This month we are discussing The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.
Content Warning!!! Before reading this book please be aware it contains situations and subjects related to: death, including death of a parent (prior to book); childhood neglect.
Spoiler Warning!!! This post is full of spoilers for The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.
Discussion:
Michaela: Hello friends and welcome to our discussion of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. This was our first book to prepare us for the upcoming fall season. It takes place in winter but the witchy-ness definitely gave it that fall feeling for me. I would say it was quite a cozy read.
Jac: This book definitely has a cozy, found family feel to it. The magic system in this world is interesting - I'd like to learn more about the supposed curse that causes all witches to become orphans at some point in their childhood. I found it a bit odd that in a world of technology and social media, witches don't really connect to each other that way, at least not in England. I think perhaps I felt that the lore and background wasn't fleshed out enough for it to feel complete to me. I'm unsure if this will be a part of a series or not, but if so I would guess that things become more clear over time.
Michaela: The lore, background, and the magic system all felt like it was taking a backseat. I think the story would have benefited more if we had added more length to the story to add that stuff back in. Overall I kind of felt like the whole thing was missing a little more depth. It really had all the elements; found family, magic, a twist, a conflict, romance. Yet I felt like it was all kind of surface level.
I loved all the characters in the found family. The kids were cute and sassy. The older couple and the housekeeper were all adorable together. I liked Jamie too but he was also quite grumpy which would have started to get annoying if there had been more scenes of it. Mika and Jamie’s flirting was cute but I felt the spice-y scene was awkward, not in terms of writing style necessarily just it’s general placement in the story at all. It felt like there should have either been more time in the story to have more spiciness or just none at all at left it at heavy tension with implied spice. As it was it felt almost random, even though it wasn’t.
Jac: I loved everyone at the mansion, and the way they take care of each other. It gave me House in the Cerulean Sea vibes, which I think was purposeful. I loved the flirting between Mika and Jamie. I am always here for a grumpy/sunshine dynamic, but I agree with Michaela that the spice felt a bit awkward. To me, there's a sort of rhythm or flow to writing spicy scenes, much like when you're trying to describe a dance in words. I felt that the spice was stilted and awkward and not well-timed. All in all, though, I enjoyed the romance.
I hadn't been expecting that the original owner of the house had been BURIED IN THE BACKYARD. I suspected she was dead or gone, but when Mika dug her up I was shocked. I shouldn't have been, with the sunflowers acting like they were. It reminded me of the lilacs in Practical Magic! I did, however, guess that her and Primrose were sisters. I felt torn on Primrose, and I still resent the way she raised Mika, but I was pleased to see her loosen up and I think she does love Mika.
Michaela: I was completely surprised by both twists. I did not expect Lillian to be buried in the backyard or for Primrose to be her twin! I was shocked. It totally was like Practical Magic, I love that. I was more expecting Primrose to be some evil person trying to prevent all the witches from being friends, but obviously that’s not how it went. Her character felt very sinister to me in the first half of the book when Mika was describing her history. But the ‘evil’ of this story turned out to be the solicitor, he really did seem like a jackass. I appreciate that he thought Lillian’s absence was suspicious but he showed up wanting to cause trouble. I actually laughed when the girls talked about animating the skeleton. What kid logic!
I really want to know more about the history with the coven, the curse, Mika’s mom, and just all the international witches and how their covens work. It was so interesting to listen to Mika describe to the girls how to manipulate the magic around them, that you ask it. Also, all the potions stuff sounded so cool. I am a sucker for potions magic.
Jac: Michaela and I love lore, so we're always more likely to want to know more, to get a better glimpse behind the curtain. And I agree about the potions - I need more of that!
The solicitor really was a jackass. I'm sure there was some discrimination behind his bad treatment of that family, honestly. The visual of the animated skeleton was hilarious, the girls often made me giggle out loud throughout the book.
Hopefully the author will turn this into a series, and we'll get to learn more about the world, the lore, and international witches. For now, that concludes this discussion. We'll see you next time!