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A review by torts
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
- 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
The Scholomance...but cozy(!?). With a protagonist in her thirties, dealing with (slightly less deadly) magic school antics that still have resonance with actual issues of colonialism and tell a story about finding/creating safety in a world where it is dangerous to be different, and where being magical means attracting negative attention, and where being vulnerable and falling in love is basically equivalent to risking your life.
Bonus: This brown-skinned protagonist raised in (white) British culture was written by a non-white author. And when she is tasked with caring for three girls of color she rejects the call (from the white found-family members) to teach them how to Be People of Color. (I thought Novik did a great job in the Scholomance series, but I had seen the white author writing a brown prota onist as a criticism and do think it's worth giving attention to non-white authors writing about the particular feelings of outsiderness and othering and tokenization that Novik kind of skirted around.)
Bonus: This brown-skinned protagonist raised in (white) British culture was written by a non-white author. And when she is tasked with caring for three girls of color she rejects the call (from the white found-family members) to teach them how to Be People of Color. (I thought Novik did a great job in the Scholomance series, but I had seen the white author writing a brown prota onist as a criticism and do think it's worth giving attention to non-white authors writing about the particular feelings of outsiderness and othering and tokenization that Novik kind of skirted around.)