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Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
224 reviews
bookscatcoffee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What a lovely, cozy, gut-punch, heart-warming read! I had all the emotions, but I kept coming back to this wonderful world the author created.
“Danger rarely wore a monstrous face and wielded a pitchfork. No, danger came most often in the form of people like Edward, the nice people whose niceness only went so deep, who saved their niceness for people exactly like them, who believed they were more deserving of power and respect than anyone who was a little bit different.” Very good writing and delightful characters! More books please! 5 stars
Cozy fantasy with diverse characters and lgbtqia+ side characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Abandonment
vaguelyredhead's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent
Minor: Racism
willyzita's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
hkroska's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment
wardenred's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s a leap of faith to love people and let yourself be loved.
An absolutely lovely read. It reminded me strongly of The House in the Cerulean Sea without the certain problematic parts. I loved the found family dynamic, the kids with their different personalities, the inclusive and diverse world of this story, the magical house and the locations around it, the magic—really, just about everything! And the balance of sweet coziness and serious feelings was just right, too.
The absolute strength here is the assortment of relationships: all the connections inside the Nowhere House, the grumpy/sunshine romance between Mika and Jamie, Mika’s complex relationship with her mentor Primrose, and more. I loved seeing all of those connections develop and strengthen. There’s so much positivity here, but it never turns saccharine; on the contrary, the story very much affirms that good things can still be complicated. Being good for each other and hurting each other aren’t mutually exclusive; it’s what you choose to do with the results that matters.
I’ve definitely got a lot of snippets from this story stuck in my head now. The whole interginerational trauma plotline/arc. Small bits of conversations characters have had: good vs nice, living vs surviving, taking the risk to let yourself be loved, making the world just a little bit better even if it can’t be all fixed in one go. And that twist in the final act??? OMG, I was so lulled into the overall sense of security, I did not see that coming and I loved how it played out. Also, there’s something absolutely haunting about the image of
Very much recommended to anyone looking for some witchy coziness with lovable characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Minor: Death
eitrlund's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Abandonment
Minor: Racism
tereoleneva's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Minor: Cultural appropriation, Bullying, and Domestic abuse
jenny_bean_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A very cozy, sweet, witchy story about found family and the different ways trauma shapes us.
The author did a wonderful job fleshing out all of the characters and showing the relationships within the found family at the center of this book. I love the immediate feeling of belonging that Mike feels at Nowhere House, though I legit want her YouTube channel to be real!
If you enjoy witchy stories with a touch of spice, you need to read this book.
The author did a wonderful job fleshing out all of the characters and showing the relationships within the found family at the center of this book. I love the immediate feeling of belonging that Mike feels at Nowhere House, though I legit want her YouTube channel to be real!
If you enjoy witchy stories with a touch of spice, you need to read this book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Abandonment, and Child abuse
diazona's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I found this book quite enjoyable for a story where not very much actually happens. I mean, of course there are things that happen, there wouldn't be a story to tell otherwise, but it's driven more by developments in the characters' thoughts and feelings rather than the events that occur. You get the feeling that most of the events could have not happened, or been left out of the story, and it wouldn't really make a difference.
There are a couple of pretty neat plot twists toward the end. They definitely make the last quarter or so very interesting indeed, I just don't think it's enough to make me forget about the lack of things happening during the first three quarters.
Normally a story without meaningful events is not one I'm going to be very interested in, but I think what saves this one is the rich character development. All the main characters have distinct and consistent personalities (except for gruff Jamie who shows an unexpectedly soft side at some point in the middle), they feel realistic and relatable, and most of all they're nice. These are the kinds of people I wish I could have as friends and family. So it didn't take very far into the book before I started caring about them and getting invested in their successes and failures. According to the afterword, the author was inspired to write this story as a reaction to the loneliness of the pandemic, and in that sense, mission accomplished.
All in all, it's a good book. I wouldn't put it on my list of all-time favorites, and it's not one that I see myself coming back to read and reread regularly, but any time I'm in the mood for something heartwarming and comforting, I'll be glad to have this on my (virtual) shelf.
There are a couple of pretty neat plot twists toward the end. They definitely make the last quarter or so very interesting indeed, I just don't think it's enough to make me forget about the lack of things happening during the first three quarters.
Normally a story without meaningful events is not one I'm going to be very interested in, but I think what saves this one is the rich character development. All the main characters have distinct and consistent personalities (except for gruff Jamie who shows an unexpectedly soft side at some point in the middle), they feel realistic and relatable, and most of all they're nice. These are the kinds of people I wish I could have as friends and family. So it didn't take very far into the book before I started caring about them and getting invested in their successes and failures. According to the afterword, the author was inspired to write this story as a reaction to the loneliness of the pandemic, and in that sense, mission accomplished.
All in all, it's a good book. I wouldn't put it on my list of all-time favorites, and it's not one that I see myself coming back to read and reread regularly, but any time I'm in the mood for something heartwarming and comforting, I'll be glad to have this on my (virtual) shelf.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment and Cursing
Minor: Vomit, Murder, Death, Alcohol, Confinement, and Death of parent
ribbonquest's review against another edition
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
The exploration of magic and witch culture is interesting. Every witch is orphaned soon after they're born and intercountry witch adoptions seem to be very common - there are four in this cast alone! Rich white witches adopting and neglecting dark skinned babies from around the world isn't really explored, which is a shame.
The three children are cute and remind me of the girls from Despicable Me. The oldest is a bookworm, the middle child is rebellious and aggressive, and the youngest is adorable and mimics the swearing of adults around her. The adult cast is varied as well.
I found the romance itself very typical and dull. It's your typical grumpy/sunshine dynamic. Spice level = Yes
The three children are cute and remind me of the girls from Despicable Me. The oldest is a bookworm, the middle child is rebellious and aggressive, and the youngest is adorable and mimics the swearing of adults around her. The adult cast is varied as well.
I found the romance itself very typical and dull. It's your typical grumpy/sunshine dynamic. Spice level = Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, Alcohol, Abandonment, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse and Racism
Minor: Homophobia