Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

238 reviews

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews because I don’t like leaving them. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial

“It’s a leap of faith to love people and let yourself be loved. It’s closing your eyes, stepping off a ledge into nothing, and trusting that you’ll fly rather than fall.”

This was a cozy contemporary new adult fantasy read for autumn to get you in the Halloween, witchy mood! It's told in third-person limited POV, and I listened to the audiobook, which was fantastic. I highly recommend it!

Mika begins a new job as a teacher for three young witches at the Nowhere House, which is much different than anything she has done before. She grew up with the messaging that witches should not spend much time together, as it was dangerous, so she's led a super lonely life full of people who don't know the truth about her identity as a witch. These three girls, who are elementary school age --Terracotta was my favorite, and I would read (or watch an adaptation!) another middle-grade series based on her growing up!

Not everyone welcome Mika though - Jamie, the grumpy librarian, doesn't think Mika should be there, and doesn't like the way Mika sometimes "others" the three young girls (this comes from her own internalized messaging about how hard it has been to be a witch). He is very protective and defensive of them, and feels it is the world who needs to change, not them. I get it, dude, I do! They have a lil grumpy x sunshine dynamic, with lots of fun banter, and the entire house illustrates found family so beautifully.

There's an interesting worldbuilding fact that if you give birth to a witch, that you may die because of spells gone wrong, and that was quite dark lollll. I was like, 'Woah, I certainly was *not* expecting that out of this fluffy lil romcom and coming-of-age!' Anyway, besides this, the plot was extremely low-stakes and I listened to this in one day. It flew by, and it felt like a warm autumn hug!

steam rating: I felt it was quite tame so like a 1.5/5

cw: abandonment, death of a parent, death, child abuse, racism, homophobia

Content Warnings

allydee's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

A very cozy little book! I finished it in a couple of hours. A very good read if you’re having a bit of a hard time; it’s easy to read, mostly feel-good (very low stress, at least in my view), with themes of chosen family, acceptance, and redemption.

Content Warnings

lilawsahar's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I liked the secret twist about Lilian. I think most of it was pretty predictable but it was a great book to start off the Halloween spirit.

I didn’t like how to book changed from teaching young girls about magic to a romance between Mika and Jamie especially since the romance part wasn’t as strong as the Mika finding a place where she belongs.

Also I wish I could brew potions and foraged for key ingredients. That sounds like fun.

This is a perfect book to read in the fall with a warm cup of tea while enjoying the cold weather and leaves changing.

Content Warnings

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

Content Warnings

oz2021's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.25

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cooliuscaesar451's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

howlinglibraries's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

“It’s not always enough to go looking for the place we belong. Sometimes we need to make that place.”

I am a PUDDLE. This was one of the most wholesome, precious things I have read in my entire life. If you enjoy cozy fantasy tales with a bit of romance, a cast of very lovable characters, cottagecore vibes, and a heaping dose of found family, you absolutely need this on your radar because it includes all of that and more, and depicts it all brilliantly. I know I'm not the first to say this, but this book is absolutely a warm hug in the form of a book and I loved it.

“We’ve talked about this,” said Jamie mildly. “Murder can’t be your first choice every time you don’t like something.”

First of all, the dialogue in this book had me in giggles constantly. Between the kids' shenanigans, Ian's wildness, and Jamie's dry snark, I smiled so much reading this! But there's also a ton of sweetness and even some really delightful swoon-worthy moments, and I'm certainly able to admit I had tears in my eyes a few times near the end over how simply precious it all was.

It’s a leap of faith to love people and let yourself be loved.

Despite its warmth and cheer, this isn't only a happy tale; there's also a ton of time spent discussing trauma and how difficult it can make everyday life, much less learning to trust and care for people when you've developed a fear of abandonment or being used. I absolutely adored watching Mika heal from her past and learn to truly live despite her fears.

Cover to cover, I adored this sweet little fantasy book and I'm so incredibly happy that I picked it up (thank you to Misty for inviting me to buddy read it with you!). It's one of the sweetest and best things I've read this year and I can't wait for the next cozy fantasy release of Mandanna's!

Buddy read with Misty! ♥

✨ Representation: Mika is Indian, Rosetta is Black, Terracotta is Vietnamese, Altamira is Palestinian, Ian is gay, and Ken is Japanese and gay

Content Warnings