A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna Review

An enchanting novel about a witch who has a second chance to get her magical powers—and her life—back on track, from the national bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches .
 

Sera Swan was once one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her magical Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps Aunt Jasmine run an inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests' shenanigans, tries to keep the talking fox in check, and longs for the magical future she lost.
 

When she learns about an old spellbook that holds the secret to restoring her power, she turns to Luke Larsen, a gorgeous historian who might just be able to help her unlock the book’s mysteries. Luke, who has his own reasons for staying at the inn, never planned on getting involved in the madcap goings-on around him and certainly had no intention of letting certain grumpy innkeepers past his icy walls, so no one is more surprised than he is when he not only agrees to help, but also finds himself thawing.
 

Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera is about to discover that she doesn’t have to do it alone... and that the weird, wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.

Cozy fantasy, comforting romance, zany humor all wrapped up in cottagecore whimsy, Sangu Mandanna’s A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is a light-hearted and feel-good fantasy romance book that’s easy to enjoy. A perfect example of the cozy fantasy genre, this book is incredibly charming and like its US cover, paints the world and in a lovely rose-tinted hue. Featuring a mix of great themes and a predictable yet pleasant plot, this is a great pick for cozy-seeking readers, with the potential to be a bit underwhelming and dry for those that prefer more intense narratives.

Set at the charmingly rough around the edges cottage tucked away in the Lancashire countryside, the story follows Sera Swan’s never boring days maintaining and running the enchanted inn. Cloaked in a spell, the Batty Hole Inn is a magical place that can only be found by those in need of help or a safe place to call home. After casting a powerful spell to save her beloved Aunt Jasmine, Sera has lost her powers, is banished to exile from the Witch’s Guild, and has been making do with faint whispers of her original magic for the last fifteen years. With the help of a self-serving fox, her resourceful nephew Theo, and the attractive yet detached scholar Luke Larsen, Sera stumbles upon a possible solution to restoring her magic, all while learning the different forms family and home can look like.

True to the book’s marketing and classification, A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is indeed a cozy fantasy book with light romance. To be expected for the genre, the book’s plot and style is quite light-hearted, casual, and pleasant. The story also has an appealing sense of whimsy exemplified by spontaneous apple tea blossom showers, sporadic flowers blooming in mugs, and a vegetable garden that’s out of season with the otherwise cool English countryside. In addition to the cozy vibes, this book also has an upbeat humorous tone to it that’s a little unhinged, quirky, and quintessentially British which I personally love (most courtesy of the wise-cracking cursed fox Clemmie). Through the highs and lows of the plot, the vibes are consistently impeccable, and the story presented constantly assures the reader that life will go on and things will all be okay.

Through Sera’s meandering guesswork and attempts to restore her magic, the book includes a variety of surprisingly deep themes that are loosely tied to family and home. All the Inn’s long-term guests or residents have previously stumbled upon the inn in times when they needed it the most, the Batty Hole Inn acting as both a safe space and home for a variety of different reasons and circumstances. Across a wide variety of ages, ethnicities, LGBTQIA+ identities, and personalities, they form a strong and comforting found family that highlights what they’ve gotten at the Inn vs what they were lacking from their families and backgrounds. The story also explores grief from multiple angles, the most obvious being Sera’s loss of magic which was heavily tied to her identity as a witch. The immense power she once possessed led to great expectations for her, the sudden loss and exile from the guild not only cutting her off from her strongest connection to the magical world but also changing the entire trajectory of her life. Besides grieving the loss of her powers and struggling to do the most mundane tasks, Sera also grieves the loss of the life she once had, her former friend Francesca, the loss of her last fifteen year spent in merely innkeeping, and even her own Aunt Jasmine who she nearly lost. While not explored quite as thoroughly, there’s also great discussions around English and Scottish relations, those deemed ethnically foreign compared to the white English, and the misjudging and teaching of children with special needs or development. While still uplifting and cozy, this book packs heavier subject matter into a seemingly light-hearted story.

While I appreciated the wonderful intent and amount of care that was put into crafting such a sweet story with great representation and themes, unfortunately I personally found the book to be a bit underwhelming all-around. As a reader, on average I tend to prefer more dense or intense reads compared to more casual and cozy stories unless they’re written with a lyrical prose or feature poetic language, but tone aside, I found the story to be simultaneously a bit sparse while also trying to do too much. In terms of Sera’s quest to restore her magic, though it was earnest and meaningful, I found it to be quite predictable and a bit too low-stake for my liking. Additionally, the book tries to juggle many different storylines and themes and struggles to develop them fully. While commendable in its ambition and goals, I constantly felt like Mandanna was either holding back or not going far enough with the emotional depth or reflection of her many excellent themes; the book covering a wide variety of topics but none particularly well. On a more subjective note, I also do not particularly enjoy stories that revolve around kids which I wasn’t expecting in this book given the cover and the synopsis do not mention them at all. While Theo and Posey were not necessarily a deal-breaker, their character plights and storylines also didn’t have much impact for me personally.

Posey’s character and place in the story was another minor issue that I had, not so much about what she was doing but due to how much she took up of Luke’s characterization. His care and guardianship of his sister is clearly meant to be a major part of his life, his character arc being one where he resists settling down or opening  up to others since he prioritizes Posey over himself, but I felt the concept went a bit too far. Apart from being a protective brother and a logical magic scholar, I didn’t really feel like there was anything else notable about Luke, coming off as standard cookie-cutter attractive love interest material. This book has a romance element to it, but I personally found Sera and Luke’s romantic chemistry to be a bit lacking despite them having nice platonic chemistry. As previously mentioned, the book tries to pack a lot of different interconnected storylines, their relationship development and growth often feeling like an unfortunate casualty of book’s overly casual approach.

Well-intentioned, endearingly sweet, and certainly very cozy, A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is a largely successful book and a solid pick for those that enjoy cozy fantasy stories. Featuring great humor, predictably safe storylines, and surprisingly nuanced themes, this book also has a good amount of emotional substance to back its whimsical and charming front. Unfortunately, while I recognized and appreciated the many aspects and elements this novel does right, ultimately this book wasn’t quite for me. Despite loving its beginning, particularly Sera’s off-beat narration and Sera’s humorous interactions with Clemmie and Aunt Jasmine, my interest in the story steadily wanned and I enjoyed it less the more it progressed. Despite being a bit let down by the story and presentation though, I still have to commend Mandanna for how much character content she incorporates into the book; my overall 4.0 star rating heavily based on the book’s objective strengths rather than my own subjective enjoyability. For those that are looking for a comforting, cute, and magical cozy fantasy, this one is a very solid one to go with!