Sangu Mandanna Books in Order
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Here’s everything you need to know about Sangu Mandanna.
I first came across Sangu Mandanna when I heard about The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, which was her first book for adults. This charming story was hugely popular on social media, and has since been followed up with a sequel.
Little did I know that she’d previously written a number of books for children, featuring magical schools and drawings that come to life. The Kiki Kallira books in particular are rooted in Indian mythology, and include Hindu myths and legends that Sangu grew up with in south India.
Sangu Mandanna wrote her first story when she was four years old, and now lives in Norwich with her husband and children.
Standalone Novels
Jupiter Nettle and the Seven Schools of Magic, 2025
Synopsis:
‘For all of her twelve years, Jupiter Nettle has wanted to attend one of the Seven Schools of Magic.
When she finally gets the call to take the entrance exam, she shocks everyone with her magic skills… but not in the way she'd hoped. Failing spectacularly in one test after another, Jupiter goes home dejected and confused. What will she do now?
That night, Jupiter gets an unexpected visitor and, amazingly, another chance at the Seven Schools! But learning magic isn't what she expected it to be… the School of Earth Magic is looked down upon by others, it doesn't involve cool spells, and her teacher, Professor Grim, certainly lives up to his name.
Jupiter works hard, but the doubts in her mind shake her confidence until she's ready to give up. Then an age-old enemy returns to exact revenge on the Seven Schools, leaving Jupiter to finally find the courage and magic that's been within her all along.’
Synopsis:
‘Eleven-year-old Vanya Vallen can talk to books. But more importantly, the books talk back.
When her family is attacked by a monster she believed only existed in legends, Vanya discovers that her parents have been keeping secrets, and that monsters do exist. Soon, she is whisked off to the enchanted school of Auramere, where she joins the ranks of archwitches and archivists.
Auramere is full of magic… and monsters. And the Wild Hunt is on the prowl. It’s up to Vanya to unmask its leader and stop them from destroying the only place she’s ever truly belonged.’
Synopsis:
‘Eva's life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination - an echo. She was made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her "other," if she ever died.
Eva spends every day studying that girl from far away, learning what Amarra does, what she eats, what it's like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready.
But sixteen years of studying never prepared her for this.
Now she must abandon everything and everyone she's ever known--the guardians who raised her, the boy she's forbidden to love--to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive.
What Eva finds is a grief-stricken family; parents unsure how to handle this echo they thought they wanted; and Ray, who knew every detail, every contour of Amarra. And when Eva is unexpectedly dealt a fatal blow that will change her existence forever, she is forced to choose: Stay and live out her years as a copy or leave and risk it all for the freedom to be an original. To be Eva.’
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches series
A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping, 2025
Synopsis:
‘Once, Sera Swan was one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her powers, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her Guild.
Now she helps Jasmine run an enchanted inn in Lancashire, where she deals with their quirky guests' shenanigans and longs for a future that seems lost. Until she finds about an old spell that could restore her power…
Enter Luke Larsen, handsome magical historian, who might have the key to unlocking the spell's secrets. Luke has no interest in the inn's madcap goings-on, and is even less interested in letting a certain bewitching innkeeper past his walls. So no one is more surprised than he is when he agrees to help.
Running an inn, reclaiming lost power, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera is about to discover she doesn't have to do alone - and that love might be the best magic of all.’
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, 2023
Synopsis:
‘Mika Moon follows three rules: hide your magic, keep your head down, and stay away from other witches. Mika is good at being alone, and she doesn't mind it… mostly.
But when an unexpected invitation arrives to teach three young witches at the mysterious Nowhere House, Mika jumps at the chance for a different life. As she comes to care for its quirky inhabitants - and Jamie, the handsome but prickly librarian - finally belonging somewhere feels like a real possibility.
But magic isn't the only danger in the world - is it worth risking everything to protect the found family Mika didn't know she was looking for?’
Kiki Kallira Series
Kiki Kallira Conquers a Curse, 2022
Synopsis:
‘Fresh from the exciting discovery that the beautiful kingdom and band of rebel kids she drew in her sketchbook exists in another world, Kiki Kallira has an unexpected visitor.
One of the rebels has come into the real world to ask for her help - the river Kaveri that is Mysore's only source of water has suddenly vanished! With no water to drink or grow food, Kiki's kingdom is doomed.
When drawing a new river doesn't work, Kiki returns to Mysore and stumbles upon the origin of the Kaveri: a princess from long ago who was transformed into water by a terrible curse!
It's up to Kiki and her friends to restore the river without sacrificing the princess again. With her mounting anxiety, enemies seeking to stop her and a city growing weaker by the minute, Kiki's confidence falters. Will she be able to unravel the curse and save her kingdom before it's too late?’
Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom, 2021
Synopsis:
‘Kiki Kallira has always been a worrier. Did she lock the front door? Is there a terrible reason her mum is late? Recently her anxiety has been getting out of control, but one thing that has always soothed her is drawing. Kiki's sketchbook is full of fantastical doodles of the Hindu myths and legends her mother has told her since she was tiny.
One day, her sketchbook's calming effect is broken when her mythological characters begin springing to life and Kiki is pulled into the mystical world she drew.
There, she discovers the band of rebel kids who protect the kingdom, as well as an ancient, monstrous god bent on total destruction. Kiki must overcome her fear and anxiety to save both worlds - the real and the imagined - from his wrath.
But how can a girl armed with only a pencil defeat something so powerful?’
The Celestial Trilogy
A War of Swallowed Stars, 2021
Synopsis:
‘A prince without his kingdom. A kingdom without its princess. The destruction of the stars themselves.
War is destroying the galaxy. Esmae has vanished without a trace. A terrifying, ravenous beast is devouring the stars one by one. Titania is offered a gift that may well be a curse. Alexi, the exiled prince, is asked to pay a heavy price for his mistakes. And far, far away, on a dark, mysterious planet, a sleeping god stirs awake.
War or family. Pride or peace.
As the end of the world draws ever closer, Esmae and Alexi must decide how far they’ll go to win—and who they’ll sacrifice along the way.’
A House of Rage and Sorrow, 2019
Synopsis:
‘One kingdom. One crown. One family.
Esmae once wanted nothing more than to help her golden brother win the crown of Kali but that dream died with her best friend. Alexi broke her heart, and she vowed to destroy him for it. And with her sentient warship Titania beside her, how can she possibly fail?
As gods, beasts, and kingdoms choose sides, Alexi seeks out a weapon more devastating than even Titania. Past lives threaten the present. Old enemies claim their due. And Esmae cannot outrun the ghosts and the questions that haunt her.
What really happened to her father? What was the third boon her mother asked of Amba? For in the shadows, lurking in wait, are secrets that will swallow her whole. The House of Rey is at war. And the entire galaxy will bleed before the end.’
Synopsis:
‘In a universe of capricious gods, dark moons, and kingdoms built on the backs of spaceships, a cursed queen sends her infant daughter away, a jealous uncle steals the throne of Kali from his nephew, and an exiled prince vows to take his crown back.
Raised alone and far away from her home on Kali, Esmae longs to return to her family. When the King of Wychstar offers to gift the unbeatable, sentient warship Titania to a warrior that can win his competition, she sees her way home: she’ll enter the competition, reveal her true identity to the world, and help her famous brother win back the crown of Kali.
It’s a great plan. Until it falls apart.’
Anthologies
Short story called Dismantle the Sun
Synopsis:
‘From chudails and peris to jinn and goddesses, this lush collection of South Asian folklore, legends, and epics reimagines stories of old for a modern audience.
This fantasy and science fiction teen anthology edited by Samira Ahmed and Sona Charaipotra contains a wide range of stories from fourteen bestselling, award-winning, and emerging writers from the South Asian diaspora that will surprise, delight, and move you. So read on, for after all, magic has no borders.
A pair of star-crossed lovers search for a way back to one another against all odds…
A girl fights for her life against a malignant, generations-old evil…
A peri seeks to reclaim her lost powers…
A warrior rebels against her foretold destiny…’
Color Outside The Lines: Stories About Love
Synopsis:
‘Race is an inescapable facet of daily life for millions across the world. Our new political climate has shed life on how divisive the issues surrounding it can become, and how much we still have to learn.
As the number of interracial couples, marriages, and mixed-race families grows, it's more important than ever to see these relationships on the page. Young people in interracial relationships and families can feel set apart from those around them. Some of the stories bred from this dynamic are wonderful, others awkward, and yet others traumatic, but all are richly telling.
Color Outside the Lines brings together diverse, talented YA voices, including Samira Ahmed, Adam Silvera, Anna-Marie McLemore, Lori Lee, and Elsie Chapman, to reflect on interracial relationships.
While focusing predominantly on POC voices, the anthology also includes LGBTQ+, religious, minority, and disability intersectionality, and it's stories range in tone and genre, from light-hearted contemporary to darker fantasy.’
Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love
Short story called Rain
Synopsis:
‘A shy teenager attempts to express how she really feels through the pastries she makes at her family’s pasteleria. A tourist from Montenegro desperately seeks a magic soup dumpling that can cure his fear of death. An aspiring chef realizes that butter and soul are the key ingredients to win a cooking competition that could win him the money to save his mother’s life.
Welcome to Hungry Hearts Row, where the answers to most of life’s hard questions are kneaded, rolled, baked. Where a typical greeting is, “Have you had anything to eat?” Where magic and food and love are sometimes one in the same.
Told in interconnected short stories, Hungry Hearts explores the many meanings food can take on beyond mere nourishment. It can symbolize love and despair, family and culture, belonging and home.’
Synopsis:
‘Welcome Home collects a number of adoption-themed fictional short stories, and brings them together in one anthology from a diverse range of celebrated Young Adult authors.
The all-star roster includes Edgar-award winner Mindy McGinnis, New York Times best-selling authors C.J. Redwine (The Shadow Queen) and William Ritter (Jackaby), and acclaimed YA authors across all genres.
The full list of contributors includes: Adi Alsaid, Karen Akins, Erica M. Chapman, Caela Carter, Libby Cudmore, Dave Connis, Julie Eshbaugh, Helene Dunbar, Lauren Gibaldi, Shannon Gibney, Jenny Kaczorowski, Julie Leung, Sangu Mandanna, Matthew Quinn Martin, Mindy McGinnis, Lauren Morrill, Tameka Mullins, Sammy Nickalls, Shannon Parker, C.J. Redwine, Randy Ribay, William Ritter, Stephanie Scott, Natasha Sinel, Eric Smith, Courtney C. Stevens, Nic Stone, Kate Watson, and Tristina Wright.’
Do you have a favourite book by Sangu Mandanna?