Sorcery and Small Magics

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: 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 show more 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.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Forced proximity/mismatched temperaments/social class disparity stories are almost always going to frustrate me. No exception here.

The young men are in that magic bubble of time where all the world's new, fresh, and exciting, the education you're receiving in class is only part of what you're learning, and everything is still possible. Great start, then. Add onto the plus side being queer isn't any kind of issue in this milieu. I'm going to say the quiet part out loud: Magic curses are as good an explanation as any for the reality of human desire. (Which, incidentally, is not consummated...a lot like Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunners series, you're not getting a HEA or even HFN in this story.)

If that's a dealbreaker for you, this isn't your best investment of eyeblinks. I was on the bubble about that aspect of the story, but I'm willing to go with it because I like these boys. Carping, whiny brats that they are, they're also tentatively figuring out the limits of their magical powers (a stand-in for real-life capabilities and drive for success, with the same drawbacks and problems we all face) as they each need the other's innate skill to complete any magical aim. If there's a better metaphor for a successful love relationship, I don't know of it.

Leo, our PoV character, is privileged and gifted beyond his comfort zone in his branch of magic. He's a chatterbox and uses words beautifully. It's a great way for him to distract others from the huge depths of his talent. Grimm is aptly named, as he's learned from a hardscrabble beginning that resolute focus on results is The Way To Succeed. They're excellent complements for each other's strengths.

Why, then, was I frustrated by the story I'm clearly enjoying? I don't like the implications of forced proximity. "Forced" is always going to trouble me. The feelings developed in forced proximity are, well, forced. Like forcing a plant, the result is at best an attenuated version of the unforced thing. I mistrust the trope because life has taught me not to trust forced feelings for long.

I'm sure, though, that others feel differently. I'm also sure that the book's ending is not placed where it is for no reason or simply by chance. Author Doocy understands the material she's working with. Her skills are very much congruent with the material's focus on the communication these young men are learning to give and receive. So I will set aside my unease in the face of my trust in her storytelling skill.

Again I remind romance readers that this is fantasy first, romantic fantasy to be sure, but romance-novel endings are not included. Much to be praised, and much to enjoy, so recommended reading. show less

Couldn't put this one down and thus stayed up way too late finishing it on a work night. Excellent world building and an interesting magic system with characters who are oblivious to their own emotions but somehow failing up. I'd categorize this one as a fantasy with a romance, so ignore the romantasy tags if that's your thing. It's the first in a trilogy and this romance is a slow burn. The book pivots on the relationship between two men who don't like each other but are accidentally bound by a curse and how that changes their relationship.

Highly recommend for people who like:
- interesting magic systems with fascinating world building
- magic creatures
- curses
- academic settings
- quests
- slow burn enemies to maybe friends to ???
- show more charming but emotionally incapacitated main characters
- completed plot arcs that leave you emotionally wrecked without a resolution to the pining show less

This was fun and I'll read the second one even though I had to rant at my wife a bit halfway through. I enjoyed the tropes at work here, I enjoyed the story (with caveats), I enjoyed the characters (with caveats). The writing is brisk and fun; this is an author who knows how to keep things moving. The plot is, yes, predictable, but frankly that is what I need and desire in this time, and also, what are tropes except comfortingly familiar plot devices?

Okay, so the biggest caveat for me is in the characters. Serious unaddressed trauma can make people behave like assholes. I get that. Hell, I've written that. But man is it hard to read Leo's combination of self-centeredness, irresponsibility, and refusal to share vital information. At one show more point I mentally shrieked at him, "So you cannot trust your ACTUAL FRIEND, who has stood by you through ALL OF YOUR BULLSHIT, or either of the other two people who are trying very hard to help you, but you are bang alongside trusting a RANDOM OBVIOUSLY SHADY WOMAN YOU MET IN A BAR???" Like. Come on, my dude. And the number of times he says something that is remarkably dickish, or does something that completely fucks up someone else's chances -- well, let's just say it's good this is a trilogy. He's got time to correct all those flaws. (And I do believe the author knows they're flaws and will help him get better. Doesn't make it easier to read him in this larval state.) Sebastian is similarly struggling with trauma, but we don't live in his head, so that was a lot easier for me to deal with. (And also he doesn't make consistently terrible choices.)

And there is at least one plot element that I really had to take some deep breaths about. Leo is under a love spell for the entire book and does not notice that. It has to be pointed out to him. I decided this is just a sign that Leo is not at all introspective but quite, quite suggestible and moved on, but it took me a bit.

But despite all that -- this is a fun, compelling, fast read. If you like these kinds of tropes, you'll probably like this book. show less

I 100% loved this. Leo and Sebastian are rivals in sorcery school until a magical accident forces them to work together. The story has some resolution but is first in a trilogy; the romance is very slow burn. I was hooked. I didn’t even mind the ending (“Oh, this is a trilogy?”) because I just want more of the characters.

I loved that the characters are opposites: Leo is a careless, fun rule-breaker from a privileged background, while Sebastian is from a poor farm community and is serious and rule-abiding. But as they get to know each other, they uncover the reasons behind the personality traits that make them hate each other. Since the reader already knows some of these (like Leo drinks and refuses to use magic because he’s show more traumatized by the loss of his mother), it was delightful to anticipate the characters learning about them.

I also loved that the plot felt solid and held my interest, but the characters were not constantly in danger, and many of the people they interact with (like the sorcerer in the woods) end up being good and kind. show less

A very readable slow-burn fantasy romance, where one aspiring magician is cursed to remain in close proximity to another. Shenanigans ensue. This was engaging enough that I'll likely seek out the second instalment in the trilogy, but this does have some first-novel flaws and I wouldn't be surprised to find that Maiga Doocy has some background in fanfiction writing. There are elements to the book that feel very "AO3 House Style, ca. 2010s"—the personality of the two leads, the use made of the female characters, etc—and I was hoping/expecting that the book would do more with the premise of the actual curse. Still, there's promise here and I'll give Doocy another chance to build on what's here.

There is a blurb on the back with a reference to "Ghibli-esque". That is exactly what this book is. Its sweet, the problem isn't world shattering. All the conflict comes from the relationship and both characters act reasonably. Of course, its not perfect. How magic works in this world is weird - but that's okay, because the story is sweet and rather wholesome. Even the scary forest isn't so much evil, just not good at boundaries. This is a book that really fits the cozy genre.

4.75