become quite invested in.
The story is mostly character-driven, with a lot of entertaining dialogue and banter throughout. Protagonist Leovander Loveage, whose POV the story is told from, is an absolute disaster. He’s on probation at his magic school, overdrinks, is at risk of losing his family inheritance, and is only capable of writing small magic spells. On top of it all, his nonchalant, disorderly attitude often lands him in serious trouble. Sebastian Grimm is Leo’s polar opposite. He’s focused, academically brilliant, a powerful spellcaster, and has ambitious plans for his future. Their dialogue is filled with sarcastic, hilarious banter that will keep readers engaged. The slow-burn romance subplot between Leo and Grimm doesn’t become overtly obvious until late in the story after the characters have somewhat let their guards down, having been forced on a quest together. Based on how the book concludes, this subplot will likely become much more pronounced in the second book of the trilogy.
Although the story mostly focuses on Leo and Grimm, there are a good number of interesting side characters, including the boys’ schoolmates, eccentric family members, devious villains, and a powerful sorceress. With this good range of characters and a budding potential romance between Leo and Grimm, there is enormous potential for this series to become something special. The world-building in the story is fairly well developed and unique, but still has a lot of room for expansion. In the first half of the story, the world-building is mostly linked to the magic school, the spell casting, and the search for a counter spell for Leo’s curse. Once Leo and Grimm venture into the Unquiet Forest, the world building greatly expands, introducing dangerous creatures, friendly monsters, magical griffin feathers, and a hidden tower filled with enchanted rooms!
British narrator Ciaran Saward does a phenomenal job narrating this book. He vividly brings all the characters to life with distinct, authentic voices, making the audiobook have the feel of a multicast listen. Saward’s portrayal of Leovander is especially impressive, as he uses a wide range of emotive expression to fully embody the character, with all his quirks, irritating behaviour, and impulsiveness. Saward also paces the story extremely well and provides a very clear, resonating tone that will please listeners—even those not accustomed to English accents. With such a standout performance, Saward is one to look out for. His impressive vocal range and character portrayal lend themselves to a very diverse range of audiobook narration and future success!
Overall, this is an enchanting, cozy fantasy that will delight many romantasy fans, especially those who’ve enjoyed fantasy series such as Emily Wilde, Simon Snow, Harry Potter, and The Magicians. Readers who enjoy forced proximity, slow-burn queer romance, and enemies-to-lovers stories will also appreciate this story. It’s no surprise that early reviews for this one have been exceedingly positive. With an exceptional performance by the audiobook’s narrator, the recommended format for enjoying this one is the audiobook. However, whatever format you choose to enjoy this one will likely lead to a memorable experience!
