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Reviews tagging 'Bullying'
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
59 reviews
loveleighreading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? No
4.0
Title: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Series: Standalone
Author: Sangu Mandanna
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Cozy Fantasy
Tropes/Keywords: Found Family, Grumpy/Sunshine, Magic Powers, Roommates, Witches
Rep: Indian author and FMC
Pages: 334
Steam: Open door
Spice: 🌶/5
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Audiobook: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Synopsis: In the comments
Review: This was a beautiful found family story about a very lonely witch and the people she comes to love. I loved her dynamic with the grumpy librarian, they both just wanted to take care of these children and came to care for each other along the way.
Audiobook: The accents and atmosphere of this audiobook was such a relaxing experience.
Quotes:
- Her eyes very round, seven-year-old Altamira said, with perfect gravity, “That was some excellent Mary Poppins shit right there.”
- “That’s good! That means you already know that the first thing any good spell needs is intent. You want something, so you figure out a way to make it happen. In your case, you wanted the plum, but it wouldn’t have been enough to just look at the plum and think I want it. A spell needs the how as well as the what. You had to figure out how you might get the plum. Which is what you did. You asked for it to fall into your hand.”
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CW: Mentions of past Death of a parent(s)/caregiver. Threats of children being removed from caregivers. Mentions of bullying of a child in the past.
Pregnancy?: No
Babies/Children?: The 3 children wards are very prominent in the story.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying and Death of parent
nothingtosay'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? Yes
4.0
A 'cozy' story where there are some mild angst, but it gets resolved neatly at the end. Perfect for those who just want a fun quick story to read. The plot did get a bit dull in the middle which makes the ending feels a bit rushed but otherwise not too bad.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Violence, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
leannanecdote's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Blood and Alcohol
wovenquiry's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
3.5
Its cute but he ending seemed rushed to me. Love the found family trope in this!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Bullying and Toxic relationship
littlecake's review against another edition
funny
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? Yes
3.75
This book felt like a hug or a cozy evening drinking coffee by the fireplace. It has a heartwarming story, adorable characters and the magic makes everything better.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying and Abandonment
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
annakh16's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
If you ever wished that Anathema Device aka the witch from Good Omens had more book/screen time - I think this book is for you.
There’s an all-round lovable cast, found family (my favourite trope), and a cute little romance. I thought the couple matched really well, though I could’ve done without the smut scene - too much of a tonal shift in my opinion. There are also a few “plot conveniences“ and the end was somewhat bizarre, but neither bothered me too much. This book was comforting, cosy, and overall just a good time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Death of parent
sabrinaleaf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? No
4.0
A cosy little fantasy with the cutest found family.
Not much action here; no plot but nice vibes
Not much action here; no plot but nice vibes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
evueimeimei's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I would have liked the plot to have gone a bit deeper into the story of the witches.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Abandonment
Minor: Bullying, Death, and Sexual content
embersbooknook's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
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
5.0
This book was an absolute cozy dream read. It has everything you could want - witches, ✨magic✨ vibes that are immaculate, found family, diverse characters, characters dealing with their childhood trauma, and a lovely wrap up in the end. It’s also very romantic😍 I …am obsessed. I will definitely return to this as a cozy autumn read often.
Sangu’s writing was absolutely wonderful - very easy to read, with an excellent ebb and flow to the story that never left more bored and always left me eagerly reading more. Ian’s character won my heart instantly, as did Ken’s and their beautiful love story🥹
All the characters felt believable, and three dimensional - and don’t even get me started on Jamie and Mika…they are perfect and I love them so much. Rosetta, Terracotta, and Altamira were just so well written - their personalities, dreams, quirks, quarrels- I just wanted to scoop them all into a hug and go on adventures with them🥹
Also I really fucking want some of Mika’s tea!!!🫖
Cannot recommend this book enough! A completely charming read.
Sangu’s writing was absolutely wonderful - very easy to read, with an excellent ebb and flow to the story that never left more bored and always left me eagerly reading more. Ian’s character won my heart instantly, as did Ken’s and their beautiful love story🥹
All the characters felt believable, and three dimensional - and don’t even get me started on Jamie and Mika…they are perfect and I love them so much. Rosetta, Terracotta, and Altamira were just so well written - their personalities, dreams, quirks, quarrels- I just wanted to scoop them all into a hug and go on adventures with them🥹
Also I really fucking want some of Mika’s tea!!!🫖
Cannot recommend this book enough! A completely charming read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Child abuse
Minor: Emotional abuse, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
Most of the things mentioned in the content warnings were things a character describes experiencing in the past. None of it was graphic but some of it was like…really sad and could remind readers of similar personal trauma - therefore I mention the warnings. Overall this is a light read, but these things are mentioned.