Early Review: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
By Sangu Mandanna

Published By: Hodder and Stoughton
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Date Read: August 4, 2022
Genre: Adult – Paranormal Romance
Source: eARC from Hodder and Stoughton / Netgalley
Format: E-Book
Pages: 336

From Goodreads:
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….

“When someone leaves, all you can do is leave a window open for them so that one day, if they choose, they can come back.”

I hadn’t really heard much about The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches until I saw some fellow bloggers and bookstagrammers receive the proof. I saw the word witches and was sold! I thankfully was approved for an eARC from the amazing Kate at Hodder and I dove straight in. Prior to reading this book I hadn’t really read for about a month, I was in the biggest reading slump I have had in years. This book was a godsend, and it came at the right time for me and it brought me out of the book slump. This book is just absolutely perfect!

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches follows the story of Mika, a 31-year-old witch who has spent her entire life alone. She has no family, and she moves around before she gets attached or anyone finds out her secret. When she is called to Nowhere House to teach three young witches, she finds more than she ever counted on.

This book is one of the best, most uplifting books I have ever read. It is just so adorable and sweet and it has some of my all time favourite book tropes in it. It actually gave me the same vibes and feelings as The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, which is another of my favourite books I have read this year. I absolutely loved that the main character was in her 30s. As a single person in their 30s, it was really uplifting to read about a character who doesn’t have her whole life together by that age. I read so many books about teenagers or people in their early 20s getting their happy ever after… it was really refreshing to read one about a character a little bit older.

I just loved every single moment of this book. It has found family, and the grumpy/sunshine trope which is one of my favourites. Right from the very first page, I was obsessed with this amazing book. I loved the characters, the setting, the witches. There was even some major twists and turns that I did not see coming. If you know me well, you’ll know I pretty much guess every twist in every book really early. So the fact that this one left me shocked, is a major plus!

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches should be a must read for everyone. It was everything I love in a book and more! I cannot recommend this book enough. It is without a doubt one of the best books I have read so far this year (and I’ve read over 60 books). It was utter perfection. Funny, witty and just a whole lot of feel good vibes. This is one you do not want to miss.

“You wouldn’t be you if you weren’t a witch. And it’s you I want. All of you.”

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