Sangu Mandanna is the author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom, and several other novels about magic, monsters and myths. She lives in Norwich, a city in the east of England, with her husband and three kids. You can find her online at SanguMandanna.com or on Instagram and Twitter @SanguMandanna.
As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don't mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she's used to being alone and she follows the rules, with one exception: an online account where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously. But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and . . . Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he's concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat. As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere feels like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and when peril comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn't know she was looking for . . .
I originally saw a TikTok of this book describing the vibes, which is the whole reason I picked it up in the first place, and I have to say that the TikTok wasn't wrong, and the vibes were completely on point. Mandanna crafts the coziest fantasy—akin to The House in the Cerulean Sea type cozy fantasy. Part of the reason this is achieved so masterfully is because the found family element of Mika's story is incredibly important, and contributes a great deal to the coziness. While there is the chaos of Mika's acclimation to this family of young witches, housekeepers, and other big personalities, once she does acclimate, there is a sense of familiarity and home. Mandanna, through the found family trope, is able to craft the coziest fantasy.
Mandanna focuses on all types of love—the love been guardian and child; the romantic love between two people; the love between a found family; and so much more. Really, love was the hugest theme of the book, which also contributed to the cozy, excellent vibes. I really enjoy love stories that focus more on just the central couple, and I felt like Mandanna achieves that here by focusing equally on all the other relationships in the novel. We get to see Mika move through her world as she starts to better understand her relationship with her guardian Primrose, as well as how she builds a rapport with the three young witches she tutors. Of course we get the romance, but by the time that develops, we understand that the story is much bigger than that, and that the romance cannot be the central point, and truly I didn't mind that one bit if that meant getting to have these other rich love stories in the narrative.
I also loved the way the magic system was built. Mandanna's explanations through Mika's point of view left absolutely no room for questions—of course, until Mika herself starts searching for answers. While we don't get the history explanation until later, I felt like the author had a strong handle on the magic system (and the mystery, too), and that was threaded strongly throughout. If I went back and read the book all over again, I know I'd see the seeds and they would be brilliantly planted indeed. I also loved all the witchy descriptions of magical power, the different abilities different witches had, and the ways in which the body was equally as important as the tools which was equally as important as the magic in the world around witches in order to master magic. I truly felt like this world was developed, and that the characters were perfectly placed within it to craft this absolutely delightful story.
Sangu Mandanna crafted a perfectly cozy fantastical romance, and I am so curious as to what else is to come. Until then, find her online at SanguMandanna.com or on Instagram and Twitter @SanguMandanna.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
Comments
Post a Comment