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

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

5.0

“Niceness is all about what we do when other people are looking. Kindness, on the other hand, runs deep. Kindness is what happens when no one’s looking”

Overview
 

“Don’t get soppy yet, Ian Kubo-Hawthorn… This is either going to be the miracle you hoped for or it’s going to be a absolute fucking disaster.”

Mika Moon is one of twenty-odd known witches in the UK, twenty-odd orphaned women who live solitary lives in accordance with the Rules - afterall, dangerous things happen when witches gather. But when Mika receives a message online requesting her help tutoring three young witches, Mika steps into a house unlike any other, and finds herself a home.
 
What I Liked
 

“…when someone leaves, all you can do is leave a window open for them so that one day, if they choose, they can come back.”

I loved all of the characters in The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. From the three witch girls - Rosetta, Teracotta, and Altamira - to every odd member of the Nowhere House family; Ken, Ian, Lucie, Jamie, and especially Circe. Afterall, people really didn’t deserve dogs.
 
The plot was light enough to allow us to focus on the characters and their development, but not so light that you forgot it was there. It allowed for the progression of the story to feel natural, with the exception of the ending that felt a little rushed.
 
I adored the slowbuild between Jamie and Mika. Grumpy x Sunshine seems to be swiftly becoming one of my favourite romance tropes, and Mandanna executed it perfectly in this book! With Jamie very slowly losing all the reasons he told himself he couldn’t like Mika, and Mika slowly finding herself able to open up to this prickly yet kind man, their relationship felt as natural as magic.
 
What I Didn’t Like
 

“It’s not always enough to go looking for the place we belong… sometimes we need to make that place.”

The ending felt a little rushed, but more in that a lot of events happened in the last few chapters, rather than it was poorly crammed in together.
 
I also found myself disliking Primrose, though we learn throughout the book exactly why she is the way that she is. I also found myself comparing her to Dumbldore in her need to do things for the “Greater Good” and I disliked that. However, she was a necessary character for the plot and I enjoyed her role overall.
 
Other Impressions
 

“Alone is how-” “-is how we survive, yes… I can’t say whether that’s true or not, but one thing I do know, Primrose, is that alone is not how we live.”

This story was very whimsical, yet down to earth and exactly what I would imagine a modern day witch to be like if magic was real. The magic in the world felt natural, and having a main character that lived and breathed magic really helped bring that to life. Overall I loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and would highly recommend to anyone who loves a good slowbuild romance, found family, and the magic of life.