The Book Witch caught my eye because the synopsis said our main character jumps in and out of books. That’s something I like a lot of us readers would love to be able to do, so I had to read this book! Today I want to tell you all about The Book Witch and what I thought.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an eARC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way!

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.

Book witches live by a strict Real people belong in the real word; 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.

Review

The Book Witch feels like a love letter to book lovers and a clear message that books play a big part in many people’s lives. This is my first book by Meg Shaffer, but it won’t be my last. I think many readers would love to be able jump into fictional worlds and help out the main characters and save their story from “burners” who would love to make stories disappear.

Our main character, Rainy March, comes from a long line of book witches and loves her job. Rainy is a typical reader who rather have her nose in a book than do anything else. I think many of us can relate to having a little crush on fictional characters as well. Book witches have rules and Rainy visiting the Duke of Chicago and having a relationship with him wasn’t on the list of things you’re allowed to do. So even though she’s benched for a bit, when her Pop goes missing (her own family member left), she can’t sit by and do nothing.

That’s when the book really takes off. I love the references to different well known and loved books and our main character trying to find out what’s going on and what happened to her mother. The Book Witch had me laughing, tearing up, and had a smile on my face while reading. There were some events I never saw coming and I wasn’t expecting this to hit me in all the feels.

It’s truly impossible to put into words how special this story is. I’ll be thinking about The Book Witch often and see myself rereading it in the future. I think this a closest a book has come at explaining what it to really love books.

Have you read any books where characters can jump into stories? Let me know if you have! I’d love to read more. Or have you read anything by Meg Shaffer? Do you have a favorite? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you!