Views_She_Writes

Book Review: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna https://viewsshewrites.wordpress.com/2025/07/03/book-review-the-very-secret-society-of-irregular-witches-by-sangu-mandanna/

What’s This Book About? 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.

Literary awards for this book:

Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fantasy (2022) Swoon Award for PNR/UF Romance (2022) RUSA CODES Reading List Nominee for Relationships (2023)

Let’s Talk About This Book

There is something quietly enchanting about this book that goes beyond spells and potions. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a story of belonging. It’s about being different, being guarded, being tired of shrinking yourself, and then finding the courage to open your heart, even when you are terrified.

As someone who doesn’t often feel like they “fit”, the found family element resonated deeply with me. Mika’s transformation from being a careful outsider, to a beloved part of the chosen family, was both magical and breathtakingly real.

This one line below in this book absolutely undid me:

“No, you absolutely should not,” said Terracotta at once. “You can’t have her. She’s ours.”

There is so much gentleness in this book – gentleness in the way grief is handled, in the way love is shown, in the way characters allow each other to grow and evolve. This book may be labeled as cozy fantasy, but it carries with it a quiet emotional truth and personal resonance, especially for those of us still trying to find our found family.

There are a few more quotes that I would like to share, not only to highlight how beautifully Sangu has written it, but also to emphasize how emotionally Samara MacLaren (the audiobook narrator) has captured it. These tugged straight at my heart.

“But it was more than that. It was peace, the kind Mika was beginning to see she had never known… She hadn’t realized just how heavy her mask had been until she’d discovered what it was to live without it.”

“It’s a leap of faith to love people and let yourself be loved. It’s closing your eyes, stepping off a ledge into nothing, and trusting that you’ll fly rather than fall.”

“We wanted you to know, we want you to stay. Not just for now. Always. So we’re leaving a window open so that if you ever want to come home, you’ll know you’ll always be wanted.”

Would I Recommend It?

Oh gosh yes! Absolutely!

If you enjoy books that are gentle but emotionally grounded, and if you have ever longed for a place or a group of people who accept you completely, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is worth reading. It’s the kind of story that leaves you a little softer — and a little more hopeful.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 5 out of 5.

What Did You Think?

Have you read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches? Do you enjoy cozy fantasy with emotional depth? Share your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to know what stayed with you after reading it.

The wait

https://viewsshewrites.wordpress.com/2019/05/31/the-wait/

It's 5:30 pm. He should be coming home soon. I am waiting for him by the window. I plant myself by the window everyday at this time, waiting for him.

He has recently rented out our basement apartment and moved in a few weeks back. Yes, it has been only a few weeks, but I am already addicted to him. I know 'addicted' is a very strong word, but I cannot think of any other word for him. From the first time I saw him, I felt an instant connection – the sort of connection that does not have any explanation. Since then, over the past few weeks, my feelings for him has only become stronger with every interaction we have had.

I look back to the living room from the window. She is on the couch watching her regular shows on TV. Sometimes I feel I am betraying her. I have been with her for 9 years now. Never have I ever felt the connection that I have with her with anyone else. I know the bond that I have with her is something which lasts a lifetime. I know she is the one for me.

But what is it with him that I want to spend so much time around him everyday? Everyday that he goes to work, I feel terrible. When he comes home, my joy knows no bounds. I rush over to his place as soon as he comes home and spends time with him till bedtime. Of course, by bedtime, I come back to her. But through the day, if he is home, that is where you would find me.

I hear him before I see him walking by the lane towards our home. As soon as my eyes find him, my heart leaps with joy. I give a 'woof' of delight and my tail wags nineteen to a dozen. I cannot stop expressing my joy. She looks at me and smiles – “He has come back from office, isn't it Bucky? Now let him rest a bit before you go off bounding by his door for your walk.” But he hears her when he opens the door. He is happy to see me too. “It's OK, I am not tired. Come on, Bucky boy, let's go for our walk.”

And my day is perfect again!

Thunderstorm

https://viewsshewrites.wordpress.com/2019/05/27/thunderstorm/

It is just noon as per the clock on the wall. But based on the ambient light in the room, it just might as well be night. The sky is clouding up and lighting is striking multiple times. Rain is dashing up my window. How do I know this? My hand is on the window and I can feel the thump of every huge drops of water hitting the window. Huge droplets of water is pouring down from the heavens above. The downpour is so heavy, both in volume and force. I can see every single droplet of water, but at the same time, almost cannot see the house across my street.

At a distance, a lighting strikes a tree and breaks it in half right through  the middle. The weather is mesmerizing me and I cannot seem to keep away from the window. There is electricity in the air because of all the lightning that is happening outside. I can smell the acrid scent of electricity around me. It is charging me from within. The wind is racing outside at a tremendous pace, making the trees bend down to almost touching the ground. Trust wind to teach humbleness to trees. I think wind is the only way a tree will touch the feet of earth while it lives. It is just a Hindu way of thinking.

Leaves separated from branches are dancing around creating a vortex-like circle in space. Empty streets with the dancing leaves makes the neighborhood feel deserted. But no one could possibly get out in this weather. It is very much possible that they just might be swept away by the wind. Clouds are swirling in the sky above, getting darker by the minute. Looking at the grey, almost black clouds above and slowly descending down towards the earth makes the moment feel like it is straight out of an apocalyptic novel. Dark grey clouds clash against black clouds generating the only source of light around in the form of lightning.

The room is getting darker by the minute but I cannot move from my place long enough to turn the lights on. The huge drops of water falling from the heavens above, the heavy winds dashing against my window and rattling the glass panes against my palm, the scent of wet earth and electricity in the air - these look and feel magical to me. I am absorbing everything that I can from the senses I have left in me. You see, I was born deaf. And I love it when thunderstorm strikes. I live my life the most while watching thunderstorm.

Attempted Murder

https://viewsshewrites.wordpress.com/2019/05/24/attempted-murder/

“There is a case of attempted murder happening. All units report immediately”

Alerted, every unit started heading towards the address provided by the dispatcher. Now, the problem these units were facing is that they were not yet assigned their own transport. So, even though it was an emergency, they had to rely on public transport to get to the source. And, as usual, when you are in a hurry, the transport is never reliable.

The units had to wait till they got the right transport. Even then, the route of transit was far from direct. They faced obstacles a lot on the way and they had to wait for a change of transport to be on their way.

It was quite some time before they reached the emergency location and they started rushing to the potential victim before something untoward happens to the victim.

However, they were late. When they arrived at the scene, they saw that the humans were just feeding the plant its first water in over a month. The plant was dehydrated and gulped down every drop of water that landed in the soil. One human was pouring water into the vase and the other was squirting some water on the leaves and flowers.

The first human was saying the second, “I did not know this was a potted plant. I was under the impression it's a bouquet. No wonder it did not wilt away. They should have told us they are giving us a potted plant as our house-warming gift. We would have watered it before. Poor plant! Thank God it didn't die on us. Imagine! Our first pet and we would have killed it. Thank God we did not go ahead with our plan of getting a dog. Maybe we could learn by taking care of this first before progressing towards a dog.”

The pollen police heaved a sigh of relief. If they had found the plant dead, they would have punished the humans with their deadliest weapon in the worst way possible – pollen fever.

Newcomer

https://viewsshewrites.wordpress.com/2019/05/17/newcomer/

John moved to Stoneville town knowing full well that it is a small town and everyone knows everyone's business. That was his requirement. He knew he could not be welcomed with open arms. He would have to earn their trust. And he was prepared for it. He wanted in on the intricacies of small town. He wanted to become a small towner. He had his own reasons for it.

During the initial days of his moving, Stoneville viewed him with suspicious eyes. He was not used to wishing everyone 'Hello' or 'Good Day! How are you?' everytime he stepped out, but he soon got used to it. Even if no one initiated a wish, he made sure he wished everyone he saw whenever he went out, ensured that he helped the old people cross the road or with their groceries and lead a hand every time he saw anyone who needed help.

Gradually, he broke the ice barrier and made some friends. Although he made sure everyone knew he was in town only for a short while, he went out of the way to find out what people around him liked and disliked, their habits, their food preference, etc. Mr. Pierce next door to him liked to mow his lawn every morning, and loved company when he did. Mrs. Landsnow, who lived across his house loved making pies and also had a guilty pleasure of cookies which John used to get for her in secret. He adapted his life to the people around him and got himself used to the workings of the town. It was with a heavy heart that the town bid goodbye to John when it was time for him to move on.

When Rebecca moved into the house that John had vacated, the town realized that she would be very different from John. The very fact that she did not venture out of her house and on the off days that she came out, she did not speak to anyone except smiling was the main cause of people wondering about her. It took Rebecca some time to come out of her shell and talk to people. She did all the things that John did before her, and did it with the same amount of kindness and respect that John had for them. The old silent treatment forgotten, the town accepted Rebecca as one of them very soon after this. Rebecca was here to stay now.

It was only at night when Rebecca was safely home and about to tuck in that John would emerge. He knew it would only be a few more days before he gets completely comfortable in his new skin and stop coming back. The surgery was successful. The hormone shots took some time for his voice to completely transform and that required him to go silent for a few days till the hormones finished their task. Now the shots were over and the medications were done. It was time for him to completely become her and settle down in her new life. She had chosen well. Stoneville suited Rebecca now.

Insomnia

https://viewsshewrites.wordpress.com/2019/05/13/insomnia/

I like to walk around the house at night. The house is like a place of wonder. It is peaceful and quiet. I can go anywhere around the house without any fear of being caught. I can ponder over random wordly questions and look at the sky in a picturesque manner without anyone staring at me. I am left alone to do my things and no one to disturb me.

My favorite corner is the seat near the bookshelf. When everyone is sleeping and no one to disturb, I find it to be the perfect time to read the next novel. On a regular night, I manage to finish one entire novel in one night. Insomnia is a curse for most of the people, but not for me. I think of it as being given extra time in a day.

The dog comes and sees me reading the book. He must have heard my footsteps and wandered over to check on the noise. But he is used to seeing me reading. This has been happening for quite some time now. So, he just looks at me for some time and then goes back to his bed to sleep. I continue reading the book.

There is just the sound of clock ticking now, not even the sound of breathing. It seems everyone has gone into deep sleep where their breathing is deep and heavy, without much noise. I get more and more engrossed in my thriller novel. I want to finish it before daybreak. With the pace of the story and the peace around me, I have no doubt I will finish it.

The day is just about to break when I finish my novel. I ensure that the book is kept at the exact same spot from where I took it. I am not supposed to be reading all this. But the story had been amazing. No wonder time flew by so quickly. Now I have to wait till the next night to read its sequel. I cannot wait for time to go by and to get my hands on the next one. I go for a drink of water before going back to my room, ensuring to keep the tumbler at the same spot I took it from.

The dog looks at me once again when I go back to the room. I don't bother to look at it now. I don't know why he is so surprised everytime this happens. It is not like this is the first time. I go back and get on to the bed next to the little girl. She should find me when she wakes up. I am her favorite doll. Now it's time for me to be inanimate again.

Slow awakening

https://viewsshewrites.wordpress.com/2019/05/10/slow-awakening/

I know I am about to wake up in a while. But you know that blissful state of semi-consciousness when you do not want to wake up? I am in that state. I do not yet want to get conscious and wake up. So, as everyone does, I try to remain in that state of bliss for some more time.

In sometime, I realise that I have a slight headache building up. I am still in the semi conscious stage, thinking my sleep cycle has not been fulfilled. I should have slept sooner last night. Or maybe I was drinking last night. I am not able to recollect anything from last night. I don't put in much efforts to recollect. That would mean waking up and I am still not in a mood for that.

Soon, the headache starts to build up and I feel a low resonating thud pounding in my head. That is waking me up. I am hating it. I don't want to wake up yet. But I have no choice. The headache is building up with the thud of sounds coming from somewhere above me.

I try to stop it by reaching out for the sound without opening my eyes. But my fingers touch a wooden wall very near to my face. I open my eyes with a start and realize that I am in a box. The soft thuds of sound is coming from outside the box. I can also hear some chants and prayers from outside the box, the sound of which is getting softer with each thuds on the box.

It takes me a few moments to realize that I am in a coffin being buried in the ground and the people outside does not know I am still alive.

Pursuit

https://viewsshewrites.wordpress.com/2019/05/06/pursuit/

I am running as fast as I can, but I can still hear the voices behind me. The voices are getting louder and louder now. I need to catch up on my speed. I fall down and bruise my hands and knees. But I need to keep going. This cannot be it. This cannot be the moment when they catch me.

“Come on, Kate, you can do it. Run faster,” I push myself, regretting all those times I missed workout just because I was lazy. My heartbeat's racing and I can feel sweat trickling down my spine. I am very much aware of all these just like I am aware of the sounds behind me. It's funny how mind works even in the middle of a situation like this.

The voices are still behind me. They are not far off. I can hear them and so, they might also be able to hear me running. My rubber role running shoes are made for quiet running but the dry leaves in the woods crunch under my feet. Those noises cannot be helped, no matter how carefully I tread.

For a while, I consider climbing on a tree. But it's autumn now and not summer. The trees are bald and without any leaves. Climbing might only result in them seeing me sooner rather than later. I have to think of alternatives. How do spies and secret service agents think in tough times? I wish I could channel their thoughts right now.

I see a dense shrubbery ahead of me. It seems like a perfect hideout. My thighs are burning and I won't be able to run for long. Instead of falling on the ground and giving them direct access, it's better to hide in this shrubbery.

No sooner did I hide there, the voices approached my hiding spot. It started getting louder and louder from behind me. Thinking that I still might be able to escape, I slide deeper and deeper into the shrubbery and try to get to another exit where they might not be able to see me. But that notion was lost when all of a sudden, I started hearing some of those voices coming from the front of the shrubbery too.

There was nothing I could do now. I was surrounded. I could not remain here for long. If I don't move out, they can come in, which is not a bit desirable. The only thing left is to get out and face the voices, before they start to move in. I move from the shrubbery and climb out. No sooner did I surface, those voices lunged at me.

Shouts of “Mommy, we found you” from my child to barks of joy from my dog filled the wood. They all looked as ragged as me with twigs and branches jutting out of their hair and face smeared with mud and dust. But they looked very happy with the hunt and finally finding me. “I could never hide from you. You always manage to find me. But tomorrow, I will try better. Now, here's one treat each for you for successfully finding me.” I hand out a cookie to my child and a doggie treat to my 'other child' and we happily head home.

Trouble in Patisserie Janet hated this part of the day. This was the time when Richard came to the patisserie. Every time she saw Richard, her heart started to flutter and her co-ordination faltered. Her palms would start to sweat and she would forget whatever she was doing at that time. She was head over heels in love with him, even though she knew nothing about him except his name and his favorite flavor of cupcake – Banana Chocolate.

This had never happened to Janet in all her years. She had never felt so irrational before and she was a very practical person. Falling in love was a process for her, which involved meeting someone, knowing their characteristics and assessing if it went well with her nature. Only then had she allowed herself to fall in love all of the two times that it had happened before. Of course, those two times having not worked out was in no way a reason for her to not continue her process of scrutiny.

But Richard had swept all those thoughts away from her mind. She was besotted. So much so that, she did something she had never done before – consulted her psychic sister if things would work out between them. However, her sister’s prediction was not positive. Her sister had predicted that Richard would bring trouble to her. Janet had never believed in psychic powers anyway. It was just her desperation that made her consult her sister. The negative news did nothing to stow away her feelings for Richard. She just had to try once.

Since she did not know anything about him except for his favorite cupcake, there was only one thing she could do to subtly get his attention – put a message in his cupcake. She decided to keep the message simple but interesting so as to not sound very desperate – Would you like to catch up for coffee someday? She did not want to put in her name as it was quite obvious who could have put the message. She wrapped that particular muffin in red wrap paper to distinguish it from others. But she did not want anyone else to know of this so she kept that muffin in the display window along with other cupcakes. Now all she had to do was to wait till he arrived. That was when her sister’s prediction came true and everything went wrong.

Apart from her, Janet had a couple of employees working for her in the patisserie. That day, there was an exceptionally large rush of people and all three of them were busy serving customers all through the morning. In the commotion, Janet did not notice the dwindling supply of cupcakes. So when Richard arrived and Janet went to pick up his special cupcake, she noticed in horror that the cupcake was missing. She looked around the store in panic and saw the red wrapped cupcake being sold to a formidable looking woman by one of her employees. She hurried forward as the woman turned from the counter and started walking towards the exit. In her rush to get to the woman, she did not slowdown in time and went dashing into the woman. The woman gave a cry of horror and the cupcake flung from her hand and landed in the coffee of an old man sitting near the exit, splashing hot coffee all over him. Shocked by the noise and the torrent on coffee towards him, he gave a start and threw the cup down.

The cup fell down and broke into tiny pieces right next to a bulldog who was sitting next to his 10 year old master. The dog jerked awake and being scared, darted towards the exit pulling the kid along with it. The kid, in his haste to gain control of the dog, tumbled onto the old man. The old man, already burnt with coffee, was not very steady and ended up crashing on to the floor. His cry of pain made it very obvious that he had broken quite a few bones in his rattled old body. In the midst of the chaos that followed, Janet managed to reach the counter and call 911. Paramedics soon arrived and rushed the old man to the hospital, where it was declared that the chaos had caused him a minor heart attack and he had broken bones in his leg and shoulder. In all of this mess, Richard had rushed off without offering help to anyone.

It took her many hours to convince the old man’s family not to sue her patisserie. She had agreed to cover all of his medical expenses in the offering. Finally when she could come back home, she found her sister waiting for her by the door steps. Rushing into her arms and sobbing pitifully, Janet realized this was the trouble her sister had warned her about. If only she had listened to her and kept a strong rein on her heart!

Rest in Peace

Story Prompt – You are an elderly man. Your wife has been nagging about your stench for years – on top of your declining health, of course. You finally visit your doctor after several years. After some tests, the doctor enters your room and says, “I don’t know how to say this, but… I… I don’t think you’re supposed to be alive.” – Credit for the prompt to Crystal Santoro

The stench was getting too strong and the wife’s constant nagging was getting on my nerves. “If you are that much bothered, put a plug in your nose. The smell might stop for you, your breathing might stop for me and that might be a relief for both of us” I huff at her. She ignores my jibe and makes an appointment with her regular doctor.

I hate going to the doctor, especially to him. Somehow he always manages to ridicule me and make me feel down on myself – more so when my wife accompanies me. So this time, even though she came with me to the hospital, I don’t let her come with me to see the doctor. I go to the doctor’s room alone.

As usual, the doctor is condescending. “My, aren’t we letting go of ourselves a bit too much?” or “I wonder if you have seen any action in the bedroom for a long time?” So you see why I hate coming to him? But I go through the process nonetheless. I am an old man. There’s not much left in me. He conducts his tests, all the while finding something to make comparisons about me. Finally the process is done and he goes out to get the results.

It’s a long, but peaceful wait till he comes back. With the doctor’s taunts and the wife’s constant nags, these days this kind of peace is very rare for me. So I enjoy it while it lasts. As expected, the happy phase doesn’t last long and the doctor is back, but this time with a sneer “it is surprising how you have managed for so long, but it appears you are not supposed to live for this long. Your time is soon coming to an end.”

In the time that it takes for me to understand what he is trying to say, in walks my wife. I look at her, expecting her to come and hold my hand. But she rushes towards the doctor and kisses him passionately. The earlier statement still lingering in my mind, this new scene gets my blood boiling. She turns to me and mirror the doctor’s sneer “it’s been a while since I have been poisoning you. Now finally it has started showing results and I can be with Richard.”

I wake up with a start. My breathing is still heavy and I feel sweat building on my brows. But looking around my familiar bedroom space calms me and then, I laugh. The stench of decaying flesh still persists, however that no longer bothers me. In fact, with the dream and all, that stench is giving more relief than anything. Getting off my bed, I move to the next room. I unlock it and look at the two figures lying on the bed.

I talk directly to my wife, “There’s no point trying to scare me by coming in my dreams and saying crazy things. If you had wanted to live, you should have thought of it before canoodling with the doctor under my roof. You should, in fact, thank me that I killed you both instead of exposing you for who you are to the world. Now you can REST IN PEACE together for whatever eternity is there for you both.”