I really enjoyed Sangu Mandanna's previous book The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches so I was very excited to pick up her latest release A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping. Whilst this has a similar vibe to her previous book it features separate characters and a new world. I really loved this book. It is a cosy, heart-warming magical fantasy that is really well done. There is just enough intrigue and plot to keep it interesting and wanting to read on whilst also striking that cosy balance. The characters are extremely lovable and the found family aspect is brilliantly done. Definitely recommend to anyone who enjoyed the authors previous book and anyone looking to read a heart-warming and cosy magical book.

It is very rare that a book makes me cry from sheer joy but this one managed it.

After reading The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, I already knew that these cosy witchy vibes were absolutely for me. However, I was also expecting a continuation of that universe so was surprised when the magic system and witch society were totally different.

This is not an interconnected standalone, it is a completely different book and you will be introduced to a new magic system. You will still get the same cosy writing, great characters and all those little things you loved from Secret Society. In the end, the fact that it is entirely separate made this book even better.

I adored the magic and found that the whole magic aristocracy made such a brilliant point (which was also very well executed). It made the themes of found family and personal development even stronger, underpinning how important they are.

As with Secret Society, A Witch's Guide deals with larger themes but in a beautiful way that doesn't make the book feel too heavy. The way it talks about racism, class and elitism fits perfectly within the overarching story and doesn't feel preachy at all.

But my favourite part of this story are the character. I would literally bare-knuckle box anyone who came for them (except Albert) because I love them all. They feel like real people with real flaws, feelings and issues.

I can only hope that one day I accidentally stumble upon an inn I didn't know was there but that gives me the things I need at that moment.

i have been getting into comfy fantasy literature lately, and i really enjoyed this book! thank you so much to the publisher for giving me this e-arc ♥️

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I previously read Sangu Mandanna’s *The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches* and really enjoyed it, but I think I loved this one even more. I’m not usually a fan of the cosy fantasy trend, but Mandanna’s books are a definite exception.

This novel follows a powerful witch who loses her magic after resurrecting her great-aunt and is subsequently exiled from her guild. She finds refuge at a magical inn filled with quirky, lovable misfits who come together as an unexpected but deeply bonded family. When she discovers a book that might hold the key to restoring her powers, she must team up with the guild’s grumpy librarian to unlock its secrets. But perhaps the magic she’s looking for has been with her all along, in the inn and the people who’ve become her home.

This book was deeply emotional and beautifully written. There were so many quotes that resonated with me, and the themes of belonging and identity were handled with such tenderness. Each character felt fully realised, with unique voices and personalities that extended beyond familiar archetypes. I especially adored Matilda.

The magic system was simple yet evocative, often tied to the main character’s emotions (she sees stars within herself), and the inn itself responds to those in need. I also noticed how much Mandanna’s writing has grown, I wasn’t particularly invested in the romance in *Irregular Witches*, but in this book, I found myself really rooting for the couple. I guess I’m a fan of a grumpy x grumpy pairing instead!

One thing I particularly appreciated was how Mandanna explores themes of racism and ableism. These issues were handled with care and authenticity, and it was clear she did her research. As someone who often struggles with belonging because of the colour of my skin and where my family is from, I felt genuinely seen by this story.

This is a heartfelt, magical read perfect for fans of fantasy, found family, and stories that celebrate difference and healing.

Rating: 4/5

oh my gosh i was so over excited when the publishers said a bit fat yes to review Sangu new book i got to meet Sangu few years back at a book event i loved hearing how she puts the story together ,i do recommend if you have not read her last book The very secret society of irregular witches do it i fell in love with that story .

i feel that Sangu has done an incredible job with this story
This book has amazing cosy fantasy ,whimsically charming and best heartwarming romance this book gave me all this and the fact the book has a talking fox which i would say a very cheeky grey character .

i think the characters are just as wonderful as the last book Sern has lost her magic cause she made a bo bo when she was young who has not ever done ,then we welcome Luke character hello to the magical historian swoon worthy (are you looking for a new book boyfriend well he is right here ).
and maybe just maybe be able to help Sera magic back and help uncover other mysteries too. there is also a lot of humour just like the last book which i always enjoy .

There are big family secrets to be unveiled in this story which you know me i love a plot twist or the carpet pulled from under you this book did that .

i loved the disability rep to i thought that Sangu did her research with this and written about autism beautifully .

the setting for the story was wonderful and world building was so well done i felt i was in the story .

Overall, I feel this is was of my favourite reads this year

i am giving the book 5 most wonderful magical stars

What an absolutely adorable read! Sometimes you just need a book that envelopes you in a warm hug and this was that!

I loved The very secret society of irregular witches, so jumped at the chance to read this one.

And yet again the author has created a magical world I easily fell into. It was a perfect cosy vibes witchy read.

The inn was just super cute and I absolutely loved the mix of characters in the book. A Knight, a fox that talks, the Inn (because yes that was a character all on it's own!) and the slow burn relationships in the book.

Bring on grumpy/ sunshine vibes, an older generation queen romance and a quest to get magic back and this was everything I wanted in a book.

I spent the weekend enveloped in the world the author created and was quite frankly very sad to leave at the end.

If you are looking for a cosy vibes magical read, this is it. This book definitely has a place on my read again often cosy picks pile.

Thank you so much to Hodderscape and Netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was very excited to receive this ARC and come back to another cosy and witchy romance by Sangu Mandanna! While I didn't feel super invested in the plot, I enjoyed reading this book and found it entertaining. This book has the usual elements of cosy fantasy to escape into: quirkiness, lovable characters, found family, adorable romance and lots of adventures. My favourite aspect was the uniqueness of the characters and the messages of acceptance throughout the book. I would definitely recommend picking it up if you think you'd be into a cosy witchy book with the themes above!

Thank you to NetGalley, Hodderscape and Sangu Mandanna for sending me an eARC of A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping in exchange for an honest review! I read A Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches last year and loved it, so I was very excited when I got this!

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is a magical, wholesome story with a wonderful and magical found family.

It’s an easy read, with simple worldbuilding and a lot of funny moments, but with incredibly important messages - it comments on huge aspects of society, including racism and the (appalling) treatment of immigrants and neurodiverse people. It also reminds you that magic is everywhere around us - and so is love, in all of its forms. It explores mental health and neurodiversity, and has a wonderfully diverse cast of characters (and a zombie rooster, who is adorable).

I’d recommend this if you liked A Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and witchy, cosy stories (with some stakes), or generally if you fancy a warm hug in a book. (but it may make you want your own magical inn).


‘A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is due out on 17 July in the UK! Let me know if you plan on reading it!

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is a warm, whimsical tale that blends gentle magic with heartfelt storytelling, a true comfort read for anyone who loves stories filled with charm, love, and the kind of family you find along the way.

The novel centres on Sera Swan, a once-powerful witch whose life has gone a bit off-script. After a string of magical mishaps, including accidentally resurrecting her formidable great-aunt Jasmine, losing most of her powers, and adopting a cheeky talking fox, Sera ends up running a magical inn nestled in the idyllic Lancashire countryside. When she stumbles across a mysterious spell book that might help her reclaim her lost magic, she teams up with Luke Larsen, a quiet historian with secrets of his own. But as they uncover the book’s hidden truths, Sera begins to discover that real magic might lie not in spells, but in the people she’s come to love.

From the first page, this book radiates cosiness. The Batty Hole Inn is the kind of place you wish were real, filled with eccentric guests, gentle magic, and delightfully odd details, like wildflowers blooming from teacups and apple blossom tea that rains from the ceiling of one room every Sunday. It’s a setting that wraps you up like a patchwork quilt and invites you to stay a while.

More than just a magical mystery, this is a story about building a life from the broken pieces, and finding your people along the way. Sera's journey is one of healing and belonging, surrounded by a wonderfully diverse cast that includes LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent characters, each adding depth and warmth to the story.

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is a celebration of love, community, and the quiet, everyday kind of magic that transforms lives. It’s a hug in book form, perfect for fans of cosy fantasy, found family, and just the right amount of spell work.

Thank you to Hodderscape and Netgalley for this eARC to review.

Reading A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping felt like sinking into a warm cup of tea laced with stardust — comforting, quirky, and just a little bit spellbinding. Sera Swan is the kind of heroine I adore: slightly chaotic, secretly heartbroken, and wholly determined to reclaim the pieces of herself that magic (and life) took away. Her journey from exile to empowerment is a gentle, magical joy to witness.

The enchanted inn setting is its own kind of magic — full of creaky charm, enchanted mischief, and guests with secrets of their own. Add in a sardonic, semi-reformed talking fox (easily one of my favorite sidekicks in recent memory), a curmudgeonly magical historian with hidden depths, and a heavy dose of found family vibes, and you’ve got a story that glows with warmth.

While there’s a sweet undercurrent of romance, the real heart of this book is healing: from grief, from lost purpose, from the idea that we have to do everything alone. Mandanna has a real gift for mixing whimsy with sincerity — and just enough bite to keep it from being saccharine.

If you loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, this one might be even better. It’s cozy fantasy at its finest: hopeful, heartfelt, and quietly magical.

“It seemed at first glance like ridiculous theatre, unneccessary and a bit silly, but at the heart of it, weren’t they just a handful of people trying to be good to one another?”

This book was everything I needed and more. Reading it felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket while the rain is pouring outside. I love the found family trope, and here it was so well executed, each character has its own past and story of how they ended up at the Inn, but they all chose to stay and create their happy place, tolerating each other’s quirks and genuinely caring for one another. I fell in love with Sera, her strength, her resilience, and overall her love and willingness to do everything for her family. I almost cried at one point, and I was so proud of her by the end! The cast of characters is diverse, the setting is whimsical, the writing flows nicely and I soon found that I couldn’t put this book down, I was enjoying it so much.

If you want a cozy read, with a dash of romance, and a lot of peculiar, funny and loveable characters this is the book for you! Also, bonus points for the zombie chicken, which was the perfect comic relief! I will definitely be recommending this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hodderscape, and the author for the arc.

I loved this book! It’s a charming blend of whimsical and emotional that remind us that magic is more than spells. The found family of quirky characters is devine and the self discovery is bound to crack your heart wide open. I can see this becoming a comfort re-read for me for sure.

I was excitedly awaiting the release of ‘A witch’s guide to magical innkeeping’ after reading ‘The very secret society of irregular witches’ and absolutely loving its quirky characters. Unfortunately the characters in AWGTMI was what let me down this time as I just could not connect to them at all.

I can’t put my finger on what didn’t work for me, these characters should have been my favourites… a quirky found family which includes a bitchy witch stuck in a fox body, a powerful witch who lost her powers and deals with it with a sarcastic snark and a broody magic historian. I really wanted to love them but I kept forcing myself to read and just didn’t care what was happening.

The setting was definitely cosy and soft with a low stakes adventure filled with messages of hope and being yourself. I think many will love this book, it just didn’t hit the spot for me.

I have no notes. this was a such a cute little cosy fantasy, with a dash of romance. I loved that the theme of found family was more important than the main romance. It was such a fun ride with a bittersweet ending for me.
While it was simple in it's world building, it was done very well, and really focused on a great cast of characters.
I'm not sure if I want my own magical inn or to live in Sera's, but it just sounds so perfect and exactly what I need. For now I'll settle through experiencing it via this book.

Thank-you NetGalley and Hodderscape for allowing me to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was the perfect level of cosy, and just what I needed! I tore through this book in a day, and if anything, I loved it even more than her first.

Sera's search to rediscover her lost magic - with a strange and sometimes supernatural family by her side - makes her a compelling and likeable protagonist. I loved watching her grow throughout the novel, particularly seeing how her time with Luke helps each bring out the best in the other.

The story expertly balances moments of lighthearted humour with raw emotional truths, all within a comforting and magical world. Just as in The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Sangu Mandanna uses fantasy to explore questions of identity, exclusion and belonging, creating a story that is both charming, and encourages the reader to reflect. If you're looking for a sweet fantasy, with a found family bond, I would definitely recommend.

Books with similar vibes - The Honey Witch by Sydney Shields, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, The Binding by Bridget Collins, and Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things by Breanne Randall.

I was lucky enough to receive a proof copy of A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping through NetGalley, and it completely stole my heart. This is exactly what cosy fantasy should be - warm, sweet, a little bit magical, and full of heart.

The idea of a magical inn that quietly attracts those who need it most is just so comforting, and I absolutely adored the eclectic cast of characters. I'm such a sucker for found family stories, and this one had that in abundance.

Also - the romance?! Grumpy x grumpy in the best way, with just the right amount of tension and softness. It’s easy to underestimate cosy books, but this one has surprising emotional depth too. It made me feel things I wasn’t expecting, in the best possible way.

A five star read. I didn’t want to leave this world.

I absolutely adored The Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and so jumped at the chance to read an advance copy of Sangu’s new book. And reader, it did not disappoint! All the wonderful characters and cosy setting from the last book were there, and I particularly enjoyed the found family aspects of this. For me, the first section felt a little jumbly, but after Luke appeared, it seemed to find its stride and was off. I didn’t think it needed the added spice either, and I felt this was included more for the sake of current trends than anything it brought to the book or its characters. The scene almost seemed a little embarrassed by itself as if the author really didn’t want to write it that way, but that being said, it was a wonderful read, which I greatly enjoyed and would have no hesitation in recommending. Many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is the perfect blend of cozy fantasy, charming humor, wholesome (yet delightfully flawed) characters, and a heartwarming found family. If, like me, you adored The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, you’ll likely appreciate the same enchanting, character-driven storytelling in this book. While nothing quite matches TVSSOFW, this was a light, funny read that I couldn’t put down.

The story follows Sera Swan, a witch exiled from her community after losing her magical powers due to performing forbidden magic—resurrecting her great-aunt, the only family she has left. Years pass, and Sera finds solace in running a magical inn with her aunt, an inn that only appears to those who truly need it. Enter a cast of lovable, chaotic, and complex characters who turn the inn into a true home.
Sera never truly gave up on her magic, so when Luke arrives at the inn—driven by his desire to give his extraordinary little sister a place to belong—things take a turn for the unpredictable.

Nowadays, many books strive for diversity (which I wholeheartedly support), but at times representation can feel forced or tokenized. That’s not the case here. The inclusion of neurodivergent and disabled characters feels natural and well-integrated, adding authenticity and depth to the story rather than ticking a box.

While the pacing could have been smoother—starting off slowly before rushing into the conclusion—this didn’t take much away from my overall enjoyment. Some pivotal moments, especially in relation to the magical system, could have benefitted from a more balanced buildup.
Still, claiming your power and embracing your chosen family remains an emotional and resonant theme throughout the book.

In the end, A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is a cozy, heartwarming read filled with humor and love. It’s perfect for fans of light fantasy who are looking for a story about second chances, self-acceptance, and the magic of finding a home—whether through magic or the people who make a place feel like one.

A huge thank you to Hodder & Stoughton & NetGalley for the ARC!

I don’t usually read fantasy or romance but unexpectedly enjoyed The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches after receiving it in a book swap a couple of years ago.

While not a sequel, this is every bit as cute, cosy and heartwarming as TVSSOIW. It features a similarly diverse cast of characters and explores themes of found family, belonging and self-acceptance.

The magic system isn’t super developed and may not satisfy hardcore fans, but this would be perfect for those who enjoy cosy, low-stakes fantasy like Legends & Lattes.

I still can’t say I’m converted to fantasy or romance but this was an enjoyable read and it’s good to read something different every once in a while. It’s also great to see a writer in this space who isn’t a zionist or transphobe 👏🏻

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodderscape for the eARC.

I loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches so I was very excited to read this book and, although I did prefer that book, A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping was still such a sweet and cosy read.

The found family in this book was fantastic. I loved all of the characters and their individual personalities were so interesting and their dynamic was great to read! I loved how they all had such distinct personalities and were all well established as individuals, but they worked so well together as a unit. The setting of the inn was also so magical!

I liked the romance in this book, but at times it did feel like the pacing was off. The romance isn't the main feature of the book though so this didn't bother me too much.