The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches: A Cozy Romance by Sangu Mandanna *****

 The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches: A Cozy Romance by Sangu Mandanna *****

Mika Moon was raised by Primrose, the matriarch of The Very Secret Society of Witches. The rule was that witches must live alone. Mika was in trouble when she agreed to teach the three young witches living together at Nowhere House. A cozy romance. Five stars.

Mika’s childhood provided everything except friends and love. All witches were orphans, and whenever any of her tutors or nannies got close to Mike, Primrose cleared their memory and sent them away. At Nowhere House, she broke all of Primrose’s rules. Regardless, she struggled to trust anyone. Can love at Nowhere House overcome Mika’s childhood insecurities and feelings of worthlessness?

Nowhere House is set up by Lillian with wards to keep the three young witches (Rosetta, 10, Terracotta, 8, Altamira, 7) safe from the outside world. Unfortunately, Lillian is rarely home. Lucie is the housekeeper. Ian and Ken were an older gay couple, gardeners, and handymen. Jamie was the grumpy librarian. Mika is attracted to the girls and especially to Ian. The people at Nowhere House have a secret and refuse to let Mike get too close, which triggers all her insecurities from her childhood. 

This is a coming-of-age story where Mika challenges the rules she grew up with.

The world of witches, their powers and vulnerabilities, is beautifully constructed. The personification of magic is beautiful. A fast-moving and enjoyable book.

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Afterlife by Julia Alvarez ****

 Afterlife by Julia Alvarez

Antonia struggles to find herself after her husband’s death. She stages an intervention to save her eldest sister. She aids undocumented Mario, a worker at her neighbor’s farm, in rescuing his fiancée from the coyotes. She is always asking, Who is the most important? A meditation on life after death.

Antonia was an English Literature professor and related her struggles to classic literature, particularly Tolstoy’s three questions: What is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? In her quest to find herself after her husband, Sam, dies, she returns to the second question and reminds herself that she is the most important person. She grapples with the forces around her not to get lost in the lives of others.

Antonia is the second of four sisters. Her oldest sister, Izzy, is erratic. Izzy plans an artists’ sanctuary, rescues llamas, and disappears. The two younger sisters want Antonia to join their intervention to place Izzy into Liberty House for evaluation and treatment. Antonia is not convinced that this is the right direction, but the sisters and their sisterhood pressure her into participation.

Mario is an undocumented worker at Antonia’s neighbor’s farm. First, he wants her to help rescue Estela from the coyotes in Colorado. He addresses her as doñita. Antonia is from the Dominican Republic, but since she speaks Spanish, everyone in Vermont lumps her together with all Latinas. She doesn’t want to get involved, but eventually she brings Estela to Vermont. When Estela is discovered to be pregnant, Antonia is drawn deeper into her life.

Before her husband’s death, Antonia’s life was anchored by Sam. They had established roles. For example, Sam was the good cop and Antonia was the bad cop. Now in the afterlife, Antonia is lost. A meditation on life after death.

Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for Omega Cats Press books and book recommendations. 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt ******

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Two lost people: Tova Sullivan, 70, lost her only child, Erik, when he was 18. Cameron Cassmore, 30, was raised by his aunt and is searching for his father. Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, saves them. 6/5 stars.

Tova Sullivan lived in the house her Swedish father had built. By the time he finished the playroom in the attic, Tova and her brother Lars were too old. Tova’s grandchildren should have played there, but her son Erik mysteriously disappeared when he was 18. No grandchildren. She is the night cleaner at the aquarium to keep busy. At 70, she will sell the house and move into Charter Village Long-Term Care Center, where her brother lived until his death.

Cameron Cassmore was raised in California by his Aunt Jeanne. He’s been fired from every job he’d had. He’d never met his father, but a box of his mother’s things matched her with Simon Brinks, the rich developer. His father! He leaves California for Washington state to track down his deadbeat dad without any funds or a plan.  To support himself, he takes a temp job as a night cleaner at the Sowell Bay Aquarium.

The hero is Marcellus, a very intelligent giant Pacific octopus. Marcellus is bored in his tank, but he watches the people and escapes at night. Marcellus figures out how the story ends long before any of the people. With his help, the people catch up. His closing words are, “Humans. For the most part, you are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.”

Other characters:

Ethan Mack owns the Shop-Way and knows everybody's business.

Avery, 32, owns the Sowell Bay Paddle Shop.

“There were once seven Knit-Wits. Now there are four. Every few years brings another empty place at the table.” Tova, Mary Ann Minetti, Janice Kim, Barb Vanderhoof.

Through serendipity and Marcellus, everything works out in the end. Good things happen to good people. A wonderful read.

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Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell ***

 Someone You Can Build a Nest In by JohnWiswell

A complicated romantasy about a human princess, Homily, and a shapeshifting mass of gray flesh, Shesheshen [Mandarin for Thank God]. 2025 Nebula Award for Best Novel. Homily’s mother, the Baroness, wants to kill the wyrm Shesheshen for cursing her family.

The story takes place in the city of Underlook on the isthmus between L’Etat Bon (The Good State) and the Engmars.

Shesheshen (谢谢神 or Thank God) was born in a nest of her father. At first, the nestlings survived by consuming their father, but as they grew, they turned to cannibalism. Shesheshen was the sole survivor. Her sole companion was a large blue bear that she named Blueberry. She was a shapeshifter comprised of a gray blob, who the humans called a wyrm and a monster. She could only be killed by poison with rosemary oil.

The Baroness Wulfyre’s family was cursed by the wyrm. The Baroness killed Shesheshen’s mother, and wears her mother’s teeth around her neck. The Baroness wants the wyrm killed to end the curse, and she wants the wyrm’s beating heart. Her children, oldest to youngest, are Catharsis (only son), Homily, Epigram, and Ode.

The Baroness’s oldest son, Catharsis, and two professional wyrm killers (Rourke, senior, and Malik, younger) hunt Shesheshen. Catharsis injures Shesheshen with a barbed crossbow bolt, poisoned with rosemary oil, but Shesheshen kills him. The professional killers chase Shesheshen until she falls into a ravine, where she is rescued by Homily, who extracts the crossbow bolt and cures Shesheshen. Shesheshen assumes the shape of a human (Siobhan). Siobhan and Homily fall in love.

Why only three stars for this Nebula Award winner? First, I found it difficult to read. I couldn’t discern a clear story arc. The major twists were obvious in advance, while the characters' objectives remained a mystery. Also, the “Someone” in the title never appears, leading to more confusion. I read this for a book club; otherwise, I would have DNF it.

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