"The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches" by Sangu Mandanna

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (Aug. 23, 2022) by Sangu Mandanna.

<This is a standalone novel.>

The more witches there are, the more magic will gather, so the witches of Britain keep their heads down and don’t meet up with each other out in the wild, but they do gather on the third Thursday of every third month. 31-year-old Mika Moon loves magic, so she has an online account (@MikaMoon) where she posts videos “pretending” to be a witch. Primrose Beatrice Everly, the “ancient and very proper head of the group” of witches in Britain, dislikes this bit of show, but Mika is still, mostly, following the rules, and she figures no one will take her seriously. Except former actor-but-always-thespian Ian Kubo-Hawthorn does, made obvious by the email he sends her with the subject: WITCH WANTED.

            Mika travels in the Broomstick (that’s her car) to Nowhere House, where the owner witch, Lillian, is said to be on an archaeological dig. She’s never around to care for the three orphan witches she’s saved (note: all witches are orphans). Rosetta is a 10-year-old Black child with very dark brown skin and thick coils of dark hair. She was found by Lillian in London at three months old after a fire killed her parents. She is sweet and really wants to be able to control her magic in the outside world. Terracotta is an eight-year-old with peachy skin and straight, shiny black hair. She was found in a tiny Vietnamese town at one year old after a fever decimated the town’s occupants, including her parents. Terracotta likes to loudly contemplate Mika’s murder. Altamira is a vivacious seven-year-old with [often messy] light brown hair and brownish gold skin a similar shade to Mika’s. She was found in the rubble of a Palestinian hospital when she was but a few days old. The adults that actually do inhabit Nowhere House full-time, in addition to Ian, include Ken, Ian’s husband, groundskeeper of Nowhere House. Ken is the calm to Ian’s cyclone-like chaos and Ian’s fondness for flamingo pink wool. Lucie is Lillian’s longtime housekeeper and friend. And then there’s Jamie (James) Kelly. He’s a handsome, prickly librarian in his mid-30s, and he definitely thinks it’s wrong to have Mika at their place. He sees her as a threat, albeit an appealing threat. Will the residents of Nowhere House come to trust Mika? Can Mika teach the girls enough to hold off their unpredictable magic from Lillian’s solicitor? Will Terracotta off Mika in a dramatic way? Has Mika finally found the found family she’s been too scared to hope for but has actually always wanted?

            This adult fiction, contemporary fantasy romance sparkles with everyday magic, quirky characters, found family and a grumpy (Jamie)/sunny (Mika) relationship. Mandanna manages to give readers a warm, witchy story that is wonderfully welcoming (except for Jamie). The author’s writing is suffused with bright banter within her well-paced plot. The story is charming and effervescent, and I’d happily befriend any of these dynamic characters (even Jamie, if his grumpy countenance can stand to make friends). If you like magical enchantment with layers of humor and heart, give this cozy book a read!