Book Review: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

About the Book:

Title: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Author: Sangu Mandanna

Page Length: 336

Publication Date: Aug. 23, 2022

Publisher: Berkley Books

Synopsis: As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she’s used to being alone and she follows the rules…with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.

But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and…Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he’s concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.

As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn’t the only danger in the world, and when a threat comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn’t know she was looking for….

LINKS:   Goodreads   |    Amazon

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My Review:

A story of love, acceptance, family, and belonging, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a delightful read. The story follows Mika, an orphan and witch who lost her parents when she was young. Raised knowing she had to keep her magic a secret and stay away from other witches so as not to draw attention to their magic, Mika is used to her solitary life. All of that changes when Mika receives a message asking her to journey to the Nowhere House to teach three young witches, and she decides to go.

When Mika arrives at Nowhere House, she gains more than she ever expected. She meets a wonderful group of people, including a retired stage actor and his housekeeper husband, a curmudgeonly but sexy librarian, and three young, orphaned witches with little control of their powers.

Mika has such a big heart, and I loved her character throughout the story. She is so positive and holds an optimistic outlook on life despite the hardships she’s endured and the loneliness she feels. I think she finds herself at Nowhere House. The relationships she gains, the acceptance, and the feeling of belonging are everything she wants and more, and her connection to Terracotta, Rosette, and Altimira is lovely. Mika always wanted children and a family, and that’s exactly what she finds over the course of the book.

All of the characters are well-developed and layered, and I love the found family they create. The banter is great, and you can tell they really care about each other in the way they act and talk and treat each other. There are some lovely tender moments and some fantastic laugh-out-loud conversations, and there’s also a swoon-worthy budding romance between Mika and the grumpy librarian Jamie! Yes, librarian! What’s sexier than a man who loves books? Jamie is enigmatic and has a mysterious past. I loved watching this grumpy man reluctantly fall for Mika. They are so different, yet they complement each other well.

I remember once a fellow book blogger referred to a book she enjoyed as a “warm hug,” and that’s what this book feels like. It’s a wonderfully entertaining story with rich characters, a fabulous found family, and moving messages that I would compare to messages in many of T.J Klune’s books. I would definitely recommend the book to readers who like sweet and charming stories and am thankful to Berkley Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts are my own.

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Rating:

Favorite Parts:

• The found family.

• The characters.

• The romance!

Recommendations:

I would recommend The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches to readers who enjoy heart-warming reads with great characters and a wonderful found family.