A review by tonyaf
Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy

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

5.0

Sorcery and Small Magics might be my absolute favorite read of the year! I absolutely devoured this book and loved everything about it. 

First, the worldbuilding and magic system are both creative and really well done. Locations include a prestigious magic school, a rural countryside filled with people who use magic to make simple livings, and a dangerous forest filled with terrifying monsters. All of these settings are lush and described well. I felt fully immersed in this world while reading! The magic system is also unique and ended up being one of my favorite parts of the story. Sorcerers are divided into either Scrivers (people who can write spells) or Casters (who cast spells). This division was inventive and it added a lot to the story. There's also some music-based magic that plays a really cool role in the story. 

The characters are also really great. At the start of the story, Leo is a loveable screwup who lacks confidence in his magic abilities. He's from a wealthy and esteemed family that has high expectations for him. Sebastian, on the other hand, is from a working-class family and is an excellent student and spellcaster who takes his abilities (and most things) very seriously. 

Their opposite personalities have caused conflict between the two at school and they start the story as rivals. A spell-gone-wrong demands that the two work together and their story truly begins to develop here. 

I adored their dynamic from start to finish. Their dynamic in the first half of the book reminded me of the Harry/Draco fanfiction I read as a teenager. Their evolution in the second half was even more interesting and led to a lot of depth and complexity in their relationship. 

I will caution that this is a true slow burn! So don't go in expecting feelings to be fully realized or spicy scenes to happen. Sorcery and Small Magics lays the groundwork for what should become a really amazing relationship in later books but there are a lot of misconceptions to overcome and growth that has to happen first. This series feels like it could finally be the amazing queer slow-burn love story that so many queer fans across so many fandoms have longed for. I, for one, am fully on board this ship and I'm ridiculously excited to see where it goes! 

Along with the relationship growth, both Leo and Grimm have great character moments. Both young men are more complicated than they seem and I loved slowly discovering more about them. 

In addition, there's also a whole cast of supporting characters that I enjoyed and look forward to seeing more of in future books. Some interesting political and moral issues are also set up. 

I can't recommend Sorcery and Small Magics enough. I enjoyed reading this immensely and I can not wait for the sequel. If future books in this series match the quality of this book, I think this could easily become my new favorite series! 
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