I loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and I loved this book just as much. So cozy, so warm, so magical with just the right amount of conflict and romance (and a tiny sprinkle of spice!). Can’t wait for Sangu Mandanna’s next book. 💛💛 Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for the eARC of this novel.

Sangu Mandanna has done it again! She creates romances that aren't just a journey of love but also self-love and discovery. Sera is such an amazing main character. She's just raw edges sewn together with love and care. Her road of healing was so beautiful to read. She IS the gargoyle protecting the castle and she does too well of a job.

All of Sangu Mandana's characters jump off the pages with life. She dares to ask the question "What if family is a grumpy magic-drained witch, her cozy back from the dead aunt, a lesbian amateur gardener, a himbo knight, an 11-year-old witch, a cursed fox, a chilly history nerd, and his cinnamon roll loving witch sister?" The answer was yes, and I asked how I could join it.

Sera and Luke are so soft with each other. They are caretakers for others. They hold the responsibility close and very tightly. With each other, they can ease their holds and just be. The romance took a bit more of a back seat in this book. I would say Secret Society of Witches was 40% romance and this one is more 20%. I do wish that their relationship was shown 10% more but Sera's self-love journey needed to take up more space.

Delightful! This was just as whimsical and charming as The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches! Sera and Luke were both so prickly and yet, I found myself rooting for both of them the whole time. Sweet story about friendship, second chances and found family. The most wholesome thing I’ve read so far this year!

This novel is an absolute treat; funny, whimsical, and oh-so-heartwarming. I couldn’t get enough of the eccentricity and the perfect blend of magic, mischief, and moments of vulnerability. What really resonated with me, though, was Sera’s journey to rediscover herself, her powers, and her place in the world. This book celebrates found family and the idea that sometimes, the magic we need is right in front of us. If you’re a fan of quirky, magical worlds with lovable characters, a dash of romance, and a lot of heart, this one is an absolute gem. It’s the kind of story that makes you believe in second chances, both in life and love. I’m already looking forward to what the author has in store next!

Sera Swan used to be a magical prodigy. Now she runs a bed and breakfast with her great-aunt Jasmine and a few semi-permanent guests, all of whom are eccentric. A M/F romance emphasizing the importance of found families and accepting people as they are.

The Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025. From the magic-imbued English countryside inn to the eccentric and lovable guests themselves, reading this felt like a warm blanket. While exceptionally cozy, this story had enough plot and purpose to keep me engaged until the very end. You will laugh, you will cry. This coming-of-age story about finding your magic and accepting yourself was truly a treat to read and I can’t wait to own it in print when it is published later this year.

This book gave me everything I needed and nothing I didn’t. It was a warm cup of tea by the fire for the soul. The characters are sweet and compelling. The romance is perfectly paced and believable. The stakes are rather low which solidifies this book as a charming, casual, sweet read focused on character development and relationships.

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna is a cozy, enchanting read filled with charm, warmth, and just the right touch of magic. The setting is beautifully crafted, making the inn feel like a place I’d love to visit, and the characters are delightful, with their relationships adding heart to the story. While the plot moved a bit slowly at times, the overall atmosphere and engaging writing kept me hooked. It’s a lovely, comforting read—perfect for fans of cozy fantasy—earning it a solid four stars.

This was phenomenal. This book is packed with everything that makes reading a joy. The story focuses on found family, second chances, and loving yourself, but also has the most wholesome slow-burn, opposites attract romance burning in the background. The characters of this book are truly amazing. They are all so perfectly quirky and so well developed. They are vivid and original and you simply cannot help but fall in love with all of them. In addition to Mandanna’s evocative characters, this story is rich in world building and truly captivating writing. This story wormed into my heart and filled all the spaces of it with a warm and cozy feeling. There is the perfect amount of humor, love, joy, sadness, and family mixed together to great the perfect recipe for the perfect novel. The way that Mandanna writes to poetically about everyday life and the true magic of the world is truly inspiring. Mandanna has done all of the things right with this book and you would truly be doing yourself a disservice if you did not read it.

What an absolutely magical delight. I teared up so many times because the found family and acceptance in this book is everything you could have possibly asked for. Each one of our characters has felt unwelcome and like who they were wasn’t acceptable in one way or another, and they have all found happiness, safety, and love together. When I read the very secret society of irregular witches I was blown away by the quality of the writing, and this has lived up to those unattainable expectations. Easily another favorite of the year.

Sangu Mandanna is once again the master (mistress?) of the cozy fantasy romance. This book managed to make me laugh and had such a wonderful found family. I loved that the inn found people who needed it and brought them there. That alone would have made this a five star read for me but this book also had some beautiful depression representation that made me consider the struggles of depression in a new light which is saying a lot for someone who had been fighting depression for five years and studying it for over a decade.

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping will a hundred percent become a new comfort read. One of my favorite things about it was that it was comforting without shying away from things that make life difficult like racism and the dangers of not standing up to oppression. I loved that no one in this story was perfect but we saw that imperfect people can do good, and people who have chosen to do the wrong thing can still contribute to the good.

If you like found family with a bit of magic you need to run and get this one as soon as you can! I would describe it as low fantasy. We get a bit of a magical quest but the romance and self discovery are also a huge part of the story. If you loved A Very Irregular Society of Witches you'll love this one. I will be yelling about how good this book is for months so I apologize in advance.

I adored this. After waiting through so many pushed back release dates and so much anticipation I was briefly concerned - what if I'd hyped it up too much. What if it didn't live up to The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches?

I didn't need to worry.

5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an ARC for review!

I didn’t really enjoy the first one. It was cute but nothing interesting happened so I ended up putting it down. Therefore, reading the second book doesn’t seem like a good idea.

Although I thought the beginning was a bit slow, it picked up for me about half way through and the rest flew by. Overall, I thought this was super cute, cozy, and solid second adult novel for Mandanna!

Thank you Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sera is a very powerful. The only other witch in the area as powerful as her is an adult and he is tutoring her, all the while jealous of her power. At the age of 15, Sera has lived with her aunt at an old inn. One morning, her aunt is found dead. Clemmie, the witch turned fox who lives with them convinces her to cast a resurrection spell, which is illegal. Sera casts the spell, Aunt Jasmine is alive, but Sera is a fraction as powerful as she once was.

Fifteen years later, Sera and Jasmine have a charmed inn that brings people who really need a refuge. One day, witch Luke and his younger sister with autism arrive. Like works with a member of the witch’s guild and tends his sister. Their parents have no idea what to do with young Posy but Luke is lost trying find someone who will care for her as much as he does. They find the inn and join in the quest to help Sera find a spell to bring back her magic and transform
Clemmie back into a human. This a cozy story of a family whose members are not related to each either, but they fit together just as well.

I absolutely loved this book! It has all the charm of the very secret society of irregular witches. She has done it again!

I've been eagerly anticipating this book for what feels like AGES and it did not disappoint!! Cozy, full of heart and found family, a magical inn, a zombie rooster, a swoony, bookish, neurodiverse MMC and his autistic younger sister plus a cursed fox and an amazing cast of side characters. Grumpy Sera was easy to root for as she tries to find a way to get her magic back after losing when she cast a resurrection spell to bring her beloved aunt back to life. 10/10 recommend! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Mandanna has really perfected her craft. It's got the same components as The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches but the execution was flawless this time. I was so moved by BIPOC, neurodivergent and physical disability storylines. There were so many good quotes! I loved our FMC and MMC but all the side characters were amazing too. I can't wait to hear about Mandanna's next book, I'm interested if she will make this her niche/signature and how many different spins she can put on the found family, adoptive parent, 30s finding home and love and magic plotlines.

I deeply enjoyed Mandanna's previous book as a cosy and magical escape, and she strikes just the same chord here while bringing us into a different setting and slightly different magical world. While the books are standalones, they complement each other in theme and tone. Fans of her previous work will be thrilled with this new entry.

Mandanna writes a satisfying romance, but what she really lands is the chosen family and finding your place. Sera is a relatable lead character through her struggles and the walls she has put up around herself, but there's also something aspirational to her. While she doesn't see all she means to those around her, others do. And the way that this is brought to her attention is tender and balanced, even reciprocal. She feels defeated by her challenges but is never bested, she is kind but fiery, she works hard and deserves a break but doesn't lose perspective. I also loved the way that the antagonist played into the story here. He never gets more time than he deserves while remaining a subtle threat that the audience wants to see squared away. The ultimate showdown is satisfying and feels true to the story.

Top it all off with a dreamy and cosy magical setting that invites you to stay with a cinnamon bun and a tempting scent of apple blossom tea on the air.

this book was cute, but it wasn’t really for me. it took me forever to get through because i was never “in the mood” to keep going with it. the writing was a little unpolished and almost childish at times. it felt a bit like a debut novel. i do think this will find its place amongst cozy readers for sure and i will be recommending it for purchase at my library.

thank you to the author, the publisher, and netgalley for providing me with an eARC. all opinions are my own.