Book Review: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

By Sangu Mandanna | Narrated by Samara MacLaren

An orphaned witch. A love story. Britain.

You can see why I was drawn to this one.

Here’s the thing I should say first: when I listen to book, I’m looking for something different than when I read the words. I usually listen while I’m washing dishes, vacuuming, weeding, or sewing, so it needs to be a relatively simple book so I can drop it and pick it back up a few hundred times. If it’s overly complicated, I’ll miss details and get frustrated.

This book is an easy, gentle listen. And has lovely characters.

But, I really wanted it to dig hard into magical realism, or just magic in general. And it didn’t.

READ IT IF: You want a cozy, yet weirdly complicated, love story with a moderate dash of witchery.

STEER CLEAR IF: You are desperate to know about the Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, despite the title, it doesn’t figure prominently in the book. Or if you are uncomfortable hearing an amazing amount of F bombs—even I was getting uncomfortable.