The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Who said Halloween-y books always had to be scary? This is a perfect example of a tremendously wholesome read that was also perfect for the Halloween season. If I could liken it to a confectionary, it's a pumpkin-shaped chocolate chip cookie - witchy on the outside, but so so sweet on the inside. This checked a lot of boxes for stories that I enjoy: found family, a decent romantic slow burn with chemistry that developed organically, and even a magic system I actually really enjoyed. 4.5 stars!

Mika Moon is a witch part of a group that she (and she alone) names the Very Secret Society of Witches. Being brought up a witch also meant that she had to accept that alone is the only way they could survive, since magic had a tendency to blow up in people's faces if there were too many witches congregated in the same place. The Society's meetings every third month was the only exception to the rule, and always very carefully conducted. The only way Mika finds relief in being who she is is making YouTube videos pretending she's a witch. These catch the eyes of the inhabitants of Nowhere House who waste no time in inviting Mika over to give them a hand with their own prickly problem - three adopted child-witches who have never been taught to control their own magic.

To be very honest, it took me a while to properly get into this book and the first maybe 20-30% was a bit slow-going, even though the writing was smooth and everything. The story only really picked up from there and I basically zoomed through the rest of the book once I got past that point. Some parts of this book made me laugh out loud, some parts of it made me tear up.

Mika is a great protagonist and one that I could get behind. She was cheerful but also not ridiculously rainbows and sunshine. She was strong but also had moments of vulnerability. She had some scars from her past and upbringing, but she wasn't some tormented brooding hero with tons of trauma from the past. Overall, despite all the magic and everything, she just seemed like a character very relatable in this day and age - would not be surprised if Mandanna had drawn inspiration from the real histories of people she knew, or maybe even her own. Also just wanted to throw in a shout-out to Rosetta, whom I found even more relatable than even Mika, with her bookish fandoms, her loneliness in childhood, and her eagerness to go out at all.

For a book like this, I expect the magic to simply just be the window dressing for the themes around family and romance that it's truly interested in, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only has there been a solid amount of thought put into the magic system of this one, but also that I really very much enjoyed it. Magic in this book is depicted as a sort of living force that permeates through everything, something like the Force in Star Wars, except that it takes on the behaviour of a wilful child or puppy. Witches are able to harness that energy to create magic in the form of spells or potions, but in the same vein, when the energy isn't used or brought under control, magic can take things into its own hands and make unintended things happen, like witchfire bursting into being out of nowhere. Magic is also attracted to witches in particular and wants to be used, but it also means that if too many witches congregate in the same place, there's a higher concentration of rowdy magical energy in the air and a much higher chance of disastrous accidents happening. It's all pretty refreshingly unique and honestly surprising considering this isn't a “serious” fantasy book.

The pacing was great and while I guessed a lot of the reveals at the end (except one or two), I still enjoyed the ride.

Spoilery thoughts about the last third of the book: I almost think that it ended a bit too perfectly. Everything was not just neatly tied up which is a matter of course, but it also had rainbows and sprinkles on top. Primrose not only allowing Mika to keep the girls together, but even making the effort to know them and get along with them? And even allowing the Secret Society meeting to be held there so everyone could recast the wards for Nowhere House? Definitely ultra-perfect. But tbh, I'm not even mad. I also guessed correctly that Primrose and Lillian were related, although I had actually thought they were the same person (identical twins - I was almost right). I really thought Jamie was going to be a witch or related to one too, but I guess that fell flat. I also guessed that the Society would come together to help Nowhere House recast the wards in the end.