Sorcery and small magics

Title:

Author:

Summary:

"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. Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them."-- Publisher

General Note:

Includes excerpt from The honey witch (pages 379-389).

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

389 pages ; 21 cm.

Genre:

Fantasy fiction.

Romance fiction.

Queer fiction.

Subject Term:

Blessing and cursing -- Fiction.

Gay men -- Fiction.

Magic -- Fiction.

Man-man relationships -- Fiction.

Wizards -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Orbit,

Publication Date:

2024

ISBN:

9780316576758

Publication Information:

New York, NY : Orbit, 2024.

Call Number:

DOOCY

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003753566	New Adult Fiction	DOOCY Maiga	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

From debut author Maiga Doocy comes the charming tale of an impulsive sorcerer and his curmudgeonly rival as they venture deep into a magical forest in search of a counterspell that can break the curse between them--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. 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.

Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them.

Author Notes

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. Sorcery and Small Magics is her debut novel.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Doocy's enchanting debut brings readers into a world where magic is divided between those who can write spells and those who can cast them. The disreputable and chaos-prone Leovander Loveage falls into the former category. When he's paired with the grumpy, prim-and-proper spellcaster Sebastian Grimm in one of their classes at the Fount, a school for magic users, both men strain at the partnership. A collision on the way to class mixes Leo's spells with more advanced materials from the Fount library and results in Sebastian performing an unknown spell on Leo. The effect is that Leo must obey Sebastian's every command. Both men are desperate to break the enchantment, especially as Leo's symptoms get worse. The deviously worded curse proves difficult to counter, and the pair goes to great--and dangerous--lengths to return Leo to normal. Along the way, their relationship shifts, but how much of their newfound understanding is just because of the spell? The subtle chemistry between Leo and Sebastian is addictive and the fantasy setting, while somewhat familiar, is rendered in lush prose. Fans of Legends & Lattes and the works of TJ Klune will want to snap this up. Agent: Allegra Martschenko, Ladderbird Literary. (Oct)

Library Journal Review

DEBUT Flippant Leovander Loveage adores poking at dour Sebastian Grimm, his dedicated and respectable classmate, between visits to the pub and gambling dens. In a cozy fantasy novel, this means that Leo and Grimm will fall in love, but their path is anything but straightforward. It begins with a magical mishap that curses Leo, binding him to Grimm. Though neither feels anything but horror at the situation, they'll journey together past the borders of their homeland, into the magical wilds, in search of a sorceress from a storybook. They'll brave nightmarish creatures, violent library thieves, and Leo's own warped magic as the curse tightens its grip. But they'll also discover the charm lurking within the horrors--and hidden behind the walls they've built around their own hearts. Leo's narration is delightfully meandering, but though he's the prankster, he believes he's the butt of the jokes that matter. This gives readers a peek at the pain he conceals--and that may just change Grimm's poor opinion of him. VERDICT This Ghibli-esque slow-burn fantasy delivers on every promise it offers when it drops Diana Wynne Jones's Howl's Moving Castle inside Patricia A. McKillip's The Forgotten Beasts of Eld.--Matthew Galloway