I have been EAGERLY awaiting this release after loving her previous book The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. This was such a delightful read. I loved the entire cast of characters, the love interest was great, and I actually didn’t hate the third act break up! I will definitely be buying a physical copy when it comes out.

4.5 stars, rounded up. The reason I took off half a star is a spoiler at the end of the novel 🤫

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley!

Just as delightful as the first. I love anything witchy but am not one for cozy fantasy, except for the delightful books of Sangu Mandanna. I love my cozy fantasy to be magical realism, aka based in the real world with magic in it, and this ticks all my boxes. Perfect read for any time of the year.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. Love a cozy, whimsical witchlit romance. Humorous and comforting.

I knew I would love it before I even started. A heartwarming, whimsical, ridiculous, cozy, love-story set at a magical (with an attitude) inn? Yes! The surprisingly delightful ensemble of diverse and funny side-characters made it that much more wonderful.

Sera, our main witch, lost her super powerful magic 15 years ago courtesy of saving her favorite great-aunt's life, and she has been pining away for the magic back every sense, feeling like she is less-than and not whole. But, what if she has been whole from the start and just had to look at magic a different way? Instead of outright power, her magic can be found in her zaney family and the overwhelming love she feels for them and they for her. Throw in a grump bookish male lead, Luke, and now you have all the magic you would ever need.

I very much enjoyed this story.
4 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

This follow up to Secret Society was such a cozy and perfect read! I loved the characters, the setting, and I kinda am obsessed with the idea of having a zombie chicken.

This has all the makings of a cute and cozy read: found family, unexpected (to them at least) love, healing, and self-discovery. What impressed me most was how naturally it weaves in diverse representation and thoughtful conversations about societal issues without ever feeling heavy handed.

The characters are delightfully wacky and lovable, even if a little archetypal at times. Honestly, that’s part of the charm. Cozy fantasy often lives in those familiar, comforting shapes, and this book knows exactly what it’s doing.

This was such a delightful and fun cozy fantasy, with a bit of romance thrown in. It was like a warm hug reading this book. I just adored the characters and all of their quirks and the inn was so magical and fun. This will be a book I can read again and find new things to love about it.

Sera is a great main character. She is curmudgeonly and angry and afraid to let others in. But her love for the inn and for the other people who live there is wonderful. I loved her relationship with all of them. Her grief at the loss of her magic was palpable, and made me feel for her. Her slow to blossom love for Luke was also wonderful to watch, and I really appreciated that we got to see Luke’s view point as well. Luke is also very closed off from people. His relationship with his sister was marvelous though and you could tell through that how much he gives his heart to those he loves. It took him awhile to acknowledge his feelings for Sera but once he does he gives his love freely and fully.

The found family trope is strong in this story. Two of the people, Jasmine and Theo are related to Sera, but the others found their way to inn and decided to stay. I loved them all and how they protected each other and loved each other. The inn was a supporting character in the story that at time stole the show. I loved how it only showed itself to those in need, not to those who wished harm to the people who lived there, or even those people that the inn deemed not worthy. There are other themes woven throughout the story, how racist the guild is, how power corrupts if not kept in check, and grief. These are pretty powerful themes for such a cozy fantasy and the author did a marvelous job exploring them.

The overall plot of the story is well done. Sera is finally able to get ahold of the spell that will restore her magic, she just needs to find the ingredients for it. I loved how the magic system worked in this story. There was one thing in the story that I didn’t like and that was the final choice Sera made about her magic. I understand why she did it, but I think another choice could have been made. This didn’t ruin the story for me, but it made the ending a bittersweet.

Overall if you are a fan of this author’s work, this is a must read. If you haven’t read any of her books you can’t go wrong with starting with this one. This a great cozy fantasy with a great cast of characters and a lovely romance.

I loved how hilarious this book was but also just so tender. I loved the family they found in each other and the hot grumpy historian/librarian? (I’m just a girl after all 🤣) but watching Sera heal and grow and see all that she’s made of and how loved she is was just so beautiful to see. She was hilarious and so nurturing and ugh I just loved all of them I wish I could move in. The most perfect book.

The spell to make this book: one quirky inn, a few handfuls of eccentric friends, one troublemaking fox, one dashing man from the past, one zombie chicken, and a big pot of boozy tea. This book is adorable and cozy and feels like a warm hug. Sangu Mandanna has mastered the art of bringing unlikely characters together and melding them into beautiful friendships. The romance is of course, always delectable and fun.

I do feel like there were a few parts of the story I wanted more information about, mainly in regards to the character Clemmie. Otherwise I am very content with this book and look forward to more witchy stories from Sangu!

Read This Book If…you loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Genre: cozy fantasy with romance
Spice Level: 2/5🌶, steamy, fade to black
Setting: England
POV: dual, 3rd person, past tense
Tropes: found family, single guardian, grumpy/grumpier

My Thoughts:
This book felt like a warm hug! You get a cozy setting, quirky characters, and a stirring plot! Sera has a magical mystery to solve to get her magic back and there are plenty of obstacles in her way.

The romance between Sera and Luke was so sweet! Sera is a fierce protector, which paired well with Luke as he tried to care for his autistic sister. I loved how they let her be herself throughout the book!

If you loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, this is set in the same world, but is totally separate. You will still get all the cozy vibes, though!

Memorable Quote: 
“She was the gargoyle of this castle, the caretaker of this inn where light reached even the darkest corners.”

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!

This story was full of more magic and love than I could handle. I cried a few times at the overwhelming depth of affection these characters conjured. Not everything magical in this world is made from magic, and I think this is one of my all-time favorite reads of the year. It is a beautifully complex and delicate story that winds its way around your most tender heart strings. I believe that many readers will identify with the emotional journey and grief that Sera carries. The cast of characters in this story are such a deep slice of humanity, that you want to hold onto them and never let them go.
The subtle build of the plot and characters makes the reader unaware of just how potent their journey will be together. I started for the cozy magical element and left in tears, the happiest and most bittersweet of tears. This was masterful storytelling at its finest. I highly recommend this read!

This book was a pretty good time. I liked Mandanna's previous book and this one has the same vibe although it's in a different world. The story follows a witch after she loses her magic and how she gets it back. The side characters were great and the romance was fun.

SPOILERS My only gripe is in the end she sacrifices her magic. I'm so tired of reading books that have female main characters that end up losing their magic in the end for the greater good. Like, let her keep her magic and find a new way to resolve the story. Women have lost enough in life without it constantly being portrayed in literature.

Sangu Mandanna's The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a near perfect book, in my opinion, so I was cautiously optimistic about this follow up. While I didn't like it *quite* as much as that (see "near perfect"), I still loved it. I'm not sure how she makes these books feel so cozy when there really are pretty high stakes for the people involved. Again we have a 30-something (maybe late 20-something?) witch in England who is a bit of an outcast and who lives in a home full of quirky characters - magical and not. And again, there's a very serious and scholarly male love interest who cares deeply about a young witch for whom he is a guardian. And again, it all just works. The story opens with extremely powerful 15 year old witch Sera Swan breaking some major magical rules by bringing her caregiver, Great Aunt Jasmine, back to life. She is exiled from the Guild, the official magic regulatory board of England, but even worse, she loses almost all of her magic. We meet her again 15 years later, when she is still low-key looking for ways to get it back but is mostly occupied by running an inn that she enchanted as a young girl, and which only appears to people who need it and deserve it. It has become a refuge for a variety of misfits - including Clemmie, another witch banished by the guild who has been stuck in fox form since Sera was a teen and Theo, a young witch whose parents weren't equipped to raise him. Into the fold comes Luke, a scholar who works for the guild, and his young sister Posy, a witch with autism of whom he is extremely protective. Luke and Sera have a great opposites attract/friends to lovers thing going on, and I loved their interactions, but really it was the lovely found family element of all of this that I loved the most. Extra brownie points for good people banding together to fight a pretty egregious bully.

This is really very cute. I absolutely loved the other book the author wrote that is similar to this. Note that this is not part of a series and they have nothing to do with each other. This does not quite meet that other book's level of awesomeness, but it seems unfair to compare the 2.

A girl loses most of her magic while helping her most beloved family member and is banned from magical society by someone that was jealous and looking for a reason to do so. As an adult, she is running an inn for misfit characters. And these characters are all so lovely.

I highly recommend this. If you haven't read the author's other witch book, I would actually recommend reading this one first. This is cozy romantasy. Do not expect anything terribly complex and it's definitely not that spicy. I was entirely entertained.

This is a magical read. Perfect for fans of cozy fantasy, found family, and romance.
The book opens with 15 year old Sera, one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Her aunt passes away unexpectedly, and Sera casts a spell to bring her back. This comes at the cost of most of Sera's magic and she's banished from the Witch's Guild, where she had been a promising pupil. Flash forward 15 years, and now Sera is 30, and running a magical inn with her aunt. She can only cast the most basic of spells, and even those tire her. However, she soon comes across a chance to replenish her magic. And the person that is going to help her? The handsome and grumpy Luke, who claims he's only going to stay at the inn for a few days. The reader gets to follow along as Luke and Sera work to restore Sera's magic, while Sera runs the magical inn and tries to stay one step ahead of the guild, all the while managing the little family she's created.
This book was really fun to read. I loved all of the characters in the book. They all had unique personalities, yet they all worked really well together Even the inn itself has its own personality. The sense of family between the characters was so special to read. Sangu Mandanna has a real talent for creating unique characters and creating strong bonds between the characters. I loved the slow-burn romance, as well. And while the ending was pretty predictable, it was still satisfying.
I requested this ARC because I loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. While I didn't like this book quite as much as it, this was still very enjoyable read!
I'm looking forward to Sangu Mandanna's next work! 4 stars.

I’ve had this book preordered for…maybe a year? Maybe less? Either way, my local indie bookstore has a copy earmarked under my name ever since this book was announced. I know the author has had some bumps along the road with getting it done, but this book was absolutely worth the wait!

Sera is curmudgeonly, and a very different character from the author’s last novel — A Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. Sera choices, though justified (by her and the reader), have led to struggles in the 15 years since she lost her magic. Over the course of the book, you dive into her acute anger and grief over her lost magic, and all the consequences that this has on her self-worth and her mental health. This book, more than the last, feels glaringly HONEST. I genuinely don’t have another word for it. Her rage and her sadness compete for first place, and it makes her such a multidimensional MC in this book. The commentary on the isolating stuffiness and — let’s just say it, racist — background of the Guild were also fantastic.

I enjoyed every single character in this book. Luke’s relationship with Posy made me slightly misty-eyed, and their unquestioned acceptance by the ragtag team of misfits of Batty Hole made me fall in love with this book even more. I’m glad to have been able to read an advance copy of this much-awaited book, and can’t wait for my own physical copy in July!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this one so much! I wasn't familiar with Mandanna before her foray into adult fiction with the The Very Secret Society, but suffice to say since then I am sold heart and soul on her writing! She has an absolute gift for crafting found families that are endearing and heartwarming without ever feeling twee or overdone. Her characterizations are spot-on fabulous, she creates fully three-dimensional individuals and plops them into unbelievable situations in fantastic worlds, and somehow manages to render them utterly relatable and aspirational at the same time.

I want to live in one of her worlds... Magic permeates her storytelling yet never overwhelms it. The pacing and plotting are perfect. There are life lessons and brilliantly insightful tidbits about what it means to live and love and lose - and they are presented in a deliciously entertaining and thought-provoking story that never feels like it is preaching, yet still manages to keep you thinking from the first to the last pages.

I loved this one from start to finish!

I absolutely loved Sangu Mandanna's A Very Secret Society of Witches when it came out a few years ago and was excited to get my hands on this new title. As I didnt read too closely, this book is not #2 in the series, but rather a completely separate adventure. Once I realized, I fell in love with this enchanted inn and all of its inhabitants. The found family aspect of her books is strong in this book as well. I cant wait to recommend when this comes out in July!!

📣 what am I doing with my life if I’m not reading more by this author?

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 what’s your current read? I have two books slowly moving—All the Painted Stars & the Witch Roads—& I’ll probably start another one today.

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping was immediately on my TBR even before I knew the title. I loved, loved, loved Sangu Mandanna’s last book & this is another special romance I know I will reread one day.

Sera lost most of her magic after she brought a beloved family member back to life. Once considered a witch of great promise, she now lives relatively isolated at her inn, a wonderful, quirky place that she gives everything too.

Then a blast from the past arrives, in the form of grumpy wizard Luke, & soon Sera must confront again the magical entity that has taken so much.

This book is so wonderful, as expected. It’s darling & mostly soft, with some baddies to keep things interesting. Luke’s grumpiness is similarly darling, & I love how he grows to view their life together. His acceptance of everyone at the inn, with all of their eccentricities, was one of my favorite parts.

Sera’s not afraid to give all of herself to what & whom she loves, & that’s also one of my favorite parts.

As I’m writing this review, I want to do a reread already 😂. Sangu Mandanna crafts these worlds that feel cozy & special & warm, but they’re also threatened in a way that’s ultimately overcome through the lead’s bravery. Each one I’ve read is not only a warm hug but a reminder to fight for what I love.

5 ⭐️, out 07/15.

[ID: Jess holds the book over pink flowers.]

This was a wonderful follow up to Society.We still have a full cast of colorful characters, now including a delightful, magical Inn and a talking fox.

Innkeeping felt a little heavier than Society, which I think I quite liked. Though, I must say, I'm a little disappointed with the ending. I don't want to spoil anything, but it wasn't the happy ending I think I was expecting.

This cozy little fantasy will be adored by fans of witches, magic, quirky characters and the chicken from Moana.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the adanced digital copy. All opinions are my own.