The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna was exactly the cozy October read I needed to finish off the month. It felt like holding a hot mug of tea and listening to the crunch of leaves on the late October ground. It was fun and witchy without being cheesy (read: The Ex Hex) and a sweet romance without that being the main focus! The grumpy/sunshine trope in my opinion is a hard line to toe, but Mandanna did it effortlessly. The two main characters, Mika and Jaime, genuinely never annoyed me, and they balanced each other out so well.
Irregular Witches follows Mika Moon, a lonely modern-age witch to a whimsical, creaky home in the middle of the woods by the British seaside. Why is she there? An eerie, yet urgent DM she received on tiktok, of course! This is 2022, you know. This mysterious sender, Ian, seems to have figured out that Mika is a real witch, and she is too curious to ignore his plea for help. So there she is, accidentally driving past the driveway to Nowhere House, with no idea what’s in store for her.
Flash forward a few weeks, Mika is learning on-the-go as she tries to teach three unruly young witches how to harness their powers. Admittedly, it’s significantly harder than it would be due to a certain scruffy librarian who can’t seem to keep his nose out of their lessons.
My favorite part about this book was the found family trope. It reminded me immediately of The House in the Cerulean Sea not only because of the mystical elements and adopted children, but because of the homey feel that practically emanates from the pages. It is a snug little story of loneliness turned belonging, and shame turned pride. Magic is literally and figuratively woven into Mandanna’s story. You do not want to miss this one!
Rating: 5/5 cups of stardust tea
xx, Lauren
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