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Loading... The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witchesby Sangu Mandanna
Witchy Fiction (22) Books Read in 2023 (190) » 6 more Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Mika, Indian-born & English, chafes at the rules that she must keep secret she’s a witch and she mustn’t congregate with witches to avoid magic becoming dangerously strong. So she takes on the rules when she takes a job to teach magic to 3 youngsters in a house with non-witches (1 of whom is a very handsome antagonist to the whole idea). This is a very fun and emotional book that I highly recommend. Begs for a sequel. I don’t think I could like this book more if I tried. Gorgeous characters, funny quirky people in a found family, witchcraft, shenanigans, and one child who defaults to murder as a solution to everything. Perfect. Also chalk through with people surviving and overcoming trauma, and love, love, love. The floating carp pond and collapsible greenhouse are also the best. And the bookstore and the sea. Yep, I return to perfect. no reviews | add a review
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HTML:A warm and uplifting novel about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a quirky new family—and a new love—changes the course of her life. 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.... . No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction 1900- 2000-LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Thoughts: This was a very cute and heartwarming cozy contemporary fantasy/paranormal read. This is all about finding one's worth and making a family for yourself. The characters are quirky and fun. The plot is fairly simple but well done. There is romance in here as well.
Mika Moon is a witch and witches have always been taught to keep their heads down and not spend time together. Yes, Mika has a witchy Youtube channel, but everyone assumes that is fake witchy stuff. That is until an old man named Ian sees the magic around Mika and thinks she would be a great tutor for the three young witches that live in the household he helps run. Mika jumps at the idea and finds herself at Nowhere House, with three out of control young witches and their caretaker, Jamie. Jamie is not at all happy that Mika is there but he can't think of another option to help get the girls under control. All of them are about to find out they need each other more than they thought.
Everything about this is cute and cozy and heartwarming. Both Mika and Jamie have tough pasts that have led to their current attitudes and issues. Both are determined that the three young witch girls in Nowhere House will live better and happier childhoods than they got. Add to this a wonderful gardener, his artsy flamboyant husband, and a dedicated housekeeper and you end up with a crazy family that all wants the best for these girls. When a legal threat to their ability to all stay at Nowhere house arises, the situation gets a bit more dire.
The main themes in this book are definitely about making a family for yourself, learning to find self-worth, and of course finding love. The girls are adorable and terrifying all at once. Mika and her magic were enchanting to read about as well.
I did feel like this book pulls a lot of elements from cozy fantasy types of books already out there. This book reminds a lot of Klune's "The House in the Cerulean Sea" and also reminds of Riggs' "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children". It has similar cozy vibes as Baldree's "Legends and Lattes" as well, but set in a more contemporary setting and with a more traditional romance. Even though I enjoyed this, I couldn't help but think of all the similar types of books like this that I enjoyed more.
This is well written, and it is a quick read. I breezed right through it, and when I was done I though "well that was nice". It is cute, entertaining, but honestly a bit forgettable with all the other cozy fantasy that has flooded the market lately. It is easier to relate to and more mainstream than a lot of the other cozy fantasy I read, though, so I totally understand why it's been so popular.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a cute, funny, heartwarming read that made for a nice quick cozy read. I enjoyed the characters and the way they made a family for themselves. I did feel like this had a lot of elements that have already been done numerous times in other books and couldn't help but think of this reminds me of (insert cozy fantasy here). While this wasn't all that original, it was a fun read and I would recommend if you are looking for a cozy contemporary fantasy read with family vibes and romance. ( )