Cozy fantasy romance novel about chosen family
As it was time for my next running/gardening audiobook, this came up on a recommendations list and looked suitably low investment and fun.
“The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches” by Sangu Mandanna and narrated by Samara MacLaren is a fantasy romance novel about a young English witch called Mika Moon. Being a witch is a lonely existence, with no family and strict rules about socialising. Spending her time running a streaming channel cosplaying as a witch, Mika’s opportunities to spend time with others like her, or others at all, are extremely limited. However, when she receives a desperate request to help tutor three young witches, Mika’s life is turned upside down and suddenly her isolated life is filled to the brim.
This is a gentle, enjoyable story that draws on the idyll of the English countryside and universal themes of loneliness to create a story of love, acceptance and family. The characters are all incredibly warm and likeable, and there is enough tension in the challenges wrangling the kids, the romance with prickly Jamie and the rather harsh rules around being a witch to keep things interesting. MacLaren was a lovely narrator and I was truly impressed at how well she created distinct voices for the characters, most especially the children.
I think there were only two things that didn’t work so well for me. One was Jamie’s backstory felt a bit drawn out and partly unnecessary; I think plenty of young men can be a bit prickly on the outside and fuzzy on the inside without necessarily having had family trauma. The other was that through this book I learned that I do not like listening to someone narrate a sex scene! I’m not sure if it was the writing or just the cringe factor of having sex-related dialogue being broadcast through my headphones, but I think it is not for me.
An upbeat, wholesome story that I was looking for extra opportunities to listen to.
Tinted Edges 