"A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping" By Sangu Mandanna: Review/Giveaway

Review by Jayce Ham

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it. 

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping was, in a word, magical. As a fan of Sangu Mandanna’s previous work, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, I was excited to dive into her newest cozy fantasy. While I will say I did not enjoy this one quite as much as the previous, I still loved it. 

The book begins by introducing us to our protagonist, Sera Swan, who is considered the most powerful witch in all of Britain. After a tragedy, Sera commits a magical taboo and loses most of her magic, as well as being exiled from the magic guild she once called home. With nothing left but a speck of magic, a zombified chicken, and a talking fox, Sera is forced to help her aunt run an inn. Along the way she meets colorful guests at the inn, including a handsome man named Luke who may just be able to help her find her magic again. 

---

➡ switch to KingsRiverLife.com for more articles ⬅

---

Image Source Berkley

Magical Innkeeping took a few chapters for me to get into, but once I did, I was hooked. The atmosphere is so cozy I found myself wanting to jump into the book and become a guest at the inn, drink a cup of tea, and watch TV with all of the strange but loveable guests. Stakes were sprinkled into the overall plot, such as Sera’s journey to regain her magic, but it never felt stressful to read. Sangu Mandanna’s descriptions of the setting had me, someone who has a hard time picturing things in my head, able to imagine just what the inn would look like and feel like to inhabit. 

The romance was a slow burn, my favorite, and was never the focal point of the novel. Their interactions felt natural and never like the book was just trying to force a romantic connection on you. By the time the romance came to fruition, I was clapping and squealing, because they earned it. 

The characters were wonderful, my favorite being Nicholas, a renaissance fair knight who always wears the armor, because that’s what he feels comfortable in. Every dose of quirkyness from the characters felt natural in the environment and always had humanity attached, never a caricature. Another character aspect I appreciated was that the protagonist and love interest were in their 30s. Many novels have the characters being teenagers or early 20s, so it was nice to see main characters portraying a different age, my age group. It is rare to feel seen in novels in your 30s, but this book did just that. 

I highly recommend A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping, for a cozy, magical experience that will make you want to find a magical inn to call your home. 

To enter to win a copy of A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "magical inn,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen September 6, 2025 US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other fantasy and vampire book reviews, giveaways & author interviews in our fantasy & fangs section on Kings River Life and in our fantasy category here on KRL News & Reviews. 

You can click here to purchase this book.

Jayce Ham is a Children's Librarian for the Fresno County Public Library. They live in Sanger with their husband, Jeff, and their son, Joel. In their free time they love to play video games, watch anime, and read (especially romance fantasy). 

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.