lou's library

This spring, I buddy read The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna with my bestie (shoutout, you’re the best) and we both enjoyed it far more than expected. So, when we realised the author was about to release another cosy fantasy novel, we knew we were in for another buddy read. Which is why you’re getting my spoiler-free thoughts on A Witch’s Guide To Magical Innkeeping today! Woohoo!!

In my opinion, there is a rather fine line between cosy fantasy that is just silly to the point of being annoying to read and cosy fantasy that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside, but also well entertained. And based on the two novels I have read by the author, Sangu Mandanna is really good at writing that perfect kind of cosy fantasy.

But let me tell you what the book is about: Sera is a witch who lost her magical powers aged 15, is now in her thirties and trying to get it back. She lives in and runs an inn, and lives with (among others) Roo-Roo the undead rooster and Sir Nicholas, who runs around in armour because he is convinced he is a knight (iconic, we love him). Along come Luke and his sister Posy, who need somewhere to live for a while, and although Luke disappointingly is blond, we do like him and his grumpy behaviour (anyone else think that grumpy men should always be dark-haired? no? just me then, cool).

As you can imagine, lots and lots of chaos ensues, but the kind that is resolved quite quickly, before you can get too worked up about it. This is supposed to be a cosy read, after all. I do have to say that in some instances, I would have liked for some problems to be a bit more of a hurdle, as that would have helped with keeping the tension up. However, the tension between Sera and Luke was great, enjoyed that a lot, thank you very much!

Something else the author is very good at is including different, diverse perspectives without it feeling forced. There is a queer love story in this novel, a person with autism and someone else with they/them pronouns. These people simply have these characteristics without ever having to justify them or being othered because of them, and that felt very special and wholesome indeed.

I also just loved the setting: the inn felt so cosy and magical and it always helps to tell me something is set in the UK, as that will automatically make me love it even more. Luke being Scottish was the cherry on top, because the Scots are simply the best people in the world (a hill I am willing to die on).

I’d say that if you’re after some cosy fantasy for the colder months, then you can’t go wrong with A Witch’s Guide To Magical Innkeeping. Just don’t expect an intricate plot or lots of action, as that’s not what you’re signing up for here. But you’ll be rewarded with the cutest undead rooster to ever live and a very chivalrous knight (what more could you ask for, really?). If you want more autumnal recommendations, I have a blog post about that, as well as one about some incredible short books. Happy reading!