Reviews: THE VERY SECRET SOCIETY OF IRREGULAR WITCHES & THE LOST TICKET
Happy Friday! How in the world is it September already? I have to admit I’m ready for fall though. Bring on the sweater weather! Anyway, I’m back today with reviews for two brand-new releases that share a common theme – found families. I’m a sucker for a good found family story so I’m thrilled to share my thoughts on both of these with you.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Goodreads Author: Sangu Mandanna
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Publisher: Berkley
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
If there was a literary genre called cozy fantasy, that’s where The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna would be. This book is pure magic in every sense of the word – it’s whimsical, full of heart, and it has a found family vibe that reminds me of TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea.
The story follows Mika Moon, a young orphaned witch who has been raised to hide her magic from others and to stay away from other witches so as not to draw the attention of non-witches. Mika therefore is used to living a lonely life, but when an opportunity arises for her to move to a place called Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic, Mika jumps at the chance, having no idea how much her life is about to change.
Mika is an easy character to fall in love with. I felt tremendous sympathy for her knowing what an isolated life she had been living for so many years. Mika also has a huge heart, as we quickly see once she arrives at Nowhere House and starts working with the children. There’s an almost Mary Poppins-like quality to her that I especially enjoyed. It was fun to watch her interact with the children and to watch her get under the skin of Jamie, the grumpy but sexy librarian who happens to be the children’s guardian.
Mika’s scenes with the children, Rosette, Altimira, and Terracotta were my favorites from the book. Rosette is the quintessential good girl, polite, sweet-natured, and eager to please. Altimira is hilarious. She says whatever comes to mind, no matter how inappropriate, no filter whatsoever, and provides many laugh out loud moments. Terracota is the most challenging of the group, basically introducing herself to Mika by asking her how she would prefer to die. Such a lovely child, haha. I adored each of the children in their own way and loved watching Mika bond with each of them.
The found family vibe I mentioned earlier is truly what makes this book such a special read because at Nowhere House, Mika finds the family she never had but has always wanted. The characters who live at Nowhere House, from the retired stage actor and his spouse who are the house’s caretakers, to the grumpy librarian and his three witchy charges, are quite the quirky bunch, yet they have somehow managed to form a close-knit group and are eager to welcome Mika in with open arms. Jamie and Terracotta obviously take some work but it’s fun watching Mika win them over.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a magical story about love, family, and about becoming the person you were meant to be. If you’re in the mood for a cozy, uplifting witchy read, this is definitely the book for you. 4.5 STARS
The Lost Ticket Goodreads
Author: Freya Sampson
Publication Date: August 30, 2022
Publisher: Berkley
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson is the most heartwarming, feel good book I’ve read all year. The story follows what happens when strangers on a bus come together to try to help an elderly man find the love of his life. Reading it felt like I was being given a warm hug and I just loved every page of it.
Libby Nichols moves to London after being dumped by her boyfriend. Her heart is broken and her life is a mess, and she could really use a distraction from her misery. While riding the number 88 bus one day, she meets a friendly elderly gentleman named Frank. Frank tells Libby that back in 1962, he met a young red haired woman on the same bus. He and this young woman really connected during the journey and made plans to go out together. The woman wrote her number on a bus ticket and gave it to Frank, but by the time he got home, Frank realized he had lost the ticket. Frank confides to Libby that he is still riding the number 88 all these years later in hopes of finding her. Libby is so moved by Frank’s story that she feels compelled to help him try to find the mystery woman.
I absolutely adored Frank. He’s such a sweet old man, and as soon as you hear his story, you can’t help but cheer him on and hope that he finds this woman. It’s especially poignant because Frank is in the early stages of dementia and is well aware that he could very easily forget all about her before he has ever had a chance to see her again. I also loved that even though this quest starts out as a distraction for Libby, she quickly becomes very invested in Frank and thinks of him as practically family. It was really sweet to watch the two of them bond.
Libby is just as likable as Frank is. I felt so much sympathy for her after her break up. Her ex made her feel so bad about herself, and then her own family doesn’t do much to make her feel any better. Instead, they just pile on and make her feel worse. I loved that she found Frank because he was just such a breath of fresh air and exactly what Libby needed to start feeling better about herself and her life.
While the friendship between Libby and Frank is a highlight, it becomes even more special when their connection expands to include Dylan, who is Frank’s caregiver, and Esme, who is Dylan’s friend. Dylan and Esme, as well as another passenger from the bus, all join in the efforts to find Frank’s mystery woman. There are some bumps in the road between Libby and Dylan, who are clearly attracted to one another, but they all end up very close, the found family that Libby needs since her own family isn’t being overly supportive. I just love the idea that a chance meeting has the potential to be such a life-changing experience for so many people.
I don’t feel like I’m doing The Lost Ticket justice with anything I’m writing because it just has this special quality that is hard to explain and it was the ultimate comfort read for me. If you’re in the mood for an uplifting and poignant read, this is the book you’re looking for. 5 STARS
Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Last to Vanish & The Patient’s Secret
It’s Thriller Thursday with Sharon. I cannot believe it is September already. And with September comes spooky season, well for me spooky season is year round. LOL! This week I am happy to share my thoughts on Megan Miranda’s new book, The Last to Vanish and Loreth Anne White’s new book The Patient’s Secret. I enjoyed both of these books very much.
The Last to Vanish Goodreads Author: Megan Miranda
Publication Date: July 26, 2022
Publisher: Scribner / Marysue Rucci Books
I have loved all the books I have read by Megan Miranda and her latest book, The Last to Vanish is no exception. The book is set in a small North Carolina mountain town called Cutter’s Pass. Cutter’s Pass is known for its outdoor activities, especially hiking, with access to the Appalachian Trail. Cutter’s Pass is also known for the mysterious disappearance of seven people spread out over twenty-five years. In June 1997, a group of four men known as the Fraternity Four went missing while hiking in the mountains. Alice Kelly went missing in September 2012, last seen at a tavern in town. Farrah Jordan was last seen as she was entering the hiking trail in January 2019. And the last to vanish was Landon West, who was last seen at The Passage Inn in April 2022.
The book follows Abby Lovett, who moved to Cutter’s Pass ten years ago and is the manager of The Passage Inn. Though she sometimes feels like she is still an outsider, Abby loves Cutter’s Pass. This small town is a very close-knit community that looks out for each other. When Landon’s brother, Trey, comes into town looking for answers on what happened to his brother, he stirs up a hornet’s nest of secrets that the town has been keeping. Abby and Trey work together to try and find answers on what happened to Landon, but when they start uncovering evidence that leads them closer to the truth, Abby realizes that she does not really know her neighbors in town and all the secrets they are trying to keep hidden.
I really liked Abby. She came to town just after Alice Kelly went missing but was there when Farrah Jordan and Landon West disappeared. She took the investigation and outcome at face value. But when she started working with Trey and uncovered secrets, she kept pushing forward even if she didn’t like the direction it was taking. She wanted to be able to give answers to the families of the missing people. I really liked her determination.
I loved the setting of the book as well. Aside from people disappearing, Cutter’s Pass sounded like a great vacation spot. Megan Miranda did a great job of describing the town, that I could visualize the mountains and hiking trails. She made me want to jump in my car and go.
I also like how the book was rolled out. It is broken up into five parts, and with each part we get a look into when each of the people went missing, starting with Landon West, and working backwards. And then in the last part, we get a look into what brought Abby to Cutter’s Pass and her connection to the town.
The Last to Vanish is a great mystery with lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. 4 stars
The Patient's Secret Goodreads Author: Loreth Anne White
Publication Date: March 8, 2022
Publisher: Montlake
Loreth Anne White’s newest thriller, The Patient’s Secret, is set in a close-knit community of Story Cove and follows the investigation into the death of a female jogger found at the bottom of a cliff. Was it an accident or murder? As the investigation evolves, it is clear that everyone in this community has secrets.
Lily Bradley and her husband, Tom, seem to have the perfect life. They have 2 children, twelve-year-old Phoebe, and eight-year-old Matthew. Lily is a psychotherapist and Tom is a professor at the local university. Lately though, Lily has been on edge. She cannot get over the feeling that she is being watched and she thinks that the terrible secret she has been keeping is about to be exposed and destroy her life as well as the lives of her children. Tom has also been keeping secrets from Lily and those secrets could very well land him in jail for the murder of the jogger.
Free-spirited Arwen Harper and her sixteen-year-old son Joe have recently moved into town. Arwen knows what Lily’s secret is and she is determined to expose it. Arwen does not care who gets hurt in the process. While I didn’t really like Arwen and her method to expose Lily, once I found out the secret I did sympathize with her a bit.
Detective Rue Duval is leading the investigation into the death of the jogger. But Rue is hiding secrets of her own, and these secrets could alter the outcome of the investigation. I felt Rue should have recused herself from the investigation since the secrets she was hiding were a conflict of interest. She set her sights on Tom instead of following all the evidence no matter where it led.
My favorite character was Lily and Tom’s son, Matthew. He was such a cutie. Matthew loves to take photographs. One day he wants to either be a crime photographer or photojournalist. His bedroom is in the attic, so he secretly photographs people as they go about their day. It is Matthew’s photos that actually help crack the case. I just loved watching him sneak around taking pictures of everyone and putting them into his “case” files.
This book is told from many POV’s as well as dual timelines, but White does a great job of keeping the flow of the book from getting confusing. We also get some chapters that are excerpts from a true crime story regarding the brutal murder of a family that took place in 1989. I will warn you though, these chapters are graphic and do involve the brutal murder of an eight-year-old boy.
There is not a lot I can say about what actually happens in this book because any thing I say would be a spoiler. But I will say that The Patient’s Secret was full of lots of twists and turns and shocking secret reveals that kept me turning the pages. 3 ½ stars
Top Ten Tuesday – It’s Back to School Time: Ten of My Favorite Reads with an Academic Setting
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is School Freebie (In honor of school starting up soon, come up with a topic that somehow ties to school/education. The book could be set at school/college, characters could be teachers, books with school supplies on the cover, nonfiction titles, books that taught you something or how to do something, your favorite required reading in school, books you think should be required reading, your favorite banned books, etc.).
The last time we had a school freebie I shared 10 of my favorite reads that are set in school. That was a few years ago so I decided it would be fun to do the same post but updated for newer favorites. I’ve got a pretty wide selection here, from thrillers to romance, both Adult and YA so some are set in high schools while others are set at colleges or universities.
10 of My Favorite Reads with an Academic Setting
The “It” girl at Oxford is murdered and the list of possible suspects is a mile long because the “It” girl was also a mean girl.
2. SEE YOU YESTERDAY by Rachel Lynn Solomon
A YA romance with a major Groundhog’s Day vibe set at a college where two students
find themselves reliving the first day of college over and over again.
3. A BRUSH WITH LOVE by Mazey Eddings
A super cute romance that is set in a dental school.
4. AS IF ON CUE by Marisa Kanter
An enemies-to-lovers romance that features A pair of fierce foes are forced to work together to save the arts at their high school.
5. PERFECT ON PAPER by Sophie Gonzales
A bisexual girl who gives anonymous love advice to her classmates is hired by the hot guy to help him get his ex back.
6. FOR YOUR OWN GOOD by Samantha Downing
A twisty thriller set at a prestigious private school where the Teacher of the Year is determined to teach everyone a lesson.
Teddy knows best and you’d better stay out of his way if you know what’s good for you…
7. THIS MAY END BADLY by Samantha Markum
A longtime rivalry between two boarding school escalates and spirals into pure chaos
when it’s announced that the two schools will be merging into one. The students just aren’t having it…
8. I KISSED SHARA WHEELER by Casey McQuiston
Shara Wheeler and Chloe Green are locked in a fierce race to win the title of class valedictorian. When Shara abruptly goes missing but leaves clues to her whereabouts, Chloe decides to play the game and find her. Because really, it’s just not as satisfying to win valedictorian because your rival stopped coming to school.
9. NINTH HOUSE by Leigh Bardugo
Set at Yale, this is a dark fantasy read that features Ivy League secret societies.
10. MY OXFORD YEAR by Julia Whelan
Set at Oxford, this is an emotional story about a determined young woman eager to make her mark in the world
and the handsome man who introduces her to an incredible love that will irrevocably alter her future.
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