The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Narrator: Samara MacLaren
Published by Berkley on August 23, 2022
Genres: Magic Realism, Romance, Witches
Length: 9h 59m
Pages: 318
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Purchase on: Amazon// Barnes & Noble// BookBub
Add to: Goodreads // StoryGraph


A warm and uplifting novel about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a quirky new family--and a new love--changes the course of her life.
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....

review

I don’t know what I expected when I picked up The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, but I do know I was pleasantly surprised! I thought this would just be a cute and cozy magic realism book, but this was so much more!

Off the bat, the romance was a little unexpected. Now, I know the synopsis mentions finding new love, but I honestly thought it would just be something in passing. This was nothing in passing. It was so ingrained to the story itself, and the growth of the characters, the furtherance of the general plot at large. Watching the romance unfurl slowly, tentatively, sweetly between surly Jamie and sunshiny Mika was a balm to the soul. It was organic and believable and didn’t need to focus on anything spicy or smutty, this felt deeper. That said, there was a spicy scene toward the end so if you aren’t a fan of open door romance, you may have to skip a few pages at the end.

While the romance was fantastic, it wasn’t what made this book cleave its way into my heart. It was the manner in which generational maternal, and general female relationships, were portrayed. Through Mika, and Primrose we see how generational trauma continues. How the worst of our parents shape us and the generations to come – for better or worse. With the three young wards that Mika is called in to teach, we experience the tangle of baggage that comes with one has been raised. It hit so heavy because, for whatever reason, it always seems that mother/daughter relationships are the most fraught and fragile. Too much what I could have been and what I will never be and we see this throughout the novel.

I honestly strongly recommend The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. Mandanna flawlessly integrates a deep romance with thorough insights into female relationships and even touches upon the lasting effects of colonialism.

four-half-stars

Leave a Reply