A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping

Most of the characters in the novel experience some form of family trauma, and the protagonist is no exception. When Sera was a child, her parents all but abandoned her to the care of her great aunt Jasmine, and Jasmine herself still suffers from a scarred self-image because her own family taught her that she was ugly and unlovable. The other residents of the inn experience similar issues; for example, Nicholas’s father shames him for dressing and acting like a knight, and Luke and Posy’s parents reject their children for being “too much” of a burden. Theo’s parents are afraid of him because of his magic, and Clemmie was rejected by her famous magical family when she tried to curse Albert Grey. Yet despite the trauma and rejection in their family backgrounds, each of the inn’s residents finds acceptance and belonging with the family they create at the Batty Hole, and their bond aptly demonstrates the true value of a found family that makes up for the deficiencies of a biological one.

The found family of the inn coalesces after Sera cast a spell so that the Batty Hole would only attract good, kind people who need something that this safe space can provide.