Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for a copy of Magic Lessons in exchange for my honest review.


I'll be honest I didn't like The Rules of Magic, the second book in the Practical Magic series. Knowing I liked Practical Magic (and the film adaptation too) I decided to give Magic Lessons a try and I'm SO glad I did. Magic Lessons follows Maria Owens in the 1600s and the start of the magic lore in the Owens family. It shows Maria's education in the Unnamed Arts and how she uses it to help people she encounters in her life. Although the title is about magic the story reads more historical fiction. The magic in the story feels more like a secondary character to the other action in the book. It's a story about love, betrayal, finding one's identity and forgiveness. If you haven't read any of the Practical Magic books you can easily reads this one. If you've read the others and enjoyed them, or even enjoyed one of the two, I say give this one a shot. Honestly it's my favorite book out of the series.

Witchcraft is an old art most often practiced by women. There can be healing magic and black magic. Maria was born to a witch but was left in a basket at the home of another witch who then raised her and taught her the art of healing, using herbs. As a young woman she is sold into servitude in The Caribbean. Eventually she works her way to freedom and goes to Salem Massachusetts.

Alice Hoffman has written a fascinating book about love, family, witchcraft in the 1600s.

This was too drawn out with a lot of telling and no showing. I loved Rules of Magic but this book is missing the charm. I think the author should have quit with Rules of Magic.

Sad to say this is a DNF for me. Others have loved it, but it’s not for me.

Magic Lessons
By Alice Hoffman
September 13, 2020

When offered an advanced reader copy of this novel (thank you Net Galley and Simon and Schuster!), I was uncertain. I assumed the fantasy subject matter was not my cup of tea. But that’s what happens with books. They give us a glimpse into worlds we know nothing about - and may find enchanting.

Alice Hoffman, the award-winning and beloved author of thirty books, captivated me with her beautiful words and scenes. The story held me tight, and I couldn’t let go.

In the late 1600’s, Maria Owens travels from London to Massachusetts to New York. Criticized for her independence, thirst for knowledge, and healing remedies, Maria is accused of witchcraft in Salem, MA. In a time when single mothers and intelligent women were dismissed, Maria confronts love and a strained relationship with her troubled daughter head on.

For some readers, the book may be a little heavy on magic and spells and herbal concoctions. I’m not sure I’m completely sold on this type of fantastical literature, but I loved Maria’s philosophy. What you give to the world - both good and bad - comes back to you.

Review of Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Hannah Owens finds a baby in a field, raises her as her own, and teaches her about the Nameless Art. But Hannah soon learns that Maria has magic of her own and it’s in her blood. After fleeing from England and being sold into indentured servitude, Maria meets John Hathorne and falls in love. She follows him to Salem, MA but gets her heart broken. Tried for witchcraft, Maria curses all men who fall in love with an Owens girl. And so starts the curse that has plagued every Owens girl for generations. Magic Lessons brings us back to the beginning and where it all started as the prequel to Practical Magic.

If you‘re a sucker for the cult-classic, Practical Magic, then you need to read this. Detailing the background of the Owens family and told between three generations of women, Magic Lessons is a well developed story with well developed characters. It’s a book that‘s woven with strong female leads, historical references, and imagery that‘s detailed and descriptive. Persecution for practicing magic and witchcraft is deeply rooted in 17th century Salem, Massachusetts and Hoffman brings readers back. This is a fascinating read about love, loss, good and evil, and you won’t want to miss it!

Thank you @simonandschuster and @netgalley {#partner} for gifting me with an advanced readers copy in exchange for an independent and honest review! This book is expected to be on shelves just in time for Halloween, 10/06/2020 so go preorder now!

If you are a Practical Magic fan and have always wondered about Maria Owens’ story, you no longer have to wait. Alice Hoffman has graced us with another amazing story about the Owens’ women starting with the very first one.

Magic Lessons begins when Maria is left in a snowy field as a newborn and Hannah Owens finds her and takes her into her cottage. She raises the girl as her own, teaching her the art of magic. Tragedy marks Maria as a young girl many times, leaving her vulnerable and alone. But when she falls in love with a man who makes promises he doesn’t keep; Maria places the curse that will follow the Owens’ women for centuries.

Magic Lessons has everything you’d expect from a novel by Alice Hoffman. Maria’s story is filled with all you’d expect and so much more. It’s a beautifully written tale that will satisfy your desire for the complete story of the Owens’ women. Another wonderful novel by the talented Alice Hoffman.

If you enjoyed Practical Magic and the Rules of Magic, then you will love this one too! I loved that this book tied in with the movie even only briefly with the un-hanging. So happy to have gotten the chance to read this ARC from NetGalley!

I’m not a fan of stories of magic or witchcraft, but I’ve always enjoyed Alice Hoffman. This book is a prequel to the Practical Magic series, as it covers Maria Owens, the original witch in the Owens bloodline.
It took me longer to get invested with this story. Beginning when Maria is abandoned as a baby and raised by a witch, it moves to her years as an indentured servant in Dutch Curaçao and finally to Salem, Mass and New York City. The writing is beautiful and lush. Hoffman totally paints each sense of place. She also completely evokes the time - a period when women have no power, when the devil is thought to walk among the people.
While Hoffman’s story relies heavily on witchcraft, magic and spells, it’s really about love, trust, hurt, revenge and betrayal. It’s a dark tale, with the hurt Maria and Faith suffer causing them to make bad decisions. “Try to do what’s best for your children and still it could go all wrong. What you knew today, you didn’t know yesterday. What you wished for then, you might come to regret.” But the good news is that it ends on a positive note.
My thanks to netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book.

Magic Lessons is a hauntingly beautiful origin story. Maria Owen’s story.

This book. Everything about it was phenomenal and heart wrenching and I was there for it. Maria’s journey wasn’t an easy one. She endured so much. My chest tightened with each loss she faced. Through it all, she had her magic. Always magic. It both helped and hurt her.

I have a deep love for the Owens family. To read Maria’s origin story was amazing. The beginning is a little slow but you’re in for a ride. Be patient. Its so worth it! I loved the dark vibe of the story. Those were different times. A dark time for anyone suspected in the “Unnamed Arts”. Maria suffered tremendous losses but she also knew happiness and love. The characters were so well written, I wanted to know about all them all. They all piqued my interest in one form or another. I read deep into the night to finish. I had to know! I was invested. The highly emotional scenes caused me heartbreak and tears. This book was everything I had hoped for and more! It was fantastic. I will carry this story close to my heart. I give this 5 stars.

The prequel to Practical Magic, Magic Lessons, which begins in 1664 in Essex, England is the story of the first Owens witch who cursed all the Owens women's loves. It is a beautifully and long-awaited narrative where Hoffman weaves her stories with flawed characters who are in many ways very human. This is a must-read: You don't need to read any other books from the Practical Magic series, however, they're recommended.

Practical Magic is a yearly rewatch for me, but the book is even better. So when I saw that Alice Hoffman had written a book giving us a glimpse into the first Owens witch, I could hardly wait. Magic Lessons does a superb job combining a grimoire with the emotional characters and wonderful storytelling that Hoffman is so well known for.

Magic Lessons celebrates women even with all of the pain, suffering, and terror they face in a patriarchal world. It shows how even those with a good heart can be led astray, but there is hope of coming out a better person. Hoffman shines with her well developed characters and lessons in magic seamlessly weaved into the story.

If you enjoy Practical Magic (the book or the movie), you’ll want to read Magic Lessons and Rules of Magic, which is the prequel to Practical Magic. All three books have been fantastic reads and I will definitely read the next book Hoffman writes about the Owens family.

Classic historical fiction told with great detail and fantastic character development. If you want to be transported to Salem in the 1600's pick up this book!

This was such a beautiful novel. I'm a huge fan of Alice Hoffman's witchy world. Practical Magic is a must-read for me during the October months, and though I didn't wholeheartedly love The Rules Of Magic it was still a gorgeous read. However, Magic Lessons is on a whole new level.

Not only does this book bring such depth to Hoffman's usual world building. but I really appreciated the subtle but nevertheless potent look at women's rights. This was a truly memorable book.

If you enjoy witch-themed fiction at all, do pick this up. I think it's the strongest novel I've read by Hoffman yet.

When I read Practical Magic I never dreamed I would be able to learn more of the Owens family history. Then came Rules of Magic, a prequel to Sally and Gillians story, and it took me more into the past and the fabulous Owens aunts - Frances and Jett's lives. Now comes Magic Lessons, yet another prequel; the story of how the Owens family settled in Salem over 200 years ago. As an infant, Maria Owens is found abandoned in a snowy field in rural England, and kindly herbalist Hannah takes her in and gives Maria her name and teaches her all she can. As she grows and learns, Maria watches Hannah create love charm after love charm and Maria vows that she will never love, which is not a vow she can keep, and love rules her life. She leaves England in order to save her own life, and she travels to Curacao, then off to Boston, and eventually Salem following love all the way.

The book is a true celebration of love and life and how things are not always as we think they are. Even the most practiced and cunning make mistakes and learn from them, discovering along the way that it is not always too late to change ones course in life. It was a fascinating book to read, and I enjoyed every moment!

A coming of age tale of a witch who strives to master the magic of love.

Maria Owens is a talented witch born to a self-centered woman who abandons her for love. Left to be raised by the only mother she ever knew, Maria learns from her all kinds of magic and spells as well as the meaning behind them. After a tragic event, Maria is sold into slavery and meets a man she knows is bad news but even her own wisdom and spells cannot keep her away from him. After becoming pregnant, she brokers her freedom and flees. Spending time aboard a ship to the States to find the man she loves, she encounters another and a new chapter in her life begins.

Maria learns the hard way the lessons of love and loyalty and the price exacted for both. When she loses her most precious gift, the daughter she loves most of all, she goes on a mission to find her and save them both.

Though not my favorite from Hoffman, Magic Lessons is a solid tale of love and loss and the rules of magic.

BRB Rating: Read It.

In Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman, the story of Maria Owens is revealed as the matriarch of the Owens line that are characters in two earlier Hoffman books, Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic. Maria was abandoned in 1644 (1620 in another of the books) as a baby in England. She was found by Hannah Owens who taught her all she knew about “Unnamed Arts.” Her biological mother Rebecca houses Maria when Hannah turns her loose into the world but because of her birth father who is NOT Rebecca’s husband, Rebecca sends Maria half a world away to the West Indies.

Young Maria is taken advantage of by John Hathorne – yes, that John Hathorne of the Salem Witch Trials -- and is left pregnant. She seeks him by securing passage on a ship to Massachusetts, where he denies her and his child. Because of her use of the herbs and such to help women in the community, a jealous woman reports to the courts that Maria is a witch. Hathorne would like nothing more than to solve his problem by having Maria drowned as a witch.

The book is beautifully written, and the plot is one that readers will want to read straight through. I am now primed to read the other two books in this series.

Alice Hoffman writes short stories as well as novels. Born in New York, Hoffman lives in Boston.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting September 7, 2020.

I’d like to thank Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

Oh my gosh Alice Hoffman has written another 5⭐️ story. She one of my favorite authors, if not THE favorite. This is a prequel to Rules of Magic (also 5⭐️) which when published a few years ago as a prequel to Practical Magic. But whatever Hoffman writes about from witches to WW2 to contemporary to historical fiction set centuries ago, her writing is magical. Highly recommend this one publishing in Oct. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster. Meanwhile read her The World We Knew published last year and one of my all time favorite reads. ❤️

Thank you Alice Hoffman, for writing another wonderful book about witches that is just in time for the fall season. This newest novel is a prequel to her popular Practical Magic that was published in 1995 and very likely will be just as popular.

The story begins with Hannah Owens, who finds a baby girl in the snow and takes her to raise as her own. Hannah has special gifts and she recognizes the same gifts in the little girl, Maria. As Maria grows, Hannah teaches her about herbs and healing and about love.

As the story unfolds, we find out more about Maria’s background. When a tragedy occurs, it sets Maria on the path that will eventually bring her to Salem, Massachusetts, where her descendants will make their home.

Magic Lessons fills in the questions about the background of the sisters in Practical Magic and why the Owens women ended up cursed by love. I really enjoyed this and recommend it to readers who enjoyed Hoffman’s previous books, as well as those who love historical fiction, fantasy and all things witchy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

So at first this book was a bit slow for me, but because it’s Alice Hoffman, I persisted, knowing it would eventually turn out to be great. And I was not disappointed,, because it was. I’ve read and pretty much own every book ever written by. Ms. Hoffman, be it YA or Adult . I’ve probably read each once at least twice and can never pin point my favorite when asked because I love them all, butPractucal Magic and it’s series of following books are probably my favorite . . So another great one for my collection ..
Thanks to Netgalley, Alice Hoffman and her publishing company for my ARC.

Do what you will, but harm no one.
What you give will be returned to you threefold.


Be warned. This isn’t a happy book. It’s about sadness and spells, loss and love, deaths and despair, crushed hopes and dreams, and yet for me, the pages flew by and I didn’t want the story to end. Like a spell, I was enchanted by its writing and storytelling. I mean, what can I say, it’s Alice Hoffman, and I’m already a fan of the Owens after reading Practical Magic and Rules of Magic, both of which I loved.

It was set during a time when women who were believed to be witches were persecuted. The story was divided into 6 chapters, starting from the year 1664, in a place called Devotion Field in Essex County, England, ending in year 1696 in Salem, Massachusetts.

Maria was born with a star tattoo on the inside of her arm, marking her as a witch, making her a natural in healing and curing, while being guided by herb kind, adoptive mother, Hannah Owens, who was a master of the Nameless Art and green magic, but whose life met with a tragic end.

The event that killed Hannah involved her biological mother and love that gone wrong, marred Maria forever and she vowed never to fall in love. But love was in her fate. She met John Hathorne, and couldn’t stop thinking about him while he pursued her shamelessly even though he was already married. It was too late when Maria found out because then she already had their daughter, Faith. Their relationship didn’t end well.

When Maria was accused of being a witch, she was sentenced to hang. On her hanging day, which she escaped with the help of Samuel Dias, whose life she saved before, she made a curse that men who ever love an Owens, disaster will follow them. And yet, Samuel wouldn’t stop loving her despite her warnings.

Throughout the years, Maria avoided love, always keeping to herself and continued to do what she does best and one that gave her peace - to serve the women who came to her for help, using the knowledge of magic and spells she had accumulated throughout the years. She found friends at the most unexpected places, who in turn, returned her kindness with fierce loyalty.

When the pace picked up at the second half of the book, I couldn’t stop reading. Faith’s life suddenly took a turn, Samuel Dias decided to return to Maria despite the curse, and Maria decided to seek the woman who took Faith from her. What was to become to all of them? Will there be a happy ending? It was hard to say because I was proven wrong time and time again throughout the story.

There wasn’t one character that was unnecessary. Everyone had a role to play and I grew to care for most of them especially Maria, Samuel and his father; Cadin, Maria’s crow; Finney, Faith’s friend, and Keeper, her wolf.

My eyes and mind were glued to the pages, not one minute my attention wavered. I read while I cooked resulting in getting my left ring finger burned; I read while walking up and down the stairs, almost slipping once; I read while the family watched TV; and I haven’t read like this in a long while.

Magic Lessons is a highly imaginative, well-told fairytale. To enjoy the journey, suspend disbelief, then let the book do its magic!

For fans of the Owens, this is a must-read! I think this will be a good start too if you’re interested in getting started with the Practical Magic series!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.