The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Hello, and welcome back to my blog! It’s been a busy summer, but now that things have calmed down a tiny bit, I can finally get back to reading the books that have been piling up on my desk. One of those books (which I’ve just finished) was The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. It’s a cute magical romance set in Great Britain with an emphasis on found family; I couldn’t wait to share my excitement over this book with all of you! What better day to do just that than Halloween?

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The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna:

Photo credit: Goodreads

Mika Moon has lived a life of solitude. She’s no different from any other witch in Great Britain (their magic becomes too unstable when they’re together), but she still resents the archaic rules meant to protect her fellow witches that instead keep them apart. Because she can’t find a sense of belonging in the real magical community, Mika attempts to substitute by posting videos on Youtube where she pretends to be a witch. It’s not perfect, but since she seldom sees other witches and struggles to be herself around humans, it’s the best she can do. One day, she receives a message on her Youtube channel asking her to teach three young witches to control their powers. Curious, Mika investigates, and she soon finds herself moving into the mysterious Nowhere House as a live-in tutor. As if she didn’t have her hands full enough with magic lessons and challenging the witch rules she’s been raised with, the people of Nowhere House (including love interest Jamie) begin to endear themselves to Mika, forcing her to confront the barriers she’s created to keep people from getting too close. A threat to the sanctuary of Nowhere House will cause Mika to decide once and for all what she’s willing to sacrifice for the newfound family she didn’t even know she was looking for.

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If you’re looking for a cozy, feel-good romance with a few tricks up its sleeve, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is right up your alley. Jamie and Mika’s love story is a slow burn, and the gradual build of their relationships ends not in marriage, but in the promise of more to come. (Perhaps something to be hinted at in author Sangu Mandanna’s upcoming companion novel A Witch’s Guide to Magical Inkeeping?) Like Mika, Jamie hasn’t had a normal childhood or family dynamic, but together, the two find the strength to combat their respective traumas, discover themselves, and move forward. They’re a duo that you can’t help but root for.

I talk a lot about books whose characters worm their way into my heart, but in this case, it’s not an exaggeration to say that I want a seat at the dinner table of Nowhere House. I would love nothing more than to discuss magic with Mika as she prepares her next potion, help Jamie organize the library, or share a laugh with caretakers Lucie, Ian, and Ken. I think the reason why is because of how well-defined and accepting these characters are. People of all races, backgrounds, and sexual orientations live under the same roof at Nowhere House, but none of these factors diminish the love and respect they have for each other. Though they may not be related by blood, they are a true family. Their immediate acceptance of Mika allows her to finally find belonging, and this sense of belonging in Nowhere House is extended to us as readers, inviting us into their lives and making it easy to fall in love with them.

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Magical stories like The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches provide a sense of comfort and security to us as readers. In these books, magic brings people together and solves problems we can’t fix in the real world. The magical world isn’t perfect, either, but by introducing, well, magic to a world that mimics our own, we can find escapism and maybe even find ourselves. Magical books also open up doors to conversation about persecution, trauma, healing, and inequality, though, showing that the real world isn’t as far away as it would seem. I think that they are great mediums for having these conversations because we’re already relaxed by the light-hearted romance, so we’re less likely to be instantly defensive when something heavier appears, and instead more likely to be willing to think critically about these issues.

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I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to curl up with a hot drink and a good book! Because it’s Halloween, it’s likely that that book will feature a witch and not a horror trope. Why be scared when I can cheer on my favourite magical couples as they finally admit their feelings for each other? Let me know in the comments if you have any suggestions for a cozy Fall read that I can hunker down with. Thanks for reading!