Rainy March is a book witch, and her job is to enter into stories to ensure that no one causes magical mayhem. Mayhem means that their plots would be rewritten, or that their words would be even erased, or, worst of all, that the book burners might get to them. She follows strict rules to do her job with excellence, and she’s saved some of the best plots in all of literature. Like many good heroines, she’s basically an orphan, but somewhat haunted by her unexpressed lineage.
The entry hook is that she falls in love with a character in one of her favorite books, the Duke of Chicago. Of course, as a big no-no, she spends time, off the job, romancing with him in his world. She even brings him to her world and gets in trouble for it. Can a love really persist between the real world and the fictional world? Surely not!
However, cracks begin to appear in the storyline, and the whole arrangement explodes into some freaky literary mumbo-jumbo that even the best readers could not foresee. As in all good tales, the plot converges to a necessary ending, but not before readers’ minds are totally blown and inspired. The book transforms into a mystery that bends scientific knowledge.
This book fits somewhere within the genres of mystery, fantasy, and romance. It also conveys a deep meaning. It’s quite the challenge that can keep even the most acute literary minds entertained. But author Meg Shaffer doesn’t take herself too seriously either; it entertains even younger minds with its playful fantasy. It’s well worth reading or listening to. (The audiobook’s narrator Mia Hutchinson-Shaw is superb!) This excellent page-turner deserves to be shortlisted for several “book of the year” awards.
The Book Witch: A Novel
By Meg Shaffer
Narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw
Text copyright (c) 2026
Ballatine Books
Audio copyright (c) 2026
Random House Audio
ASIN B0FH5LT99K
Length: 10:09
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy
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