Reviews - A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping

3.11k reviews for:

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping

Sangu Mandanna

4.25 AVERAGE

readingbandit8's review against another edition

5.0

emotional 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

aags's review against another edition

4.0

funny hopeful inspiring 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: Complicated

_nanouk__'s review against another edition

4.0

Review
a witches guide to magical innkeeping
from Sangu Mandanna

A cozy, heartwarming feel-good novel — perfect for quiet days when you’re craving a bit of magic and a comforting atmosphere. The story reads effortlessly and features many charming characters who I found likable right from the start. The enchanting setting of the magical inn quickly found a place in my heart as well. I was frequently amused by the protagonist’s dry humor and even laughed out loud a few times.

Around the middle to the end, I briefly lost motivation, as some parts felt a bit too rushed or arbitrary. Additionally, the autistic representation felt a bit exaggerated, stereotypical, and somewhat forced. However, the relationships and the way the character was treated were so warm and full of care that I was able to overlook this quite easily.

So despite a few pacing issues and slightly clumsy representation, the book’s heart and humor shine through. If you’re looking for a comforting escape with lovable characters and a whimsical setting, this is a lovely pick.

ahaddad24's review against another edition

3.5

emotional funny 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: Yes

This is probably just my cold, dead heart talking, but this book was … too perfect/heartwarming. I’m all about a happily ever after, but every obstacle was overcome, all the emotional growth accomplished, the bad guy defeated + his cronies ousted, and everyone received their hearts’ desire. It wasn’t just cozy, it was smothering.

There was also excellent representation and acknowledgment of tough issues — there were gay men, lesbian women, a non-binary individual, immigrants, someone with a disability, and an autistic girl, and talk of racism, classism, child/spousal abuse, depression, anxiety, SI, and the prevalence of old white men in power. There was also a talking fox that was just an asshole. It just felt like too much to pack into a little story about found family and magic, and I found it cheapened everything. It was sappy and full of high fructose corn syrup, rather than subtly sweet and charming. Still a nice story, but didn’t leave me feeling warm fuzzies like I was hoping.