Publication Date: October 28, 2025
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 dark magic that must be guarded.
Here, among their most dangerous collection, the Books of Dubious Origin, 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 department—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 whether or not she’s ready to embrace her destiny.
Zoe is a librarian who finds a novel that, in a strange, inexplicable way, is calling to her. Only to discover she is descended from a long line of very powerful witches in Witches of Dubious Origin by Author Jenn McKinlay.
I love these types of stories where one has to embrace who they really are to understand themselves fully. Such is the case with Zoe when she discovers her mom and grandmother are a couple of badass witches, and that their blood flows through her veins.
I love the moment when Zoe realizes there is so much more family history than she could ever have imagined, just waiting to be discovered. She learns what her destiny is to keep the story going.
The magical elements of this book are very unique and fun. Zoe is as entertaining and unique as her magic. She was trying to make her mom happy, but it tended to make things hard for her later in life.
This book had some scary, creepy elements, so a warning if you want a strictly cozy read.
Witches of Dubious Origin book is the perfect creepy, cozy mystery with Halloween right around the corner. 
Jenn McKinlay is the award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of several mystery and romance series. Her work has been translated into multiple languages in countries all over the world. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets, and her husband’s guitars.
