✨5 stars!!!✨

I read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches back in 2023, loved it, and ever since then I have been patiently waiting for this author’s next publication. So when I saw that I got approved an ARC I was over the moon.

That being said, I loved this book so much. Maybe even more than the other one *dramatic gasp* I can’t believe it either!

The book begins with a 15 year old Sera Swan resurrecting her recently deceased Great Auntie Jasmine. As the spell is such a massive feat, Sera’s magic ends up depleted, and as the spell is against Guild’s rules, the Guild’s authoritarian Chancellor Albert Grey decides to exile Sera. The rest of the plot occurs 15 years later as Sera and an array of characters staying at the inn try to find the ingredients required to complete the spell to gain her magical powers back.

If there’s one thing Sangu Mandanna is going to deliver on every time, it’s the impeccable found family aspect of her books, and this one was perfect. I loved every quirky character within the found family and they each brought something to the story!

I loved how the inn only appeared to people in need of a safe place to stay due to a spell Sera put on the inn when she had her magic 15 years ago. Also the fact that this book was set in the North-West of England which is where I’m from.

I loved this so much and would definitely recommend. I’m already looking forward to re-reading this which is something I rarely do.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

The Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is the kind of cozy fantasy I love. It has an actual story, heart, and just the right touch of magic and emotional depth.

Sera, the main character, is charming and relatable, and the inn she runs is the kind of place you want to live in. The romance is sweet without taking over the plot, and there’s even a lovely little side romance that made me smile.

The magic system is whimsical but well-thought-out, and the writing is full of that dry British humor I love.

This is cozy fantasy done right — warm, witty, and just a little weird in the best way. Highly recommend!

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a charming, magical story filled with heartwarming moments ✨. The book effortlessly blends magic, found family, and personal growth 🌱. The slow-burn romance adds a sweet layer to the story, making it both cozy and engaging 💖. With its richly developed characters and a satisfying conclusion, this book is perfect for anyone looking for a touch of magic and a lot of heart 🪄.

Rating: 4.5 stars
A delightful, cozy read that leaves you feeling warm and hopeful 🌟.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free ARC copy to read!

I got to 23% and I really liked what I've read so far! I liked the writing style and it felt like a very cosy story. I could already see that certain characters would form a lovely found family. 🥰

However, I currently won't finish this book due to a personal trigger. Maybe I'll pick this up again later, but for now I need to put my mental health first.

I'm deep in my cozy fantasy era, and this author's first book was one of the reasons that I got hooked.
A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping again brings forth the magic.
Sera has made a mistake as a teenager - one that came from a caring heart - and now has lost most of her magic. But what she finds turns out to be much bigger: a found family. Actually, the inn finds the family, or even more precise, a spell put on the inn.

There is an overly opinionated witch in the body of a fox, a resurrected great-aunt, a teenage boy witch, an aspiring hobbit in the body of a sweet elderly woman and a modern-day knight. And Roo-Roo the zombie rooster. And soon, Luke.
I wanna say if you loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and The House in the Cerulean Sea, then you will devour this book. As did I.

Get your magical cozy infusion with this book.

4,5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @hodderbooks for the eARC!

#TheWitchsGuideToMagicalInnkeeping #Netgalley #Bookstagram

What can I say? I expected witchy coziness and I got witchy coziness. But to be honest, something would have to go terribly wrong in a book with a magical house and a quirky found family for me not to like it. Fortunately, this book did many things right. The story is about the 30-year-old witch Sera Swan who made one mistake when she was a teenager and is paying the price ever since. To be fair, her mistake involved resurrecting her recently deceased aunt (and a not so recently deceased rooster), cost her most of her magic and got her exiled from the Guild of Sorcery. Now she lives at her magical inn and while it's a lovely place and things could be worse, it's just not the life Sera imagined for herself. So she jumps at the first opportunity to get her magic back, although it seems pretty impossible to achieve. But fortunately, she has a whole inn of people who are more than willing to help her with this task.

First of all, I have to praise the characters and the magic. I liked Sera a lot. She's grumpy but has a heart of gold and she's a deeply caring person. She created the inn as a place for people who need a safe space or who just need a break, and where everyone can fully be themselves. She uses the little magic she has left to help everyone around her, and I loved the ways how magic was described as some kind of personal reflection of the witch casting it. The inn was full of odd but charming guests and lodgers, like the modern-day knight or the witch trapped in a fox's body, and everyone was thoughtful and understanding. I just love books that create a cozy atmosphere through the characters, and this one did it pretty well. The side characters were not necessarily super complex, but everyone got a little backstory and had their own thing going on. Sera's love interest, Luke, got his own POV and I liked that it really added something to the story, because he works for the Guild that Sera is exiled from. That doesn't mean that he agrees with the views of the Guild, and he too has his own problems with it. He was a well-developed character. The romance was cute, and I got the feeling that Sera and Luke truly understood each other. But the sex scene felt completely out of place for me, I'm sorry. It just didn't match the cozy vibes of the rest of the book, same with the swearing. I mean, cozy fantasy doesn't have to be suited for younger readers, but some things just disrupt a story like this. I also wasn't a fan of the time jump in the beginning, because it felt a little clunky how only the first two chapters were set 15 years ago. And I think that that's too big of a time jump, because 15 years is a long time to be at the exact same place in life, especially since Sera was a child when she lost her magic. I couldn't really grasp what she did in all the years in between and what her plans for the future were, and yes, now she gets a chance to restore her magic, but not thanks to her own doing. It is mentioned that she got depression and had to learn to ask for help first, though, and I appreciate the representation. The ending was not my thing for multiple reasons, so I put some spoilers: [start of spoilers] I know it's a cozy fantasy, but everything was terribly convenient in the end. Sera gets her magic back and then she goes to the Guild and gives all the stuck-up people a talk that things have to change now, and then they just do, come on. And the way how Sera loses her big magic again, for the greater good? Thanks, I hate it. I know that the point is that she doesn't need her magic to be happy in life, but she spent the last 15 YEARS sulking over it, and now it wasn't so bad? Worst trope ever. [end of spoilers] So yes, I do have some complaints, but I can still call this a good book and I would recommend it to everyone who's looking for a quick and wholesome read.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Hodderscape for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful story! Full of magic (obviously!), fun, humour, love (of all kinds), and family (both related and found). Sera is one of the most powerful witches, until one day, in her teens, her great Aunt, Jasmine, dies in the garden and Sera resurrects her using a forbidden spell. Unfortunately, it costs Sera most of her magic and exile from the magical Guild. After 15 years continuing to run her Inn with Jasmine, she's accumulated a collection of unusual long-term guests, who are as much a family to her as Jasmine is. She also discovers a spell to restore her magic ... which is in a language she can't read! What follows is a tale of discovery, finding out who her true friends are, finding romantic love, and standing up to the one person who always put her down. I absolutely loved it!
Thanks to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton, and Sangu Mandanna for the free ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was perfect, even better than the first one. The found family, the swoonworthy romance, the pace and writing, the characters, i loved it. Also extra points for including a palestinian side character

5 full stars,
I have not loved a book as much as I do this one in a very long time.
It's creative, original, witty, heart wrenching just everything you want in a book. I'm hooked! Done. If you haven't read it yet, you're seriously missing out. I'm obsessed with the ease of flow and how the author has succeeded in making me invested in the outcome but also the journey to get there. I'm not just waiting to see how it ends, instead, I want to know every step and more.

Thankyou netgalley for giving me this early look at my new favourite book.

This was everything. If you love the found family trope you are gonna love this book.

I loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches so I didnt hesitate to request the arc of this author when I saw it and oh, this was even better than I was expecting. It's cozy, magical and heartwarming. I loved all the characters, specially Roo-Roo (A zombie rooster accidentally resurrected by Sera 😅).

It was such a cozy and fun read and can't wait to read more books of this author.

I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I jumped on this when it popped up, I adored The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. Sandu writes cosy fantasy so well and this is just a warm hug of a book. The book covers serious themes such as mental health issues, covers neurodiversity with grace and care. The characters are well written and well developed. I loved the magical system in the story.
Batty Hole is a charming inn, I only wish it was real!

Sangu Mandanna writes the ultimate cozy fantasies! Just like The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches this story is cozy and heartwarming while also tackling mental health and healing in a really beautiful way.
I also loved the autism and neurodiversity representation in this and am so happy that this is a consistent theme in the author’s books. We need so much more of this!
All the characters are endearing and really grew on me during the story. I’d love nothing more than to find myself at the Batty Hole Inn one day!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the Publisher for the chance to review the eARC!

This paranormal romcom really touched my heart. One of the main reasons is because I related so much to Luke, the MMC who takes care of his autistic sister Posy. I saw a lot of myself and my situation with my autistic brother in Luke and Posy's relationship, so seeing the story develop and be able to see Luke and Posy find their place to belong was really beautiful.

I absolutely breezed through this book today. I laughed out loud repeatedly and cried twice. Between the romance and the found family element, it was so cute and heartwarming, and just what I needed!

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley, but this is my voluntary and honest review.

This book is like the perfect hug. It is full of warmth, found family and let's us know that magic can be found in the every day.

I loved Sera as a main character, and the others who lived at the inn with her- the Inn itself was delightful and I'd love to visit if it was real!

This book is a hot chocolate on a cold winter's day, a balm for the soul and a reminder that we can do hard things and find the community around us.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, and many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Mandanna has done it again. I could not put this book down and finished it in a day. I loved the found family elements in this book, the zombie chicken was a delight. Everything about this book was cosy and whimsical and just pure brilliance! I cannot wait to reread this and I would 100% recommend this!

I was so excited to get a chance to read this ARC - I've been waiting 3 years! Another cosy, sweet and funny story from Mandanna. I loved Sera and Luke but also every other inhabitant of the inn.

Sangu Mandanna’s A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping delivers the perfect blend of cozy fantasy, heartwarming romance, and whimsical charm. Fans of her previous work, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, will appreciate the same enchanting, character-driven storytelling in this latest book. It’s a delightful read for those seeking a light, magical escape with a touch of humor and a focus on found family.

The story follows Sera Swan, a witch who lost her magical abilities after a rebellious act to resurrect her great-aunt, Jasmine. Now, years later, Sera runs a magical inn with her aunt, quietly trying to regain her powers. When a mysterious historian named Luke Larsen arrives, their interactions spark a slow-burn romance and a shared mission to unlock a magical spell that could restore Sera’s magic. While the romance is sweet, the heart of the story lies in the rich, quirky world Mandanna has built around the inn and its inhabitants.

One of the book’s biggest strengths is its delightful cast of characters. Sera’s eccentric aunt Jasmine, the fox-turned-witch Clemmie, the lovable Matilda, and other quirky guests add plenty of personality and charm to the story. The inn feels like a true home for these misfits, each with their own unique traits that make them unforgettable. The book also includes great representation, featuring diverse characters, including those with autism and disabilities, which adds depth and authenticity to the story.

The whimsical setting and the sense of found family really make the book stand out. The dynamic between Sera and Luke, though slow-burn, is engaging, and readers will enjoy the growing tension between them. There’s a lot of sweetness in how their relationship evolves from reluctant allies to something deeper. Luke’s grumpy-but-soft side is a charming counterpart to Sera’s more determined and kind-hearted nature.

That being said, the pacing can feel a bit uneven at times. The first half of the book moves more slowly, as Sera and Luke get to know each other and navigate the inn’s magical happenings. However, when the plot picks up in the second half, things feel a little rushed. Some key moments in the plot’s resolution could have been fleshed out more, but the message of reclaiming power and embracing your chosen family is still meaningful and heartfelt.

While the world-building and magical system could have been more detailed, the focus on character relationships and emotional growth makes up for it. The whimsical magic is fun, but the heart of the book lies in the connections Sera builds with the people around her.

In the end, A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is a charming and cozy read filled with humor, heart, and just the right amount of magic. It’s perfect for readers looking for a feel-good, uplifting story about love, second chances, and creating your own family. While a little more depth in the worldbuilding would have been nice, the warmth and charm of the story will likely keep readers enchanted from start to finish.

Thank you for gifting me an early copy of A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping

It tells the story of Sera who lost her magic after resurrecting a loved one-her great-aunt Jasmine. She now runs an inn with Jasmine and other companions.

As I loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, I was quite excited to read this one! However, I was a bit disappointed. The chapters felt a bit too long and whilst there were some moments that made me smile, the overall feeling I have is that it was fine.

I thought the beginning with the chicken was hilarious, but then I wasn’t as attached to the story as I was to the first book.

I enjoyed the ending though and thought it was fitting!

Cute, veeery cute. I love cozy fantasy, and read Sangu Mandanna's The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches just a couple of days ago.

It's hard not to compare this to The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, because while it's not a sequel, it's very similar in tone and plot. Also the main-characters and love-interests were very similar. This book hit alot of the same plot points as the last one, but I think it improved on them. The side-characters are way more fleshed out in this one, they're still pretty silly, but they're not as gimmicky and I really cared about them a lot more. Also, Roo-Roo, easily the best part about this book, I love him.

I also liked Sera and Luke a lot, they had a cute dynamic and while the romance was more of a subplot in this one, I actually felt it worked better that way. There's also a lot of representation in this book, especially around mental health and disabilities, autism and depression are depicted in a very kind and compassionate light.

Unfortunately I didn't love this author's previous book, rated it 3 stars, but I can say that she's improved quite a lot since then. A big problem I had with that book was the language, it felt a lot like a children's book in vocabulary and writing style, which felt weird in contrast to the (non-pg) romance plot in that book. In this one the writing style was still very cutesy and whimsical, but it seemed more adult to me, which I was very happy about.

Unfortunately I didn't like the ending that much. The pacing throughout was very nice, but I felt it ended very abrubtly and I personally didn't like the ending. It makes sense thematically in the story, but I just didn't like it.

Overall a very cute and cozy read, that was very nice throughout most of the story, but kind of flunked on the ending a bit. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a quick, cozy and cutesy read. I will definitely buy a physical copy when this comes out, because I feel like I'll want to read this more than once.

Huge Thankyou to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton publishing for providing me with an ARC for this book.

“𝑻𝒘𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔, 𝒂 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒙, 𝒂 𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒏, 𝒂 𝒉𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒊𝒕, 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒏, 𝒂 𝒌𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒓….”

This is the dream job I never knew I needed. A whimsical and charming tale of found family and self acceptance that really warms your bones, coupled with enchanting world-building and lighthearted banter.

I do however have one gripe with this book, in that the inn is called Batty Hole of all things, and I’m glad this is a cosy and fun little fantasy because I would not have been able to take this seriously if required.

Thank you endlessly to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.