"The Book Witch" by Meg Shaffer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love books where the protagonists jump into other books, so I happily jump into this one (pun intended). Imagine Thursday Next meets Nancy Drew in the enchanting magical realism of The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer, following the adventures of third-generation Book Witch Rainy March.

Who wouldn't want to step inside a book and meet their favorite characters? That’s exactly what our heroine does, except she does it to protect works of fiction from “burners,” troublemakers who invade books they disapprove of and try to destroy them. The only catch? She must follow strict coven rules, like not staying too long inside a book or falling in love with a fictional character (a big no-no).

Then the unthinkable happens. She falls in love with a fictional British detective, the Duke of Chicago, and he returns that love. When they are found out, her supervisor, the formidable Dr. Fanshawe, forbids Rainy from seeing him again. The plot thickens when her grandfather disappears and an inherited book dear to her is stolen. With her magical umbrella (Mary Poppins, anyone??), her feline familiar, Koshka, and the Duke, they try to solve both mysteries, following their only lead: find the March Hare. Thus begins a great quest that will take them through the worlds of Alice in Wonderland, The Great Gatsby, Nancy Drew, and other classic tales.

This book is an eccentric ride and an ode to books and reading. As someone who grew up on Nancy Drew and still loves books about books, this story felt like it was written directly for readers like me. I admit, it took me a bit to get into the story, due partly to the slow pace. Once our feisty heroine met her love interest and things picked up, I really got invested. I loved the easy banter between Rainy and the Duke - admittedly, she was more rounded than him - the puns (like the name of the bookstore, the name of our heroine, etc.), the talking teapot, the twist toward the end, and the way the author blurred the lines between reality and fiction. It begs the question: what is real?

While it's true that the premise isn't new, the execution was brilliant in most parts. I loved the many layers of the book and the division of the story into book genres. The book explores themes of loss, forbidden love and star-crossed lovers, book banning and burning, literary censorship, and bibliophily. However, I felt that the criticism of literary censorship - justified as it is - was sometimes thrown in our face.

I loved the message that books need readers as much as readers need books, the impact books have on us, and the clever way in which the author inserted the idea of characters taking control of the story into her tale. All in all, I enjoyed the book, so I rate it 4 out of 5 stars. I detracted a star due to the slow start and repetitive messages, which could have been scaled down and tightened up. I recommend this book to lovers of magical tales, books about books, and anyone who enjoys revisiting the classics. After all, as our heroine pointed out: “All stories are love stories if you love stories.”

* All quotes are from an ARC and may differ in the published edition.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own.

* For more info about the book: "The Book Witch" by Meg Shaffer