Literary in the City

RATING: 4.25/5

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

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

It’s October, and you know what that means…it’s time for some witchy rom-coms!

My first book in this subgenre was Sangu Mandanna’s The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. I saw the cover, thought it looked adorable, and proceeded to check it out. This book is like a warm, comforting hug, which is kind of necessary for this time of year. As beautiful as the season can be, it’s also stressful. Holiday planning, midterms, Daylight Savings Time ending–whatever it is, get ready to soothe your soul with this book.

Even though she has to hide her magic, Mika Moon, one of the few witches in Britain, decides to create an online account with videos of her magical endeavors. Everyone thinks its fake, but then she receives a message asking her to come to Nowhere House, located in…the middle of nowhere. When she arrives, Mika finds three witches struggling to contain their magic, as well as a grumpy (but attractive!) librarian named Jamie. Mika finds a family at Nowhere House, but there are threats lurking everywhere. Can she protect the place she’s come to love?

I love seeing South Asian representation in books. Seeing a character that looks like you in a story just makes it that much sweeter. Mika is a lovely leading character; her relentless optimism, her strength, her capacity and ability to love–what’s not to root for?

Frankly, all of the characters are adorable. This book reminds me of The House in the Cerulean Sea (check out my review of that here), where every character has their own quirks and contributes to a larger dynamic.

I love a good romance, but this romance is definitely on the softer, gentler side. While there isn’t sizzling tension between Mika and Jamie, there is the start of something real and raw. I think we’ve gotten so used to immediate attraction and passion in romance novels, so it was nice to read about something that was different, and, in my opinion, more realistic. 

This book isn’t super heavy on the plot, though, so if that’s your expectation going into it, you might be disappointed. I treasured the interactions between the characters more than the action of the story, which sometimes felt lost or slow-moving to me.

I really encourage you to give this book a try. Sweet-as-sugar romance, eccentric witches, and whimsical magic–this book has it all! Check out Sangu Mandanna’s other work at this link. 

If you’ve already read this book, let me know what you thought ❤ 

Cooking up a spell,

H.