Alice Hoffman always has a beautiful way with words. I had not read her previous books, Practical Magic and Rules of Magic but that blunder will soon be assuaged. It certainly was not necessary to read the other books to understand and adore this novel. Wonderfully immersive, not only being a treatise on witchcraft, but is centrally a story about love. Love withheld, fear of love, all consuming love, love of friends and motherly love. This was also a commentary about the place of women in the 1600's where superstitions thrived, where women were subservient ,where women had no voice, could not publish or own property. Powerless under the edicts of men, they were thus coerced to have clandestine lives. Maria ,the main character in this novel, was cast off by her mother and taken in by Hannah, a sympathetic woman who taught her the arts of healing and so called"witchcraft". As time evolves she is smitten with a man and fools herself into thinking this is love, a feeling which produced a child. When she is abandoned by him, she sails to Salem to find him . As he cast her from his life she induced a magical spell that affected the rest of her life. Much follows from this point, between a sailor whom she saved from a mysterious illness and an attempt to find her daughter who was snatched from her life. Adventures abound , centering on one of the themes "You make love what you want it to be. You decide.You walked toward it or walk away."Excellently crafted and full of mysticism, this novel sucked me right in.

Alice Hoffman's, Magic Lessons, is a prequel to her beloved books Practical Magic and Rules of Magic. It follows Marie Owens, who was left in the woods by her mother, and found & raise by Hannah Owens, who gave this baby her surname, Owens, through her life and the life of her daughter, Faith.

If you have read both or either of the other two books about the Owens girls, then you know this book is not to be missed. If you have never read either book. Magic Lessons, the origins of the Owens women, is the best place to start.

Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors ever since I fell in love with her novel The Dovekeepers. Although that still remains my favorite nivel she has written, the "magic" books are a close second! Everyone deserves to delve into at least one of Ms. Hoffman's books in their lifetime. They are not to be missed!

Set in the 1600's Maria is a tiny baby mysteriously left in a basket along with an opinionated black crow named Cadin. Found by Hannah Owens who will raise her and teach her the arts of healing, herbs and the greatest gift, love. As Maria grows to young womanhood along with her cantankerous crow (absolutely loved Cadin) she will travel to Salem, Massachusetts to follow the man she fell in love with only to be betrayed, fight the horrific accusations of being a witch in a time where mere suspicions could lead to torture and death for her and unleash the curse that will haunt her family for years to come.
Having never read the previous books related to Magic Lessons I decided to venture into it hoping I could still follow the story line because I was excited about this read, the synopsis was intriguing and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it when I spotted it on NetGalley. I will say this much that Alice Hoffman is a gifted story teller who weaves her stories and characters like a fine tapestry.

Thanks to NetGalley and Alice Hoffman for providing me a digital copy in exchange for my review.

Magic Lessons is truly a magic story, weaving an enchanting tale of Maria Owens, the women who made her who she is, and the child she brings into the world. The 1600s are not a good time for a woman to live, as Maria learns first in England where she was born and raised, or in Curacao, where she is indentured by her father, or in New England in America. But she's grounded through all of this in two things, doing no harm to others and finding a path for herself. But even a witch like Maria is not immune to things like love and lust and an encounter with a man she presumes is her destiny to meet leads her on her next steps in life - including a daughter, Faith, and a journey to Salem. The story continues effortlessly, bringing into the lives of Maria and Faith people that are willing to great harm and great kindnesses. The harms are painful to read about, but the wonderful people that support these women when society won't more than make up for it, both literally and figuratively. Wonderfully done!

*I received a digital ARC from Netgalley*
I was so excited to read this and it did not disappoint! This was a really well paced read, I finished it in one long weekend and couldn't put it down.

I had read Practical Magic already so it was fun to catch the parts that would be referenced in the "future" for the later generations of Owens women. It was dense with magical lore, and had great little snippets that made you feel like you were reading straight from Maria's diary. I think I actually liked this even better than Practical Magic!

This was my first book of the Practical Magic trilogy and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The story sucks you right in and the women are engaging.

I do wish I could have swooped in and done a bit of content editing as there are portions that got quite repetitive as we went through the generations but overall it's a very solid read. I'll go back and read the other two next.

I'm a fan of Hoffman's writing, and was eager to dive into the history of the Practical Magic family. This book is well constructed (as we would expect from an established author), the characters are compelling and able to be related to, and the story is beautifully woven. I loved the balance of good/dark magic, and how there are consequences for everything you do. Fans of Practical Magic will adore this, and new readers to Hoffman's books would find this one a great place to start.

Well worth the read.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for this ebook to read, enjoy and review.

Just what I needed - a book to take me away to another time and world. I am not much for historical novels from the 1600s, but this one that I wanted to read slowly,, to enjoy every word. It is a prequel to Practical Magic, but I believe it is a novel that can stand on its own. The story is about Maria Owens and takes place in Curaçao and New England - briefly in England. It is a story of love, betrayal, and of course, magic. I highly recommend this book.

Maria is left in the frozen snow when she was a baby. She was taken in by a woman who was a known herbalist. As Maria grew her adopted mother, Hannah new she had gifts and powers only granted to the most powerful bloodlines of magic. Hannah endeavour s to teach Maria that the craft should only be used to help and never to harm anyone. As Maria grows older she sees that a lot of women come to Hannah for love potions. They come for other reasons of course. Illness cheating husbands, mean husbands, sickness of all kinds. Mostly, love spells.
When Hannah is killed Maria and her pet crow. Cadin are left on their own. Maria takes all she has learned from Hannah and uses it in her life. Soon she meets a wonderful man who showers her with diamonds and sapphires. And leaves her with a baby. A little girl, with red hair and silver eyes. Soon Maria leaves Salem to find her man in Boston. What she will discover and how she copes with the changes in her life will leave her young daughter with hard feelings of revenge.
One of the best stories I've read this year. Absolutely Recommended!

Before there was Magic Lessons and Practical Magic, there was Maria Owens and a curse that would touch every Owen's woman thereafter who dared to fall in love. Wound in a blue blanket on a snowy January day, Hannah Owens discovers an abandoned baby named Maria with a crow perched on her basket. Hannah, a local healer, decides to care for Maria and her familiar. A natural and powerful witch, Maria is taught everything Hannah knows of the unnamed arts.
The first rule of magic: Always love someone who will love you back. Maria swears to never fall in love but fate has other ideas. When Maria falls in love with a man who abandons her with child, she follows him to Salem Massachusetts where she invokes a curse meant to make him suffer but instead kills any man who dares to love a Owen's woman.

Magic Lesson's is the fantastic prequel to both Practical Magic and Rules of Magic. Practical Magic was one of the first novels that I truly fell in love with. I was so excited to finally hear Maria's story and I can honestly say this novel was just as wonderful as I had imagined. The writing in this novel was very evocative of Hoffman's earlier works; many of which are among my favorites and what made me fall in love with Alice Hoffman's writing. In this novel we are introduced to Maria, and discover how she begins her study of the unnamed arts. Throughout the novel Maria travels to many places and meets other women who practice the unnamed arts. Every cure, spell, and lesson she acquires from these women she places in her treasured grimoire. Anyone who has read this series knows how the story ends but this novel introduces so many fascinating people and places along the way. I absolutely loved this novel and I can't wait to add a copy to my personal library. This is a must read for fans of Practical Magic and one of the best novels I have read this year.

Alice Hoffman returns to the rich history of the Owens witches in her new novel, MAGIC LESSONS. Readers of PRACTICAL MAGIC and THE RULES OF MAGIC will welcome this new prequel with open arms. Hoffman is at her strongest when she's writing about the Owens family, and some of the passages are so beautiful that I had to re-read them a couple of times to savor the gorgeous imagery.

MAGIC LESSONS tells the story of Maria Owens, and her daughter Faith, a pair of witches living in the late seventeenth century at a time when women were being hanged for witchcraft in the village of Salem. Maria's story begins when she's an abandoned infant, discovered by the wise woman Hannah Owens. There is clearly something supernatural about Maria, who is surrounded by crows. Indeed, a crow becomes Maria's familiar when she gets older. Hannah teaches Maria about the "nameless art," which brings both wealth and trouble to Maria over the next few decades.

To give away more of the plot would be a disservice to the reader. I highly recommend this beautiful novel to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, novels on witchcraft, or fairy tales.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Schuster for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful, delightful book. Fans of Practical Magic will be especially smitten, but this book is also perfect for lovers of words, nature, and sisterhood even if they haven’t read any other Alice Hoffman books. She’s truly a magical author, “making and unmaking the world in paper and ink.” Swoon.

Practical Magic is a good book- entertaining but slightly dark. The Rules of Magic was better- not surprising, since the author had about twenty years of writing in between them. Magic Lessons is better than both of them. I was always interested in Maria Owens, and I was so excited to hear that her story was being told. It doesn't disappoint. Weird, frightening, sometimes infuriating, but just really, really good.

A tale of light and dark magic. Maria Owens was abandoned as a baby and raised by Hannah Owens who taught her the art of healing. Maria comes from a long line of witches and uses her ability for good. When she falls in love with a man from Salem Massachusetts she finds out she is pregnant even though he has returned home from Curaçao. Eventually she follows him and finds out he is married. Her life in Salem is explored until she is accused of being a witch and is to be hanged. She is saved by a man she healed while on her ship crossing from Curaçao to America. Samuel has been in love with Maria since she nursed him to health on the ship but while Maria was about to be hanged she cursed all the Owen women to be failures at love. Maria’s daughter (Faith) also is gifted as a witch but is abducted by a woman. Maria spends 5 years searching for her daughter who has been unable to use her powers by her kidnapper. Once Faith escapes she is drawn to dark magic and wants revenge. This is a story of black and white witchcraft and the consequences of both. I’m not into fantasy but this was an interesting book about the Salem Witch Trials and Witchcraft in general.

I’ve always wanted to read a story about Maria Owens. Her story of heartbreak, fury, love, and power fascinated me as I watched the movie and read Hoffman’s books. I am very into witches and the history of witches, so this book was perfect. ⁣
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Needless to say, I loved it. I loved the history, the magical storytelling. Just like with Rules of Magic, I was entranced by her writing and I could feel myself in the settings, whether it was drinking Courage Tea with Maria in her small cottage in Salem or basking in the sun under a large Magnolia tree. ⁣
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This book teaches you about the start of the Owens line. It teaches you about the strength of women, the importance of words and reading and books. It teaches you to fall in love whenever you can, and to plant lavender for luck. ⁣
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Ah. I loved it. This book was just what I needed.

Thank. you for the advanced e-ARC win exchange for my honest review. I will post my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

Leave it to Alice Hoffman to take me to a magical place with witches and familiars and gorgeous trees. I am always looking forward to another one of her novels. Her narrative sings as she transforms women who don't fit into the mold of society into creatures to be envied. Love in her novels is the deepest, purest kind of love. Oh, if only I had her gifts. Both the gifts of the characters she paints and the mastery of her words.

Alice Hoffman knocks one out of the park with this Book! Ever since I first read Practical Magic all those years ago I wondered about Maria's story.
This book answered all my questions and took me on a fantastic and heartbreaking ride.
This book is not to be missed.... so, so happy she wrote Maria's story!
Thank You NetGalley and the publisher for this fantastic read!

"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none." - William Shakespeare

Alice Hoffman read from her Grimoire and brewed up something special when she wrote this book. If this doesn't make one want to drop everything and read Practical Magic or any of her other books again, I don't know what will. Full of beautiful and insightful passages, Magic Lessons is a delight from beginning to end.

This is a book about magic, about family, about love, about injustice and about history. Full of Hoffman's magical prose, vivid descriptions, the Owens family history and the Salem Witch Trials.

"Be grateful if you have walked through the world with another's heart in your hand."

Maria Owens was just a baby when she was found in a field by Hannah Owens. Recognizing that Maria has a gift, Hannah teaches Maria everything she knows but especially to always love someone who will love you back.

When Maria follows a man to Salem, Massachusetts, she learns some harsh truths and she invokes the curse which will haunt her family. But while in Massachusetts she will also learn that love is what truly matters.

I was spellbound by this book. Simply put - I loved it. Plus, one might even find some natural remedies in this book to cure many bodily ailments. Hoffman is a gifted storyteller and she has outdone herself with this book. I love all things witch related and this book did not disappoint. Fans of Hoffman and of Practical Magic will not be disappointed. I found this book to be captivating, endearing and riveting. I was glued to the pages.

This book comes out in October and is not to be missed and remember:
"Do as you will, but harm no one.
What you will give will be returned to you threefold."

Highly Recommend!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I mean, what can I really say here? I love everything PRACTICAL MAGIC, so this just fits right into my heart. It was an unexpected story to a character that I had mused about for years, not knowing much of her backstory. I enjoyed all of the gorgeous detail, from the blue thread, to the iron shackles, to the magnolia trees. It was certainly an interesting detour from the other books, but i loved it just the same. I would recommend keeping an open mind when reading this, because it is definitely a different tone than the other books, outside of the few familiar references to the original book and film. But it's so yummy - just let yourself live within the world that Alice Hoffman has created. It's a gorgeous trip.