The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

by Sangu Mandanna

Paperback, 336 pages

Published Aug. 22, 2022 by Berkley.

ISBN:: 978-0-593-43935-7

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she’s used to being alone and she follows the rules...with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos "pretending" to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.

But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and…Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he’s concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.

As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and when peril comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn’t know she was looking for....

4 editions

Sean Gursky reviewed The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Review of 'The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This is either going to be the miracle you hoped for or it's going to be an absolute focussing disaster.

This book was the right mixture of everything without overdoing it on one or the other. There was a sprinkle of romance, a touch of magic and some surprises along the way.

From the first chapter The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches grabbed my attention and didn't let go. Sangu Mandanna writes in a very casual way that allowed me to read a short chapter in a single sitting or go for hour plus reading sessions.

Magic meant well, but it did so want to be used and it had an irksome habit of taking matters into its own hands if witches didn't take the hint.

Magic isn't a focal point in the book and Mandanna doesn't go into the details of how the magic works because that's not what this book is about. There are Rules for the witches to follow, and for better or worse their clandestine relationship with each other was a main motivator for Mika. Our past shapes who we are but doesn't need to shape who we become.

It's not always enough to go looking for the place we belong...sometimes we need to make that place.

This book is about a sense of belonging and finding your community. In some form or another we have all experienced cliques, being on the outside of the majority and feeling like you didn't have someone that shared your views and interests. This is a book about friendship and how a family can persevere, and just so happens to feature a few witches along the way.