The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

by Sangu Mandanna

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Summary

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…

[summary provided by GoodReads]

GoodReads Nominee for Favorite Fantasy 2022

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My Review

Sadly, this book just didn’t work for me. I feel like it’s been overhyped, and I must have had a different experience than most readers because I don’t understand the rave reviews. The writing came across as immature and unpolished to me. There was an obscene amount of cursing, which felt over the top and ridiculous. Additionally, it’s an open-door romance, which isn’t my preference, so I ended up skipping those parts in the audiobook since I prefer closed-door romances.

The book felt overly focused on ticking diversity boxes and pandering, with a wide array of ethnicities and sexual orientations represented. While diversity is important, it came across as forced rather than natural, which detracted from the story. Also, the messaging about feeling ‘othered’ and not fitting into society felt heavy-handed and preachy. I prefer my entertainment to convey its themes more subtly, without feeling like I’m being lectured to.

Overall, the plot was boring, the characters felt one-dimensional and fell flat, there was zero chemistry between the couple, and the writing came off as too juvenile. While I appreciated the magical elements, they weren’t developed enough to compensate for the rest. Unfortunately, this author’s style just isn’t for me, and I wouldn’t recommend this book. There are way better witchy books and cozy fantasy books.