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Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
43 reviews
thecatconstellation's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
This was so cute and warm. I spent the last chapter happy sobbing. Found family, magic, and learning that you are enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Bullying
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Abandonment, and Sexual content
Minor: Classism, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, and Racism
booksthatburn's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.0
THE VERY SECRET SOCIETY OF IRREGULAR WITCHES is a funny and heartwarming story of found family, starring a lonely witch and a house full of people working to protect three very young witches.
The setting is almost real-world England, but where magic and witches are real while the rest of history seems to have been unaffected. Mika was born in India but was taken to England by Primrose after her mother died (all witches are orphaned soon after birth due to a spell that went wrong sometime in the past). There are various themes of bigotry, marginalization, and even colonialism which are invoked by the characters, but only the magical counterpart is specifically explored. Since a lot of heavy lifting for the worldbuilding is implied by the contemporary setting and setting most of the book at Nowhere House, this has the room to focus mainly on characterization.
Ian is a retired actor who resides at Nowhere House with Ken, his husband and the house's gardener. Lucie is the housekeeper, and Jamie is the grumpy and protective librarian who originally came to the house as a teenager. The children (Altamira, Terracotta, and Rosetta) are very young witches who were adopted by the house's absent owner, Lillian, a witch and archeologist. Ian finds Mika online and invites her to stay at the house for several months and teach the children to control their magic. Mika, who has led a very lonely life due to her former guardian's ideas about witches and the dangers of spending time with one another, agrees to stay but keeps feeling a bit on the outside.
The story is generally heartwarming, focusing on Mika's interactions with the inhabitants of the house. Jamie is grumpy in a way that's initially annoying to Mika but which starts being a bit sexy as she gets to know him better. Mika was invited to the house because there's going to be a visit from Lillian's lawyer and they need the children's magic to be under control (or at least hidden) during the event. They haven't been able to get in touch with Lillian, and none of the other adults are magical, so they have to hope that Mika can help them.
This was fluffier than I usually like, but I ended up enjoying it (especially once Jamie and Mika start really talking). The late-book twist was handled very well and led to some of my favorite scenes in the whole thing.
The setting is almost real-world England, but where magic and witches are real while the rest of history seems to have been unaffected. Mika was born in India but was taken to England by Primrose after her mother died (all witches are orphaned soon after birth due to a spell that went wrong sometime in the past). There are various themes of bigotry, marginalization, and even colonialism which are invoked by the characters, but only the magical counterpart is specifically explored. Since a lot of heavy lifting for the worldbuilding is implied by the contemporary setting and setting most of the book at Nowhere House, this has the room to focus mainly on characterization.
Ian is a retired actor who resides at Nowhere House with Ken, his husband and the house's gardener. Lucie is the housekeeper, and Jamie is the grumpy and protective librarian who originally came to the house as a teenager. The children (Altamira, Terracotta, and Rosetta) are very young witches who were adopted by the house's absent owner, Lillian, a witch and archeologist. Ian finds Mika online and invites her to stay at the house for several months and teach the children to control their magic. Mika, who has led a very lonely life due to her former guardian's ideas about witches and the dangers of spending time with one another, agrees to stay but keeps feeling a bit on the outside.
The story is generally heartwarming, focusing on Mika's interactions with the inhabitants of the house. Jamie is grumpy in a way that's initially annoying to Mika but which starts being a bit sexy as she gets to know him better. Mika was invited to the house because there's going to be a visit from Lillian's lawyer and they need the children's magic to be under control (or at least hidden) during the event. They haven't been able to get in touch with Lillian, and none of the other adults are magical, so they have to hope that Mika can help them.
This was fluffier than I usually like, but I ended up enjoying it (especially once Jamie and Mika start really talking). The late-book twist was handled very well and led to some of my favorite scenes in the whole thing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Kidnapping, Confinement, Alcohol, Cursing, and Grief
Minor: Death, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Classism, Racism, Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Animal death
atamano's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, and Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, and Death of parent
iamsammie27's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Xenophobia, and Death
Minor: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Sexual content
anna_23's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment and Xenophobia
Minor: Ableism and Death
heydebigale's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
5.0
Perfect book for spooky season. I loved this book so much!
I loved the concept of intersectionality applied to witches.
Sometimes I’m so annoyed that so many paranormal stories are so white and they are like weird allegories for exclusion based on race, ethnicity, etc.
It was absolutely lovely reading about several witches who were not white and Mika explicitly discussing that they would deal with exclusion based on being a witch AND because they are not white.
I may edit this later because I want to go back and double check the text, but my only issue was that I missed any discussion of birth control when the sex scene happened and like—if it’s likely she will die if she gives birth to a witch, there better be explicit discussion of birth control.
But hopefully Mika Moon has that all under control so that I’m not stressed about it 😅
Notes: takes place in England. Mika is originally from India. Jamie is white.
I loved the concept of intersectionality applied to witches.
Sometimes I’m so annoyed that so many paranormal stories are so white and they are like weird allegories for exclusion based on race, ethnicity, etc.
It was absolutely lovely reading about several witches who were not white and Mika explicitly discussing that they would deal with exclusion based on being a witch AND because they are not white.
I may edit this later because I want to go back and double check the text, but my only issue was that I missed any discussion of birth control when the sex scene happened and like—if it’s likely she will die if she gives birth to a witch, there better be explicit discussion of birth control.
But hopefully Mika Moon has that all under control so that I’m not stressed about it 😅
Notes: takes place in England. Mika is originally from India. Jamie is white.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Abandonment, and Child abuse
Minor: Xenophobia
mjwhitlock18's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A whimsical story about a lonely witch hired to help tutor a trio of young, orphaned witches by the 4 adults doing their best to raise them.
Things I loved: Cozy, sweet, and witchy, with found family and grumpy-sunshine love story. Also a Very Good Dog. Fav line in the whole book: “That was some excellent Mary Poppins shit right there.”
Things I didn’t love: it’s a straightforward, predictable plot with not a ton of depth or development. Occasionally sickly sweet.
If you want something easy to read, sweet, witchcore and a little bit twee, with a found family and HEA, this is for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Xenophobia, Death, and Sexual content
Minor: Racism and Homophobia
potatogrr's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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: Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Confinement, Xenophobia, Grief, and Emotional abuse
literaryintersections's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
This is the most wonderful, cozy, lovely, magical romantic story. I specifically say romantic story because I wouldn't categorize it as solely romance or solely women's fiction. It's a mix of the two: with a beautiful romance building on the side of a woman finding herself.
Mika Moon is a witch, but witches are still in hiding - only meeting with the small group they are aware of in the UK a few times a year. Witches have to stay alone and apart, something Mika is used to, in order to stay in hiding and not attract attention. But when Mika ends up teaching magic to three young witches to help them learn their powers, she becomes involved with a beautiful found family that changes the course of her life.
Mika is amazing. She is so sweet and kind. She loves with her whole heart but leaves before she can get hurt. She is at her best when she is vulnerable and witchy. Her relationship to the rest of the household is wonderful to read because you know it's a family that she never had and always wanted. The three girls: Rosetta, Terracotta, Altamira I ADORED. They each had their own little personality and their own relationship with Mika. Lastly, you can't review this book and not write about Jamie: surly, growly, grumpy Jamie. Seeing him open his heart to Mika, and then get her back when he messed up, was perfect romance goodness. This book is a MUST READ and the highest of reviews come from me.
Lastly, I will say that Sangu added so much great diversity in this book: racial and sexual orientation. There are queer characters (and old queers which LOVED!!!), the three girls are all different races and ethnicities, and Mika is Indian. But the best part was that Sangu made it not just an add on. They were fully fleshed out, not there just for diversity but clear identities. I especially loved when Rosetta meets another Black witch ("Mika didn't know what it must feel like to be ten years old and to discover the existence of a beautiful Black with like Belinda, but she imagined it was quite possibly one of the top three experiences of Rosetta's life") and when Mika talks about how she wouldn't teach the girls how to be a woman of color "just because she was a witch and just because she had brown skin, it did not mean she had answers to all the questions the girls would inevitably have about their own identities."
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna will be one of my top reads of this year. It's witchy, cozy, the perfect fall read.
Mika Moon is a witch, but witches are still in hiding - only meeting with the small group they are aware of in the UK a few times a year. Witches have to stay alone and apart, something Mika is used to, in order to stay in hiding and not attract attention. But when Mika ends up teaching magic to three young witches to help them learn their powers, she becomes involved with a beautiful found family that changes the course of her life.
Mika is amazing. She is so sweet and kind. She loves with her whole heart but leaves before she can get hurt. She is at her best when she is vulnerable and witchy. Her relationship to the rest of the household is wonderful to read because you know it's a family that she never had and always wanted. The three girls: Rosetta, Terracotta, Altamira I ADORED. They each had their own little personality and their own relationship with Mika. Lastly, you can't review this book and not write about Jamie: surly, growly, grumpy Jamie. Seeing him open his heart to Mika, and then get her back when he messed up, was perfect romance goodness. This book is a MUST READ and the highest of reviews come from me.
Lastly, I will say that Sangu added so much great diversity in this book: racial and sexual orientation. There are queer characters (and old queers which LOVED!!!), the three girls are all different races and ethnicities, and Mika is Indian. But the best part was that Sangu made it not just an add on. They were fully fleshed out, not there just for diversity but clear identities. I especially loved when Rosetta meets another Black witch ("Mika didn't know what it must feel like to be ten years old and to discover the existence of a beautiful Black with like Belinda, but she imagined it was quite possibly one of the top three experiences of Rosetta's life") and when Mika talks about how she wouldn't teach the girls how to be a woman of color "just because she was a witch and just because she had brown skin, it did not mean she had answers to all the questions the girls would inevitably have about their own identities."
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna will be one of my top reads of this year. It's witchy, cozy, the perfect fall read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Death of parent
Moderate: Xenophobia, Child abuse, Racism, and Homophobia
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Sangu Mandanna’s The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a cozy and heartwarming hug of a book that, like it’s utterly loveable protagonist will melt even the coldest—and grumpiest—of hearts. It’s a lighthearted (and Hallmark-worthy) tale of love, acceptance, found family and human connection that I literally couldn’t put down.
It follows Mika Moon, a witch who (like most witches) lost her parents at a young age and was raised in isolation so as not to draw attention to her magic. Mika has gotten used to her solitary life, only meeting with fellow witches sporadically to limit the risk of detection. But, all that changes when Mika receives a message asking her to travel to Nowhere House and teach three young witches in need of her guidance—a post she readily accepts.
Mika’s arrival at Nowhere house heralds a big change for the young witches, their guardians and for Mika who feels—for the first time in her life—that she can truly belong.
I loved every second of this adorably sweet and wholesome, witchy romance. It’s Practical Magic meets Mary Poppins premise was utterly perfect! Having sped through this at a record pace, I definitely feel like I’ll be floating on the lighthearted, feel good vibes for a long while to come!
The word building was really good if a little light, but the characters were exceptionally well written and complex which I really enjoyed—I loved the found family that this endearing, rag tag group creates and really brings to mind the feel good/cozy vibes I get from T.J Klune’s books.
Mika, our loveable protagonist was absolutely phenomenal, she’s such an endearing and optimistic person who manages to see the good in almost everyone—even when they try to exploit her kind-hearted nature. Having grown up away from children her own age and with a revolving door of tutors and nannies—it’s not difficult to see just how lonely and guarded she is, never staying in one place longer than six months. But her blossoming confidence and growing friendships (with Ian, Lucie, Ken, Jamie and the girls) were such a delight to watch unfold—especially when seeing just how happy having a place to belong (and finally call home) made Mika.
I also loved all three of the girls (Rosetta, Terracotta and Altamira) and really enjoyed how adorably cheeky they were—though they had each other (something Mika never did) it was great to see just how much being around a fellow witch who could help them control their powers, give insight into their unique situations and really helped them to thrive. Especially the sassy firecracker,Terracotta who was pretty set against Mika to begin with.
I adored the swoon worthy, slow burn romance between Mika and cranky librarian, Jamie and watching Mika’s sunshine personality slowly break down Jamie’s stony defences was an absolute delight!
Overall, this gently humorous contemporary fantasy is full of endearing, larger than life characters and a whimsically uplifting plot that you’ll find yourself fully immersed in—and if you’re anything like me, you won’t want it to end!
I definitely recommend checking this out if you love sunshine/grump, found family or since of life-style fiction.
A massive thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the e-arc.
It follows Mika Moon, a witch who (like most witches) lost her parents at a young age and was raised in isolation so as not to draw attention to her magic. Mika has gotten used to her solitary life, only meeting with fellow witches sporadically to limit the risk of detection. But, all that changes when Mika receives a message asking her to travel to Nowhere House and teach three young witches in need of her guidance—a post she readily accepts.
Mika’s arrival at Nowhere house heralds a big change for the young witches, their guardians and for Mika who feels—for the first time in her life—that she can truly belong.
I loved every second of this adorably sweet and wholesome, witchy romance. It’s Practical Magic meets Mary Poppins premise was utterly perfect! Having sped through this at a record pace, I definitely feel like I’ll be floating on the lighthearted, feel good vibes for a long while to come!
The word building was really good if a little light, but the characters were exceptionally well written and complex which I really enjoyed—I loved the found family that this endearing, rag tag group creates and really brings to mind the feel good/cozy vibes I get from T.J Klune’s books.
Mika, our loveable protagonist was absolutely phenomenal, she’s such an endearing and optimistic person who manages to see the good in almost everyone—even when they try to exploit her kind-hearted nature. Having grown up away from children her own age and with a revolving door of tutors and nannies—it’s not difficult to see just how lonely and guarded she is, never staying in one place longer than six months. But her blossoming confidence and growing friendships (with Ian, Lucie, Ken, Jamie and the girls) were such a delight to watch unfold—especially when seeing just how happy having a place to belong (and finally call home) made Mika.
I also loved all three of the girls (Rosetta, Terracotta and Altamira) and really enjoyed how adorably cheeky they were—though they had each other (something Mika never did) it was great to see just how much being around a fellow witch who could help them control their powers, give insight into their unique situations and really helped them to thrive. Especially the sassy firecracker,Terracotta who was pretty set against Mika to begin with.
I adored the swoon worthy, slow burn romance between Mika and cranky librarian, Jamie and watching Mika’s sunshine personality slowly break down Jamie’s stony defences was an absolute delight!
Overall, this gently humorous contemporary fantasy is full of endearing, larger than life characters and a whimsically uplifting plot that you’ll find yourself fully immersed in—and if you’re anything like me, you won’t want it to end!
I definitely recommend checking this out if you love sunshine/grump, found family or since of life-style fiction.
A massive thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the e-arc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Child abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Homophobia, and Racism