Early Review: A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
Published By: Hodderscape
Publication Date: July 17, 2025
Date Read: April 21, 2025
Genre: Adult – Urban Fantasy
Source: eARC from Netgalley / Hodderscape
Format: E-Book
Pages: 320
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A whimsical and heartwarming novel about a witch who has a second chance to get her magical powers—and her life—back on track, from the national bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.
Sera Swan used to be one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps her aunt run an enchanted inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests’ shenanigans, tries to keep said talking fox in check, and longs for the future that seems lost to her. But then she finds out about an old spell that could hold the key to restoring her power…
Enter Luke Larsen, handsome and icy magical historian, who arrives on a dark winter evening and might just know how to unlock the spell’s secrets. Luke has absolutely no interest in getting involved in the madcap goings-on of the inn and is definitely not about to let a certain bewitching innkeeper past his walls, so no one is more surprised than he is when he agrees to help Sera with her spell. Worse, he might actually be thawing.
Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera Swan is about to discover that she doesn’t have to do it alone…and that the weird, wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.
“I didn’t plan it, or ask for it, but I’m the gargoyle of this particular castle. It’s my job to keep everybody in it safe.”
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping was without a doubt my most anticipated read of 2025. Ever since I read Sangu Mandanna’s adult debut back in 2022 (The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches), I’ve been dying for some more cosy fantasy from her. While I didn’t love this one quite as much as I had hoped, this is still a very enjoyable read. One thing that I will point out straight away is that this is not a book 2 or a follow on from The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. I’ve seen many people online saying ‘I can’t wait for book 2’. This is not a book 2, it’s a very separate standalone and I think going in expecting a follow on will lead to some disappointment.
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is another found family cosy urban fantasy, filled with cosy vibes, lots of magic and a dash of romance. I don’t know whether I went into this one with too high expectations, but I found it really difficult to get into. I liked the premise of following a witch, who has lost most of her power and has been exiled to running a magical inn with her resurrected aunt. It’s such a quirky and fun concept and I was completely here for it. We have a big cast of side characters in this one, which for me, may be its downfall. I tried really hard not to compare this to ‘Irregular Witches‘ all the time, but I couldn’t help but feel like with Irregular Witches I loved the characters immediately, because there wasn’t actually that many for the ‘found family’. With this one there was so many, and more being added in and I just felt like I didn’t connect with them very much until well past the 50% mark because I didn’t feel like I truly knew any of them.
After the half point mark, I started to really get into this book and absolutely loved the latter half of the book. It picked up in pacing, there were some higher stakes and I started to really root for the romance between the two characters. One thing I absolutely loved about it, is the journey Sera goes through. I feel like the reason I struggled with the first half is that Sera is just going through the motions of her life, without truly thinking or trying to ger her magic back. Once she started attempting to get it back, I felt the pacing picking up. I loved her journey through whether she needs magic to truly be happy. It was a really moving and inspiring storyline that I ended up appreciating it all the more. Due to this, I do feel like this may be one of those books that I just love more on a re-read. I feel like I will appreciate the slower moving first half more now that I know where that character development is going. I will definitely be picking up a physical copy of this one, and I will re-read it again in the future.
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping was cute, romantic and a whole lot of fun. I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves cosy fantasy. I would just say don’t go into it expecting it to be similar to The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches as I do think you’ll be very disappointed. I think half of my problem was expecting something similar, and I went in with sky high expectations. I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t obsess over this one as much as Irregular Witches but I will still be looking out for more Sangu books, as they are just so cute and wholesome.
“Because each time something had tried to break her, she hadn’t become smaller. She hasn’t become something less. She’d become something more.”
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I’m Kayleigh, a teacher and blogger who is obsessed with all things bookish. I love reading YA books of all genres and I am happiest when sharing my love and passion for books.