ARC Review: The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer

The Book Witch
Author: Meg Shaffer
Publication: Ballantine Books (April 7, 2026)

Description: 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 in 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, King Arthur, and other classics that will reveal hidden enemies and long-buried family secrets.

My Thoughts: Rainy March is a Book Witch. It is her job to jump into books to protect the stories from the burners. Book witches have rules. Don't eat, drink or sleep in the fictional world. And don't fall in love with any of the characters. 

Rainy is having trouble with the last rule. She has fallen for the Duke of Chicago who is the main character in a series of mysteries filled with the hard-boiled detective and his cases. Duke is the man of her dreams, but when her boss finds out, she's forbidden from entering his world again. 

When her Pops disappears and a book that means the world to her is stolen from her safe at home, Rainy knows the only one who can help her solve is the case is the one man she has been forbidden to see - the Duke of Chicago.

Together the pair enters all sorts of books from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to classic Nancy Drew to try to find her missing grandfather and learn some of the secrets of her past. 

This is the perfect story for any reader who has fallen in love with a character from a book or fallen in love with a book series. It is filled with wonderful moments for all readers. The writing style is conversational and told by Rainy in the first person. The book is divided into genres from Romance, Mystery, Fantasy, Nonfiction, Young Adult, Horror, Thriller and Science Fiction. 

This book will be going on my keeper shelf for frequent re-reading. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.