A middle-aged white woman smiled warmly at them from behind the till. “Lovely afternoon, isn’t it?” she said, abiding by that ancient and most sacred British law of only ever starting a conversation with a comment on the weather.
Chapter 12 of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
After making my way through a bunch of non-fiction books over the past month or so I was looking for a palate cleanser, something lighthearted and easy to read. Thankfully, some time ago I had added The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna to to my to-be-read pile on Storygraph.
This book was just what I needed. A cozy lighthearted fantasy with themes of found family and a cute romance subplot that I loved. Emphasis on the cozy, the cozy vibes in this book are off the chart. The world feels small in a way that I appreciated especially after having finished reading Palo Alto which felt very very big.
The fantasy elements in this one are quite light so if you are looking for a fully fledged magic system or other such trappings they are not here. I put this book in the magical realism sub-genre of fantasy. The world here is our world with a touch of the magical. There is just enough magic and fantasy here to carry the themes of the narrative and I think that works in the book’s favour
At 318 pages this book is short and sweet. I finished this in two days i.e 3 hours or so of reading time spread between those two days. Another point in this book’s favour after having finished a 700+ book the previous week.
To conclude, if you are looking for a cozy fantasy book which is (mostly) lighthearted dealing with the theme of found family and a adorable romance subplot, this book delivers all of that in a short and sweet package.
I’ll leave y’all with this quote.
And so, when the others returned half an hour later with a tray of tea, chocolate, and Brie and bacon toasties, it was to find four witches and one golden retriever curled up together in a one double bed. Fast asleep.
Chapter 15