Magic Bookmark review: a recap that stops at your page
A spoiler-free recap, cast list and question box for the book you already own. On iPhone, for supported titles, paid per book.
Verdict in brief: A spoiler-free recap, cast list and question box that stop at your exact page, for a print, ebook or audiobook copy you already have, priced per book with credits that never expire. Narrow by design: supported titles only, iPhone only.
What is Magic Bookmark, actually?
Magic Bookmark: Book Recaps, from Yomu Inc., is a reading companion, not a reader and not a store. It does not contain the book. You tell it where you are by photographing the page you are on, typing the page number, or, for audiobooks, typing the last phrase you heard. It matches your exact place, not just the chapter.
From there you get four things: a recap that stops at your place; a cast list of who is who and how they are connected, built only from what you have read, with new characters appearing only once you have met them; a box for questions about the story so far, such as "wait, are they together yet?"; and an @ mention that lets you chat with a character, who answers in character and only knows the story up to your page.
The developer calls this BYOB: bring, buy or borrow your own book. Its website lists hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook and library loans. Audiobook support arrived in version 1.1.1 on 27 October 2026.
How we reviewed it
This is a desk review. The score comes from the App Store listing and the developer's website, both checked on 2026-10-27, not from hands-on use, so it carries the DESK REVIEW · PROVISIONAL flag like every other score on this site until we re-score it hands-on. We have not verified the accuracy of its recaps ourselves, and we do not quote App Store reviews as if they were our testers.
Who is it for?
Readers who put a novel down for a few weeks and dread starting again from page one. Readers of big-cast fantasy and romantasy who lose track of names between sessions. Anyone who has looked up one detail on a fan wiki and walked straight into the ending.
It is not for nonfiction, where a summary app does a different job (our book summary vs book recap guide explains the split), and it is not for any book outside its catalog.
Which books does it support?
Supported titles only. The developer says it launched with the romance, fantasy, romantasy, YA, sci-fi and historical fiction titles popular on BookTok and Bookstagram, and is adding more. Titles shown on its website include Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, Onyx Storm, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, The Hunger Games, Mistborn, Dune, Pride and Prejudice and The Silent Patient. You can request a missing title in the app.
Search for your book in the app before you buy a pack. The free first credit is the right place to test it.
What does it cost per book?
The download is free and the first Bookmark Credit is free. After that, one credit covers one book: the bookmark moves with you through that book, so you do not spend a credit each time you open it. Credits never expire and there is no subscription.
A single credit is $4.99. A 5-pack is $19.99 ($4.00 each), a 10-pack is $34.99 ($3.50 each) and a 50-pack is $69.99 ($1.40 each). At two supported books a month on 10-packs, that is $7.00 a month. All of it sits on top of the book itself. For comparison, Kindle's Story So Far is free with a Kindle ebook, but only works inside Kindle ebooks.
What do you own, and what does it know about you?
You own nothing new and lose nothing when you stop, because it never held your book. What lives in the app is your credits, your bookmarks and whatever recaps and chats you have opened, and neither the listing nor the website documents a way to export them.
The App Store privacy label lists identifiers as data that may be used to track you, and lists purchases, contact info, user content (photos), search history, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics as data linked to you. If page photos bother you, type the page number instead.
What is the catch?
Three, all stated by the developer. Supported titles only. iPhone only today: the website says Android is on the roadmap for later, there is no web version, and the Mac listing is marked "Designed for iPhone. Not verified for macOS." And per-book credits rather than free, paid on top of the book.
Smaller points: English only, and a young app with a small number of ratings (4.8 out of 5 from 24 ratings on the US App Store as of 2026-10-27, with the first US version released on 20 August 2026).
Scores, criterion by criterion
Experience 14/20 (page-level matching is more precise than a chapter refresher, and the camera, page-number and audiobook-phrase entry cover every format; recap accuracy not yet verified hands-on). Catalog fit 7/15 (supported titles only, weighted to BookTok genres). Ownership 11/15 (bring your own book in any format, no subscription, credits never expire; no documented export). Sync 4/10 (iPhone only, no Android or web). Discovery and tracking 5/10 (tracks your place in one book and has a finish-and-start-the-next flow; not a recommender). Price honesty 9/10 (four published packs, one credit per book, no renewals, nothing expires). Accessibility 5/10 (the developer has not yet declared accessibility features on the App Store; typed page numbers and audiobook phrases are alternatives to the camera). Staying power 5/10 (first US release August 2026, frequent updates, small rating base).
The math: 14 + 7 + 11 + 4 + 5 + 9 + 5 + 5 = 60 out of 100. Desk review, provisional, scored 2026-10-27.
Who should install, sample, or pass
Sample first, on the free credit, with the book you are actually stuck in. If that book is a Kindle ebook and you are in the US, try Kindle's free Story So Far before spending anything. Pass if you are on Android, if your book is not supported, or if you mostly read nonfiction.
What you own, and what you lose
| Formats | None of its own: it works alongside your print, ebook, audiobook or library copy of a supported title |
|---|---|
| DRM | n/a (it does not contain the book) |
| Export path | No export feature documented on the App Store listing or website (checked 2026-10-27); not verified hands-on |
| Offline access | Not documented on the App Store listing or website (checked 2026-10-27) |
| If you cancel | Nothing to cancel: no subscription, credits never expire, and the book was always yours |
| If it folds | Honest speculation: your books are untouched because it never held them; unspent credits and in-app recaps would be the loss, so buy packs no bigger than your next few books. |
The true cost per book
Magic Bookmark at $4.99 per credit, packs down to $1.40 (checked 2026-10-27), priced per book.
| Credits in pack | Cost per book | Pack price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $4.99 | $4.99 |
| 5 | $4.00 | $19.99 |
| 10 | $3.50 | $34.99 |
| 50 | $1.40 | $69.99 |
One credit covers one whole book, however many times you come back to it. The first credit is free and credits never expire. Every figure sits on top of the book itself, which you buy, borrow or already own. The 50-pack only pays if you will really read 50 supported titles; for most readers the 5 or 10 pack is the honest buy.
The score, criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Bar | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and listening experience | 14 | 20 | |
| Library and catalog fit | 7 | 15 | |
| Ownership and lock-in | 11 | 15 | |
| Sync and cross-platform | 4 | 10 | |
| Discovery and tracking | 5 | 10 | |
| Price honesty | 9 | 10 | |
| Accessibility | 5 | 10 | |
| Staying power | 5 | 10 |
Total 60/100 · DESK REVIEW · PROVISIONAL
If this is not for you
·
Kindle app
The default ebook app: everything in the store, sync that works, store noise included.
Free app; store prices vary
78/100
- Reading and listening experience: 16 out of 20
- Library and catalog fit: 14 out of 15
- Ownership and lock-in: 5 out of 15
- Sync and cross-platform: 10 out of 10
- Discovery and tracking: 7 out of 10
- Price honesty: 8 out of 10
- Accessibility: 8 out of 10
- Staying power: 10 out of 10
·
StoryGraph
Stats, moods, and recommendations without the feed or the shame challenge.
Free; Plus $4.99/mo, desk-checked, unverified
77/100
- Reading and listening experience: 14 out of 20
- Library and catalog fit: 11 out of 15
- Ownership and lock-in: 12 out of 15
- Sync and cross-platform: 8 out of 10
- Discovery and tracking: 9 out of 10
- Price honesty: 9 out of 10
- Accessibility: 7 out of 10
- Staying power: 7 out of 10
·
Serial Reader
Classics in daily ten-minute installments; the gentlest reading habit app alive.
Free; Select upgrade $8.99/yr, desk-checked, unverified
72/100
- Reading and listening experience: 14 out of 20
- Library and catalog fit: 8 out of 15
- Ownership and lock-in: 13 out of 15
- Sync and cross-platform: 7 out of 10
- Discovery and tracking: 6 out of 10
- Price honesty: 10 out of 10
- Accessibility: 7 out of 10
- Staying power: 7 out of 10
Questions readers actually ask
- Does Magic Bookmark spoil the book?
- It is built not to. Recaps, the cast list and chat stop at the place you set, and the developer says it cannot see past your page. We have not verified recap accuracy hands-on, so set your place carefully and treat it as a refresher, not the book.
- Do I need a special edition or the ebook?
- No. The developer says it works with any edition and any printing, and its website lists hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook and library loans. You photograph the page or type the page number.
- Does it cost a credit every time I open the book?
- No. One credit covers one whole book and the bookmark moves with you as you read. Credits never expire, and the first one is free.
- Is Magic Bookmark on Android?
- Not yet. It is iPhone only (iOS 16.4 or later), and the developer's website says Android is on the roadmap for later.
- Does it work with audiobooks?
- Yes, since version 1.1.1 on 27 October 2026. You type the last phrase you heard and it finds your place.
- Is it better than Kindle's Story So Far?
- It reaches different books. Kindle's recaps are free but only work inside Kindle ebooks in the US. Magic Bookmark works with print, audio or any ebook of a supported title, on iPhone, and costs a credit per book.
Sources
Changelog
- 2026-10-27 · Initial desk-review publication from the App Store listing (version 1.1.1) and magicbookmark.com; hands-on re-score scheduled.