Stephanie Sullivan: Review

TITLE: The Book Witch (audiobook)

RATING: ★★★

Summary (from Goodreads): 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: This was my first time reading Meg Shaffer’s work, and The Book Witch was such a fun read. I don’t think there’s a librarian or book lover out there who hasn’t wished they could hop into their favorite books, and that’s exactly what the main character, Rainy, is able to do. Actually, it’s her JOB. (Wouldn’t that be awesome?) My little librarian heart adored all the references to the numerous works of literature mentioned in this story, and I even learned some new things too. (Did you know the Nancy Drew books originally had blue covers? I didn’t!) The narrator, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw did an amazing job too, and I have to admit I especially loved her narration of Rainy’s love interest, Duke. (It was - dare I say it - quite sultry and hypnotic). There’s a lot of different elements to grasp in this book, which could be confusing at times, so there was a good bit of backtracking and re-listening on my part. Just take my advice and try not to get distracted because you might miss something crucial to the plot. Overall, I happily recommend The Book Witch to everyone, and I look forward to reading more of Meg Shaffer’s work in the near future.