Here are 91 books that The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches fans have personally recommended if you like
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.
Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.
Found family is my favorite trope. You can change up the genre but give me a cast of loveable characters and you got me. It hits close to home, since when I left home to go to college, I created my own family. They are my Albany family, and we all still meet up at least twice a year no matter that we all live across the country. The bonds we created as we figured out who each of us was, are still strong to this day. I write stories that contain those same elements so everyone can experience the joys and tribulations of these bonds.
Lizzie and Belle are best friends. The kind that you want in your life and you want to live next door to. Well, if you don’t mind witches, magic, and living in werewolf territory. The bond between the two of them is so tight they touch each other's minds.
Follow along as they fight to stay hidden and safe while hunting a vampire that stalks their home. Each book brings us closer to the mystery of the two of them and I can’t wait to see where it ends.
In a world where magic and science sit side by side, and powerful witches are considered necessary aides for all governments, Lizzie Grace is something of an outlier. Though born into one the most powerful blue blood witch families, she wants nothing to do with either her past or her magic.But when she and Belle, her human familiar and best friend, open a small cafe in the Faelan werewolf reservation, she quickly finds herself enmeshed in the hunt for a vampire intent on wreaking bloody havoc. It’s a hunt that soon becomes personal, and one that is going to take…
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
I am a secret hearth witch, a simple gardener working hard to keep fairies, dragonflies, fireflies, and pixies alive. I love to cook, mixing in a dash of magic with flavors from all over the world. Dragons or cats are always welcome in my world, and I’ve been known to shelter a hellhound in need.
I love a lot of K.M. Shea’s work because her plots involve character growth as well as a mystery to be solved. One of my favorite series begins with The King’s Captive.
The main is a little cat shifter. She is not a powerful shifter or even a powerful person. She’s down on her luck but thrifty, scrappy, and courageous. She’s also a cat, so she’s sneaky and clever, even if she does lose tufts of fur to her enemies now and then. She needs help to survive, but finding it and trusting others, well, that’s all part of the great journey.
It’s a fun magic, except in a world filled with vampires and werewolves, it doesn’t exactly make me a powerhouse. Instead, the supernatural community has classified me as an outcast, which means one thing: picking on me is open season all day, every day.
The local fae are the worst of all, and it’s during one of their regular “capture the cat-girl” sessions that I shift into my cat form and meet HIM for the first time.
Noctus is so powerful his magic radiates off him like a sun, and my fae captors can…
I am a secret hearth witch, a simple gardener working hard to keep fairies, dragonflies, fireflies, and pixies alive. I love to cook, mixing in a dash of magic with flavors from all over the world. Dragons or cats are always welcome in my world, and I’ve been known to shelter a hellhound in need.
Ooh, get ready for a wild ride with this series. It’s cozy, but fast-paced and full of intrigue!
I’d love to be a part of these adventures. Each mystery is tangled around one or more characters, and I found myself rooting for all of them. And some of the villains? Well, they might have snuck their way into my affections as well because not all characters are simple, and some have a way of growing, changing, and becoming friends. Also, Dragons. The main one in this series is a doozy.
It's not easy being a human private detective in a city with dragons, shapeshifters, and fae.
James Keeley has a magic gun (that never does what he wants) and a 1920s flapper's ghost haunting the basement of his office, and the first decent case he's had in a long time is a dragon hiring him to solve a locked-room mystery. James never could resist a puzzle, but this one has a good shot at getting him killed...
The Duke's Christmas Redemption
by
Arietta Richmond,
A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.
Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…
I was a Navy Brat for most of my childhood, moving from place to place every couple of years. It was hard, but my mom somehow always created a community around us of people that I could almost call my aunts and uncles. As an adult, I’ve also found people that I love like family, and created my own little group with my own people. It’s something that I write about in every single book I pen and I’m sure it will continue because I love when people find their people. It’s my favorite.
This book is every fairytale and classic story turned on its head.
I absolutely love the way the author weaves apparently unrelated adventures into an epic tale by the end. It also has a very strong found family feel to it. They’re mercenaries with rules, and they will fight you if you come after one of their own.
It’s amazing, and if you like audiobooks, I highly recommend listening to it; the voice actors are amazing.
When your fairy godmother threatens to enslave you with a curse - when a malevolent piper solves your rat problem but steals your children - when you seek revenge on the prince who turned you into a frog - who can you turn to in your hour of need? The band of scoundrels known far and wide as the Bastard Champions - the swashbuckling trio who travel a world of legend, seeking adventure and righting wrongs - as long as there's enough gold to be earned. They are Jack, the seemingly unkillable leader whose ever-present grin belies a dark past;…
I am a secret hearth witch, a simple gardener working hard to keep fairies, dragonflies, fireflies, and pixies alive. I love to cook, mixing in a dash of magic with flavors from all over the world. Dragons or cats are always welcome in my world, and I’ve been known to shelter a hellhound in need.
Tesha Geddes may have set out to write a Beauty and the Beast story, but like most of her books, her characters had plans of their own. This wonderful “retelling” strayed from the standard plot with lovely tangents, unique characters, and superb world-building.
I can’t help but hope for more of this kind of story from Geddes. Characters who start out needing a leg up learn that maybe they have something worthy to offer after all.
Cursed with the form of a dragon, Prince Liam searches for the legendary Phoenix Stone. Rumored to be able to break any curse, this mythical stone is his only hope of regaining his humanity ... and his life. Then he meets Ryn, the adopted daughter of a nobleman. Unlike others, she doesn't run screaming when she gets a good look at him. Instead, she offers him the hand of friendship and an absolute readiness to throw hands with anyone who treats him as less than. Suffering from a curse that slowly steals her life, Paladin Eminent Taeryn hides in plain…
As someone fortunate enough to have people in my life that I consider my found family, I have a strong affinity for stories of friendship and found family, particularly in my preferred genre of epic fantasy. Watching the formation of those deep bonds between characters from various backgrounds and circumstances while they are confronting challenges that would often be insurmountable if faced alone is something I never grow tired of. While I am a fan of a well-written romantic subplot, I also appreciate that these books highlight different kinds of relationships, sometimes leaving out romance altogether.
Some people familiar with the series may think it doesn’t belong on this list. The main character, Jorg, is an extremely broken individual and not likable in so many ways. In fact, there are plenty of moments through the Broken Empire series in which you truly despise him, but he is also irritatingly clever at times.
I found myself compelled forward through the simple desire to see how he would accomplish his goals and get out of the many difficult situations he often found himself in. One of my favorite aspects of Jorg’s story is the complicated relationships he builds with his Brotherhood of often equally despicable misfits that are, despite their differences, something of a family.
I will advise readers that this series is grimdark and includes a lot of unpleasant content. It is a dark, gritty fantasy with an almost villainous protagonist that won’t appeal to everyone.
From the publisher that brought you Game of Thrones... Prince of Thorns is the first volume in a powerful new epic fantasy trilogy, original, absorbing and challenging.
Before the thorns taught me their sharp lessons and bled weakness from me I had but one brother, and I loved him well. But those days are gone and what is left of them lies in my mother's tomb. Now I have many brothers, quick with knife and sword, and as evil as you please. We ride this broken empire and loot its corpse. They say these are violent times, the end of…
A fake date, romance, and a conniving co-worker you'd love to shut down. Fun summer reading!
Liza loves helping people and creating designer shoes that feel as good as they look. Financially overextended and recovering from a divorce, her last-ditch opportunity to pitch her firm for investment falls flat. Then…
I am a secret hearth witch, a simple gardener working hard to keep fairies, dragonflies, fireflies, and pixies alive. I love to cook, mixing in a dash of magic with flavors from all over the world. Dragons or cats are always welcome in my world, and I’ve been known to shelter a hellhound in need.
I love how T.M. Baumgartner creates unique, lovable characters.
If her story doesn’t start out with family nuances, it definitely gets there as her characters find themselves swimming in problems that are not easy to solve. Her main character is a rare veterinarian, one willing to help pets, people, and other-world visitors regardless of race or origin. No lizard, pig, dog, or flying gremlin is too small.
Four years ago, Nessa’s careful life imploded when her husband disappeared during the first portal storm. Shimmering gateways to thousands of worlds appeared and vanished, sweeping away the unlucky. Later, the portals settled, but only a suicidal risk-taker would willingly touch one. Nessa rebuilt her life and her veterinary practice, now specializing in xenotics — the creatures that resulted from evolutionary paths on other worlds. But she still leaves supplies along the route Mark was traveling, in case he makes his way back. Hiking with a stranger to restock aid stations, Nessa realizes the portals have changed again. And this…
There was a time when women had to use pseudonyms or otherwise pretend to be men to get published. These days, especially in the urban fantasy genre, it seems like there are more female authors and female main characters than male ones! I love dynamic main characters, male or female, and every one of these books has stellar characters with a great story. I wanted to mention so many other authors, but I have narrowed it down to these five. I hope you enjoy my list.
At the heart of the Markhat series, there is always a mystery, and I love a good mystery. Markhat is a “Finder,” which really means he’s a private investigator set in a sort of war-torn medieval world with hints of steampunk now and then. There are some good pulp fiction aspects, lots of great fantasy, and definitely a habit of turning the trope on its head. Vampires aren’t typical; witches can be hags, but banshees, well, Tuttle does not deliver the ordinary banshee.
One of the things I love about Tuttle’s writing is that he isn’t afraid to define his own rules, his own world, and his own characters. He does atmosphere with a touch of grim, but always with a gem waiting to be dusted off to steal the show. Fast-paced urban fantasy that I loved enough to reread.
Welcome to Rannit, an ancient city awash in magic and mayhem. Wracked by war, but embracing the dubious wonders of steam and iron, Rannit is on the path to renewal – but old magics and older shadows won’t go easily into the light.
Markhat earns his living as a finder. On behalf of his clients, Markhat will find anyone, or anything, for a fee. In Three Mean Streets, his clients include a dead man’s ghost, a mighty Troll warrior seeking his cousin’s mounted head, and the true identity of the corpse allegedly stalking the grounds of a…
I’m a trope-obsessed author who counts found family among her favorite Ao3 tags. I cannot get enough of books which read like fanfiction, and I’ll recommend my favorites every chance I get. I also do my part to put more queer found family books into the world—my debut adult fantasy The Sins On Their Bones is being published by Random House Canada in May 2024. When I’m not writing, I’m a full-time servant to my two enormous cats.
As a fan of epic fantasy, swoon-worthy romance, and political intrigue, I fell so hard for this book—and it’s the first in a series of four books, so there was more than enough to feed my desire for all the action.
The series follows Robin, a seemingly ordinary boy whose kidnapping leads him to discover that he’s anything but. His journey of self-discovery and self—acceptance truly spoke to me as a reader, and the kick-ass family he gathers around him along the way cemented the Realm of Fey series as one of my favorite found family fantasies.
“Rowdy” Randy Cox, a woman staring down the barrel of retirement, is a curmudgeonly blue-collar butch lesbian who has been single for twenty years and is trying to date again.
At the end of a long, exhausting shift, Randy finds her supervisor, Bryant, pinned and near death at the warehouse…
I love to get lost in a book. Ever since I was a child I’ve spent my spare time curled up in a chair engrossed in a book. Stories have taken me to far off places, magical worlds, back in time, and forward into the future. Stories have taught me more about history, shown me that other people have the same problems as me, and given me the knowledge and confidence to make the decisions I’ve made. Stories are important, and to me there is nothing better than a story that reels you into its world and makes you forget all about your problems for a while.
I love stories of adventure set in alternative magical worlds and was enchanted by this one. The world building is incredible with a wealth of interesting characters and a riveting plot. The writing is so beautiful and evocative it sang from the pages.
The protagonist of the story is Zarya who has been trained to fight but forbidden to use her magic by her guardian, who has kept her a virtual prisoner by a magical force that won’t allow her to venture far. One day she breaks free and goes in search of the truth of her past and is swept into an adventure with demons, dark magic and romance.
A real escapist read inspired by Indian mythology and culture. It’s the first of a quartet so I can’t wait to read the rest.
“OMG I AM PRACTICALLY CRYING… AMAZING found family… So many secrets and twists and turns throughout—I straight up gasped and yelled out loud towards the end. I just couldn’t put this book down.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A passion that will set her world aflame…
All her life, Zarya has lived in a gilded prison. When she escapes to Dharati—a dazzling city of marble and gold—she finds romance, adventure and friendship for the first time.
But a mysterious stranger haunts her dreams. Rabin is powerful, arrogant and handsome. And as much as Zarya tries to deny it, he ignites a desire…
