The Book Witch
- Judith D Collins
- Apr 10
- 5 min read
By: Meg Shaffer
Narrator: Mia Hutchinson-Shaw
Random House Audio
ISBN: 9780593983584
Publisher: Ballantine
Publication Date: 04/07/2026
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
She can hop into any novel, she just can’t stay there. Come along with the book witch in this magical and inspiring love letter to reading from the USA Today bestselling author of The Wishing Game.
Rainy March is a proud third-generation book witch, sworn to defend works of fiction from all foes real and imaginary. With her magical umbrella and feline familiar, she jumps into and out of novels to fix malicious alterations and rogue heroes like a modern-day magical Nancy Drew.
Book witches live by a strict code: Real people belong in the real world; fictional characters belong in works of fiction…. Do not eat, drink, or sleep inside a fictional world, lest you become part of the story. Falling in love with a fictional character? Don’t even think about it.
Which is why Rainy has been forbidden from seeing the Duke of Chicago, the dashing British detective who stars in her favorite mystery series. If she’s ever caught with him again, she’ll be expelled from her book coven—and forced to give up the magical gifts that are as much a part of her as her own name.
But when her beloved grandfather disappears and a priceless book is stolen, there’s only one person she trusts to help her solve the case: the Duke. Their quest takes them through the worlds of Alice in Wonderland, The Great Gatsby, and other classics that will reveal hidden enemies and long-buried family secrets.
My Review
THE BOOK WITCH by Meg Shaffer is a genre-bending, delightful, and whimsical urban fantasy that follows Rainy March, a 27-year-old "Book Witch" who uses a magical umbrella to enter novels physically. Sworn to protect literary works, she and her coven battle "Burners"—villains who infiltrate books to erase characters and destroy stories they deem unworthy.
As Rainy navigates this whimsical yet perilous world, readers are treated to a vivid exploration of the power of stories and the lengths one will go to protect them.
Characters...
Rainy March:
A third-generation Book Witch who grew up with her grandfather after her mother's death.
The Duke of Chicago:
A self-aware fictional 1930s detective and Rainy's childhood crush. He eventually crosses into the real world to assist her.
Koshka:
Rainy's loyal feline familiar is a Russian Blue cat.
Dr. Regina Fanshawe:
The rigid coven leader who strictly enforces the "Black and Whites" code.
HIghlights...
The Mystery:
When Rainy's grandfather vanishes, and her mother's copy of The Secret of the Old Clock is stolen, she must team up with the Duke to follow "literary breadcrumbs".
Literary Multiverse:
Rainy travels through iconic settings like Alice in Wonderland, The Great Gatsby, and King Arthur.
Themes:
The book explores the connection between readers and authors, the importance of protecting fiction, and the agency of fictional characters.
My thoughts...
THE BOOK WITCH is whimsical and nostalgic, exploring the relationship between readers, authors, and fictional worlds they create with a blending of a contemporary setting with hidden magic.
The "Book Witches" serve as a metaphor for the way readers protect and preserve the stories that saved them during difficult times
Rainy’s journey is fueled by the loss of her mother and the disappearance of her grandfather. The book cleverly uses "literary breadcrumbs" to show how we use stories to stay connected to loved ones who are gone
Shaffer’s writing transports you to a magical world, where moments of heartfelt emotion about grief and family legacy inspire profound connections. The chemistry between Rainy and the Duke of Chicago ignites the spirit.
Rainy is a magical guardian protecting literary classics from destructive "Burners" by jumping into stories. As she investigates the disappearance of her mentor grandfather and her mother's special book, she breaks coven rules by falling in love with a 1930s noir character, leading to a multiverse quest that reveals her identity as a bridge between fiction and reality.
Rainy’s quest to find her grandfather and understand her mother’s past shows how we use nostalgia and shared stories to process loss and stay connected to those we’ve lost.
The themes center on the deep emotional bond between a reader and a story, specifically how fiction shapes our real-world identities.
~The Power of Storytelling
~Agency vs. Fate
~Grief and Legacy
~The Danger of Censorship
~Rules vs. Empathy
~Escapism vs. Reality
The ultimate takeaway of The Book Witch is that stories are a collaborative act of love between the author and the reader.
Shaffer leaves the reader with three big "closing thoughts":
~You Are the Co-Author
~The Courage to Go Off-Script.
~Fiction is a Lifeline, Not a Hiding Place
Rainy learns that the best use of magic (and reading) is to bring the lessons and courage we find in books back into the real world to help us heal. In short: Books don't just help us escape reality; they give us the tools to rewrite it. The book serves as a timely call to action against modern book bans.
In summary, THE BOOK WITCH is a whimsical, poignant reminder that while we may read to escape our lives, we often find the courage to change them within the pages of someone else's story.
Recs...
In THE BOOK WITCH, Meg Shaffer maintains her signature "love letter to literature" style; however, she adopts a noticeably lighter, more whimsical tone compared to her previous works, The Lost Story and The Wishing Game, which I also recommend.
Across all her books, you can expect immersive world-building with a talent for making fictional worlds—like Clock Island or the Noir Chicago streets—feel tangible and lived-in. She brilliantly approaches her themes of grief and hope with an "unflinching earnestness" that avoids irony.
She consistently writes for "book lovers," often featuring characters who are readers, librarians, or authors themselves. A blending of real-world advocacy and childhood nostalgia. Also for fans of Patti Callahan Henry, Jodi Picoult, Sarah Jio, and Sarah Addison Allen.
Special thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for sharing an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: April 7, 2026
Praise
“Meg Shaffer continues to surprise and delight me with each book she writes.”
—Laurie Gilmore, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Café
“Meg Shaffer brought my childhood dreams to life in a gem of a book that is inventive, cozy, and important all at the same time.”
—Samantha Sotto Yambao, author of Water Moon
“A clever and heartfelt adventure . . . This novel captures the giddy, perilous magic of losing yourself in a good story, just like Rainy does. It’s a luminous, wildly imaginative delight that every book lover will cherish.”
—Hayley Gelfuso, author of The Book of Lost Hours
“Shaffer delightfully reminds readers of the power of stories and books.”
—Library Journal
“Catnip for anyone who ever wished they could walk around in their favorite book.”
—Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Meg Shaffer is the USA Today bestselling author of The Wishing Game, which was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist, a Book-of-the-Month finalist for Book of the Year, a #1 Barnes & Noble bestseller, and a Reader’s Digest Best Book of the Year.
She holds an MFA in TV and Screenwriting from Stephens College. Her second novel, the instant national bestseller The Lost Story, is available now from Ballantine.
Shaffer lives in Kentucky with her husband and two cats. The cats are not writers. WEBSITE
