Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

34 reviews

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

4.5

Finished reading: October 30th 2024

“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.”

I've been meaning to read The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches ever since it was published two years ago, and I'm still not sure why it took me this long to do so. I thought that Halloween month was the perfect excuse to finally pick up this witchy read, and boy, am I kicking myself now for not reading this sooner! I had an absolute blast reading this story; it gave me The House In The Cerulean Sea vibes, and I definitely mean this as a compliment. The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches isn't just your usual witchy romance... Sure, there will be romance (and even a steamy scene towards the end I confess I skipped). Sure, there will be a lot of focus on witches and their magic. BUT. This book offers so much more: a story of found family, being true to who you are, self-discovery and learning to trust someone. The cast of characters is fantastic and extremely easy to warm up to. Mika made for such a great main character, and I especially loved her connection with the three young witches. In fact, I think the whole found family vibe is so much stronger than the actual romance... Which was nice and I could appreciate that it was a slowburn romance, but it felt mostly like an afterthought compared to everything else. I loved the other connections so much more; especially between everyone living in the Nowhere House. I had such a wonderful time reading The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches, and I can already see myself rereading it some time in the future. A new title for my list of favorites!

Content Warnings

maggies's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

What a lovely story about belonging, finding community, loving and allowing yourself to be loved, and being yourself. Mika's growth was heart-warming, and the family of misfits at Nowhere House were everything you could want. I love them all.

Content Warnings

tereoleneva's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted slow-paced

2.25

Content Warnings

horizonous's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very whimsical and magical with a cast of loveable characters.

Content Warnings

auteaandtales's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely loved this! Found family is one of my favourite tropes, if not my number one favourite, and it was executed flawlessly here. I loved that it was multigenerational all within one home, too, this is something I don’t come across in things that I read and I always adore it when I do. It was incredible wholesome, cutesy and with the best setting - a little isolated house with a library and a garden?! Yes please.

I connected and enjoyed every single main character. The romance was cute, although I would have liked it to be a little more in depth. With everything going on, though, it did make more sense for it to be more of a subplot.

I don’t re-read books very often but I suspect I will be returning to this again in the future, especially when I want something comforting. The book equivalent of drinking a hot chocolate with rain pouring outside in the peace and quiet, cozy on a sofa with a blanket.

I did have some issues with it, despite my five star rating. These were that we were told about what was happening and what the characters were feeling, which was off putting. I like to be shown and not told, or spoon fed things that I can figure out myself. Another thing was that it was jarring to be in something so cute and wholesome and fluffy and then suddenly there was swearing and sex? Which I don’t particularly mind reading about, but it was so…out of place? It didn’t feel like it fit here, at all.

Content Warnings

singalana's review

Go to review page

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I badly wanted to like this book, but it fell a bit short for me.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a fantasy novel about Mika Moon - a witch who has been taught not to attract any attention to herself. Until she attracts attention and is invited to a strange household to teach three small girls - all of whom are witches as well. Mika has to teach the girls how to control their magic, and while she does that, she gets to know the unconventional family living in Nowhere House.

I’m unfamiliar with the author’s previous work, but she has some interesting ideas, so it might be worth checking out. The cover art is absolutely stunning, and the typesetting was very pleasing to read. The magic in this book is charming and earthy, but there's one bit that felt a bit strange to me and needed more explanation.

Now, on to the characters: Mika Moon, our protagonist, is a loner out of necessity. She is the sunshine in this sunshine vs. grumpy romantic trope. The grump of the story is Jamie, the Nowhere House’s librarian. Other characters include Ian - a meddling ball of elderly energy, and his spouse, Ken. Then there is the housekeeper, Lucie, and finally, the three little witches: Altamira, Rosetta and Terracotta. It’s hard to describe the characters because it feels like they’ve been written with one defining characteristic, and that’s it.

The story itself feels quite low-stakes. It’s more about the vibes: the found family and the sunshine versus the grump. There are a few twists at the end, one of which I guessed, but I didn’t mind. You don’t pick up a cosy book to be sucker-punched with unexpected plot twists. The tension feels slightly lacklustre, and I wonder if the book could have maybe even done without it? Or could it have been better to focus entirely on the relationships within the Nowhere House?

Then there’s the romance. I didn’t quite feel the attraction, but I wasn’t opposed to it either. The book is not very spicy. Again, it’s mostly vibes. There are some sweet and romantic moments, but maybe if the story's focus had been a little bit different, the romance would have had more time to grow and be more convincing. It’s a charming book that has its moments, but to me, it needs something more.

Content Warnings