The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna | Book Review

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My Rating for The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Genre: Fantasy ; Length: 318 pages

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The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna is a perfectly bewitching novel! I knew it was the right accompaniment for my fall pumpkin bread baking kit because it just exudes warmth and coziness. Along with a slice of Pumpkin Bread with Candied Ginger, and a cup of orange spice tea, it’s a totally enchanting escape.

I gave this book 4 stars because it was really just lovely. Low conflict, a quaint love story, and a totally charming cast of characters. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes magical realism but not necessarily high fantasy.

Pumpkin Bread Recipe Image — Pumpkin Bread with Candied Ginger, featured in our Fall Baking Kit

Synopsis

Mika is a British South Asian witch (shout-out to witches of color!) who has spent her whole life trying to go unnoticed. She’s not allowed to socialize with other witches, or else their powers may gather magic together and draw too much attention. This leaves social media as her only outlet.

After being recognized as a real witch from her “fake magic” videos, she is asked to take a position as a tutor at Nowhere House. Her job: teach three young witches how to control their magic.

Nowhere House’s quirky residents soon become a makeshift family to Mika. But not everything is what it seems. Mika must decide what she’s willing to risk for her chosen family.

My take on The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Spoiler Alert!!!

I don’t usually listen to audiobooks, but I listened to this one on Audible. Honestly, it was such a huge help because I was able to finish the book while developing my pumpkin bread recipe. The reader did a great job of all the voices and different accents, especially Jamie’s Irish accent. She even made all the kids’ voices discernable from each other. (This is important, since there are a lot of scenes where all three of their voices are in the same bit of dialogue.)

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches such a cute and cozy read! It reminded me so much of The House in the Cerulean Sea, which I also reviewed on the blog. It had that same unlikely love, chosen family, motley crew vibe with low conflict and a happy ending. 4 stars.

My favorite scene was when Mika first moves to Nowhere House and starts “unpacking”. She magics a few cauldrons, her tea collection, a library of spell-books, and a full-sized pond including the koi fish out of her small car. The 3 young witches she is there to train were amazed and delighted as seven-year-old Altamira remarks:

“That was some excellent Mary Poppins shit right there.”
Altamira, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Doomed to Be Alone

In the witching world of Mika Moon, witches can’t gather because it multiplies their powers. This may cause a disturbance in the force, if you will, and draw too much attention to them. As such, Mika and all other witches are doomed to a life of loneliness where they don’t even know their parents.

This is Mika’s core struggle throughout the book, and why the gift of family at Nowhere House is so seducing. It’s why she falls so fast for Jamie and all the kids. This leads her right into the heart of the conflict.

I liked that the book really emphasized the importance of love, friends, family, and society in one’s life.

Critique of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Mika is a Bit too Sad

I can appreciate that the theme of the book is that representation matters. Life as a minority is tough and knowing people who are similar to you is important. Seeing them do normal things and extraordinary things, and seeing yourself in someone else matters.

Mika grew up with no family, bounced around to different nannies under the supervision of her icy caretaker, Primrose, and wasn’t allowed to socialize with other witches. Her upbringing definitely sounded isolating, but she was just so damn sad. She was a bit too sad!

Maybe it just came off that way because of the way the audiobook reader did her voice. But, Mika did have friends before Nowhere House. She wasn’t totally lonely. Just…none of her friends were witches.

Jamie is a Bit Infuriating

Thank God the book ends with an ultimate sex scene because Jamie was so frustratingly dragging his feet the entire time! Mika was extremely upfront about her interest in him, yet Jamie kept playing coy.

Why? Because he worried that he was lying to her the whole time? Awkward.

I’m just mad for Mika because this girl is already so sad, she doesn’t need your fake rejection, Jamie!

Conclusion

Cute, enchanting, and cozy, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is the perfect light-hearted book to for fantasy readers. I love reading books with BIPOC protagonists, especially in the fantasy space, and this is a great one to add to your list.

Try it out with a slice of our Pumpkin Bread and let me know what you think!