Sorcery and Small Magics

Back at the Fount school for the remainder of his magical education, Leovander Lovage finds himself as the unfortunate class partner of Sebastian Grimm, an extremely skilled magic user. Leo is a scriver who can write spells but can rarely cast magic, and Grimm is a caster who can cast but not write spells. While the idea is for the pair to work together, Leo’s attempt to make Grimm’s life as difficult as possible results in his own worst nightmare: being bound to obey Grimm’s every word. When Leo realizes that the spell is also forcing his increased proximity to Grimm, he drags the other young man on an adventure to find the sorceress he hopes will be able to lift the spell. Both the setting and characters are genuinely charming, reminiscent of the worlds Gail Carson Levine and her contemporaries built, while still providing a story suitable for an older audience. Despite Leo’s impulsivity and penchant towards petty mischief, he remains a likable and often relatable narrator whose perspective on long-suffering Grimm deepens over time. Both young men are queer, but their slow-burn romance is only beginning; dodging monsters and outlaws in an enchanted forest is distracting business, after all.