[ARC Review] The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Publisher's synopsis: 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....

My thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I fell into Mika's story; it felt welcoming and comforting and (even though I am not a witch nor do I live in the English countryside), this story felt a lot like coming home. If Mandanna's goal was to make the reader feel like Mika did when she moved to Nowhere House, then I'd say mission accomplished. 

Mika and her newfound home is only a small part of what made this book such an enjoyable read. Of course I loved Mika and her journey to finding her family of choice all while becoming a better witch. Her ability to stand up to her superior - the witch who raised her - and question what it means to be a witch in modern society was a moral more of us should adhere to. 

Mandanna created an absolutely fantastic cast of characters for this book. Mika was obviously a star in her own right, but her story would not have been nearly as dynamic if it weren't for the denizens of Nowhere House. Introducing a retired actor, his gardener husband, a housekeeper, and a librarian sounds like the set up to a good joke, but they are in fact the backbone and safety net for three young witches (and also the cause of some meddling when it comes to Mika and the librarian, Jamie). 

Right away, it was clear that diversity was not going to be an issue when it came to this story. It's been a while since I've read a story that incorporated so much diversity; I truly loved that there were so many different backgrounds and personalities on display throughout The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. 

While this story dealt with some tougher subjects (being seen as different, feeling like you can't be accepted as yourself, lack of parental role models), this ultimately became a comforting read for me about staying true to yourself and putting your found family above society's expectations. 

A huge thank you to Berkley for sharing an advanced review copy of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. 

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Release date: 8/23/22
Format: eARC

eARC provided via: NetGalley