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RELEASE TOUR: Dream a Little Dream by C.F. White (Excerpt)
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REVIEW: Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy
The Wildersongs Trilogy: Sorcery and Small Magics – Maiga Doocy
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 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.
Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy puts the charm in this charming not-yet-but-hopefully-very-soon-to-be romance between two bitter rivals brought together by a curse.
The opening drops us right in the thick of things. The new school year is just starting, and our 1st-person narrator and troublemaker extraordinaire Leovander Loveage yet again crosses paths with his nemesis, Sebastian Grimm. The two are students in the magical school The Fount.
Then, in one of their subjects, they were partnered against their will. Putting the force in their forced proximity is a curse Sebastian unknowingly cast on Leo, thinking it was just a simple spell Leo wrote for their lesson.
Leo is doomed to obey whatever command Sebastian says. It even causes Leo to be drawn to wherever Sebastian is. It got progressively worse that, in desperation, Leo and Sebastian decided to travel to the notoriously dangerous Unquiet Woods to search for the sorcerer who could undo the curse.
The world-building efficiently relays the need-to-knows as the story progresses. It’s not as deep and detailed as I would have liked, with the writing focusing more on the dynamics between Leo and Sebastian and their quest to break the curse.
Meandor is a country where people with magical abilities study at The Fount. The graduates usually go on to work for The Coterie, which is like a magical army. They render their services in many villages or patrol the border in the Unquiet Woods, home to outlaws and monsters.
Sebastian is determined to be recruited and has his life planned out with grand ambitions for a seat in their council. Leo has no concrete plans after graduation other than to live in his childhood home. And that he’s determined to be as useless and carefree as possible,
The magic system is reminiscent of Jordan Castillo Price‘s The ABCs of Spellcraft. The magic is created by two individuals. One is the scriver or writer of the spell like Leo. Just like in JCP‘s book, the wording is chosen with care. The language used is the Old Language, although the author does not give examples with Leo relaying them in English.
The other is the caster like Sebastian. Intent is key, and whenever a spell is cast the paper burns. Sebastian is popular on campus since he is an exceptionally strong caster.
Casters rely on scrivers for their spells since they cannot write their own. There are typically more casters than scrivers, and this has an impact on the story. Leo is an odd duck in that he can cast.
A key point in the book is that he doesn’t create strong spells known as Grand Magic because they have disastrous results. But he can cast spells using music, like that which turned Sebastian’s hair pink or made clothes feel warm when the weather is cold, even though he is technically a scriver. This will be significant in future books.
I find most fantasy books too slow-paced, but Leo has an engaging and humorous point of view that makes reading a joy. His thoughts are always full of mischief and, as it later turned out, full of things left unsaid and unrealized until pointed out.
And so I was swept away by his twisty-turny tale, his resourcefulness, and his ability to think on his feet. Because he is limited to small spells, our boy has no choice but to make the most of what he’s got. His ingenuity saved their asses and others a time or two. Mostly though, he’s causing trouble.
Sebastian is a tough nut to crack. He’s a man of a few words, resting bitch face and lovely grey hair. You can tell he’s a good guy by the fact that he hasn’t told Leo to jump off the cliff the whole time they were together with Leo continually pushing his buttons. Sebastian is very conscious not to abuse the power he has over his infuriating nemesis.
Maybe Leo was an oblivious dork, but there were mentions of Sebastian’s subtle expressions that generated ghosts of a squee. But we are not squeeing yet because there’s barely anything truly romantic happening, just the curse at work. In short, this is going to slow burn at a snail’s pace until the next two books.
In the meantime, let’s live for the pining and the tension because lord, those were adding years to my life!!! I love that this is a cozy fantasy, all butterflies and warm fuzzies.
From Leo and Sebastian’s antagonistic interactions in The Fount to their road trip across the wilder, more dangerous areas of Meandor, the book is a fun, immersive experience building up to one grand spellbinding scene.
The writing is easy to digest and both Leo and Sebastian were compelling in their own ways. Together, their chemistry is a tantalizing promise of an epic romance in the next books. Let’s hope it lives up to it.
Sorcery and Small Magics is a story of two rivals, one curse, and a hundred conflicting feelings. Overall, wondrous, whimsical, and a whole lotta fun!
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Spells
Artist: Cannons
Album: SpellsP.S.
The book ends rather abruptly. If cliffhangers aren’t your thing, best to wait for the trilogy to complete before starting.
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SORCERY AND SMALL MAGICS: Audiobook
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BOOK TOUR: Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson
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BOOK BLITZ: Beautiful Dark Temptation by Roxas Winter (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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COVER REVEAL: Beautiful Dark Temptation by Roxas Winters
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REVIEW: Malum Discordiae by Ashlyn Drewek
Tennebrose: Malum Discordiae – Ashlyn Drewek
After Cassius Corbin’s mother was murdered by fellow witches, he learned an invaluable lesson: death comes for us all—even Necromancers. Six years later, enrolling at Tennebrose University with vengeance on his mind, the last thing he expects is to come face to face with Graeme Hewitt, the son of his mother’s killer. As much as Cassius tries to avoid the naive weather witch, fate has other plans.
In spite of their families’ ongoing feud, they’re forced to work together if they have any hope of passing their required class. But as late nights and stolen moments turn to something more, a rash of demonic murders plagues the university. If they don’t get to the bottom of it, they could both be next.
MALUM DISCORDIAE is a dark academia, paranormal MM romance about witches, Necromancers, and a blood feud that has lasted centuries. It features plenty of steam, a lot of snark, and the pile of bodies you’d expect in a magical Romeo + Juliet retelling—except this one has a happy ending. It is intended for a mature audience and reader discretion is advised. A full list of triggers can be found in the front matter of the book and at my website under Tropes & Triggers.
If there’s one MF romance writer whose shift to MM made me so happy, it’s Ashlyn Drewek. She blew me away with the devastating Stockholm Syndrome romance, The Solnyshko Duet, and I also loved her Beauty and the Beast retelling, Wither. Her stories are typically dark and come with a chockful of trigger warnings.
Malum Discordiae is the opener of the dark academia paranormal series Tennebrose. This is a Romeo and Juliet retelling but with witches and magic revolving around the secretly magical Tennebrose University. The town and the school are a mix of unaware humans, certain people in the know, and old witch families.
The story centers around the centuries-old feud between the Corbins and the Hewitts. The Hewitts are nature witches, considered the good ones. The Corbins are necromancers, mostly shunned and reviled because of their dark magic. The rest of the old families fall between light, dark, and neutral.
Cassius Corbin and Graeme Hewitt considered themselves sworn enemies, until they were forced by their botany professor and plant witch, Ainsworth, to work together on the semester’s project to grow the mythical poison apple tree. It was one tumultuous getting-to-know-you scene after another, where they cycle through hate, lust, generations-old biases, and grudging clarifications.
Hands down, our boy to die for here is Cassius! Sporting gothic villain good looks, he’s snarky and standoffish, with a big heart hurt too often. A necromancer and a blood witch, his spells frequently involved disturbing methods (skulls on display, tasting blood, talking to ghosts), and he knows full well the stigma against dark witches of his kind.
Still, Cash went out on a limb for Graeme several times, trying to help him open his eyes. He explained what necromancy really is and why the spells are like that, aware that the cost is revealing family secrets that could easily be used against the Corbins and other necromancers.
Graeme is why I didn’t give this book 5-stars. Touted as the next deacon of their witch congregation, he’s a powerful weather witch but spectacularly ignorant of his legacy and magic. Seriously, this witch didn’t even know what his family herald looks like. I could forgive this part because he can learn that in Tennebrose.
But Graeme would listen to Cash explain something, then quick as a flash, turn against Cash because of age-old bigotry compounded by his ignorance. He broke Cash’s trust, and I’m not even sure he made up for the hurts.
It might sound contradictory, but I do love Graeme and Cash together. Their chemistry is off the charts! The hatesex was sizzling! The push/pull was exciting!
When Graeme wasn’t being an idiot, you can tell he’s crazy about the snarky necromancer. Usually brass and self-assured, he lets Cash see his vulnerable side. He does acknowledge his lack of training and genuinely tried to learn from Cash, so yeah, not so bad. His magic is supercool, too!
The supporting cast was great, many of them memorable. Aside from the botany professor Ainsworth, the Corbins, dad Caius and sister, Claudia, surprised Graeme. Meanwhile his parents, Maryann and George, had some secrets of their own. The congregation is lead by the deacon and the selectmen, who arbitrate and record events. The rest of Cash’s and Graeme’s relatives and friends stand in for the Capulets’ and Montagues’ allies.
Flawed characters aside, the plot hooked me in immediately and kept me riveted for hours. It would have been a one-sitter if not for the need to sleep. It’s a spectacular retelling, with enough familiar elements and not too on the nose. It’s filled with just the right amount of details to establish the setting and the magic system without resorting to info-dumps.
There’s also several murders, demons lurking, lost grimoires, and centuries of family history to unpack. And with the lovely gothic vibe that speaks to my grim self, this is a well-conceived fictional world I’d love to be in!
Malum Discordiae is a Shakespearean tale full of heartbreak, revelations, family woes, and a pair of star-crossed lovers who dealt with life and death. All in all, a dark witchy delight!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Tethered to the Dark
Artist: Anya Marina
Album:
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MALUM DISCORDIAE: Kindle | Audiobook
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