I am already a big fan of Alice Hoffman because of the book and movie Practical Magic so I could not wait to read The Rules of Magic. Let me start by saying, I hope this book is made into a movie. I really enjoyed the story and getting to know the Owens family better. This book is a follow-up to Practical Magic, but can easily stand on its own. I liked how the Owens children found ways to overcome and deal with a terrible curse that was put on their family.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book for review of my honest opinion. I look forward to reading more books by Alice Hoffman.

I loved this story so hard. Give me witches and I’m sold. Give me a prequel about witches and I’m in love. Forever, amen. This could have been a major disaster, but it hit on every category. Hoffman did an amazing, as usual.

Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC!

We don’t really know what we’re dealing with,” she murmured to her brother. “But it’s something, isn’t it?” Vincent said. “Something inside of us. I know our mother wants us to pretend we’re like everyone else, but you know that we’re not.”

In the long-awaiting prequel to Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman tells the story of another Owens family—three siblings Franny, Vincent and Jet—as they discover the magic in their family line and the curse that settles over them like dust, suffocating their ability to love another.

Set in the 1960s, The Rules of Magic is a vibrant and rich portrayal of the coming-of-age of three adolescents set against the backdrop of war and tragedy with a heavy dose of magical discovery. Sent to live with their Aunt Isabelle one summer, the three Owens siblings quickly begin to learn they aren’t like other children their age. Relieved of the constraints of their household and the insistence of their mother, Susanna, to squelch their magical ability, Franny, Vincent and Jet are able to hone their craft and become the witches and wizards they were meant to be.

However, along with this exceptional ability comes a revelation that changes their lives forever: a curse has been set on the Owens family that will prohibit them from romantic love. Hormonally driven and reckless as most adolescents are, the three siblings challenge this directive with varying degrees of severity and success.

“She’s just a young girl who happened to have fallen in love,” she said to the cousin who denied their shared family lineage. “In what world is that a curse?”

What follows is a perilous journey of life, balancing both the consequences of the curse and the demands of their magical heritage. The Owens siblings embody the struggles of adolescence and young adulthood set against the supernatural element of their upbringing. As they grow, they become fully formed witched and wizards, better suited to confront the limitations of their romantic life. Can they discover the key to overcoming the Owens family curse?

Delightfully magical and achingly real, The Rules of Magic sets the perfect stage for the events of Practical Magic, adding depth and richness to the Owens family story.

Do as you will but harm no one.

What you give will be returned to you threefold

Fall in love whenever you can.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
Magical! Fantastic! I loved this book. It is a pre-quel to Practical Magic but it reads as a standalone and I believed I liked it better though it has been years since I read Practical Magic.
One must be okay with magical realism to love this book. I must say that I feel sorry for those who cannot suspend reality long enough to enjoy it. Loved the characters, the plot, everything about the book. Again, Alice Hoffman did not disappoint. I seldom give 5 stars but this time I did.

Confession: I have not read Practical Magic, nor do I remember the movie. However, that did not stop me from enjoying this book. 3 magical siblings learning about their magic together, struggling with a curse that means whoever they fall in love with will meet a dire end, in the 1960s, all make for great reading, particularly for October. Hoffman's prose is engaging as always, I love the characters (especially Franny), and of course I loved the magic. Will I be reading Practical Magic now? Yes, definitely.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Posted on Goodreads 10/13/2017]
[Posted on Amazon 10/13/2017]
[Posted on Book Riot 10/12/2017]

[Posted on blog 11/10/2017]

Alice has a beautiful writing style and her stories are always good. This is the second one I read and I really enjoyed it. It's a lovely story full of magic and great characters. But is not only about witches or magic, it's about more. I have to say I'm not used to read things about magic but I really liked this heartbreaking, awesome story. I have not read Practical Magic, I wanted to do it before reading this one but I couldn't, now I can't wait!

I really enjoyed this story. The dynamics between all the characters and lessons that were given were really well done.

A joy to read more about the Practical Magic family and their home. A book that engages your attention from the first line and keeps those pages turning right to the end.

Alice Hoffman is to writing what Rembrandt is to painting. I am always in awe when I complete a Hoffman novel. While I enjoyed this prequel to PRACTICAL MAGIC, I did miss the signature strokes I’ve come to experience and expect. This is a sweet, whimsical tale featuring the Owens sisters, their dreamy brother and a cast of other Owen relatives. I love Hoffman most when she’s writing historical fiction and though this has some political events of the 60’s it was a bit too quirky for my reading taste. For any fan of PRACTICAL MAGIC this prequel will not disappoint.

This may be my most favorite Alice Hoffman book to date! The mood, the writing, the characters....Hoffman’s words flow from the page and wrap around you, gently tugging you into the world she has created. Her writing is lyrical and visual, and her characters are interesting and perplexing and maddening at times.
Magical and beautiful, I was sucked into the lives of the Owens family. This is a book you will linger over.

Simon & Schuster and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Rules of Magic. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

The Rules of Magic is the prequel to Practical Magic, as it follows Jet, Franny, and Vincent Owens through some of their teenage years. Love is a curse for the Owens family, starting way back in 1620. While spending the summer with their Aunt Isabelle, the teens learn more about their family and its special and mysterious ways. Through heartache and profound pain, will the Owens siblings learn more about their gifts and the possibilities for the future?

For those who have read or watched Practical Magic, The Rules of Magic is a start at filling in some of the gaps in the background of the Owens clan. It is not strictly necessary to have read the previous novel, as this story is the origin of the characters. The author did rush through the story towards the ending, as years were compressed into a few pages. Personally, I would have liked to seen another novel instead of the rushed conclusion, as I feel there is more to the story than the author has told. The Rules of Magic did not capture the animosity that many in the town feel for the Owen's family, with the exception of Reverend Willard. The author missed an opportunity to capture the magic of the story and I was not blown away by the book as a result. I would recommend The Rules of Magic to those who are fans of Practical Magic, as it does answer some questions that readers might have.

This was my first book by Alice Hoffman and I really enjoyed this story. It wasn’t too serious, but was still engaging. It had several twists. The characters were interesting and the writing enjoyable. I will definitely look to read something else by Alice Hoffman. I may start with Practical Magic next. I’m curious to read more about this family.

As a fan of the book 'Practical Magic" I was quite excited to read the prequel about Francis and Jet, the aunts in the first book. Part of me was worried that perhaps too much time had passed between that book and this one, and that maybe the time to tell their story (along with their brother Vincent's) had passed. But I'm happy to say that "The Rules of Magic" was a charming book that just gives more context to the aunts that I loved in the first book. Their backgrounds and lives growing up in the Upper East Side was a very whimsical and lovely read, and while I sometimes felt that there was a bit of a split from "Practical Magic" in some ways, overall I really enjoyed that Hoffman decided to explore these interesting and quirky characters again. Hoffman's brand of magic has always been very kind and maternal, and I really enjoyed revisiting it.

Since 1620 the descendants of Maria Owens have known that falling in love is a family curse that must be avoided at all costs. And since 1620 all of Maria Owen's descendants have been women, until now. Franny and Jet Owens have a little brother, Vincent. Even though the Susanna Owens decided to raise their little family in New York City, they couldn't escape the Owens family traits. So she laid out some rules for her children and was very strict about The Rules of Magic - no books about magic, no wearing black, no wearing red shoes, no black cats for pets, and no falling in love - ever. Even though the Owens children have abided by their mother's rules it is very clear that the Owens children are different. Things jump off of shelves when Vincent is in the room. Jet can read the thoughts of others and Franny is so unnaturally beautiful. The Owens children typically keep to themselves and have avoided love. Until now. As young adults, all three Owens children have found themselves in love and unsure of how to handle the situation. The family curse affects them all in different ways, but make no mistake, they do not escape the curse. Will the Owens siblings ever be able to find happiness and true love?

With Halloween being right around the corner I was in the mood for a magical kind of novel. The Rules of Magic is a prequel to the beloved novel (and movie) Practical Magic. Franny and Jet are the eccentric, beloved aunts in Practical Magic. In The Rules of Magic, we get to hear their story. We get to hear about the sacrifices that they made because of their family heritage. We get to hear about their loves and their losses. I found myself swept away by their story. I didn't really have a favorite character, but I found Vincent the most interesting. He was the one who ignored the rules more than his sisters. He dared to do whatever he wanted - the rules be damned. I think I felt the most empathy for Franny who gave up everything to care for her siblings after their parent's death. She sacrificed the most, I think. The Rules of Magic spanned decades, but it never felt like the Owens siblings had aged. In the end, I felt things ended the best way that they could, but it left me wanting to read Practical Magic. --CLICK HERE TO READ SPOILERS

Bottom Line - The Rules of Magic was the perfect read for Halloween. The magical nature of the Owens family coupled with the author's ability to write a lyrical novel makes it the perfect read to put you in the mood for All Hallow's Eve.

Details:
The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
On Facebook
Pages: 384
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: 10/10/2017
Buy it Here!

Here is a review by Jennifer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2162889820

I am a huge fan of the movie Practical Magic. I've seen in dozens of times, can probably quote it from memory, and even have the soundtrack on my iPod. So years ago, when I finally sat down and read Alice Hoffman's book that the movie was based on, I was surprised. Hollywood took a lot of liberties with that script, and while I love it, it lacks the depth and complexity of the novel. 

Now Hoffman has written a prequel, the story of the women who become the crazy aunts in Practical Magic as well as their brother, who we get to meet for the first time.

Franny, Jet, and Vincent Owens are born and raised in New York City with very little contact with their mother Susanna's family, particularly her Aunt Isabelle in Massachusetts. Franny is a striking redhead with a deep connection to nature and the ability to communicate with birds. Jet, short for Bridget, is a quiet brunette with the ability to hear other people's thoughts and the beauty to drive men to extremes for her attention. And then there is their brother Vincent, the magnetic musician, whose dark eyes and dark powers draw women and trouble like moths to a flame. 

Susanna sets down the rules for her three unusual children--no reading books about magic, no red shoes, no cats, no candles, no walking in the moonlight, among others--but they all realize that their true natures cannot be changed. A summer spent with Aunt Isabelle at her garden home in a small town in Massachusetts, a town where Owens women have lived and loved for hundreds of years, reveals more of the puzzle of Franny, Jet, and Vincent's genetic roots and the strange powers they've always known were inside them. 

As the teenagers grow up, they are faced with a number of challenges to their hearts and minds. Falling in love, learning about sex, dealing with loss, starting over, and sticking together, the three siblings struggle to find their place in the city they grew up in and in their family. No matter how bad things get, the three siblings know that they can get through it if they stay true to themselves and to each other. 

Alice Hoffman's The Rules of Magic is a beautiful, bewitching story of family love and devotion. Page by page, I kept getting more and more drawn into the stories of these individuals, and I couldn't help but get sucked into their dramas and cheer them on. It's so moving and so powerful that I think Ms. Hoffman has been performing some magic on us as she transports us so easily into the world of the Owens women and their special witchcraft. Highly recommended, and by that I mean, what are you waiting for? Buy it now and get started reading! 



Galleys for The Rules of Magic were provided by Simon & Schuster through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.

As a huge Hoffman fan it made me so sad to hate this one. It’s a book about magic and yet there wasn’t much magic at all. I was hoping for some actual spells showing up. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters and it might be the third person POV, either way I can not recommend this bore/chore of a book.

I absolutely loved this book! I couldn't wait to finish the story but didn't want it to end! Time to read Practical Magic!

I absolutely adored this book! I was bewitched and mesmerised from the first page on, and transported back to the seventies. I cannot wait to read the sequel...