Review – A (non) Comprehensive Guide to Sea Serpent (The Sorceror’s Grimoire, Book 1) by AJ Sherwood (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Humor
Length: 242 pages
Publisher:‎ Raconteur House LLC
Release Date: September 22, 2023
ASIN: B0CCSS5QRH
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in The Sorceror’s Grimoire series
Source: Borrowed ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 5/5 stars

“Two new apprentices. One charming engineer. A potential battle with both sea serpents and evil sorcerers.
When Sorcerer Adrien Danvers takes on a job that leads him into the slums of England, he never imagined he’d end up with not one, but two apprentices. Despite his doubts in himself, he’s the only chance the two pre-teens have to escape their hellish life.

When Sir Hugh Quartermain contracts him to deal with the mysterious circumstances surrounding his home on the Isle of Man, Adrien finds the more time they spend together, the more his walls come down around the beguiling engineer–an unusual occurrence and a terrifying prospect.

But as it turns out, this case is about to take a turn–a battle with both beast and man, the ultimate test of Adrien’s willingness to accept help. When he does, Hugh proves to be a fierce protector and friend, more so than Adrien could’ve ever bargained for, and he finds himself longing for something he shouldn’t.

Falling for his new friend is not a complication Adrien needs. (His matchmaking apprentices disagree.)”

Series Info/Source: This is the 1st book in the Sorceror’s Grimoire series. I borrowed this on ebook from Kindle Unlimited.

Thoughts: I feel like I am going all in on cozy, feel-good fantasy here. This is the second amazing, heartwarming, feel-good fantasy I have read in a row. I absolutely loved this book with some of its rather unexpected background and endearing characters. There is a lot of humor in here, some excellent themes around making a family of your own, and exciting magical battles as well (with stinky sea serpents!)

Sorcerer Adrien Danvers was kicked out of his family when he revealed his preference for other men. He is okay with that; he has some good friends and is fine living on his own. Then he stumbles upon a pre-teen with immense magical power being beaten in the alley and rescues the pre-teen (Julien). Then, on the spot, he decides to make Julien his apprentice. When Julien reveals he has a brother, Adrien takes Julien’s broth in as an apprentice as well. Suddenly, his house goes from empty to full of teenagers. When Adrien is called to the Isle of Man to deal with a sea serpent issue, he sees it as a great learning opportunity for the boys. Adrien isn’t expecting the caring and kind Sir Hugh to be his contact there, and really isn’t expecting to like Sir Hugh as much as he does. Adrien is determined to keep things strictly friendly but Adrien’s apprentices have their own opinions and decide to play matchmaker.

This was a wonderful combination of friendship, family, humor, and fighting evil sorcerers and sea serpents. I love that we have been seeing so much of this type of cozy, quirky, humorous fantasy lately. The characters in here are amazing, and some of the situations that Adrien is forced to face with two former male prostitute teen boys in his house are hilarious. The world-building is minimal; it is basically a historical fantasy set in London, but there’s magic. The magic and engineering discussed is intriguing and fun to learn about. The plot is fairly straightforward, and nothing too surprising happens. This was just pure fun and I loved it.

Watching Adrien build a family of his own is heartwarming, and watching the boys take to their new apprenticeships is wonderful as well. There are some good magic/action scenes fighting sea serpents and sorcerers. However, the majority of the story is about these characters finding happiness and navigating day to day life while protecting normal humans from magical threats.

This was incredibly easy to read and very fun. It leaves you feeling happy and hopeful, and I am eager to read the second book in this series soon.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this book a ton. This was a fun, hopeful, and heartwarming read full of unique characters. There are some intriguing magic and engineering aspects in here, and I look forward to learning more about this world and spending more time with these amazing characters in the next book. I would recommend if you are looking for a cozy fantasy with some action/magic and romance.