Wednesday, September 21, 2022

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

Pages: 336
Genre: Adult Fiction
Pub. Date: August 23, 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Source: Publisher for review
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
 

Goodreads says, "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...."

 

Mika Moon has lived a nomadic life, moving often, and not putting down roots. There's a few reasons for this: one, being that her parents have died, and two, she is a witch.  She doesn't want to bring too much attention to herself; however, she does dabble on the internet as a "pretend" witch by posting videos. Mika does meet every few months with another group of witches, but it's all very secretive.  One day she receives a message asking her to come to a country estate to help young witches control their powers.  Mika finds this very intriguing, so off she goes to a country estate aptly named Nowhere House. While there, she meets three young children who are learning the ropes and trying to control their magic. There are also other people that live at the estate, a caretaker, a retired actor, and a hot librarian.  Before she knows it, she has become close with not only the kids, but the other quirky people who live there as they accept her for who she is. She doesn't have to hide her magic here. But things aren't all rainbows and unicorns. There's a lawyer investigating some things at Nowhere House and this threatens there very perfect world they have built for themselves. Sangu Mandanna's adult debut, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, is an adorable romance that is perfect for fans of a cozy fall read.

Mika is such a fun character in The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. I loved watching her let down her walls and have real relationships with the people at Nowhere House. Each person brings something special to the story and Mika slowly let them in. It was nice to see this as she has always been on her own.  The cast of quirky characters in the novel were very well done and I especially liked the good looking Irish librarian, Jamie. Lastly, the three young witches were also very entertaining and were adorable to say the least.

My only issue with The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches was the fact that the pull to keep reading wasn't there. I liked the story, the characters were quirky, and it was an adorable romantic fantasy, but it didn't pull me to keep going. Something was definitely missing. However, if you want a fall read that is cozy and on the quieter side, give this novel a try.  It left me smiling, so, really, what more could you ask for? 

Is The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches on your TBR list? Have you read it already? Do you like a good witchy tale? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.  

 

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