This book was fantastic! I actually own a signed copy since its release because of how perfectly it tied into the others in the series! Maria Owen's was a very powerful witch and I am so happy that I finally know her story. I am now waiting with bated breath for the last book in the series. And cannot wait to see what spell Alice casts next!

While Practical Magic is still my favorite book in the series, I do like that this story showed us how it all began. Poor Maria has some hard lessons to learn that will have repercussions for her descendants for generations.

This author is very hit or miss for me. Moved at a decent pace, kept my interest and was entertaining till the end. I’d recommend if you’re looking for a new read.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy the writing of Alice Hoffman. It is always very detailed, and she's great at painting a picture. She has unique characters. I haven't yet read Practical Magic but did read Magic Lessons and really enjoyed it. While I thought this one wasn't as great as Magic Lessons, I did enjoy it. At times it seemed to drag a bit. But otherwise, I think the story fit very well with the time period it was describing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Every time I see a new Lice Hoffman book comes out, I resist, thinking that I’ve read enough of women with strange powers and yet...her storyline and characters draw me in every time and take me to their very real and wondrous world. This was such a beautiful story. I will resist no more!

The Owens family curse that comes with falling in love begins with Maria. Mystical and sad, readers will be taken in by Maria as she learns the lessons of magic and that love is what matters the most.

I'm a huge Alice Hoffman fan - her prose is unfailingly beautiful and her stories full of magical, mystical wonder. Magic Lessons doesn't disappoint!

Alice Hoffman has done it again with this prequel-to-the-prequel that tells how it all started. Hoffman's writing is once again transcendently beautiful, and manages to make me cry, laugh, and gasp with the simplest turn of phrase. Maria's story is in turns heartbreaking and life-affirming. Well done!

Just fantastic. Hoffman's best yet, and worlds better than the others in the already wonderful Practical Magic series. I agree with others that you should read in publication order, and plan on reading this over a weekend. Don't expect to put it down. Hoffman crafts such realistic magical realism. I love how magic "just happens" and is part of normal, everyday life. Such skill in creating a world with words that I regret having to leave.

I loved this book. Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite writers and she didn't disappoint with this prequel to Practical Magic. I loved learning about Maria and all that she went through in her life. No need to read the other books as it is a great stand alone. I didn't want to go back and reread Practical Magic after I finished though!

Where did the Owens family originate?

Maria was found abandoned as a baby in a field by Hannah Owens. Hannah takes the baby in and raises her as her own daughter. She recognizes Maria's special gift in the "Nameless Arts" and nurtures them for good.

On the day Maria meets her real mother her life is turned upside down. Soon she finds herself in the New World.

Love leads Maria to the Massachusetts Colony where Maria is soon reminded of Hannah's first lesson, "Always love someone who will love you back. "

This is a beautifully written prequel that answers many of the questions left by Practical Magic and The Rule of Magic. Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t get in to this book enough to finish it. I would like to try reading it again at a different time and I love this author’s work. I can’t in good conscious recommend the book to my followers if I didn’t finish it.

Lovely, expert storytelling. Complex plot. Wonderful characters. Alice Hoffman hits this one out of the park, again!

Beautiful historical set in 1600's the story of the Owens women, practitioners of the " dark arts".
Heartbreaking at times but a great read, this is a prequel, I now want to read the rest of the series.

First came Practical Magic, a well-loved novel published in the mid-90s about the Owens sisters and their witchy reputation. It was made into a film starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. A few years ago, the first prequel The Rules of Magic, covered the story of the sisters as children in a visit to *their* aunt. This novel is the prequel to all of it, starting from 1620 and the first witchy woman in their family.

I actually think you can start here. It's true there are artifacts and rules established in this novel that arise in later books but it's okay if you don't know those threads. Otherwise it's about a girl taken in by a woman in the UK who teaches her traditional methods of healing and magic, and after living in Curaçao and moving to America, she makes her own way through plagues and witch trials and general aggression against women. And then she has a daughter of her own...

Very enjoyable, meant to read this in October, glad I finally did.

I love, love, loved this book so much! If you love Alice Hoffman's other books such as I do, then this one is an absolute must-read. I read it and then promptly went back and read it again. Lol. This most recent book follows the story of Maria Owens, which is beautifully written, exciting, lovely, and just....WONDERFUL! Also, although this is part of the Practical Magic series, a prequel I believe, you absolutely do not have to read these in order for them to make sense or to be absolutely magical. I've read them all in random order and just found them to be absolutely delightful.

5 out of 5 stars for Magic Lesson by Alice Hoffman. A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“When you fall in love like that, time doesn’t matter. This was the secret he told Maria, the last words he ever said. What belonged to you once, will always belong to you. Be grateful if you have walked through the world with another’s heart in your hand.”

Ah Magic Lessons - the ultimate prequel to "Practical Magic" and the completion of the "practical magic trilogy" (though I won't be mad if more books follow!). This was exactly what it needed to be: the origin story of the Owens witches, the origin of the curse, and the start of all the magic. This tale was darker and harsher than the previous two in the series, which makes sense... this is Salem, Massachusetts during the time of the witch trials. It is so very emotional with multiple love stories, family dynamics, girl-power and who lot of magic. This really completed the circle and there were so many nods and points that have been pulled throughout the whole trilogy which has been years in the making. I thought the story was very moving - not cheesy at all and I loved how much personality all of the characters had.

“You feel your heart and bones and blood. You wait for him like a bird in a cage.”

If you love magical realism, historical romance or just plain witchy books, you'll love it. I know I mentioned this already but I loved the darker vibes this story brought. It was very atmospheric and created a solid foundation for all the choices made. I felt like there were a few nods to Hoffman's other works as well such as "Blackbird House". Alice Hoffman has a way with words that can just break your heart and of making fierce characters that linger on with you.

“Never watch another woman burn”

Overall, I think this book can be a stand alone but it made me want to revisit the other books in the series as well.
I gave this a 4.5 star rating but rounded it - the beginning was a bit slow for me and took me about a quarter to a half of the way through to get really hooked, but then it was a fast-burn read after that. It made me emotional and the ending was satisfying and complete. Would certainly recommend.

“Love was the thing that tore you apart; it made you believe the lies you were told, obvious as they might be. It was nearly impossible to see your own fate while it was happening to you. It was only after, when what’s done had been done, that one’s vision cleared.”

Magic Lessons was the first in the Practical Magic series that I've read and I was instantly entranced. I really enjoyed getting to know Maria Owens and her family and am now invested in learning the rest of their heartbreaking story. As a New England native, and long time MA resident, I was intrigued by the background information on Salem and Boston and learning more about what life was like for women in that time. I also thoroughly enjoyed the tie in herbal recipes and remedies mixed throughout. I look forward to reading more about the Owens women.

Absolutely stunning beginning of Alice Hoffman's most famed book, Practical Magic.

Do you need to read Practical Magic in order? No! This is a series that can be read in the published order (Practical Magic, Rules of Magic, Magic Lessons) or in chronological order. Or no order at all. As the reader you will still be able to enjoy and understand the story from any starting point of the Owens family. This beginning is so full of emotion that you will will be left tired, and completely satisfied. Keep going, it's so worth the ride.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just pretty. I grew up watching Practical Magic a lot as a teen, but I hadn’t read any of Hoffman’s work. This book felt just like that movie, with a good split between plot and meditative thoughts about the little magics and rituals in our lives. The book is a bit long, and it definitely feels that way. There are three primary locations—England, Curacao, and Boston/Salem/New York, and each location has a certain plot that comes to a narrative close once we leave it. It’s slow, but I love the atmosphere and intentionality. If you feel drawn to witchy things, especially in the fall, this is absolutely a book for you.