#BookReview: THE VERY SECRET SOCIETY OF IRREGULAR WITCHES by Sangu Mandanna @SanguMandanna @HodderBooks

Publication: 23rd August 2022 – Hodder & Stoughton

She found magic in the most unlikely of places.

The House in the Cerulean Sea meets Practical Magic in this cosy, heartwarming, and uplifting magical romance 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 has lived her life by three rules: hide your magic, keep your head down, and stay away from other witches. An orphan raised by strangers from a young age, Mika is good at being alone, and she doesn’t mind it . . . mostly.

But then an unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches, and Mika jumps at the chance for a different life.

Nowhere House is nothing like she expects, and she’s quickly tangled up in the lives and secrets of its quirky, caring inhabitants . . . and Jamie, the handsome, prickly librarian who would do anything to protect his charges, and who sees Mika’s arrival as a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.

As Mika finds her feet, the thought of belonging somewhere starts to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn’t the only danger in the world, and soon Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect the found family she didn’t know she was looking for…

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

The Very Secret Society of Witches meets on the third Thursday of every third month.  They never meet in the same place twice and this is the only chance for its members to connect and socialize as witches can stay too long together because it attracts too much magic. 

Mika Moon is one of its members, one of the youngest. Orphaned right after her birth, she was raised by a string of nannies and tutors. Mika is used to being alone and she never stays long in the same place. She posts online videos where she pretends to be a witch and that’s how she attracts the attention of a particular inhabitant of Nowhere House who contacts her to teach three young witches to control their magic. When she arrives at Nowhere House she is welcomed warmly by most of the residents, which include two caretakers and one retired actor, except for one of her charges, Terracotta, who comes up with different ideas on how to murder her, and Jamie, the handsome and grumpy librarian, whose constant scowl is proof she doesn’t trust her. As Mika starts to feel like she belongs, someone threatens her happiness and that of the people she has come to care about…

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I loved the setting, the writing, the plot, but, most of all, the characters. They are eccentric, witty, vivid, and engaging and you can’t help but love them. Mika is relatable, funny, and smart; Jamie is charming and prickly and he would do anything to protect the three young witches; Ian, an energetic and eccentric retired actor, who likes to play Cupido; kind and considerate Ken who, despite not having any powers, has a magical touch in the garden; Lucie, the caring housekeeper who tries to keep everyone in line; and all of them would do anything – including come up with far-fetched and absurd plans – to protect the three young witches in their care: Rosette, Terracotta, and Altamira.

I can’t recommend The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches enough. There is romance, magic, entertaining plans and much more. It was such such an enjoyable, addictive, and superb read and I am really hoping for a sequel in the future.

A huge thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with a ARC of this amazing book.

Sangu Mandanna is the author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom, and other novels about magic, monsters and myths. She lives in Norwich with her husband and kids.