Author: Sangu Mandanna
Published: August 23, 2022 by Berkle
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
Genre: Fantasy
Blurb: 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 begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and when a threat 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.
My Opinion: Some books land in your lap like they’ve been waiting for you to slow down long enough to notice them. This novel, which has been on my shelf for a while, was one of those for me. I was completely pulled in from the first pages, with the kind of immediate connection where you blink and realize you’ve already read three chapters.
This was my first time reading Sangu Mandanna, and now I’m already eyeing the companion novel because clearly, I’ve been missing out. This book became my entire weekend, even though I had a long list of fall outdoor prep waiting for me. Instead, I kept thinking: surely Mika’s magic could handle the weeds, maybe charm the rake into doing a few areas while I stayed curled up with the narrative. Alas, no such luck since the pages, with their well-timed humor, were worth the undone chores.
Yes, the grumpy sunshine romance is visible early on, but it’s never the whole point. As the story unfolds, each character, consisting of three young witches, their caretakers, and Mika herself, becomes someone you genuinely care about. As you read, you feel you’ve been invited into a home full of oddities, warmth, and secrets, and you have mentally moved in before you have been invited to stay.
This is a book about found family, found romance, found heartbreak, and found futures. It’s cozy without being too much, magical without losing its grounding, and heartfelt in a way that sneaks up on you. A perfect “right book, right time” read and one I’m glad found me.
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 begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and when a threat 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.
My Opinion: Some books land in your lap like they’ve been waiting for you to slow down long enough to notice them. This novel, which has been on my shelf for a while, was one of those for me. I was completely pulled in from the first pages, with the kind of immediate connection where you blink and realize you’ve already read three chapters.
This was my first time reading Sangu Mandanna, and now I’m already eyeing the companion novel because clearly, I’ve been missing out. This book became my entire weekend, even though I had a long list of fall outdoor prep waiting for me. Instead, I kept thinking: surely Mika’s magic could handle the weeds, maybe charm the rake into doing a few areas while I stayed curled up with the narrative. Alas, no such luck since the pages, with their well-timed humor, were worth the undone chores.
Yes, the grumpy sunshine romance is visible early on, but it’s never the whole point. As the story unfolds, each character, consisting of three young witches, their caretakers, and Mika herself, becomes someone you genuinely care about. As you read, you feel you’ve been invited into a home full of oddities, warmth, and secrets, and you have mentally moved in before you have been invited to stay.
This is a book about found family, found romance, found heartbreak, and found futures. It’s cozy without being too much, magical without losing its grounding, and heartfelt in a way that sneaks up on you. A perfect “right book, right time” read and one I’m glad found me.
No comments:
Post a Comment