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

I’m giving this book 4.5 stars for the plot. This was an amazing book! Super cozy and witchy and fun, and the characters were all so lively and diverse, which I appreciated. The children are probably my favorite characters, next to the very dramatic Ian (I listened to the audiobook, so his voice was even more dramatic on there, lol). That said, there were some minor parts that made me uncomfortable or where the dialogue felt awkward or misplaced, like the character wouldn’t have realistically said that. So for those reasons, I had to knock it down half a star. But I still think this story is beautiful. It’s so much about facing your past traumas and overcoming them, of finding love and home and family, of trusting people again and giving your heart to them. It’s warm and funny and wonderful. I’d totally recommend it to the right person, given some of the caveats I’ll mention below.

Things I didn’t like (with some spoilers, which will be hidden):

There’s a lot of cursing in this book, particularly the f-word. Now, I curse a lot and don’t really mind it in books, but it felt excessive and at times, out of place. Also, if you get easily offended by cursing and are Christian, be aware that there are multiple (not many, but a few) uses of Jesus f-ing Christ
There’s one instance in which an adult character asks another adult character (discreetly) about their sex life with the eldest (10-year old) child present. The child picks up on this and says something like, “He’s asking if it’s been a while since you had sex.” I don’t know if maybe this is normal and sex-positive and I’m just a prude, but that made me uncomfortable. It just seems developmentally inappropriate for her to say that and know about that. Not to mention that the main character says that’s an inappropriate question but still answers it, saying something like “It’s been a while,” which again I found kind of weird and uncomfortable just because if it were me, I probably would not have felt comfortable answering that question in front of a ten-year old child.
The sex scene in the later part of the book was very graphic. I mean, reading reviews, I had expected that it might be intense since some people had said it made them uncomfortable, but other people said it was fine so I just kind of went into it thinking people probably made it out to be more graphic than it was, but let me tell you it was very graphic lol. As other people have said, it does feel misplaced for the tone of the story and I wish it was a bit less detailed. The dialogue was kind of awkward too. “I want my tongue between your legs.” 😬 It was a little cringe with all the licking and kissing and biting. It was basically erotica, which again, would have been expected if the tone of the story were different but I get why people feel it was misplaced. Like, I’ve never watched porn before, but…it’s pretty graphic from my understanding. This scene was really graphic. That said, it is a short scene, and easily skippable.

Things I liked/loved:

The setting was gorgeous. Nowhere House, the cottage, the garden. Beautiful!
The kids were so silly and funny and wonderful. Very realistic too with all of their strong personalities, quirks, and interests. They’re my favorite characters!
The story focuses a lot on finding family, having the courage to let yourself open up and trust and be loved, facing deep-seated core fears, and overcoming past traumas to open up to family and love again. This felt so beautifully empowering as someone who is a trauma survivor and I loved how the problems the main characters had were connected and intertwined with their childhoods and their own stories of trauma. It felt real in a way that a lot of other books don’t and while it doesn’t go too deep into the trauma (meaning at times things are more quickly resolved), it also doesn’t shy away from talking about it more than I think most books do and I really appreciated the sensitivity Mandanna showed towards the characters, their stories, and the dialogue to make that feel very realistic.
The magic in this story is so fun. This isn’t a high fantasy in the way that the system is super sophisticated and it’s hard to understand. It’s more just fun and lighthearted and simple, which I like and I think fit the tone of the story well. It’s very cozy and fun and cute, which was very heartwarming for me to read about. I know some people wanted more magic and to know more about how it worked, but I loved it. The focus is a lot more on the characters and their stories and family than it is about figuring all that out, but I think for this book it’s a great trade-off and I’m okay with that. Because if it was too technical, it wouldn’t be what it is. It wouldn’t be so cozy and fun and lighthearted or relaxing to read like it is.

Overall, this is a great book. I really loved it. Yes, there were some minor uncomfortable parts but honestly, those are really small and made up for by the fact that 95% of this book is super cozy, warm, loving, kind-hearted, and quite beautiful. The plot is why I’m giving this 4.5 stars, as I struggled with whether it should be 4 stars due to the problems I had, but it was a really beautiful story written with so much love, and so I couldn’t rate it lower. If you can get over the cursing, some minor awkward dialogue, and one short (2-3 pages or so) graphic sex scene that’s easily skippable, then you’ll find yourself with a beautiful, heart-warming story about opening up to love and finding where you belong. It’s worth it, in my opinion. I would totally read it again for all of the positive reasons I’ve listed here and I’m glad I did. It’s really opened something up inside me and been very healing and wonderful to read, and I’m so glad I did. ❤️

Content Warnings

dragon_named_fox's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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httponyo's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

OOOOH I LOVED IT. I did a nice little old lady shimmy in my chair when I finished it. Just pure happiness radiating from me. I think there's a good juggle of seriousness and comedy that Mandanna just does so well.

I LOVED Mika Moon ( the alliteration name makes me giggle ) , Jamie, Ian , Ken , Lucie, Terracotta, Altamira , Primrose, Rosetta and Agatha! Because ofcourse there was a witch named Agatha!! Heavens just everybody was perfect , right down to the Koi fish. Mandanna writes a warm comfy and witch story without overloading you on a magic system or traumadumping everybody's backstory within the first few page .

Sangu Mandanna doesn't throw what the message is in your face , but gently and precisely tells you what she means to say. Such a warm blend of comedy and seriousness where there needs to be. The plot and the romance just glides together so nicely , I wish we coulda had a little more Jamie x Mika moments but on the other hand I do like the amount we have now in a way. I'll rely on fanfics to see married found family 💜

He rolled his eyes. " I don't think there's been a single moment since the day you told me we're all made up of stardust that I haven't wanted you.

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chrisb913's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

This book was absolutely brilliant. I loved the found family, the grumpy-sunshine, the characters, the setting, the magic system, everything worked in this novel for me.

I think the kids were my favorite part. The way she wrote them to be open and honest and just express themselves was a joy to read. I also adored Ian as this lovable grandpa of this little family that just inactive these crazy plans and is constantly being brought back down to earth by his sweet mellow husband in Ken.

I will definitely be checking out some of Sangu's other works as this was just a delight to read.

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anelya's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring lighthearted medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

More notes to self than review:

You know, I really, really loved this novel. Except for the end. That kinda sums up the whole thing.

I loved most of the characters, especially the kids, and their relationships, especially the kids with Mika. I really, really loved the world-building, especially the way the magic works. What a delightful description; what a wonderful idea. I find myself jealous that I didn't think of it first.

However, the pacing and emotional tension were a little off.

The two big examples are the (inevitable) way everything had to fall apart at the end, and the reveal of Jamie's tragic backstory.

Jamie first: For such a cozy, comfy novel, Jamie's horrific backstory came absolutely out of nowhere and was atrocious. I definitely experienced whiplash, and because of my own history, was immediately triggered, almost thrown into a flashback, and had to take a long break from the book. I don't know, it just came out of nowhere and really didn't match the emotional level of the rest of the book. I also, personally, feel like it wasn't the best approach to talking about that kind of trauma. I've seen other novels approach dark topics like that with more... not nuance, but... like... awareness? More sensitivity? I dunno, it just felt like a weird scene overall, just the way it was handled and the aftermath and how the conversation went down. It made me uncomfortable. *shrugs* Especially since this is like marketed or advertised or categorized as cozy fantasy, I would've needed a much softer approach to that kind of exploration of trauma.

The end: There's actually a lot to unpack here. Firstly, the pacing. So, obviously, due to the whole "five stage structure of storytelling" thing, there was clearly going to be a crisis at the end of the novel. And typically for novels with a romance element, there was going to be some crisis that came between the love interests. Considering how well-written other aspects of the novel felt, the crisis felt so contrived. It felt really weird. Like we see Mika as she grows, learns to trust, and learns to find a home at Nowhere House, and then... I dunno, her whole running away schtick which I thought she had kinda gotten past with, you know, all her supposed growth in the novel, shows up and I was just like... *sigh* Again, it just really felt so contrived, and kinda just... everything was going really well, but not in the way of just the characters being blind to issues that are simmering beneath the surface, like legitimately, things were going well. So when she all of a sudden runs away, it just didn't make sense with where her story had gone so far.

And then the actual end. Oh... Oh... : So the kids animate the bones of their dead guardian, whom they had just found out was dead. They don't cry. They just found out she's dead, they dig up her skeleton, and they animate it and... It's supposed to be this silly scene, but it did not at all match the emotional tension of the rest of the novel, which tried to take mental health and trauma very seriously. I know these kids had a complex relationship with their guardian, but still. She's dead. They should've had some kind of reaction, and for that whole thing to be played for laughs was just... really fucking weird.

I will forever hold this novel in my heart for the magic system. I think I'll honestly read it again, especially with the content warnings I now know (so I'll be better able to protect myself), and since I'll know what to expect from it, I think a reread would be lovely to properly appreciate the magic system. Because, again, it's such a wonderful and lovely idea. Such... It's so amazing. I honestly cannot do it justice, so if you wanna read about a beautiful description of magic and how it works with these witches, honestly, just read it. It's definitely to most enchanting way magic works that I've ever read, and it's honestly such an inspiration.

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