A review by spootilious
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

adventurous funny 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? No

3.5

 

Read: March 8, 2023 

Title: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches 

Author: Sangu MAndanna 

Genre: Cozy Urban Fantasy 

Rating: 3.5/5 

Review: 

A delightfully whimsical book that was a fun and heartwarming read. With lovable and diverse characters there wasn’t a lot Mandanna could do wrong with this tale. 

While the book is almost always compared to The House in the Cerulean Sea, it definitely stands on its own. Granted there are a LOT of similarities but the tone is quite different. Mandanna may not have the poetic talent of Klune but she definitely holds her own wonderfully. Bottom line is if you liked one you’ll love the other. 

As for the story itself; it was quite predictable and the charming simplicity of its writing was both a quality and a restraint to the novel. Overall the thing that really surprised me about the novel is how realistic the romance was. The slow burn and silly… … scenes… reminded me a lot of myself and my husband (whom I’ve been married to for almost 11 years now). I found it to be refreshing to see compared to the burning loins and aggressive sex you usually see in romance novels. 

Overall this book was an utter delight! While, I may not reread it, it will most certainly be one that I recommend in the future! 

 

Quotes: 

“Danger rarely wore a monstrous face and a wielded a pitchfork. No, danger came most often in the form of nice people whose niceness only went so deep, who saved their niceness for people exactly like them, who believed they were more deserving of power and respect than anyone who was a little bit different.”