Member Reviews
Life got in the way and I could not finish the book. Thanks to the publishers for the chance to read the book.
I absolutely loved reading this book. It was pleasantly cozy while giving the subtle tension of something like Practical Magic. There was not a single character that I wasn't fascinated by. I will continue to reread this book each chance I get!
You say "found family", and I'm immediately there with bells on. This was very sweet and heartwarming; a cozy read with colorful characters and charming magical flourishes. I do wish it had delved a little deeper into the meatier issues sprinkled throughout (the characters' past trauma/darker aspects of their backstories/etc.), but that would've been a much different book tone-wise, so I get why Mandanna kept it lighter and at a more surface level. While not quite as high in my affections as TJ Klune's The House in the Cerulean Sea or Travis Baldree's Legends & Lattes, it's still very much in that subcategory of cozy fantasy, and is an easy one to rec to friends and customers in search of a sweet diversion.
So cute. So cozy. I love everyone in it and every character was so well done. One of all time faves.
This was the coziest book and I'm so glad that I waited until is was nice and cool outside to read. It was like a warm cup of tea, pure comfort. Sangu Mandanna wrote such a beautiful fantasical world. I cried, I laugh, I fell in love. I will read whatever Sangu Mandanna will write.
This was so fun and cozy! Such a delightful escape and I have pressed it into the hands of many friends since completing it.
This book was just like a cozy warm hug. I am so glad I found this author and this world she created in this Wonderfully soothing book.
This was so fun and cozy! I enjoyed the magical elements so much, and seeing Mika's confidence grow as she mentors the younger witches. Both Mika's internal and external conflicts were so interesting and engaging, and I appreciated that the romantic plot was secondary to the kids' education and safety. This was such a delightful escape and I have pressed it into the hands of many friends since completing it.
This was a pleasant read. Other readers were extremely charmed but the characters, but I was only mildly so. I hope the next book captures my attention more (because, yes, I liked it enough to continue the story.)
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna is a perfect fit for readers who adore heartwarming stories about found family, magic, and romance, and are looking for a lighthearted and uplifting tale that explores themes of trauma, belonging, and the power of human connection.
This book was so freaking cute! I loved the story line, the magic, the found family, obv the romance that bloomed and our very grumpy hero!
I can’t wait to read more of this authors work!
THE VERY SECRET SOCIETY OF IRREGULAR WITCHES: 3 stars!
A sweet book and the perfect read of october if you alre leaning towards the spooky season but make it with cozy vibes. This one was actually fun, although I did struggle with the pacing most of the book. I really enjoyed getting to know about the characters individually and the found family in it, plus I liked the general idea of the plot a lot. Sadly, I wasn't 100% in with the romance which made it a bit harder to pick up whenever I had time to read it. Still fun and enjoyable, would recommend it to others although it wasn't my favourite!
this was SO SO sweet, and combined so many of my fav book things: paranormal/witches, grumpy/sunshine, and found family! so so good
4.5 stars, rounded up. What an absolute charmer of a book. This was laugh out loud funny, had creative and interesting magic, and a delightful found family group. It's witty and like a warm hug of a witchy story. All the good things I'd heard about it were true, and I think the at times snarky bits of humor and swearing children kept this from being TOO cute.
Mixed feelings about this book. I have to say that I enjoyed it when I started it and it was going well for a while. I liked the diverse cast of characters and it was fun watching Mika work with the girls.
As the story progressed it started to fizzle out for me. The concept was fun, but not my type of vibe unfortunately!
One of the best books I’ve ever read. The writing is both magical and effortless to read, I read it all in one sitting and immediately wanted to read it again.
When I think of “cozy” my mind immediately thinks of how I felt reading this book. It is the most perfect book to read when you want to cozy up with a book and just relax. I would love to see more cozy books like this one, cozy books should be a genre all of their own.
This book is exactly what I wished The House on the Cerulean Sea had been. It’s a gift for the outcasts, a prayer for inclusion, and a celebration of found family. Can’t wait for the next book!
Mika Moon was orphaned at a young age and has spent much of her life in Britain hiding that she’s a witch. To battle her loneliness, Mika starts an online account where she “pretends” she’s a witch. But when her account is spotted by a group of young witches in need of a teacher, they ask Mika to come to their hidden home, and she finds a new family very different from her expectations.
This is just as cozy, transportive, and magical as everyone says! Despite the fact that a lot of the characters have experienced trauma and grief, it's still overall a really light and comforting read. A perfect choice for Halloween season!
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a very cute, heart-warming story about Mika Moon, a British Indian witch, who becomes the tutor of three little witches learning to harness and control the powers, and the found family surrounding the three little girls.
Mika, who moves every few months and does not let anyone get close to her, is a fun character. She's incredibly lonely, but sunny and fiercely proud of being a witch. The other characters, Ian, Ken, Lucie, Jamie, and the three little witches (Rosetta, Terracotta, and Altimira) all have distinct personalities, which come through the page and that I found entertaining.
Other reviewers have said that this book reminds them of The House in the Cerulean Sea, and I definitely see similarities--both focus on found families, have a bit of romance and magic sprinkled in, are written in a very cutesy, almost twee fashion, but their characters really drive the books home. They're flawed and realistic (to an extent), but so incredibly loveable.
I've always felt a certain curiosity/interest in the concept of magic. I don't believe it actually exists or anything like that, but I do think it can make for some great storytelling. Combined with the cover, which itself holds a curious attraction, made me want to read this book.
As it turns out, this was a pretty damn good book!
The characters are very believable\relatable. I definitely felt for Mika, Rosette, Terracotta and Altamira - not because of personal experience or anything like that, but because I would just hate to be in those circumstances.
The plot is interesting - things start off as a nice and easy read, then there's an explosion of action and things settle down nicely to wrap everything up. I had an excellent experience reading this story, and could have easily done so in a single sitting if time weren't an issue.
My one criticism would be that the amount of swearing that goes on in the middle could have been toned down a little. I don't care much for that type of language.
Things I liked:
Magic/witches
The characters (especially Mika)
The plot
Things I didn’t like:
The (sometimes) excessive language/swearing
I would recommend this book to just about anyone who has an open mind to the fantasy genre. It really is a great read!