Artemis
Written on Apr 9, 2020
Practical Magic, to date Alice Hoffman’s biggest ever selling novel, became a major Hollywood film starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman who played sisters Sally and Gillian Owens.
In this sparkling prequel we meet sisters Frances and Jet and Vincent, their brother. From the beginning their mother Susanna knew they were unique: Franny with her skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, who could commune with birds; Jet as shy as she is beautiful, who knows what others are thinking, and Vincent so charismatic that he was built for trouble. Susanna needed to set some rules of magic: no walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles and certainly, absolutely, no books about magic…
But the Owens siblings are desperate to uncover who they really are. Each heads down a life-altering course, filled with secrets and truths, devastation and joy, and magic and love. Despite the warning handed down through the family for centuries – Know that for our family, love is a curse – they will all strive to break the rules and find true love.
Book 2 in the Practical Magic series
'Hoffman delights in this prequel to Practical Magic… a coming-of-age tale replete with magic and historical references to the early witch trials. The spellbinding story, focusing on the strength of family bonds through joy and sorrow, will appeal to a broad range of readers. Fans... will be bewitched' Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Rules of Magic
- ISBN10 1471157687
- ISBN13 9781471157684
- Publish Date 10 October 2017
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 19 March 2021
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Simon & Schuster Ltd
- Edition Export
- Format Paperback (UK Trade)
- Pages 384
- Language English
Reviews
BookeryBliss
Written on Oct 16, 2019
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Amber (The Literary Phoenix)
Written on Jan 25, 2019
I didn't love this books as much as I wanted to.
Don't get me wrong - it's beautifully written. Hoffman tells three different love stories, and she tells them expertly. She captures the feel of the world Franny, Jet, and Vincent live in without weaving in too much flowery language or dramatic flourishes. Simply put, the writing here is raw and lovely. The story is heartbreaking and beautiful. The end is a bit stiff for my tastes, but I appreciate that she transitioned into meeting the girls from Practical Magic.
Overall, I think people will continue to love this book. It's vibrant and sorrowful. It's just very, very slow. You have to fall in love with the characters, or else this book will be a chore. But Alice Hoffman is a very gifted writer, and you are bound to fall in love with one of the characters, even if you do not love all of them. Franny was my favorite, but I can see people falling in love with both Jet and Vincent as well.
Longtime fans of Hoffman's work will love this book, and new readers will fall for her careful, elegant writing. I think that this book deserves all the hype - I just wished I had gone into it a little more level-headed myself. The witchcraft is subtle and melds right in with the book, and there's no high action. Be prepared for a journey.
thepunktheory
Written on Nov 22, 2018
Oh boy, I am in love with this novel. It's just about everything I had hoped for.
First of all, I love that it's set in the 60's. It's such a fascinating time and it works extremely well with the whole vibe of the book. The characters are all to die for. There's not a single one in there that I don't care about. Hoffman managed to evade warming up stereotypes. Whenever you think you know where it's going and just what that characters is like, you are surprised. The story itself is crafted wonderfully. The magic seeps out of every page without being too much in your face. Actually there's not that much magic going on but you can almost feel it hovering in the air. You can tell from the premise that there will be much sadness going on and I have to admit the book truly broke my heart. It was impossible for me to put it down, I just needed to know how the story would end. Maybe with a happy end? *Fingers crossed* But no spoilers here! Go and read it for yourself!
Quirky Cat
Written on Dec 17, 2017
Warnings first: One of the characters contemplates committing suicide at one point, and while she doesn’t go through with it (thank goodness), her plain is laid out for readers to see. Additionally this book is very heavy with emotions; the Owns curse hasn’t been broken (yet?) so there’s a lot of tragedy in their lives. So while it is a wonderful read, please keep these facts in mind.
This book brought me back to my childhood. Okay, I know that sounds odd, but I loved the book/movie growing up, so diving back into the world transported me back to that time. It was really quite wonderful.
This Owens family is slightly different than the other Owens members we’ve seen; which I feel like is saying something. Susanna Owens has fled from her past, and her family. She’s chosen a committed relationship, but one without love (because of the curse). Together they have three (yes, three) children; Franny (the oldest and the redhead most of us have come to expect), Jet (stunningly beautiful with hair as black as night), and the curveball I wasn’t expecting; Vincent (the youngest, he’s naturally alluring and borderline addictive).
I imagine each reader will find a specific sibling they identify with. Each one has their own distinct personality and their own path in life. They also have their own trials and struggles. I think it is through these struggles that we see just how human each of the characters is.
The Rules of Magic focuses mostly on these three children and what they go through as they make their way through the world. They all start off relatively young, but the novel follows them all the way to when they’re older (and we’ll find that scene oddly familiar, too).
The curse is still in full swing; all three children take their own steps to protect themselves (and the ones they love) from the curse. These attempts have varying levels of success, so be prepared to cry and points (I know I did). Despite how badly they may want to run from who and what they are, they can never deny their true selves, even if that means opening their hearts to the world and risking being hurt.
I absolutely loved the additional details that were revealed around the Owens family history. We already know about Maria Owens, the originator of the family curse. What we didn’t know was who she fell in love with, why and how he hurt her and what happened to her after she placed the curse. Many of these answers are finally granted to us; though I for one would have loved even more details (I’m very greedy like that).
I’m anxious to see if Alice Hoffman will write more novels in this world; I’ll admit it hadn’t occurred to me until I saw this book that she wasn’t done here. Perhaps now she is? But maybe not; one can hope!
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Nov 25, 2017
Magic, family and sidestepping the rules brought these characters to life. Hoffman made me believe in the curse and the magic. I love that she filled in the blanks all while delivering an equally compelling story that stands on its own. These characters became more than just Gillian and Sally's aunts.
Family secrets and curses drive the plot, and it was interesting how even within the family some were protected from the secret, and how only knowing half-truths caused issues and pain. Of course, being children, the Owens siblings defied a lot of their momma's rules. Franny the oldest can communicate with birds and did so even when her mother strictly forbade her too. Jet the middle child at first glance appears to the rule follower of the group, so when she does break them, it's enormous and has a ripple effect that impacts them all. Vincent is the baby, and the girls love and dote on him. He is charismatic and often seemed aloof, but Hoffman exposed just how genuinely he feels.
While wowing us with magical realism, she shares a glimpse into the political climate, LGBT, superstitions, small-town politics and embracing your differences. Hoffman has a firm grasp of what it must have been like for the Owens children growing up as outcasts even in their own home. I wept for Vincent, adored Franny and her red boots and loved Jet's passion.
Secondary characters played a significant role in the Owens lives and were fleshed out enough to make their impact feel valid.
Marin Ireland narrated this enchanting tale and did so flawlessly. I enjoyed her natural pace, voices, and ability to enhance the magic Hoffman delivered.
Alice Hoffman pulls the reader in from her beautiful writing to the characters, and I found my time with the Owens well spent. I would love to see The Rules of Magic made into a film. Now I am off to watch Practical Magic again. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Martha G
Written on Nov 24, 2017
rohshey
Written on Nov 7, 2017
In life and in literature, witches often get a bad rap and Alice Hoffman tried to change that with this book.
In the heart of the story lies Owens siblings - Franny, Jet and Vincent - who are witches/wizards and suffer from a generation long family curse that entails any person who falls in love with them will die.
They cope with high-school mean girls, apply to college, play music and oh yes, can hear each other’s thoughts, move furniture with their minds and are unable to sink in water. But like every human being, the witches were doomed to lose the ones they love most.
It had an endearing start and I enjoyed the smooth writing but as I read I come to realize that I find it difficult to connect with the characters and the plot. It feels as if there’s a glass barrier between the story and myself. Since this is a character centric story, not being able to connect to the characters dampened my enjoyment. There were moments that I truly enjoyed and thought were well written, but they ultimately felt like sporadic unconnected flashes of light in a dark room.
jesstheaudiobookworm
Written on Oct 25, 2017
The historical setting perfectly suited the story. It was wonderful to see Jet and Franny as children and young adults. Even though The Rules of Magic was released after Practical Magic, it’s set several decades before. The story is told in such a way that someone new to the series could just as easily hear The Rules of Magic first, especially if a chronological order is preferred. The Rules of Magic ends by introducing the newest generation of Owens, Sally and Gillian, who go on to become the main characters in Practical Magic.
I’m so glad that I decided to give this prequel a chance. My initial experience with the series left me rather indifferent. I was expecting a stronger paranormal theme and got a “slice of life” instead. But with The Rules of Magic, I knew what to expect and was prepared for it.
In a lot of ways, this came across as historical fiction. It just happened that the family at the center of the cross-generational story has paranormal abilities. But the family was very much the focus of the story. In that respect, it resembled Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches series, but with a slower pace and lighter tone.
Like Practical Magic, The Rules of Magic was a character driven story. The major difference, from my perspective, was that I was already invested in the characters this time. Unlike most other stories featuring paranormal elements, very little of the characters’ of supernatural abilities where within their control. The author wrote them passively. For the most part, the Owens were reacting to things that happened to them, but initiating very little of the action. Because of that, there really didn’t seem to be a plot. It annoyed me in the first book, because I wanted more action, but I was able to appreciate it for what it was in The Rules of Magic.
Alice Hoffman obviously knows that her strength as a writer lies in character development. Kudos to her for capitalizing on that strength. The development of the outside world seemed stronger in this installment as well. There was a better sense of time and of the outside world, which helped track the generational progress of the Owens family and its individual members.
I hope Hoffman continues on with this series. I’m eager to see if she will continue backtracking within the Owens family or chronicle of the lives of younger generations. Either way, I look forward to returning to the Owens characters and Hoffman’s storytelling.
Narration Review: Marin Ireland was an excellent choice to narrate The Rules of Magic. Her appointment as narrator influenced my decision to begin this audiobook. Having someone new perform this installment in the series was the right call. It was my first listening experience with Marin at the helm and I was deeply impressed. Her performance was spot on. She provided excellent character distinction and an all-around pleasant listening experience. I could have listened to Ireland forever. ♣︎
chymerra
Written on Sep 18, 2017
The book follows 3 children as they grow up as unique individuals. Individuals who have no knowledge of their heritage. Their mother had deliberately kept it from them. She also imposed strange rules with the most important one being “no falling in love“. After a visit to their Aunt Isabelle, the children realize that they have powers that are unique. Franny has an affinity with birds. Jet can read minds. Vincent can charm anyone he meets into doing what he wants….among other things.
The Rules of Magic is women’s fiction with a huge lean on the paranormal and fantasy woven into it. I have read a lot of women’s fiction lately. I will say that it is growing on me. I have read a few books that were poorly written and that turned me off this genre. But, if I keep getting gems like The Rules of Magic, then I will reconsider my stance on reading them.
Franny was my favorite out of the three Owens siblings. Which surprised me because she was very abrasive in the beginning of the book. While she didn’t deny her powers, she didn’t embrace them either. I felt bad for her also because she loved Haylin but she couldn’t admit it because of that darn curse. She had seen, first-hand, how the curse kills. So she and Haylin made a pact where they didn’t discuss love, hoping to beat the curse. In a way, they did but it came at a horrible price.
I felt awful for Jet. She dealt with so much at such a young age. She fell in love with the Reverend’s son. She thought she could beat the curse and unfortunately, the curse gave her a double whammy. She lost her love and her parents that awful night. She was so traumatized that she lost her magical powers for a long while. With all that aside, she had to have been the sweetest characters that I have ever read. Everyone loved her….even people who were supposed to hate her.
Vincent was the one I didn’t like. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way. He didn’t give me the same likable vibe that Franny and Jet did. When he came out, all I could think is “how is he going to use this to his advantage“. What I didn’t get was how the girls could be affected by the curse and he wasn’t. I mean, he fell in love with his partner and there were no repercussions.
There was plenty of sex and romance in The Rules of Magic. But it wasn’t graphic.
The end of the book was very sad. But, I could see the ending being the beginning of Practical Magic.
4 stars
My Summary of The Rules of Magic:
If you have read Practical Magic and wondered about what the aunts’ story was….then The Rules of Magic is the book for you. It has a great plotline and memorable characters.
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Older Teen
Why: Sexual situations, mild language, and mild violence
I would like to thank Alice Hoffman, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read and review The Rules of Magic
All opinions stated in this review of The Rules of Magic are mine and I received no financial compensation for this review
**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**