REVIEW; The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches
May 21, 2025/
Title: The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches Author: Sangu Mandanna Genre: Adult, urban fantasy, romance Type: Paperback Publisher: Berkley Publishing
A warm and uplifting novel 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 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…
(Yes, I do see the irony of this going up as the post immediately after the last one. I’ve had it in drafts for ages though.)
I have a new favourite book and this is it. It is cozy, emotional, romantic, warm, the vibes are immaculate, characters are distinct, the hurt/comfort is real. I love it. living for the slow burn and pining and just – ahhhh!
The whole time I was reading this book – which was a very short time because I did not want to put it down – I was liveposting on Bluesky. It was just so well done, the angst so heartwrenching. The premise that witches are orphaned young so family is a vague concept none of them realy know or understand just to keep them safe is so painful? Like, it is clear (what’s her name) cares for the lives of the witches she knows but at the same time, keeping them at arm’s distance to keep them safe makes for such a lonely existence, and Mika learning to live beyond that, learning to trust and let people in and let them know her is a journey I loved travelling with her.
This book is the closest I’ve come to crying over fictional characters made of words in YEARS. I held them back through sheer force of will and the knowledge I wouldn’t be able to explain it to my kids. The amount of yearning in this book – not just the slow-burn mutual pining that is happening between Mika and Jamie where they’re both very aware that there’s an attraction and a simmer and a connection beyond just physical desire that both don’t think they should act on (so exquisite) – is so palpable. Beyond that slow-burn – which, really, so wonderful, I love the banter and the build of trust and seeing beyond the prickly surface and the sunshine exterior -, we have Mika, who spent a lifetime teaching herself not to want connection and true friendships and family (and failing), finally opening up to the possibility of these things and finding belonging.
Characters who are so desperately starved for affection and love they both keep people away at arm’s length and also make themselves as useful as possible are my kryptonite, and Sangu crafted that so well in Mika. On the other hand, we have Jamie, who wants so badly to be stoic, aloof, a cold man. He’s really, really not, and I adore him for it
jamie: she’s so happy all the time it’s like looking into the sun she needs to stop jamie when mika’s upset shows: no not like that bring her smile back
I have never, ever hugged a book once I was done but I did with this one. Literally held it to my chest and just smiled goofily out at space. I’ve never really cared much about annotating either way, it always seems like so much work but I like that people enjoy it? But this book! This book, for the first time, I wanna highlight quotes and make notes and squeal in the margins.
This was a warm hug when you need one, a cosy mug of tea on a rainy day, the laughter of children even when they’re getting on your nerves (I love you, kids). Just, so good. I love it so much.
I’m Ara, a Southeast Asian writer who someday hopes to have published a novel, and who is currently losing herself in the worlds created by others. I love books and food and television and blogging and I get distracted and sidetracked easily.
