The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Sangu Mandanna’s 2022 novel, continues the author’s pattern of witchy, lighthearted fantasy novels and an overall literary trend of cozy, light-fantasy novels for a millennial audience. The novel crosses several genres, including magical realism, fantasy, and domestic fiction.

This study guide references the August 2022 first edition Berkley paperback version of the novel.

Content Warning: This study guide contains depictions of trauma.

Plot Summary

Mika Moon, now 31, lacks connections to others—outside of meetings every few months—because witches aren’t allowed to contact one another lest they be tracked down. They must practice in secret, even from their closest loved ones, to stay safe from those who persecute witches and from dangers that arise when magic gathers in one place. Primrose, the eldest witch, enforces these rules and raised Mika, ensuring that she had a home as well as nannies and tutors. If a caretaker learned of Mika’s magic, Primrose brought in a new one and wiped the old one’s memory of Mika. Therefore, Mika’s life has been lonely. To combat her loneliness, Mika makes videos online using a fake witch persona. She considers this harmless since many non-witches do so—but Primrose believes it’s risky.

Mika receives a mysterious social media message from someone desperately seeking a witch to tutor three young witches in magic. She visits the residence, known as Nowhere House; it’s well-hidden in the countryside. She can sense that magic is present but proceed cautiously, not wanting to reveal that she’s a real witch. The residents include Ian and Ken, an elderly married couple. Ian—who contacted Mika—is a retired actor, and Ken is the gardener. Jamie is the attractive yet brooding librarian, and Lucie is the doting housekeeper.

Mika soon witnesses the problems that come with multiple untrained witches living together when the youngest girl, Altamira, accidentally sets fire to her treehouse ladder by touching it. They need Mika to teach the girls to control their magic because the girls’ legal guardian, Lillian, hired a solicitor, Edward, who’s coming by for documents. Although Lillian has a warding spell around the property to protect the girls, she wants to ensure that Edward doesn’t find out about the magic. At first, Mika is reluctant to accept the job because she doesn’t want even more magic in one place, but she recalls her lonely childhood, discovering magic all by herself with no one to share it with, and decides to accept the job.

Mika moves into the attic of Nowhere House, which is furnished and has a view of the sea. The eldest girl, Rosetta, is welcoming and curious about Mika, while Altamira is excited. Ian, Ken, and Lucie are welcoming too. Jamie and the middle child, Terracotta, don’t greet Mika. Both are mistrustful of Mika and protective of their home. While Rosetta and Altamira help Mika unpack, Altamira begins to float. Mika gives the girls their first lesson about the properties of magic. Only witches can see the gold dust of magic in the air and use it. Magic is attracted to people who can use it, which is why it’s dangerous when it gathers in one place. Magic wants to be used and gets mischievous when left uncontrolled. Mika helps Altamira down and shows the girls how to cast a spell using oils.

At lunch, Mika meets Terracotta, who threatens to kill Mika and hide her body. Mika laughs it off. She gets to know Nowhere House’s residents; they all work for Lillian except Jamie, who was taken in at 16. They’ve all helped raise the girls, but Jamie, now 36, has acted as their primary parent for 10 years. That evening, Mika advises Jamie not to let his mistrust of Mika rub off on Terracotta, for the girl’s own good. The next day, all the girls attend their first lesson. Jamie sits in to supervise, making Mika nervous. Mika answers questions about being a witch and teaches the girls about animation. They try to get a pebble to move and fail, but Mika can tell they’re close and encourages them. Terracotta is still standoffish. Ian decides to set Mika and Jamie up romantically.

Several lessons later, Mika teaches the girls to brew potions. Noticing Rosetta’s loneliness, she suggests taking Rosetta to a bookstore in town. Mika promises to keep the magic in check if something goes wrong; everyone agrees. Ian and Jamie go with them. In the car, Ian asks about Mika’s love life and reveals that his mother was a witch, which is how he knew Mika was. He says Mika is part of the family now. Mika explains she has no love life because she can’t be herself around people. At the bookstore, Jamie steps out for an errand, and Rosetta makes friends with some boys over a book series. Mika fetches Jamie so that he can see Rosetta’s happiness. Jamie asks if Mika could recast Lillian’s warding spell, should Lillian not return. Mika can’t, so powerful are Lillian’s warding spells.

One night, Mika hears Jamie break a glass downstairs and goes to help. She invites him to the attic, where they drink and talk. This becomes a regular thing. She warns him that Terracotta distrusts her and that—since Jamie hasn’t corrected the girl’s behavior—is being reckless. Days later, Terracotta tries to levitate—against Mika’s advice—and gets into a dangerous position. In rescuing her, Mika takes a bolt of magic and goes into hibernation, as witches do to heal. Worried sick, Jamie stays by her side. Terracotta learns her lesson. When Mika wakes, Primrose (having detected the bolt of magic and suspected Mika) has contacted her, inviting her to lunch.

Mika is in bad shape but attends lunch anyway. She lies about why she was there and what caused the bolt of magic. Primrose would separate the girls if she knew of them. She explains why all witches are orphans: A spell went wrong when too many witches cast it together, which is dangerous. Mika thinks it doesn’t have to be and wants her to reconsider the rules, but Primrose refuses. Mika is too wrecked to drive, but Jamie surprises her by showing up to ensure her safe trip home. He gives her his jacket. She seems to be experiencing “delirium” and asks him to kiss her. He refuses because she’s not fully in control and can’t give consent. Back home, Mika tells Jamie and Ian how people have used her for her magic. That’s why she doesn’t get close to anyone.

Mika accompanies Jamie to the city to visit his family. His brothers used to beat him up after his dad’s death, and his mother didn’t stop it, so he ran away. Jamie hasn’t seen them in a long time but needs closure. Mika helps him face the difficult day. They kiss on the way back. He then avoids Mika until she confronts him on the night of the solstice. He says he’s scared to get close because she doesn’t let people in and might not stay. Mika says she won’t leave. Jamie reveals that Lillian died of natural causes and they buried her. Lillian’s will leaves the girls’ care to her sister, Peony, but no one has met her, and they don’t want their family ripped apart. If Edward learns that Lillian is dead (as he suspects), he’ll enact the will. He’s looking for a reason to prosecute the Nowhere House family. Hurt that Jamie lied and feeling used, Mika leaves. She keeps working on the Edward problem, vowing to return when Edward visits before leaving for good.

Jamie shows up at Mika’s old house. They make up and have sex. Mika returns with Jamie the next day—but they’re too late. Edward was early, and the girls’ witchcraft scared him badly. They locked him in the greenhouse. Mika calls Primrose to remove Edward’s memories. When Primrose arrives, the narrative reveals that she’s Lillian’s sister, Peony. She erases Edward’s memories and then poses as Lillian to fire him from the estate. As the girls’ legal guardian, Primrose wants to separate them, but Mika argues that witches can be stronger together and that having family is worth the risk. Primrose agrees on the condition that a witch raise the girls, so Mika stays at Nowhere House to do so. The Society gathers the next spring, meeting more freely to recast Lillian’s warding spell.