ARC Review - The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer
The Book Witch
by Meg Shaffer
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| 3.75 stars |
Thank you to Penguin Randomhouse and Netgalley for the copy to be able to review. All thoughts are my own.
First thoughts: I can’t quite put my finger on it, but just reading the first several pages made me really happy. Maybe it’s just that it's cute and a little quirky. Or that the main character has a cat familiar.
.png "To open a book is to set a story free.")
This story follows Rainy March, a young book witch whose job is to travel into stories and fix plots that have gone off track. The world blends magic with literature in a fun way. The book leans heavily into its love of stories, including plenty of literary references and the idea that the stories we read can shape both characters and readers alike. At times, the magical rules feel a little flexible, but the creative premise and bookish atmosphere help keep things engaging.
.png "Book Witches, not unlike certain vampires, spend a lot of time in the Pacific Northwest.")
I really liked the setting of this book. Mostly, as it wasn’t truly one specific place. For the majority of the story, we were in Fort Meriwether, Oregon, where our character calls home. It is a smallish seaside town with cute Victorian houses of differing colors. The other parts of the book are spent in various story locations. Our characters travel to Wonderland, Camelot, gangland Chicago, and even West Egg for a spin. While each is described, there was not enough time spent in most places to get descriptions to see the scene.
.png "To anyone with latent magical ability, it says we’re hiring people to protect and defend stories.")
The way magic worked here was probably one of the most interesting aspects. Not everyone could see magic, but some people had an innate sense or even just loved books enough to find their magic. For those who could see the advertisements at libraries, there was the possibility of becoming Book Witches. Brave defenders of literary works, both against violence and the wear of time. A book witch could jump into stories to protect the characters from those who would seek to change or destroy the book entirely. They could also repair physical damage to books, making them as good as new again. This was a tad confusing at first, as to who could damage a story. The answer another type of book witch, those on the side that believe in only certain books existing. That group, they called the Burners, since they burned the story. The author had Rainy explain it to a fictional character so it didn’t feel too info-dumpy.
.png "Come on, boy. Time to go commit crimes.")
Our story is mainly told through Rainy March’s perspective. As in many stories, it seems our main character must have a tragic back story of some sort. Rainy was an orphan; her mother died only six months after giving birth. Thankfully, she did have her grandparents to take her in and raise her. This, and one other detail, led to Rainy feeling a similarity between herself and Nancy Drew. Rainy only wished she could handle her grief in the same way that Nancy never seemed to be bothered by her loss.
Rainy is 25 years old and has been a book witch for a decade now. While she has been on several cases, she still seems not to have lived up to her late mother’s greatness. This is constantly told to Rainy by the leader of their coven, Dr. Fanshawe. Thankfully, Rainy still has her Pops, Sullivan March, white-haired and in his 80’s, he is still an active book witch. Sadly, he doesn’t get to play a huge role in the story other than shaping Rainy to be a good book witch and person.
As with most good stories, this one has a cat. Koshka is Rainy’s feline familiar. Book witch familiars are mostly like regular cats, only they can read. He actually listened better than most cats when they were on a mission, at least.
At the beginning of our story, we see Rainy convincing her Pops to let her take on a semi-dangerous mission. She swears that any teenage crush on a certain charming noir detective is all in the past. I really don’t know how in the world he believed her, but she did almost pull off not falling for the fictional duke. The way it was leading us almost made it seem like we would just be following a star-crossed fate through the lens of people trapped on opposite sides of the page. Then the time jump happened.
Two years later, Rainy is in the dog house with her coven. She is worried about Pops as his top-secret mission has kept him away longer than normal. On top of that, Rainy returns home one evening to find her prized possession stolen. The only person she can think of who could help would be Nick Duke, P.I. Through a series of magical shenanigans, Rainy will uncover a secret of story magic and even her own family.
.png "It was a passionate affair, clandestine, forbidden ... and utterly doomed.")
While I would say the romance in the book is a subplot, it is the reason several things happen in the book. If you enjoy the he falls first, then you would probably enjoy how the romance takes place. Though it could be argued the other way around, from what we see on the page when they actually meet, I would say he falls fast and hard for Rainy. That could be one detractor, even, that Nick Duke fell for her so very quickly. As it happened inside a fictional book where everything happens fast, so it can be under a few hundred pages, I guess it gets a pass, though.
Another element that could be hit or miss for readers is Nick’s persistence. Some would see this as fighting for true love. In the fact that he was unwilling to accept the pretty valid reasons a relationship wasn’t possible. Others might find their repeated conversations do nothing but go in circles, beating a dead horse.
Saying all this, though, you might think I didn’t like them together. Actually, for the most part, they are a good couple. They work well together on cases. We never got to see them really falling and the early stages of being a couple, though, so there was a little bit of loss in connection there. Duke’s willing to sacrifice everything to be with Rainy. Rainy is willing to sacrifice him for the greater good.
.png "You’re adorable when you’ve lost your mind…")
Overall, it’s a cozy/whimsical, slightly meta fantasy. There were definitely some elements that didn’t flow the same. As the book is meant to be seen through different genres of fiction, I can try to say maybe it’s supposed to be like that. However, other times it had me feeling slightly pulled out of the story. Then (at least in the ARC), there were a few instances of lines being repeated at least once on purpose. Or a repetitive feel to some of the conversations about the romance. The turn towards the end wasn’t entirely unexpected. I did enjoy the way it followed through on that twist and the ending our characters received. If you enjoy stories about the power of books and storytelling, this book is up your alley.
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*Average Goodreads rating at time of review.
**All quotes shown are from the review copy.
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