I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Have you ever wished you could jump into a book and be in that world? As a book witch, Rainy March can do exactly that. Rainy and her furry sidekick, Koshka the cat jump in and out of books to defend stories from book burners (the most evil of adversaries) and occasionally return a wayward character to their plotline before a beloved classic is forever changed.
Of course, Book Witches have a few iron-clad rules for their sacred duties: never eat or drink while within a story, never do anything that changes the plot or character because it could change the story, and most importantly never, ever fall in love with a fictional character. But really, how could Rainy resist falling in love with the dashing main character of her favorite detective series after saving him from a book burner? After all, is he not the perfect man? Unfortunately, breaking the rules gets Rainy in a heap of trouble, and then her grandfather disappears, and then a misplaced wish has her beloved Duke popping up on her doorstep out of his book to help. Rainy’s life gets complicated fast, and the ensuing adventure is a hilarious mystery homage to some of the best books in the library.
I laughed out loud so many times while reading The Book Witch. Meg Shaffer is consistently a witty-as-hell writer with quick banter and fun puns, but the bit that had my husband asking what on earth I was reading because it made me wheeze-laugh was the following:
“You think an author is behind this? Have you met an author? They aren’t criminal masterminds. Authors are anemic agoraphobes who sit in dark rooms and hallucinate. They’re more like moths than people.” Truly, as a moth-author (would that be a mothour?) myself, I can’t say she’s wrong. Points to you, Shaffer.
The Book Witch is a twisty cosy mystery with a bit of fantasy, a bit of romance, a whole lot of underlying disgust toward the sort of folk who ban and burn books, and a celebration of reading. Rainy March’s story is a love letter to books, readers, and authors everywhere, of all genres. The writing is fast and fun and unpredictable, which successfully pulls the reader into the book right along with Rainy and the Duke, making us all a bit of book witch ourselves.
I sincerely wish for this to be a series, but even if it’s a standalone, The Book Witch will be purchased the moment it comes out next month (April 7, 2026) so I have a hard copy for my library. I loved every moment.
All the stars, for all the magic this book celebrates.
No Pithy Phrase 