Review: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

From the back cover:

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 feels like a real possibility. But magic isn’t the only danger in the world, and when peril 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…

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches has certainly made it into my top three favorite books of all time. I was a little worried going in because I did not want to be disappointed but I definitely did not need to be! The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches delivers on everything it and the blurbs promise. It truly is “A warm and witchy hug of a book.” The stakes are high but Sangu Mandanna holds the reader gently and does not squeeze too tightly. There’s found family and angst here and there, and to top it all off, there’s a sunshine/grumpy ‘ship dynamic.

Sangu Mandanna weaves the story in such a way that the reader will be able to predict at least a couple twists, and be so thoroughly pleased with themselves and the plot that they will not want to put the book down until the last page is turned. However, you will truly be blown away when she fires Chekhov’s gun.

I deeply appreciated the amount of care and attention Sangu Mandanna took in the world building, especially when it came to how magic does and does not work. Mandanna has an answer for everything; by the end of the book I did not have any questions and everything felt like it was tied together neatly with a bow.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an engaging read about people just trying to find their place in the world while also trying to keep their magic from creating more mischief than they can handle. And, once you finish the book make sure to read the bonus epilogue on the author’s website!

P.S. Here are the content warnings from the author’s website: swearing, some on-page sex, discussions of trauma and past abuse, and references to the racism and homophobia experienced by the characters.

See you later for my next review, and keep an eye out for some upcoming baked goods inspired by my new favorite witch ✨