Caffeinated Reviewer

A mysterious grimoire, a witch who doesn’t use her powers and the Museum of Literature with a collection of books from dubious origin. How could I resist Witches of Dubious Origin by Jenn McKinlay? Narrated by impeccable Saskia Maarleveld, I became completely immersed in this cozy fantasy.

When a librarian discovers she’s descended from a long line of powerful witches, she’ll need all of her bookish knowledge to harness her family’s magic, in this enchanting cozy fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay.

Zoe Ziakas enjoys a quiet life, working as a librarian in her quaint New England town. When a mysterious black book with an unbreakable latch is delivered to the library, Zoe has a strange feeling the tome is somehow calling to her. She decides to consult the Museum of Literature, home to volumes of indecipherable secrets, some possessing magic that must be guarded. The collection is known as the of Books of Dubious Origin.

Here, Zoe discovers that she is the last descendant of a family of witches and this little black book is their grimoire. Zoe knows she must decode the family’s spell book and solve the mystery of what happened to her mother and her grandmother. However, the book's potential power draws all things magical to it, and Zoe finds herself under the constant watch of a pesky raven, while being chased by undead Vikings, ghost pirates, and assorted ghouls.

With assistance from the eccentric staff of the Books of Dubious Origin—including their annoyingly smart and handsome containment specialist, Jasper Griffin—Zoe must confront her past and the legacy of her family. But as their adventure unfolds, she’ll have to decide if she’s ready to embrace her destiny.

Zoe Ziakas is a quiet librarian working in a small New England town. She recently lost her estranged mother and adores her doting aunt. Zoe’s grandmama and mother were witches, but Zoe hasn’t never practiced keeping a promise she made to her mother as a child. When a locked book arrives on her doorstep, addressed to her with no postage and with a handwritten note from her mother, Zoe begins an adventure….

Books, magic books and libraries…who doesn’t love such stories? Zoe doesn’t want the grimoire. She can sense its power. It’s calling to her even when she sleeps. When her Aunt arranges for a friend to inspect the book at the Museum of Literature, Zoe reluctantly agrees.

The Museum of Literature in New York City houses a special section with indecipherable books and those containing magic. Here, Zoe meets an interest group of librarians (witches/mages) who guard and decipher books in a secreted section of the library. She learns the book is her family grimoire passed down through the bloodlines of her family. To find answers, she must decipher its pages.

This story was fantastic. McKinlay delivered an addictive tale, with characters you’ cannot help you’ll root for. I loved the motley crew of unique librarians and being witness to Zoe unlocking not just the grimoire but the secrets about her magic and family. The books in the secret library have personalities of their own. I’ll leave you to discover that little quirk for yourself. We’ve got mystery and danger as they work to unlock the pages within the book. The villain was dark, and the buildup to the climatic confrontation and discoveries held me spellbound.

I enjoyed seeing Zoe come into her own and step outside her carefully safe, mundane existence. Seeing friendships form and found families form only enhanced this compelling storyline.

Fingers-crossed that this ends up beginning a first in a series because I desperately want to revisit this world and its characters. The story possibilities are limitless. I loved that this was a meaty cozy fantasy with solid world-building.

If you love audiobooks, then grabbing Witches of Dubious Origins is a must in audio. Saskia Maarleveld narrates and completely pulled me in, setting the tone and capturing the emotions of each character.

Amazon | Audible | Libro.fm

About Jenn McKinlay

Jenn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several mystery series and will be debuting a new women's fiction series in June 2017, starting with the title About a Dog. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets and her husband's guitars.

Website | Facebook

About Saskia Maarleveld

SASKIA MAARLEVELD is an AudioFile magazine Earphones Award–winning narrator living in New York City. Working full-time in the voice-over world, Saskia has recorded over 160 audiobooks. She switches seamlessly between accents and can often be heard speaking in British, Australian, New Zealand, and various European accents, in addition to her own American accent.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2025 Audiobook Challenge

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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