If you liked Cerulean Sea, chances are, you would like this book.
If you didn’t like Cerulean Sea, chances are, you would still like this book more.

It has a lot of the same ingredients, including the feeling of crayon-colored picture book, but where the other book pissed me off by its endless condescending twee-ness, this one was livelier and more genuine about the points it was trying to make. And what do you know, when one is not trying to write a reformation story about a protagonist l with informed flaws, there is room for some warmth, after all. But you have to like the ingredients to like the soup, so resign yourself to setting aside your grinchness if you want to enjoy the genre.

Thanks to #Netgalley for an advance copy of the book.

4.25 out of 5 stars!

This heartwarming gem of a book is the very definition of cosy and makes the perfect comfort read, with its quirky and lovable characters and the quaint and magical setting. It was so beautifully written and so enchanting I could almost feel the magic coming off its pages and surrounding me like a warm hug. I loved Mika, she was such a relatable main character, and just like her, I found myself irrevocably falling in love with all the inhabitants of Nowhere House. And I absolutely adored the romance! I would totally recommend this book to anyone looking for a magical, romantic and cosy read.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for approving my request for this book via Netgalley.

When Mika Moon answers a message about becoming the magical tutor to three young witches, she couldn't have anticipated how much her life would change as a result. This book is gentle and warm, with a cast of outstanding characters and a theme of found family. I can't recommend it enough - reading it feels like a hug.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Very Secrer Society of Irregular Witches.
I loved the Grumpy x Sunshine romance as well as the found family.
They are some of my favourite tropes!
This book also did remind me of The House in the Cerulean Sea (which I also loved!) so if you loved that one you will definitely also love this book!
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Mika Moon is a witch. The only time witches are allowed to meet up is once every few months, as too many witches together leads to a chance of them being discovered or something dangerous happening. Mika is a witchy youtuber however, who makes “potions” and does “spells” online as a way of being who she is without anyone knowing the truth. So when Mika recieves an email asking her to come to Nowhere House and be a tutor for 3 young witches, its an opportunity she can’t turn down. She has always been taught witches must remain apart for their own good. But Mika wants change.

I loved this book. It was an emotional rollercoaster at the end. Its all about finding family, belonging and working through past traumas.

Mika, our main character, has always felt like she isnt worthy of love. And moves around a lot so that she doesnt get attached. But with three young witches, who look up to her in every aspect, has she finally found her place in the world?And there is of course some romance too for Mika.

All of the characters in the book are extremely lovable, from grumpy Jamie, to old man Ian and even Terracotta by the end. Its a very wholesome read.

The plot definitely throws some twists towards the end that I didnt see coming at all. But even just reading about Mika trying to teach the girls how to use their magic, was super engaging and well done.

The only small issue I had with the book which is why it was only 4.5 and not 5 stars was that there was a lot of repetition of Mikas thoughts of not being worthy enough to be loved. After a few it felt like we didn’t need to be reminded of this. But it didn’t take away from the story whatsoever.

Definitely recommend this book. It is an adult book, not very fast paced or action based, but incredibly moving and beautiful. Made me cry a couple of times.


Fave Quote - “ We’re leaving a window open so that, if you ever want to come home, you’ll know you’ll always be wanted”

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc!

This was such a change of pace for me and I loved it! A romance with a compelling plot surrounding witches and a society that doesn't know of their existence. If you liked "The House In The Cerulean Sea" then you'll definitely like this! Very diverse and well written characters- all of the main characters felt truly like themselves and their personality traits were consistent. A surprising plot twist also that I didn't expect at all!

Mika and Jamie's relationship is what i've recently learned it called the 'grumpy sunshine' and 'found family' tropes. I loved their relationship which is just another bonus to an incredible story about witches around Britain but specifically three young witches on the south east coast. Described as similar to House on the cerulean sea, i'd have to agree with that, i enjoyed that book but loved this one so much more. Set on the Norfolk Broads, Nowhere house is home to a mega powerful witch who's never home, Jamie the librarian, Lucie, Karl and his husband Ian who all care or the three little witches, Altamira, Rosetta and Terracotta. At one point they go into Norwich city center and having studied there, this felt so nostalgic for me to follow around the descriptions of the city and felt right ack there again but this time with them. This was such an incredibly perfect read that I cannot recommend enough.!

What a wonderful warm hug of a book! I raced through its pages getting to know Mika Moon and the inhabitants of Nowhere House where magic is real and family so important in a world where witches are supposed to be alone. Mika is a lovely sunny character who always has a smile on her face dispute her lonely and damaging upbringing as a child. A story of family and finding where you belong, of friendship and love and of course magic. I loved it and would thoroughly recommend. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to have a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches is the second stand-alone novel by British author, Sangu Mandanna. At the latest meeting of the group that Mika Moon likes to call The Very Secret Society of Witches, the rules of remaining apart (Alone is how we survive) and the reasoning behind them (Too much magic left unchecked in one place would draw attention, which could be dangerous) are reiterated, and Mika is again criticised by the oldest, most powerful and persuasive witch, Primrose Everly, for her witchy social media videos. Mika is undeterred: no one could ever believe from her videos that she’s really a witch!

The email she receives, not much later, has her thinking twice about that: “WITCH WANTED. Live in tutor wanted for three young witches. Must have nerves of steel. Previous teaching experience not necessary. Witchiness essential.” Surely a hoax? But she’s recently jobless and her flat lease nearly up, and a single word in the email exchange has her driving from Brighton to Norfolk to check it out.

Mika meets her prospective employers: a housekeeper, a librarian, a gardener, and a retired actor, if not Lillian Nowhere, the absent archaeologist, witch, owner of Nowhere House and the legal guardian of three young witches. Most are very welcoming.

The job, genuine, it turns out, is to tutor three young witches in magic, to help them gain control over their powers. Mika is amazed that this little enclave of witches has gone unnoticed by the imperious and inflexible Primrose but Nowhere House does have some powerful wards protecting it from detection. And this quirky foursome clearly loves and cares deeply about their charges.

Mika is not at all sure she can do this job: she has no experience with teaching children. There’s also the urgency: Edward Foxhaven, Lillian’s solicitor is due to arrive in weeks on a legal errand, and this meticulous man, who detests Lillian’s employees, is likely to seize on any excuse to have them evicted; an outbreak of uncontrolled magic would easily fit the bill. And then there’s Jamie Kelly, the devastatingly handsome but scowly, cold and unreachable librarian who definitely doesn’t want her there.

But Mika recalls the crippling loneliness of her own childhood, raised by a parade of nannies in a house in York and learning to control her own magic by trial and error: she can’t condemn these young girls to that. After just a few weeks at Nowhere House, Mika realises she is feeling so needed, so comfortable, that she is in danger of forgetting her lifelong promise to herself: don’t get attached. Could she take a risk?

What a charming story Mandanna gives the reader! The plot is clever, the characters are appealing and she subtly and seamlessly inserts the properties and rules governing the fantasy elements into the narrative. All the requirements of an entertaining and enjoyable fantasy novel: quirky characters, magic, romance and a dog, are comprehensively met. The added bonus is plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and a few to bring a lump to the throat.

Sensitive readers should be aware that there is a bit of sex and some characters do use expletives, but Mandanna also gives them wise words and insightful observations: “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” and “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.” More of this cast would be most welcome! Highly recommended.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton.

Mika Moon is one of the few witches in Britain, and they all abide by The Rules: 1) hide your magic, 2) keep your head down and, 3) stay away from other witches so as not to draw attention. Mika is used to being alone (mostly), but an unexpected invitation to the remote Nowhere House to teach 3 young witches magic opens the door to a different (rule-breaking) life. She soon finds herself charmed by the quirky inhabitants of Nowhere House, including the surly but handsome librarian, Jamie. Suddenly, the possibility of finding a place to belong seems very real, but there are other dangers that lurk around and Mika will need to find a way to protect her newfound family.

This book gave me “The House in the Cerulean Sea” vibes. Like Mika, I too, was charmed by the quirky but caring inhabitants of Nowhere House, from Lucie (the housekeeper), to Ian and Ken (retired actor and gardener couple), to of course our prickly librarian, Jamie, and the 3 young witches, Rosetta, Terracotta, and Altamira.

There is romance in the book (of course), but I feel that the focus appears to be on character growth (especially for Mika, the 3 girls and Jamie), as well as family (or rather, found family). The characters also have very diverse backgrounds.

The story is very heartwarming and touches on themes of loneliness, trust issues, dysfunctional family and learning about what it means to be different from others in society (and then trying to fit in) and its impact on your life. The pacing of the story is quite good and most of the characters, lovable. Overall, I had a really delightful time with this story! 4.5/5 ⭐️

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches was so much fun to read! I loved all the magic aspects and watching Mika find the family that she'd always wanted. While, yes, there is a solid grumpy x sunshine romance plot in this, all the scenes with the side-characters were actually my favourite! I could have read an entire book of just Mika trying to teach Rosetta, Altamira and Terracotta magic! (Dark humoured, sarcastic, but with a heart of gold, Terracotta is my fave!) I also loved the other inhabitants of Nowhere House - Ian, Ken, Lucie and Jamie - and seeing the lengths they'd all gone to in order to keep the young witches safe.

This book felt really fresh and original, and I know it's going to be a hit with many of you!

Damn it, Primrose ! I cried so much.

TLDR : An un-put-downable book. Five pages in and I was irreversibly hooked. Fantasy mixed with romance. But the romance, while playing a huge part in the story, is overshadowed by the family all these quirky characters find in each other. An extremely wholesome book that I wholeheartedly recommend.

***

WITCH WANTED. Live-in tutor wanted for three young witches. Must have nerves of steel. Previous teaching experience not necessary. Witchiness essential.

Mika, a witch, posing as a witch on the internet, doesn’t even know why she even responds to the message. She eventually settles in with the cast of delightful characters like a retired actor, a housekeeper, a librarian, a gardener and the three young witches to be tutored.

I don’t deny that I had high expectations and I’m glad to say that they were met. This was a magical book. Literally and figuratively. I loved every character. I loved their interactions that were well and truly english and so much fun to read. I admit that I guessed some plot twists but that’s ok because I had a great experience anyway.

I loved Mika who was so passionate about magic and her potions. I loved Jamie, a grumpy pessimist constantly annoyed by the incorrigible Ian (whom I couldn’t help but imagine as Ian McKellen) and his well-intentioned meddling and scheming. Ken and his inability to keep Ian in check. The girls who were the embodiment of whimsy and wonder. And even Primrose (Damn it, Primrose !) [spoiler] who turned out to hide a kind person under her nice exterior (iykyk).

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

***

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishing team for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

As a basic person who sees the word witch and says yes, when I read the synopsis of this book I knew I wanted to read it, and I'm so glad I did as we get to meet the wonderful Mika Moon and the amazing family she joins in this book.

The characters are just the best, it's like a little dash of The Worst Witch with The House On The Cerulean Sea, Mika is an amazing character that just jumps off the page and three girls are just amazing to read about, the side characters bringing this story to life in the most amazing ways. Jamie especially stands out as the romantic interest in this book.

Entertaining and charming throughout, the plot is fun and keeps you hooked from beginning to end, with emotional moments and lovely moments that make you want to keep reading. I just really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to own my own copy!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC for review, I'm so glad I got to read it as soon as I knew it existed!

“The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches” is a beautiful romantic comedy in which a lonely witch finds her place in the world, a home, in the most unexpected way. They say that witches are alone in the world because they are always orphans. And that is the case of Mika, a witch of Indian origin who was raised by a British witch who took her in when her parents died. Primrose, the witch who took care of her is the oldest witch in England and that is why she is the boss of all of them. Primrose has established a series of rules according to which at present they can never reveal their status as witches, nor should they be in contact with each other in case something happens and non-witch people find out that they exist.

But loneliness weighs heavily and Mika tries to combat it with the help of her dog Circe and her carp pond. Well… and from her youtube followers where she has created a witchty-core community, anyway, who would believe that this woman who mixes potions and publishes recipes on video is going to be a real witch, in the 21st century!. Actually a strange family does, Mika is destined to educate three little witch girls. Ian and his husband Ken, two very nice old men, the housekeeper Lucie, a widow in her fifties and the librarian of the house, an attractive young Irishman named Jamie look after the three little girls who grow up in a house protected with spells by their absent guardian. These two old men and good old Lucie are willing to hire Mika to teach the girls how to control her magic, but Jamie is not very happy entrusting the girls' education to a stranger. But there is much more at stake than the control of magic, their own future, and for this, more than one character will have to review their pasts and their fears.

At first I had the impression that the tone of this book followed the guidelines established by "The House in the Cerulean Sea”. English humor, sarcasm, diversity and a story for all audiences. However, this book is more mature than TJ Klune's, it is not aimed at children for it is more mature, it has more romance than comedy, more slice of life than romance, more family than friendship. The result is this story ideal to read between Halloween and Christmas, it is engaging, compelling, heartwarming and very cosy.

You'll no doubt fall in love with each of the characters in here, because I sure did. The pacing was really great, I never felt bored or rushed, it just felt like taking a leisurely stroll through the pages and it was a lovely time.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is found family at its finest. With a sweet, grumpy x sunshine romance to boot, this is a cosy, magical read you won't want to miss out on.

I really enjoyed this book – a lot more than I expected to. At the time of writing this review, I haven't yet picked up House on the Cerulean Sea (which this is compared to), but now I definitely want to! It's a quiet story but one that's no less heartwarming, and the kind that would be best read in a bay window on a sunny day or in front of a fire with a blanket on a colder night.

I instantly connected with Mika, the protagonist. She had this warmth to her, and Mandanna's use of voice here was excellent. Even Primrose, Mika's mentor or guardian, if you will, had a sense of likability (even though at times, it seemed as though Mika didn't like her that much). The other characters at Nowhere House were equally as charming. My favourites were probably Ian and Ken, with Jamie (Mika's love interest) close behind. Speaking of Jamie – I loved his and Mika's grumpy x sunshine dynamic. They had such chemistry from the get go, and watching them grow closer together throughout the book was just wonderful. There is a sex scene (which, thanks to other reviews, I knew to expect), and it did seem a touch out of place in this book, but it didn't bother me too much. I'm not a huge fan of kids, so the younger witches didn't massively appeal to me, though I must say they did make me smile on a few occasions with their dialogue and some of their squabbles.

The overall plot of this book was surprisingly character-driven. Yes, it's about Mika tutoring the young witches, but it's also about her own inner journey. Character-driven stories are my favourite kinds, so that made this book even more enjoyable to read. I didn't see some of those reveals at the end coming, and they made me want to turn back to the first page and read it all over again – I really love a full circle "oh" moment!

The only reason I can't rate this book 5 stars is rather petty, but I think worth mentioning nonetheless. Authors, please, please, please, if you're going to write a book - with an English main character in an English setting - that just feels very English, do not use American words. I don't care if you're American yourself. I don't want to see them. The use of the word/phrase "band-aid" in this book (which no actual English person would ever use in a million years) completely took me out of the story. It was almost enough to make me DNF this book. Yes, I know that's stupid, but it really ruined my reading experience.

Overall, and despite this complaint, I would still recommend The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches to those looking for a cosy, quiet book to escape into.

Thank you to Kate Keehan at Hodder & Stoughton for the eARC!

Round up to 3.75 stars⭐️
One of the best diverse and unique representations in a book I’ve ever read. I really loved that!

Mika is a sweetheart, and I love her quirkiness, humor and my heart even broke a little at how she had to hide who she is, and especially her upbringing.

Her moving to Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their powers was really cute and uplifting- and I absolutely loved all the side characters- except for Teracotta, damn that child worked on my every nerve.

Loved Ian, Loved Jamie. Overall- just amazing cast
of characters. Why I’m giving this 3 stars is the middle part of the book I found quite boring. Only here after about 80% into it again things got quite interesting.

Also- I have no love for children so I might not be the target audience for this. In my mind for some reason I thought the witches would be a bit older.

The narrator did a fantastic job. Nailing the accents, it was a huge cast that she had to portray and she did it excellently. You could distinguish super easy who is speaking.

Overall- beautiful, uplifting and super fun!
I would recommend this highly.

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Sangu Mandanna
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Fantasy
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 23rd August 2022
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5


“Lillian sounds like she’s more nice than she is kind. Does that make sense? Niceness is good manners, and stopping to give someone directions, and smiling at the overworked cashier at the supermarket. These are all good things, but they have nothing to do with what’s underneath. 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.”

This was so fun!! And charming. And witty. And warm. And uplifting. Perfect for those in a reading slump or who are having a bad day. Honestly, I’m feeling a little drunk on magic and high on potion making.

Firstly, I loved the magic system. My favourite kind of magic is sentient magic and this book had that in spades. I loved that Mika could see magic as glimmering gold dust too, twirling it round her fingers and having it curl around her ankles, dare I say it was… bewitching?

But also, in amongst the cute, uplifting moments and the parts that were brimming with gold dust motes of magic, there was swearing, there was a child with murderous tendencies, and a dash of spice with the sweet.

To be honest, this book ticks all kind of boxes. Grumpy v sunshine romance? Check. Fun little twist to look forward to? Check. Side character that make you feel as though you’re part of a family? Check. Diverse race representation? Check. It really is worth a read.

🧚🏻‍♀️

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the arc of The Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Firstly, I must say that The Secret Society of Irregular Witches was the witchy romance/found family story I never knew I wanted and absolutely fell in love with.

Mika Moon is a single witch, who lives a solo nomadic life with no family, no true connections, other than her remote guardian Primrose and no expectations of family, or being loved. It’s not all bad, she adores being a witch and truly loves her magic, but lives her life behind a mask to avoid discovery, as she’s been taught.

However, she receives to teach 3 young witches to control their magic, and subsequently finds herself at Nowhere House; A home for a family made up of orphans and the strays, who are are looking to her for help.

The cast of characters in this book are truly esoteric, wonderful, totally diverse and highly lovable, from the 3 girls, who are each total individuals with their own quirks and characteristics to Jamie, the stern Irishman with a dark past, Lucie the truly kind housekeeper and of course the adorable couple Ken and Ian. Mika is a truly lovely, kind, and wonderful empathetic character, who definitely has her own flaws, which only makes her more endearing.

The story itself will keep you turning the pages, there is some romance, and I have to say a certain part of the book did give me the ick, only because the name used was my dad’s!!! 😂Please don’t let this put you off!

If you enjoyed The House on the Cerulean Sea, you have to go for this book. It’s a low fantasy set story about found family, healing from past trauma and just enough romance to make your heart skip a beat.

This book was soooo darn cute!!!!! I loved it!! Loved the witchiness, loved the kids, loved the grumpy hero vs sunshine heroine romance, loved loved loved Ian Kubo- Hawthorne (who reminded me of Oliver Putnam in Only Murders in the Building) and I very definitely got the House in Cerulean Sea vibes which is an added plus. The last third of the book was maybe a bit rushed and everything wrapped a little too conveniently but who cares. I loved it!! Would definitely recommend!!!