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Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
67 reviews
inked_in_pages's review against another edition
- 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
SWIPE FOR GOODREADS SYNOPSIS
"A lot of nice people stop being nice when they don't get exactly what they want...When I'm around people like that, I feel like curling up into a little ball, like a hedgehog. I've been taught all my life not to draw attention to myself, not to make people angry, not to let anyone notice how peculiar I am. Sometimes, even now, I have to remind myself that I am stronger than they think. That I have power."
What did you think of the book overall?
I adored this book and especially loved the found family aspect. The three young witches were absolutely adorable, hilarious and full of spunk.And the side romance...ugh, just the best.
What was the most surprising?
What was the most fun? I was surprised by how many similarities I could find between this book and The House in the Cerulean Sea. Although, that's never a bad thing! |loved the scenes when the three girls were learning about their own magic and the little twist towards the end had me cracking up!
Any takeaways from the book?
This is a must read for anyone in search of their own belonging. For anyone in search of the reminder that they are worthy exactly how they are. And for anyone who knows the power of found family to give vou those things.
Graphic: Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, and Confinement
Minor: Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Mental illness, Racism, Domestic abuse, Cancer, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Grief
Mention of orphanages, s slur, heart attack.rakkaussipsi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Abandonment and Toxic relationship
brontesauruses's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse
Minor: Homophobia, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Racism, Classism, Alcohol, and Xenophobia
bettysbookishworld's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Minor: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
morningtide's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Abandonment and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse and Toxic relationship
anni_swanilda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
redefiningrachel's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Murder, Abandonment, Cursing, Child abuse, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Pregnancy, Gore, Physical abuse, and Body horror
Minor: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Racism, and Sexual content
kcelena's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Death, and Cursing
Minor: Toxic relationship
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- 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 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.
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