Second chance at magic

In her wonderful (and much loved by me) follow-up to The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Sangu Mandanna maintains the cozy, found-family elements I so enjoyed, but couples it with a higher stakes plot and a thoughtfully complex tone.

As a teenager Sera Swan was considered to be one of the most powerful witches in Britain. But a fateful decision to save her beloved great aunt caused her to lose her powers and to be exiled from her school and all access to further magical knowledge. Though her life is now filled with helping her Aunt Jasmine run their inn and to care for the assorted guests who have come to stay (including a witch turned fox and a young relative learning to control his own powers), Sera continues to search for a way to undo the spell that cost her her magic. The attempted theft of a book of magic and the arrival of magical historian Luke Larsen at the inn may finally get Sera the answers she's been seeking - even if the results aren't quite what she's hoped.

As I mentioned, I loved the first book set in this world, which is why it took me a moment to read this follow-up. Sounds counter-intuitive, I know. But when I love a book I worry the next might not live up to my expectations, so I hold off on reading it. Reader, I should not have waited. This is another hit by Mandanna. I loved every minute of this and it may even be better than the first. Great stuff.