The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

I don’t think I could like this book more if I tried. Gorgeous characters, funny quirky people in a found family, witchcraft, shenanigans, and one child who defaults to murder as a solution to everything. Perfect. Also chalk through with people surviving and overcoming trauma, and love, love, love. The floating carp pond and collapsible greenhouse are also the best. And the bookstore and the sea. Yep, I return to perfect.

What a misfire of a book.

Going by the blurb, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches should have been a fun, soothing read: a found-family romance with a sprinkling of magic throughout. These are all things that I'm inclined to love, and there are, to be fair, some charming bits of whimsy here and there. But Sangu Mandanna failed to make me buy any of the book's main elements.

Neither of the romantic leads, Mika nor Jamie, particularly convinced me as people. They both have major traumas in their past, but I didn't buy how that trauma was confronted/resolved. Jamie, for instance, endures years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his brothers which his mother enables, and he moves past that through a meeting of what show more seems to be less than an hour in a public space which all happens off screen. Both of them also spoke like they'd swallowed a pop therapy book—they're both achingly aware of their Issues and their Interpersonal Conflicts and the Steps They Need to Take and repeatedly monologue at one another about it. Mandanna doesn't seem to have taken on-board the principle of "Show, Don't Tell" when it comes to her dialogue.

There was also no real reason for Mika and Jamie not to get together until near the end of the book other than "the book needs to be X pages long", but also no very obvious reason why they would get together other than "this is a romance and they're the only two single people in sight over the age of 12 and under 40." Particularly since there are a couple of things that Jamie says to Mika that are pretty awful, and which she forgives/are hand-waved away far too quickly for my comfort.

And then there are the side characters. They're mostly from the school of "Let's slap a name on a Bundle of Quirks and have the BoQ be overly invested in/invasive about the leads' romantic relationship!" romance novel side characters.

But the children. They're what pushed me over the edge from "not vibing with this book" to "I actively hate this." I boggled at learning that not only is VSSoIW not Mandanna's first book, but that she's written several successful YA novels before this, because not a single one of the child characters in this felt like an actual child. Rosetta, Altamira, and Terracotta are interchangeable and unbelievable as a trio of 7, 10, and 12 year olds. (No, there's no narrative grappling with the fact that here are three non-white adoptees being raised in England with no apparent connection to their birth cultures, and who have been renamed in an intensely twee manner by a character who in no other respect seems to have been twee.)

They've been raised in near-total isolation, almost never leaving the house and its grounds for fear that their untrained magic will cause an accident or bring attention to them. This means that their only in-person interactions are with one another (again 7, 10 and 12), their dad-in-all-but-name Jamie (30-something), and then 4 people who are 50+ at a minimum; they watch TV and movies, read books, and use the internet, but it's made clear that they do so under appropriate adult monitoring. I say all this to give context for a scene like this one. Again: Rosetta is a very sheltered 10 year old.

But then, as they drove past a pretty country church, Ian piped up again. "So, my dear. Do you have anyone special in your life?" [...]

"I live with you," she said. "When exactly do you think I see this hypothetical special someone?"

"So it's been a while then," said Ian. [...]

"A while since what?"

"He means since you had sex," said Rosetta, without taking her eyes off the window.

Jamie choked. Ian shrugged as if to say, "Yes, that is what I meant."

"Inappropriate," Mika said to Ian. Her stern tone was somewhat undercut by the fact that she was trying very hard not to laugh.

I have a 10-year-old niece, who is raised in a far less sheltered context. She might, given a conversational cue like that, say something about "Ewww, boy kissing." Mostly, however, I don't think she cares at all about any of this stuff yet. And if I were around a ten year old who could make the mental jump from “it’s been a while” to “he means since you had sex”? I'd be starting to ask some delicate questions, not fighting back laughter, because that sets off some alarm bells for me.

And before anyone takes me to task for being too serious and pearl-clutching about what's clearly intended to be a throw-away comedic beat—I get what it was intended to be! But it doesn't work. So much of this book is a kind of... uneasy slurry of insisting that it's psychologically real and paying attention to feeling and emotions while also presenting characters who act and react in bizarre ways.

All this and I haven't even touched on the worldbuilding! Tl;dr: shoddy. show less

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this on ebook from the library.

Thoughts: This was a very cute and heartwarming cozy contemporary fantasy/paranormal read. This is all about finding one's worth and making a family for yourself. The characters are quirky and fun. The plot is fairly simple but well done. There is romance in here as well.

Mika Moon is a witch and witches have always been taught to keep their heads down and not spend time together. Yes, Mika has a witchy Youtube channel, but everyone assumes that is fake witchy stuff. That is until an old man named Ian sees the magic around Mika and thinks she would be a great tutor for the three young witches that live in the household he helps run. Mika jumps at show more the idea and finds herself at Nowhere House, with three out of control young witches and their caretaker, Jamie. Jamie is not at all happy that Mika is there but he can't think of another option to help get the girls under control. All of them are about to find out they need each other more than they thought.

Everything about this is cute and cozy and heartwarming. Both Mika and Jamie have tough pasts that have led to their current attitudes and issues. Both are determined that the three young witch girls in Nowhere House will live better and happier childhoods than they got. Add to this a wonderful gardener, his artsy flamboyant husband, and a dedicated housekeeper and you end up with a crazy family that all wants the best for these girls. When a legal threat to their ability to all stay at Nowhere house arises, the situation gets a bit more dire.

The main themes in this book are definitely about making a family for yourself, learning to find self-worth, and of course finding love. The girls are adorable and terrifying all at once. Mika and her magic were enchanting to read about as well.

I did feel like this book pulls a lot of elements from cozy fantasy types of books already out there. This book reminds a lot of Klune's "The House in the Cerulean Sea" and also reminds of Riggs' "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children". It has similar cozy vibes as Baldree's "Legends and Lattes" as well, but set in a more contemporary setting and with a more traditional romance. Even though I enjoyed this, I couldn't help but think of all the similar types of books like this that I enjoyed more.

This is well written, and it is a quick read. I breezed right through it, and when I was done I though "well that was nice". It is cute, entertaining, but honestly a bit forgettable with all the other cozy fantasy that has flooded the market lately. It is easier to relate to and more mainstream than a lot of the other cozy fantasy I read, though, so I totally understand why it's been so popular.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a cute, funny, heartwarming read that made for a nice quick cozy read. I enjoyed the characters and the way they made a family for themselves. I did feel like this had a lot of elements that have already been done numerous times in other books and couldn't help but think of this reminds me of (insert cozy fantasy here). While this wasn't all that original, it was a fun read and I would recommend if you are looking for a cozy contemporary fantasy read with family vibes and romance. show less

British-Indian witch Mika Moon receives a peculiar inquiry to come to Nowhere House and teach three young orphaned witches (all witches are orphans, due to a curse or spell that backfired many years ago) how to use their magic. Mike visits and accepts, although she knows that elder witch Primrose would not approve: when witches gather, they are more noticeable. But Mika falls in love with the residents of Nowhere House: housekeeper Lucie, gardener Ken and his husband Ian, librarian and de facto parent Jamie, and the three girls themselves: Rosetta, Terracotta, and Altamira. But the clock is ticking on their fate: Lillian Nowhere's lawyer, unable to contact her for months, is planning to visit the house, and there cannot be uncontrolled show more bursts of magic while he's there, or the girls will be taken away and separated. This tight-knit found family will go to any lengths to avoid that fate.

A perfect cozy fantasy; Mika and Jamie's slow romance has reasonable roadblocks due to their histories.

See also: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Quotes

"...the first thing any good spell needs is intent. You want something, so you figure out a way to make it happen." (Mika, 61)

She hadn't realised just how heavy her mask had been until she'd discovered what it was to live without it. (142)

"...you're kind, not nice."
...
"You're the only person I know who says the word nice like it's a bad thing."
"It's not a bad thing at all, except when it's all there is. A lot of nice people stop being nice when they don't get exactly what they want." (216)

"...it seems like magic, the force that binds you all together, doesn't want you to be alone." (Jamie to Mika, 232)

"It's not always enough to go looking for the place we belong...Sometimes we need to make that place." (Jamie, 239)

"Except the best possible life isn't always the one where you're safest..." (Jamie, 257)

How was it possible to live, truly live, without the companionship of other people, without a family formed in any of the thousands of ways families could be formed? (263)

"Alone is how--"
"--is how we survive, yes, you've said....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." (Mika, 305) show less

Book source ~ NetGalley

Mika Moon is a witch in Britain. A powerful witch. Who has to hide what she is so she ends up moving around a lot. When she gets a mysterious plea for help, she scopes it out and then leaps into a situation that could end up being a disaster or the best thing that ever happened to her.

This book is an absolute delight. I love it. All of it. The writing, the plot, and most of all, the characters. It just flows so smooth and quick that before I knew it I was done. I blew through it and didn’t want to put it down. Then I was sad. For a bit. I want more of this world. Will there be more? I don’t know. But in the meantime I know I’ll be revisiting this story over and over again in the years to come. Especially show more when I need a happy and fun read. Not that it is all puppies and rainbows (it brings all the feels to the table), but it’s one that is full of joy and hope. With magic. Here *shoves book* - read it! show less

Mika Moon has always been told that witches, for their own safety, should not meet up often, let alone live together. But then she’s offered a job as a tutor to three girls, all witches, who have been living behind the warded hedges of Nowhere House.

This is cosy, amusing and romantic, very much about found-family, with a couple of twists I didn’t anticipate. I didn’t love it -- aspects of its witchcore aesthetic don’t appeal to me, and some of the supporting characters don’t have a lot of depth, which ended up eroding my sense of them being real people… I’m filing it under “a matter of personal taste” rather than “narrative weakness”. (Supporting characters often don’t need a lot of depth, and I haven’t show more pinpointed exactly why the lack bothered me here.) But all the same, it was still entertaining.

As rain dripped steadily down from the cold, muddy-grey sky, Primrose cleared her throat. “How are we all, dears?”
“Wet,” Mika couldn’t resist pointing out.
“Your contribution is noted, thank you, poppet,” said Primrose, unperturbed.
“We’re pretending to be a book club, Primrose,” Mika replied, exasperated. “We don't need to hide in the middle of nowhere. Why couldn’t we just meet for a sodding coffee somewhere with central heating?”

show less

This is the book that compelled me to add a Found Family shelf, which I should have done long since cause I love this shit. I always have, starting with [b:Winnie-the-Pooh|99107|Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh #1)|A.A. Milne|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1298440130l/99107._SY75_.jpg|1225592] probably.

My affection for this one in particular is rooted in quite a bit of wish fulfillment to do with older homes and a crowd around, without having to make a crowd nine months a head. There's a library, too.

Probably though I need to work on my twinkling, or my rosy cheeks. Something anyway to keep me from scary old womanhood. Well, faux scary like Addams Family Grandmama would be okay.

Personal copy, show more picked up at The Book Dragon in Staunton VA, where in addition to books they sell delicious chocolate and Girl Scout cookies in season. Because I cannot browse an indy bookshop without buying something for myself and several of my closest friends. show less