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

emotional 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? Yes

3.0

This was decent but it ultimately disappointed me. I love the story. The plot is good and the magic is real enough and fun enough to read about without being overdone. Plus it's a very cheerful book to read and it reads very easily. But the characters weren't at all real to me. Mika needed a lot more rough edges to actually feel the way that she did. Jamie is a bit too cliché for me, he's also a bit quick to let his gruff facade slip, and ultimately he comes across more as a plot device than a person. Romance is between people and the fact that I didn't believe in either Mika or Jamie meant that I couldn't believe in the romance. The kids aren't written as being precocious, they're written as adults who behave like children. Mika's relationship to Primrose doesn't make any sense based on the way that they interact. None of the other characters have any depth at all. I did mostly enjoy the book, but I need more realistic characters in stories about romance and found-family.