There is something about a good witchy book that makes it especially easy to disappear into.

Maybe it’s the old houses filled with secrets, tiny magical towns, family curses, enchanted gardens, spells gone wrong, or the possibility that the strange woman living down the road really does know something you don’t.

And thankfully, witch books don’t all have to be dark or scary.

Some are warm and cozy. Some are romantic. Some are funny. And others have just enough darkness around the edges to make them perfect for a rainy afternoon or a crisp fall evening.

If you’re looking for the best witchy books for adults, these ten are full of magic, romance, found family, cozy settings, and women figuring out exactly how powerful they really are.

Witchy Books at a Glance

Book	Author	Best For
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches	Sangu Mandanna	Cozy found family
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping	Sangu Mandanna	Magical inn + second chances
Practical Magic	Alice Hoffman	Classic witchy family story
The Ex Hex	Erin Sterling	Fall romance
Payback’s a Witch	Lana Harper	Queer witchy romance
The Honey Witch	Sydney J. Shields	Cozy sapphic romantasy
Witch of Wild Things	Raquel Vasquez Gilliland	Botanical magic + romance
Cackle	Rachel Harrison	Witchy self-discovery
In the Company of Witches	Auralee Wallace	Cozy witch mystery
The Witches of Moonshyne Manor	Bianca Marais	Older witches + found family

1. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Best for: Cozy fantasy and found family

If you want a witchy book that feels like a warm blanket, start here.

Mika Moon is one of the few witches in Britain and has spent most of her life following one important rule: witches stay away from each other.

Then she receives an invitation to Nowhere House, where three young witches desperately need someone to teach them how to control their magic.

Before long, Mika is surrounded by children, secrets, an unusual household, and Jamie—the extremely suspicious librarian who isn’t thrilled about her arrival.

Penguin Random House describes the novel as a warm romantic fantasy about an isolated witch discovering a quirky family and a new love.

Why you’ll love it: cozy magic, grumpy/sunshine romance, magical children, found family, and a wonderfully comforting house.

Also read: My full The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches review, summary & spice guide

Buy on Amazon | Buy at Bookshop.org

2. A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Best for: A magical inn and a fresh start

If you finish The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches wanting more Sangu Mandanna, this is the obvious next choice.

Sera Swan once had powerful magic.

Now she runs an enchanted inn filled with unusual guests while trying to figure out whether she can regain what she lost.

The story mixes magical creatures, quirky characters, romance, family, and the kind of cozy setting you immediately want to visit.

Published in 2025, Penguin Random House describes it as a whimsical, heartwarming novel about a witch getting a second chance at her powers—and her life.

Why you’ll love it: magical inn, second chances, found family, romance, and plenty of cozy fantasy energy.

Buy on Amazon | Buy at Bookshop.org

3. Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Best for: A classic witchy read

It would be difficult to make a list of witch books for adults without the Owens women.

Sally and Gillian Owens grow up knowing their family is different.

For generations, the women in their family have been blamed for anything strange that happens in town. There are whispered accusations of witchcraft, unusual remedies, love spells, black cats—and a family history that neither sister can entirely escape.

Alice Hoffman describes Practical Magic as a story about witches, love, family life, and everyday spells.

This one feels different from modern cozy fantasy. It’s more literary, more complicated, and more interested in family and relationships than building a whimsical magical world.

Why you’ll love it: sisterhood, family magic, curses, romance, small-town atmosphere, and generations of complicated women.

There’s also a gorgeous 2026 deluxe edition if you like collecting special editions.

Buy on Amazon | Buy at Bookshop.org

4. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

Best for: Fall romance and witchy rom-com vibes

Sometimes the lesson is simple:

Don’t curse your ex-boyfriend after too much vodka.

Years ago, Vivienne Jones jokingly put a curse on Rhys Penhallow after he broke her heart.

At least she thought it was a joke.

When Rhys returns to Graves Glen, strange things begin happening all over town, and Vivi realizes her supposedly harmless curse may actually have worked.

Now the two of them have to fix the magical disaster together.

Google Books describes The Ex Hex as a witchy romantic comedy filled with hexes, wishes, and romance gone wrong.

Why you’ll love it: second-chance romance, magical small town, fall atmosphere, witches, banter, and a curse that gets completely out of hand.

Buy on Amazon | Buy at Bookshop.org

5. Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper

Best for: Queer witchy romance

Emmy Harlow left the magical town of Thistle Grove years ago.

Returning home means facing her family, old memories, and Gareth Blackmoore—the man responsible for a good portion of why she left in the first place.

Then Emmy discovers Gareth has broken several hearts.

Including Talia Avramov’s.

Soon, revenge plans are forming.

Unfortunately for Emmy, she’s also having an increasingly difficult time ignoring just how attractive Talia is.

Penguin Random House describes the book as a queer witchy romantic comedy involving magical families, revenge, a spellcasting tournament, and plenty of romantic tension.

Why you’ll love it: magical small town, sapphic romance, revenge, witch families, competition, and major autumn vibes.

Buy on Amazon | Buy at Bookshop.org

6. The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields

Best for: Cozy sapphic romantasy

Marigold Claude becomes the Honey Witch of Innisfree.

There is only one problem.

The Honey Witch is cursed never to find true love.

That becomes considerably more inconvenient when Lottie arrives on the island and challenges both Marigold’s magic and her assumptions about what her future can look like.

Hachette describes The Honey Witch as a cozy sapphic romantasy about magic, hope, and love overcoming an impossible curse.

Why you’ll love it: island setting, honey magic, cottagecore atmosphere, sapphic romance, curses, and a softer magical world.

Buy on Amazon | Buy at Bookshop.org

7. Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

Best for: Plant magic and second-chance romance

Sage Flores has a gift for communicating with plants.

Her sisters have unusual gifts of their own.

When Sage returns home and takes a job helping identify unusual plants, she ends up working alongside Tennessee Reyes—the man connected to an old heartbreak she has never completely gotten over.

Penguin Random House describes the book as a magical adult romance mixing family, friendship, romantic love, botanical magic, ghosts, and a complicated sister relationship.

This one feels especially good if you like your witchy reading a little earthier and more grounded.

Why you’ll love it: plant magic, family secrets, ghosts, second chances, sisterhood, and romantic tension.

Buy on Amazon | Buy at Bookshop.org

8. Cackle by Rachel Harrison

Best for: Witchy self-discovery with a darker edge

Annie has just been dumped.

She leaves Manhattan for a small town and hopes to rebuild her life.

Then she meets Sophie.

Sophie is beautiful, confident, independent, lives in a slightly unsettling mansion in the woods, and seems to have an unusually strong effect on everyone around her.

Oh, and the townspeople seem terrified of her.

Cackle sits on the darker end of this list, but it’s also funny and surprisingly empowering. Penguin Random House describes it as a darkly humorous story about a woman discovering what she really wants with help from a mysterious witch.

Why you’ll love it: spooky small town, female friendship, personal reinvention, witchcraft, spiders, and a healthy dose of “maybe I don’t actually need that man.”

Buy on Amazon | Buy at Bookshop.org

9. In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace

Best for: Cozy mystery fans

Brynn Warren comes from a long line of witches who have quietly used magic to help their New England town.

She also helps run a bed-and-breakfast with her aunts.

Everything is relatively peaceful until a difficult guest dies at the B&B—and one of Brynn’s aunts becomes the main suspect.

Now Brynn has to investigate the murder while navigating her own complicated relationship with magic.

Penguin Random House calls it a cozy magical mystery set in a sleepy New England town and centered around a family of witches.

Why you’ll love it: cozy B&B, New England setting, family witches, murder mystery, and small-town magic.

Buy on Amazon | Buy at Bookshop.org

10. The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais

Best for: Found family and older heroines

Five witches in their eighties are trying to save Moonshyne Manor.

They’re behind on the mortgage.

An angry mob wants the place demolished.

One of their own has been gone for decades.

And the magical solutions available to them are getting increasingly dangerous.

Fortunately, these women have no intention of quietly disappearing.

Harlequin describes the novel as funny, tender, and uplifting, with themes of aging, friendship, found family, feminism, and magic.

This one is especially refreshing because the witches at the center of the story aren’t twenty-two-year-olds discovering their powers.

They’ve lived.

They’ve made mistakes.

And they still have plenty of trouble left to cause.

Why you’ll love it: older witches, magical manor, friendship, humor, found family, and unconventional heroines.

Buy on Amazon | Buy at Bookshop.org

Which Witchy Book Should You Read First?

If you’re having trouble deciding:

If you want…	Start with…
Maximum cozy	The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Magical inn	A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping
Classic witchy fiction	Practical Magic
Fall rom-com	The Ex Hex
Queer witch romance	Payback’s a Witch
Cozy sapphic romantasy	The Honey Witch
Plant magic	Witch of Wild Things
Darker witchy vibes	Cackle
Cozy mystery	In the Company of Witches
Older witches + found family	The Witches of Moonshyne Manor

What Makes a Book “Witchy”?

A witchy book doesn’t necessarily need broomsticks, cauldrons, or pointy hats.

Some of my favorite witch books are really stories about women, families, communities, and power—with magic woven through everything else.

You’ll often find:

• Family magic passed through generations
• Curses and spells
• Magical small towns
• Enchanted houses
• Herbal or plant magic
• Found family
• Romantic relationships
• Female friendships
• Characters learning to embrace their power
• A little bit of autumn atmosphere

And that’s part of why the category can stretch from the warm coziness of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches to something stranger and darker like Cackle.

Cozy Witch Books vs. Witchy Romance Books

There’s also plenty of overlap.

A cozy witch book usually puts more emphasis on comfort, community, found family, everyday magic, and lower-stakes problems.

A witchy romance puts the romantic relationship closer to the center.

For example:

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches → cozy fantasy with romance.

The Ex Hex → romance with lots of witchy magic.

In the Company of Witches → cozy mystery with witches.

Cackle → witchy fiction with darker humor and self-discovery.

That distinction can help you find exactly the kind of magical read you’re in the mood for.

More Books Like The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

If Sangu Mandanna’s book brought you to this list, I’d start with:

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping for another warm Sangu Mandanna fantasy.

The Honey Witch if you want cozy magic plus romance.

In the Company of Witches if you like magical homes and close-knit communities.

The Ex Hex if you want your witches considerably more romantic.

And Practical Magic if you want to go back to one of the modern classics of witchy fiction.

You can also read my full review of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches for its summary, characters, tropes, spice level, and age guide.

Final Thoughts

There is no wrong season for a good witch book.

But there is something particularly satisfying about opening one when the air gets cooler, the leaves start changing, and suddenly candles and blankets seem absolutely necessary.

If you’re new to cozy witchy fantasy, I’d begin with The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.

For romance, try The Ex Hex or The Honey Witch.

And for a classic, it’s difficult to beat Practical Magic.

Just be warned: once you start reading cozy witch books, you may suddenly find yourself wanting an old house, a garden full of herbs, three black cats, and a suspiciously large collection of candles.