The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

The Rules of Magic (Practical Magic, #0.2)

by Alice Hoffman

From beloved author Alice Hoffman comes the spellbinding prequel to her bestseller, Practical Magic.

Find your magic.

For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.

Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk.

From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Back in New York City each begins a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse.

The Owens children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy. Thrilling and exquisite, real and fantastical, The Rules of Magic is a story about the power of love reminding us that the only remedy for being human is to be true to yourself.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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I’ve been waiting for another book in the world of Practical Magic for years. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard about The Rules of Magic! It is worth noting/reminding yourself (I know I had to remind myself at least ten times) that the book and the movie for Practical Magic are pretty different. That being said, I feel like this novel tied in better with the movie (though maybe my memories of the book are fading). Also, warning: this book will make you crave watching the movie again.



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

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 17 December, 2017: Finished reading
  • 17 December, 2017: Reviewed