A review by chainingbooks
Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

 Thank you to Orbit Books for providing this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

This book is a perfect addition to everyone’s cozy fantasy shelf. The narrative style reminded me a lot of “The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches” while the plot had solid stakes like “Nettle & Bone”.

Overall I enjoyed reading through Leovander Loveage (Leo) and his best attempts to stay as far away as possible from Sebastian Grimm. Leo is a fun narrator to follow along with, witty and unserious but also very observant. The major plot of this is revealed quite quickly but I did find it satisfying to watch the progression of the spell that bound the two together. I also appreciated that solving the curse did not come easily to the characters, in fact making some situations even messier than before.

However, with the major conflict being revealed pretty early in the story, it did feel like the pacing was uneven. The beginning felt very well paced to me, still feeling pretty quick even though there was world building, character introductions, and descriptions of the magic system. Then it began to slow down as more time was given to Leo’s self-discovery, which I thought did a fantastic job to flesh out his character further, but I was getting antsy to see where the story would head to next. I did also find the resolution of the major conflict a bit underwhelming, but I am interested enough to read the sequel to see if it is explained in further detail.

I definitely enjoyed this author’s writing style and I plan on reading their future works. 
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