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Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
178 reviews
tinysierra's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is fun, cozy, magical.
The cast of characters is charming and diverse in ages, sexuality, ethnicity.
I feel like nothing can really compare to Practical Magic, but if you like Practical Magic, you might like this book.
There are fall vibes for sure but it felt like it leaned more into winter to me.
Sunshine x grump
Found family
The cast of characters is charming and diverse in ages, sexuality, ethnicity.
I feel like nothing can really compare to Practical Magic, but if you like Practical Magic, you might like this book.
There are fall vibes for sure but it felt like it leaned more into winter to me.
Sunshine x grump
Found family
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol
hevlav's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This is such a cute book about found family and celebrating the parts of yourself that make you unique. All the characters are wildly loveable, and the overall vibes are so cozy.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse and Racism
mitzee's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
5.0
A really lovely, cozy read about witches, found family, and a “coming of age” later in life. Relatively low stakes but still interesting and engaging.
Why are grumpy Irish men always so attractive? I guess they just are.
Summary of the story for my own records
Mika is a witch who is hired to teach some little kid witches how to control their magic. the kids live with the household help (housekeeper, gardener and his husband, and a librarian- an adopted person)and they are basically a big found family. The kids are all different races because apparently witches are cursed to become orphans at birth.
She ends up falling in love with the whole family and they love her back. Then she learns they have been lying to her the whole time: the witch who they worked for was not actually traveling but had died and the adults buried her in the back yard. But they did that because they knew what was in her will and didn’t want to have to give up the kids.
The reveal is that Mika’s caretaker (like her mom or parent, but didn’t actually raise her) was actually the twin sister of the witch who had died - I basically guessed that. Primrose (Mika’s caretaker) pretended to be her sister (Lily) and fired the lawyer who had been poking around and threatened to come to the house (which meant he’d have to execute Lily’s will if he thought she was dead)
Everyone was happy in the end.
Why are grumpy Irish men always so attractive? I guess they just are.
Summary of the story for my own records
Mika is a witch who is hired to teach some little kid witches how to control their magic. the kids live with the household help (housekeeper, gardener and his husband, and a librarian- an adopted person)and they are basically a big found family. The kids are all different races because apparently witches are cursed to become orphans at birth.
She ends up falling in love with the whole family and they love her back. Then she learns they have been lying to her the whole time: the witch who they worked for was not actually traveling but had died and the adults buried her in the back yard. But they did that because they knew what was in her will and didn’t want to have to give up the kids.
The reveal is that Mika’s caretaker (like her mom or parent, but didn’t actually raise her) was actually the twin sister of the witch who had died - I basically guessed that. Primrose (Mika’s caretaker) pretended to be her sister (Lily) and fired the lawyer who had been poking around and threatened to come to the house (which meant he’d have to execute Lily’s will if he thought she was dead)
Everyone was happy in the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Death
cursiveknight's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse and Death
What a lovely, fun, cozy book. Such a beautiful world and wonderful writing.diamondjade's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is a very sweet, lighthearted read with just enough of everything: adventure, romance, family, humor, reflection. I enjoyed the writing style a lot and the references to Jane Austen and women of classic mythology. The main praise I have is how diverse this book is. The variety of gender, race, sexuality, age, etc. was incredible. The characters felt real and relatable. If I have one criticism it’s that the story is pretty predictable. There were a couple of parts that took me by surprise, but I could see most things coming. But this isn’t a thriller, it’s a cozy, light, easy read. And it does a fantastic job at being that.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse
bridget_magpie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
This book is easily a 5 stars to me. Super cosy, I loved all the characters, and lot of messages about life. Not a grand novel that will change the world but a sweet, cosy love story about found family.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer and Death of parent
chloebaboey's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse and Death
chloetremain's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse and Sexual content
madisongturner's review against another edition
5.0
I finished this book so quickly, it was so cozy and comforting. This book is for you if you like a cozy fantasy, witchy love, and found family. There were so many quotes that I resonated with as well, with Mika being very relatable to me. There were also some plot twists that I absolutely did not see coming, which keep it engaging and interesting, without being so over the top like some fantasy can be. There is a heavy emphasis on finding home with the people who accept and love you as you are, which is beautiful. Definitely on my 5 star list for the year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse
mrsmiley's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent