The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches: Review, Summary, Spice Level & Tropes
If you like cozy fantasy, witches, found family, grumpy librarians, magical houses, and romances that feel warm rather than overly dramatic, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna is an easy book to understand the appeal of.
The novel follows Mika Moon, one of the few witches in Britain. She has spent most of her life following strict rules: hide her magic, stay away from other witches, and never get too attached to anyone.
Then she receives a very unusual job offer.
Three young witches living at a mysterious house in the countryside need someone to teach them how to control their magic.
Mika accepts—and suddenly finds herself surrounded by exactly the kind of messy, affectionate, complicated family she has spent her entire life avoiding. Penguin Random House describes the book as a warm, uplifting fantasy about an isolated witch finding a quirky new family and a new love.
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What Is The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches About?
Mika Moon is a witch, but being a witch comes with rules.
Witches are expected to remain isolated from one another so their combined magic doesn’t attract attention. Mika grew up without her parents and has become very good at living alone.
Mostly.
Her one small rebellion is an online account where she posts videos pretending to be a witch.
At least, she thinks everyone assumes she’s pretending.
Then someone from Nowhere House contacts her.
Three young witches—Rosetta, Terracotta, and Altamira—are being raised there, and their guardians desperately need someone who can teach them how to control their magic.
Mika knows accepting the job breaks just about every rule she has been taught.
She goes anyway.
At Nowhere House, she meets a strange little household that includes caretakers, an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, and Jamie—the prickly librarian who has absolutely no intention of trusting Mika around the children.
Naturally, that doesn’t last forever.
The more time Mika spends at Nowhere House, the more she begins to wonder whether she might finally have found somewhere she belongs.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Review
This is the kind of fantasy novel where the emotional stakes matter more than saving the world.
There is magic.
There are witches.
There are secrets.
There are dangerous consequences if certain people discover what is happening at Nowhere House.
But the real heart of the book is much simpler:
Can someone who has spent her entire life learning not to need people finally allow herself to belong somewhere?
That is what makes the book feel so cozy.
The magic is fun, but the found-family element is what gives the story its warmth.
Mika doesn’t simply arrive at Nowhere House and instantly become part of the family. She has to earn trust. She has to learn the personalities of the three girls. She has to deal with Jamie’s suspicion. And she has to reconsider the idea that isolation is simply the price witches have to pay for being safe.
The romance works for the same reason.
Jamie isn’t simply inserted as a love interest. He is deeply tied to the household and protective of the children, which means his distrust of Mika actually makes sense.
Their relationship develops alongside Mika’s growing connection to the entire household.
That makes the romance feel like part of the larger story about belonging instead of something separate from it.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Summary
The spoiler-free version is fairly straightforward.
Mika Moon has lived most of her life alone because witches are taught that gathering together is dangerous.
When she is invited to Nowhere House to teach three young witches, she enters a home filled with people who have created an unconventional family around the children.
Mika begins teaching the girls while gradually becoming emotionally involved with the entire household.
At the same time, the secrecy surrounding the witches becomes increasingly important because an outsider may discover what is really happening at Nowhere House.
Mika is eventually forced to decide whether protecting herself means leaving—or whether the people she has come to love are worth risking everything for.
Main Characters in The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Mika Moon
Mika is the central character and one of the few witches in Britain.
She is capable, funny, independent, and much lonelier than she initially admits.
Her entire life has been shaped by rules designed to keep witches isolated from one another.
Nowhere House forces her to question almost all of them.
Jamie
Jamie is the librarian at Nowhere House.
He is protective, suspicious, and initially very skeptical of Mika.
The romance between Mika and Jamie develops gradually as he begins to see that she may actually be exactly what the children—and perhaps the entire household—need.
Rosetta, Terracotta, and Altamira
The three young witches are a major reason the book works.
They have distinct personalities, different relationships with Mika, and enough magical unpredictability to keep life at Nowhere House interesting.
The household also includes several adults who have created an unconventional family around the girls. The publisher specifically positions this group dynamic as central to Mika’s discovery of belonging.
Is The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Spicy?
Yes, but I would not call this a particularly spice-heavy romance.
The book contains open-door sexual content, but the romance is only one part of a much larger cozy-fantasy story.
Romance.io currently gives it a community steam rating of 3 out of 5, categorized as open door. That is reader-generated rather than an official publisher rating, so individual readers may perceive the spice differently.
Spice Level
Approximate spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5
Expect:
- Romantic tension
- Kissing
- On-page intimacy
- Open-door scenes
- Romance that remains secondary to the larger found-family story
If you want a completely closed-door cozy fantasy, this isn’t quite that.
If you’re comfortable with some adult romance but don’t want the entire book centered around explicit scenes, the balance is likely to work well.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Tropes
This book hits a lot of popular cozy-fantasy and romance tropes:
- Found family
- Witches
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Forced proximity
- Magical children
- Cozy house setting
- Slow-burn romance
- Secret magic
- Chosen family
- Protective hero
- Healing from loneliness
- Contemporary fantasy
It is especially strong on found family.
If that trope is one of the main reasons you read cozy fantasy, this is exactly the kind of book to put on your list.
Is The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches a Romance?
Yes—but I would describe it as cozy fantasy with a strong romance, rather than a romance novel where fantasy is simply the setting.
The relationship between Mika and Jamie matters.
But Mika’s relationship with the children and the rest of Nowhere House matters just as much.
Google Books categorizes the book across contemporary fantasy, paranormal romance, witch fiction, and cozy fantasy, which reflects the way it sits between genres.
What Is the Age Rating?
This is an adult fantasy novel, not a children’s or YA witch book.
The publisher markets it for adult fiction audiences, and the book includes adult romance and open-door sexual content.
For that reason, I would generally recommend it to older teens and adults, depending on the reader’s comfort level with sexual content and adult themes.
Parents looking specifically for younger witch books would be better off choosing a middle-grade title rather than relying on the cute cover or cozy tone.
Is The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches a Standalone?
Yes.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches works as a complete standalone story.
Sangu Mandanna has said she did not have a direct sequel planned, although she was open to the possibility if the right story came along. Her later adult cozy fantasy A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is a separate book rather than a sequel or companion, though it shares a similarly warm magical tone.
That means you can read this without worrying about committing to a long series.
There is also a 2026 deluxe edition that adds a bonus epilogue, along with new cover treatment and decorative features.
Who Should Read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches?
I’d especially recommend it if you enjoy:
- Cozy fantasy
- Witchy books
- Found-family stories
- Fantasy romance
- Grumpy/sunshine couples
- Magical houses
- Books with children as important supporting characters
- Low-stakes fantasy
- Stories about loneliness and belonging
- Autumn reading without horror
This is also an obvious choice for readers who enjoyed Legends & Lattes or The House in the Cerulean Sea and want another fantasy where community matters more than epic battles.
Books Like The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
If you finish this and want something with a similar feeling, I’d put these on your list:
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
Another cozy adult fantasy from the same author, with a new cast and separate story.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
For cozy fantasy built around creating a new home and community.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
For found family, magical children, and an outsider slowly becoming part of an unconventional household.
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
If you want your witchy reading to lean more heavily toward romance and fall atmosphere.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
For another cozy-ish fantasy featuring a prickly relationship and lots of magical personality.
This is also where I’d eventually link to your future Best Cozy Fantasy Books and Best Witchy Books for Adults roundups.
Is The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Worth Reading?
If you want a comforting fantasy where the biggest emotional question is whether someone will finally let herself be loved and included, this is a strong choice.
The magic gives the book charm.
The romance gives it tension.
But the found family gives it its heart.
It is the kind of story that makes you want Nowhere House to exist just so you could visit.
Preferably when someone is making tea.
Final Thoughts
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is ultimately less about learning how to use magic and more about learning how to stop living alone.
Mika begins the novel believing that isolation is simply part of being a witch.
Nowhere House gives her a completely different possibility.
She can be powerful and still need people.
She can belong somewhere without giving up who she is.
And sometimes the most magical thing in the story isn’t a spell at all.
It’s finding a place where people genuinely want you to stay.
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