A great follow up novel for Sangu Mandanna, The Witch’s guide to magical innkeeping introduces a cast of characters you instantly love and a home you want to be part of. Mandanna once again weaves a magical story complete with a romance that puts the importance of a healthy relationship and steady love on full display.

I loved this soooo much. After I thoroughly enjoyed The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches some years ago, I have been dying to get my hands on this one. This book felt like a warm hug. It gave some The House in the Cerulean Sea vibes for me, with this inn being a secret magical home for misfits who don’t belong anywhere else, resulting in the most hilarious and heartwarming found family I’ve read in a while.

Our FMC, Sera, is a previously powerful witch who lost her magic when she resurrected her dead aunt. Our MMC, Luke, is a magical librarian and caretaker of his younger autistic magical sister. The romance was slow burn and so sweet. I found myself enjoying every second of this book, and am looking forward to the chance to do a reread.

Thank you so much to Berkley Pub for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you Netgalley, Berkley, and Sangu Mandanna for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a really fun, funny, and lighthearted read.

All the characters were interesting and diverse, and it's one big chaotic found family by the end. The worldbuilding was great, and I would love to see another book so we can explore the Guild and magical elements even more. The slow burn romance between Luke and Sera was really sweet too.

Hands down my favorite character was Roo Roo the undead chicken. That little bird was hilarious!

Unfortunately the end didn't really feel like it fit the characters very well. It was a bit of a letdown for me. It wasn't bad, but not what I expected out of the various characters.

Overall it was still an enjoyable cozy read.

I love a good witchy, whimsical and heartwarming book filled with cinnamon buns, a zombie rooster (he’s right there on the cover of the book!), lots of tea, a cast of charmingly unique characters and a nod to the Wizard of Oz and TARDIS. Let’s not forget the sly fox and the ever valiant and loyal Knight! This book is brimming with found family and second chances. I also appreciate that the FMC is in her 30s, it's refreshing to read about the adventures of someone not in their 20s.

This story is very heartfelt. It’s like looking in the mirror when you feel like the whole world is on your shoulders and you can’t seem to hear others when they’re telling you that you don’t have to carry the weight alone. The FMC struggles with that weight throughout the book. It is beautifully written and the self acceptance she comes to find is heartwarming and had me teary eyed.

I loved Mandanna’s previous book, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and knew right from seeing the cover that I would love this book as well.

Many thanks to Sangu Mandanna, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

Originally posted on FYA's blog on 7/14/25

Cover Story: Duplicated

The colors are cheerful and soothing and it brings to mind exactly what this is: a story about a woman and her inn. The colors are totally different, but it almost feels a bit TOO similar to Sangu’s first book in this “universe”.

The Deal:

As a teen, Sera Swan was on track to surpass one of the most powerful witches in England when her aunt Jasmine dropped dead in the garden. Faced with a future alone and guided by a tricksy fox, Sera did the unthinkable and brought Jasmine back to life at the expense of almost all her magical abilities. Her mentor, Albert Grey, the most powerful witch she would’ve surpassed and, thus, the man who secretly couldn’t stand her, banished Sera from the magical Guild for her transgression, denying her access to the one spell that could potentially restore her magic.

Fifteen years later, Sera and Jasmine run their home as an inn for lost souls, using what tiny magic Sera has left to keep the chill out and the eaves from leaking TOO much. Sera has never stopped trying to find a way to access the Guild’s archives to find that spell, so when it unexpectedly falls into her lap, she plans to do everything she can to decode the ingredients, including accepting the help from prickly Guild witch, Luke Larsen.

BFF Charm: Best Witches

Sera is kind to everyone but herself, and although she’d gladly do it again, she had no idea what she was giving up when she used too much of her power to resurrect dead aunt Jasmine. She mourns the loss of her potential and the comfort of the stars (what she saw when she interacted with her magic), and it’s kept her in this kind of frozen state of being. She enjoys the safe haven of their inn while chafing at the cost of the upkeep, which would be nil if she could use her magic to fix a roof or keep the fires magically going all night long. I’d gladly be her friend, as her inn sounds like a great place to relax and rest up.

Swoonworthy Scale: 5

I do love me a Scotsman, and Luke is a smart, grumpy witch historian who takes care of his autistic younger sister, Posy (also a witch), when his non-magical parents got too embarrassed by her behavior. I mean! The two are initially at odds, but in a fairly gentle sort of sense, and really the biggest thing keeping them apart are their personal hang-ups with feeling abandoned by their families. The book gets a little spicy but in general it’s more of a wholesome, slowly falling in love while you read together by the fire kind of burn.

Talky Talk: Curled Up By The Fire

Sangu’s writing is like receiving a warm hug. There are problems for the characters and old hurts and complications, but there’s a through-line of care and coziness and humanity that prevails, and you know that things are going to turn out for the best, whatever that may be. This was the perfect book to read on an eight-hour plane ride (though I probably should’ve put it down to get more than 1 hour of sleep). It’s not the kind of story that will stick with you for months, but it’s a nice break from reality and gives you cozy without being treacly.

Bonus Factor: Witches

Like Sangu’s The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, this book takes place in the same modern-day England where witches are very present but secretive about their abilities with non-magical folk. They’re run by a group of the most influential witches called the Guild, which we learn more about in this novel. It’s not a sequel, but rather set in the same world, which gives the story a lot more room to play. I liked this version of magic as a kind of elemental energy you tap into, like the Force, versus being something coming from wholly within you.

Bonus Factor: Found Family

A loyal and protective found family is always an instant win for me. There’s something special about the family you choose despite having no discernible ties. Sera inadvertently placed a spell on the inn when she was younger that only allows those who desperately need to stay to find them, so while most are random travelers, they HAVE amassed a group of semi-permanent residents, like Sera’s young, witchy cousin from Iceland, a young man who cosplays as a knight (both IRL and at a Medieval-Times-like job), and an meddling older woman who may have the hots for Aunt Jasmine.

Bonus Factor: Loyal Pets(ish)

Clemmie is a witch who got cursed and turned into a fox, and she initially showed up years ago hoping Sera’s powerful abilities would help break her free. As she’s mostly to blame for Sera’s banishment (she was the one who showed Sera how to save Jasmine), she stays to help Sera find the spell to get her magic and eventually help Clemmie. Sometimes she acts more fox than woman.

Then there’s Roo-Roo, the un-dead skeleton of a rooster that Sera accidentally animated back to life when she touched the ground while resurrecting Jasmine. Give me ALL the lovably weird pets, the weirder the better!

Relationship Status: Book Me A Room

I would give a lot to stay at a cutesy cottage in the countryside of England filled with magic and cozy mayhem, Book, so thank you for letting me rent a room, giving me a cuppa by the fire, and letting me in on the action.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Berkley. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is available now.

WOW did I love this book!! I guess I am becoming a sucker for the found family trope, but this book was exactly what I needed!! First of all, Sera is a total girl boss. We love her. I also just love how the author was able to make very not real things seem totally normal. Why wouldn’t they care for a bones chicken? Yeah of course use magic to fix the inn a bit!!! It was just beautifully done, SO funny, incredible characters, and a sweet ending.

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
Rating: 5 stars
Pub date: 7/15

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for my advanced copy!

If you're in the mood for something magical, cozy, and full of heart, A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is an absolute delight. Sangu Mandanna is back with another warm and whimsical story, and this one is packed with quirky characters, found family feels, and just the right amount of slow-burn romance.

The story follows Sera Swan, a once-powerful witch who lost most of her magic after doing something wildly illegal but deeply emotional: bringing her aunt back from the dead (along with a zombie rooster. Now, she’s helping her eccentric aunt run a magical inn in the middle of nowhere and mostly just trying to keep things from falling apart.

Enter Luke Larsen, a broody magical historian who’s supposed to be staying for just one night. But of course, he sticks around. And even though he insists he wants nothing to do with the inn’s chaos, he slowly starts falling for both the place and Sera herself.

While the romance is cute and satisfying, it’s the inn’s oddball crew, like a fox-turned-witch and a goat-loving mushroom enthusiast, that really steal the show. It’s cozy fantasy at its finest, with plenty of laughs, heartwarming moments, and a reminder that sometimes the best kind of magic is the people around you.

Highly recommend for fans of warm, witchy vibes and stories about second chances.

While I’ve had Mandanna’s The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches on my TBR for some time, A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping was my first experience with her writing and I was truly blown away. It was funny (like, actually funny) and gave me all the warm, fuzzy feelings I haven’t felt from a book in a long time.
The highlights for me include Roo-roo the zombie chicken, the whimsy of the inn itself, and of course, the people inside it. Sera is both hilarious and caring, and her love for her found family radiates on and off the page. Her journey throughout the book is a joy to follow, never feeling too high-stakes in a way that might pull you out of the cozy atmosphere.
The romance between Sera and Luke was perhaps my favorite part. While it’s not the central plot, the glimpses we get tell the story of a sweet, slow-burn kind of love that felt genuine and well-earned.
The supporting cast helps whisk you away to the British countryside for a much-needed cozy escape. I especially want to highlight the way Posy is written with love, care, and a deep understanding of her autism. She’s portrayed as a fully realized character, never reduced to stereotypes, and quickly became one of my favorites.
The only low point for me was Clemmie’s character. I understand how she was meant to fit into Sera’s greater story arc, but to me, she came across as selfish and lacking in redeeming qualities. Clemmie’s character aside, I really think this book is one that can find it’s cozy little space not only on your shelves, but also in your heart. 4.5/5 stars.

Can an author really write two of your favorite books ever? Yes. This book was worth the wait.

This book is fully of witty banter, serious life conversations, and a hilarious cast of misfits.

15 years after breaking witch rules, Sera is living at her magical inn, magicless and surrounded by an interesting bunch of people. There her great aunt who she resurrected, Matilda who can’t get a plant alive for the life of her, her mischievous witch nephew, Clemmie another outlaw stuck as a fox, and Nicholas who might actually think he’s a knight.

After Theo tries to help - Sera is thrust back into the world of witches. Luke and his sister Posy end up at the inn and together they try to bring back her magic, fight the patriarchy, and build a foundation family - maybe discovering that love is the most powerful magic along the way.

If you loved a very secret society of irregular witches, I can guarantee you that you will love this laugh out loud, adorable, quirky, beautiful book.

Found family. Magic. A quirky cast of characters. Cozy fantasy.

I absolutely loved this one. Loved the story. Loved seeing Sera work to get her magic back. Loved seeing Luke and his sister find a home at the inn. Loved the other quirky residents - how they interacted with each other. This was cozy and light but also touched on some deeper topics (mental health, belonging in your city).

Definitely recommend this one.

Thanks PRH Audio for the early audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

As a big fan of Mandanna's previous cozy fantasy, I had high hopes for A Witch's Guide to Magical Inkeeping and it met that goal! Sera was a delightfully grumpy and caring protagonist, with a big heart and lots of regrets. I enjoyed her perspective and found her character arc rewarding. I thought the familial relationships were so sweet and welcoming. Sera and Luke also had great romantic chemistry and I enjoyed how much they valued each other and each others' family.

I was shocked that this was set in a different world than Irregular Witches. It took me a few chapters to fully process they were different worlds and it was a little jarring, considering the same author, and the similarities in genre, cover, and title.

The main conflict was interesting and the magic system asked a lot of interesting questions about the world!

I am excited to see what Mandanna has planned next! Highly recommended to those who like cozy fantasy and fantasy with lots of romance.

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna was such a cozy, feel-good read. I love stories with magic, but what really pulled me in here was the warm, welcoming vibe of the inn and the community around it. It’s the kind of book that feels like a soft escape, which honestly was exactly what I needed.

The main character was super easy to root for. She’s figuring out her magic, running this quirky inn, and trying to hold everything together while dealing with grief and family drama. I liked that it wasn’t all light and fluffy. There were real emotions in there, but the story still felt comforting and full of heart.

If you like cozy fantasy with found family, a little bit of romance, and a magical setting that feels like somewhere you’d actually want to visit, this book is such a good pick. It left me in a better mood and totally made me wish magical inns were real.

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping is found family at it finest. This story follows Sera Swan, a once-powerful witch trying to regain her magic while juggling the running of a slightly dilapidated inn and a host of quirky long term guests, including a smart-mouthed fox, a young knight, two well intentioned meddlers, two child witches, a handsome magical historian and a reincarnated rooster. When Sera was 15 years old, she lost most of her once in a generation power resurrecting her beloved aunt from a sudden heart attack, and was exiled from magical society to boot. Now, some 15 years later, she is still using the power she has left to take care of those around her. Even her quest to regain her magic is at least partially motivated by the aforementioned fox's need to have a curse broken. Sera is a grump, but she is an undoubtably charming one. The entire cast of characters are so quirky and endearing that you can't help but root for them. I loved absolutely everything about it. The romance was present and sweet but it didn't overpower the rest of the story in any way, which I adored. There are plenty of laugh out loud funny moments, mixed with more subtle humor, and beautiful, emotional lines that really tug at the heart strings. There was also a little love letter to winter snuck in the middle that I deeply appreciated, as a fellow lover of the cold and snow. Similarly to Sangu Mandanna's other work, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, a Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping feels like being wrapped in a warm blanket and parked in front of a warm fire with a cup of tea on a cold night. I have no doubt I will be returning to the characters and this world many times in the future.

DNF at 73%. I feel so torn, because I adored The Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and this was one of my anticipated books of the year, what with the many delays in publishing. But this book just dragged, and the characters just didn’t sparkle for me like the ones in the previous book…they were rather bland actually.

Absolutely loved this book. The characters, the cozy vibes, the witchyness what’s not to love? This is the perfect whimsical read for all the girlies

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for sending me a free digital copy in exchange for my review!

This was a cute, cozy fantasy book. Sera is an innkeeper and exiled witch on a quest to restore her magic to its former glory. With romance (very mild spice), found family, and a lovable cast of characters, this book was a big win for me!

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna ✨

Thanks for the free ebook @BerkleyPub

Cozy Fantasy | Found Family | Slow-Burn Romance

Sangu Mandanna (author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches) is back with another charming, magical tale that’s just as sweet as TVSSIW. Whimsical worlds, misfit magic, and healing through community were front and centre in this book.

🪄 Highlights:
— A magical inn in the English countryside
— A fox-bodied witch, a zombie rooster named roo roo (which happens to be my daughters cats nickname) and the best chaotic cast
— Found family done right
— A romance that’s slow, soft, and full of tension

Sera, once a magical prodigy, is now running a hidden inn with her eccentric aunt. Her house mates show up one night with a stolen spell book, the very spell book that contains the spell she needs to get her magic back. Enter an unexpected guest: Luke, a broody magical historian that’s very easy on the eyes.

What I loved:
✨how funny this book was, so witty and charming.
✨the supporting cast was fantastic
✨the zombie chicken, I now want one of my own

📖 Perfect for fans of:
The House in the Cerulean Sea, Legends & Lattes, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkley for the chance to read A Witch's guide to Magical Innkeeping as an eARC! I adore Sangu Mandanna and have been eagerly anticipating this release since reading The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. As we know, there were lots of changes to the expected release date of this book- but I'm excited to report that AWGMI was entirely well worth the wait.

Sangu Mandanna has once again shown a knack for writing stories that are equally heartwarming, humorous, and full of characters you can't help but love. I adored Sera (although I wish her story had ended just SLIGHTLY different) and enjoyed getting to know all of the residents at the inn- I love books with the casual use of magic and the idea of magical worlds existing just beyond the normal human scope of reality, and this captured that theme perfectly. I would consider this a cozier fantasy with just the right amount of romance (YEARNING and TENSION and secret make-out sesh in a forbidden library, oh my!) with a central story of found family, self-discovery, and redemption.

Will this book be for everyone? Probably not! Is it for me? ABSOLUTELY. A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping releases on July 15th; if you're looking for a cozy, low(ish) stakes, found family, touch of romance fantasy with diversity, whimsy, and a magically resurrected rooster, then this one is for you.

Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for the eARC!

Sangu Mandanna delivers another cozy fantasy with a splash of romance. Sera was a compelling character and I especially loved the antics of the side characters. There was so much whimsy in this book and it was a great follow up to The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. The magic lore was explained well and I felt truly immersed in the plights of the main character, as well as the cozy autumnal setting.

I discovered this author when I read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches a couple of years ago and absolutely fell in love with its charm and humor. I think when I found out that this author was publishing another book set in this world I was over the moon excited. I think this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025. My expectations were high, and I was not disappointed one bit.

Sera Swan was once a very powerful witch, until she used a spell to resurrect her beloved and recently diseased aunt and lost all her magic. Now, fifteen years later and exiled from her Guild, she’s living a simple life running an inn with her aunt, placing small protective spells over the land that will bring travelers to her door that need peace and comfort the most. Her household is full of quirky, unique characters that have found their way to her and now have made the inn their home. There’s Clemmie, a witch who has trapped herself in the body of a fox and is desperate to find a way to fix her predicament. Matilda, a woman who loves gardening, goats, and Sera’s aunt Jasmine, but not necessarily in that order. Nicholas, a knight at the medieval fair who pretty much wears his armor 24/7. Theo, Sera’s cousin whose magicless parents weren’t sure what to do with him, so he moved in with Sera to fully embrace his magic. And last but not least, Roo-Roo, a zombie like chicken who was accidentally resurrected along with Jasmine, Sera’s aunt. Let me tell you, it’s a crazy, fun ride from the first page.

Sera is just living her semi-normal life, full of exasperating friends and family, when one day the new leader of the Guild, and also her ex-best friend, Francesca, pays an unexpected visit to retrieve a spellbook stolen by Theo and Clemmie. This is when Sera realizes that there might be a way to get her magic back. If only she can find someone who can read the ancient language the spell is written in to translate.

Enter in Luke Larsen, a magic historian who, along with his younger sister Posy, finds himself at Sera’s front door. He knows exactly who she is and what she lost all those years ago. He needs to find a safe place for his sister who has special needs and doesn’t know to hide her magic from the human world. When he first arrives, he insists that it’ll only be for one night. But one-night turns into two, which turns into a week and it’s not long before he gets sucked into Sera’s world and enamored of life at the Inn.

They begin to work together to find the components needed to cast the spell to regain her magic. Sera goes through this journey throughout the book where she really begins to look at her life differently, finding strength and discovering what really matters most. Her found family, the home she’s made for herself, her new love.

This is probably the most charming, tender, and sweet romance I’ve read this year. It was like a warm hug just when I needed it. The dialogue was full of wit and humor. The characters wonderfully supportive, accepting and loving. Highly recommend.