Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic quartet demonstrates the strongest writing of her career. It's a perfect fit to showcase her talent at magical realism. Her prose fits someplace between contemporary fiction and an old-fashioned fairy tale. In her fourth, and perhaps final, book in the series, Hoffman brings back all the characters from the previous novel, in person if not in memory. This time she focuses on the daughters of Sally (the protagonist from Practical Magic), Kylie and Antonia. But Sally, Gillian, and their aunts (and grandfather) all play important roles in this book.

This time around, there is more actual magic than just magical realism. The book plays with fantastical elements that made me feel like I was reading a fantasy or horror novel at times. I don't want to give away any spoilers about the plot, but I will say that tragedy strikes the family and Kyle sets off on a mission to end the family curse. This leads her to England, to where her ancestor Maria (whose story was explained in detail in the previous book, Magic Lessons) once lived.

I have loved the Owens family story and would not be disappointed if Hoffman chose to write more about the generations between Maria and Jet, Franny, and Vincent. The imagery is beautiful, and the storytelling is full of wisdom.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my opinions.

The Book of Magic concludes Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic series, written over 26 years and chronicling the lives of generations of Owens women cursed in love. Now Hoffman brings her series and the Owens curse to a page-turner conclusion.

The book opens with elderly Jet Owen’s realization that she has seven days to live, and chapter 1 follows her and her sister Franny through Jet’s final days. Chapter 2 turns to Jet’s funeral where the youngest Owens women, Kylie and Antonia, listen to the family historian read a letter written by Faith Owens long ago. It opens with these words: “We who are cursed in love are born to fight that curse in every way we can until the one among us who can break it appears.”

Kylie, a Harvard undergraduate, and Antonia, a medical student, have been brought up with no knowledge of the Owens family history. Although puzzled by the letter, they decide it’s irrational nonsense--just another of the odd family traditions they have never understood. Their mother Sally has sheltered her two daughters, thinking she will reveal the family history when the time is right. After all, Sally believes, her daughters have not yet fallen in love and, therefore, are safe from the curse.

Sally is wrong. When Kylie’s secret boyfriend Gideon is hit by a car while crossing the street, he lands in the hospital in critical condition. Remembering the letter read at the funeral, Kylie changes from skeptic to believer and determines to be the one who will break the curse. When she learns that she must go to the place where, generations ago, the curse was first invoked on Hannah Owens, Kylie leaves Boston to trace her long-dead ancestor. Left behind, Antonia has her own secret love and quickly finds herself caught up in the family history.

As Sally, Aunt Gillian, and Franny realize Kylie has set out on a dangerous mission to end the curse and understand that Kylie’s inexperience threatens her life as she tries to save Gideon’s, they seek out Jet and Franny’s brother Vincent—the grandfather Sally and Gillian have never known. Having faked his death decades earlier in an effort to avoid the family curse, reclusive Vincent is a “finder,” the family member endowed with the ability to find lost objects or people. He is the only one capable of discovering where Kylie has gone before it’s too late.

When Vincent’s powers tell him she has gone to London, Sally, Gillian, Franny, and Vincent take the night train to begin their search. What follows is a suspenseful story of magic and family teamwork that brings the Owens family history to a satisfying end. Many readers will experience mixed feelings—relief for the Owens family and sadness that Hoffman has ended the series.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance reader copy of yet another entertaining Alice Hoffman novel. With so many excellent books written between volumes in Hoffman’s Practical Magic series, readers can look forward to whatever wonders her imagination creates next.

The Book of Magic is the final book that ties together details from the previous three books in the series (starting with the iconic Practical Magic!). And, without a doubt, this book delivered everything I grew to expect from the previous books and then some. We see the return of Jet, Franny, Vincent, Sally, Gillian, Kylie, and Antonia as they begin the final effort to break the curse that Maria placed upon the family. However, that kind of curse requires a significant sacrifice to break. Which requires the family to look at the past of their ancestors (Maria and Faith!), plus consider their own pasts in the process.
More than anything, Alice Hoffman excels at writing beautiful, dynamic family relationships, particularly between female characters. There are similarities between characters and differences that highlight this wonderful concept of how our ancestors and relatives influence our own personalities and choices. It also considers how external relationships determine our desires in life. Honestly, there are not enough words to emphasizes how gratifying and enjoyable this read was!

Live a lot.

As sad as I am to say goodbye to the Owens family, I really couldn’t have asked for a better conclusion to this series. The Book of Magic brings the Practical Magic series full circle with the Owens women, Jet and Franny, Sally and Gillian, Antonia and Kylie working to break the curse that has haunted their family for 300 years.

Alice Hoffman’s writing is gorgeous and lyrical as always. I was completely swept away and left wishing that I had a little magic in my life. Or even a cup of Courage Tea and a slice of Chocolate Tipsy Cake.
I know that this is a series that I will revisit whenever I need a bit of magic on a dark stormy day.

The Book of Magic is out October 12, 2021!

Thank you Netgalley, Simon & Schuster and Alice Hoffman for the eARC.

5/5 stars

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4100878476
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUxnGC6JNe8/

𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘰, 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦.

This is the fourth and final book in Alice Hoffman's 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙈𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘 series and while I'm so sad to say goodbye to the wonderfully witchy Owens women, this was the perfect ending to their stories.

𝘛𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦, 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗢𝗙 𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗜𝗖 takes place after 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 (the other two books in the series take place before - if you're starting from scratch, you should read them in chronological order) and follows the witches' quest to remove the three-hundred year old curse that causes any man who loves one of them to die. I won't share too much but like all of Hoffman's work, the writing is richly immersive. It revisits some characters I've missed, introduces some new ones I adored and makes you crave Chocolate Tipsy Cake. But best of all, it celebrates how special our differences are, the magic of books and the transformative power of love.

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯. 𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster & NetGalley for the copy to review.

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman proves her once more to be the reigning queen of the witchy fall read. Paired best with apple cider or a pumpkin spice latte, this novel is the perfect conclusion to Hoffman's sweeping novels about the Owens family. While the theme of the novel is cursed love as with the other works in the series, this novel still feels fresh and is just as tearful and beautiful as its predecessors. The ultimate spooky season read!

For all fans of Practical Magic, this is the final book in that series. While Alice Hoffman has written 4 books all out of order, this is truly the final book, as it surrounds the children of Sally Owens who are searching to end their family curse.

When the story opens Jet hears the sound of the infamous death watch beetle and knows she has seven days to live, but she is not the only one that the curse might hit. This sets Kylie the youngest daughter of Sally to uncover her history and on a mission to break this curse. Hoffman writes of a family journey of an unbreakable bond that will travel all over the world to solve this puzzle.

Just like every book in this series, I equally loved this one. The Owens family is a lot like any other family, with secrets, and love, and lots of dilemmas they have to overcome. This family just comes with a bit of magic. This was a great conclusion to this wonderful series. It was everything I hoped it would be.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alice Hoffman creates a version of magical realism so unique that I have yet to find it in other popular fiction. Her knowledge of the botanical features of plants and their uses adds a richness to the text and balances the magical aspects so that those aspects of the novel seem plausible. Magic Lessons is a good example of this. In The Red Garden she describes an apple so wonderfully that I now have a Westfield-Seek-No-Further planted in my backyard.

I adored Magic Lessons and recommended it through reader advisory to my patrons. I was anticipating this next installment and was saving it for a treat after reviewing some others. I am sorry to report that I was underwhelmed. All the aspects of a Alice Hoffman book were there, but it just didn't have any sense of urgency or deep emotional involvement to draw you into a story. As I was reading The Book of Magic, it felt like I was sipping one of Jet's tonics- something lovely and calming that I just wanted more of. There's a place and need for books like that, I just wanted a stronger sense of action/desire/adventure.

This novel does complete the series satisfactorily, all loose threads are tied up and we know everyone is on the path to happily ever after, just as one would expect of a fairy tale.

Alice Hoffman has outdone herself with this last installment in the Practical Magic series. I am writing this review immediately after being completely charmed by The Book of Magic. To follow the Owens women throughout time (including the prequel that took us back to the beginning with Maria Owens) was a magical trip. There is no better word—magical! These books are not just stories of witches and their descendants. They are stories of a family lineage, powerful women, family connections, and most of all, love.

In The Book of Magic, Hoffman weaves words together that create vivid scenes you can’t help but picture in your mind as you read. We learn the fate of the Owens women, from Jet and Franny to Sally and Gillian and down to Antonia and Kylie—all the women we fell in love with in the first book and even the movie. We follow them as they travel across the ocean to attempt to do the one thing that will free all the women in their family—break the curse that has kept them from falling in love throughout the centuries. And as they are challenged along the way, sacrifices must be made, and acts of love so powerful they will bring tears to your eyes.

I loved this last novel in the Practical Magic series. A must read for anyone who believes in the power of family and the magic it brings to your life.

Say goodbye to the Owens Family...

Alice Hoffman's story of the Owens family and their tragic curse reaches a crescendo in the final installment of the Practical Magic Series with The Book of Magic. In this novel, we find Jet and Franny elderly, still living their lives in the family home in Massachusetts.

The love curse that has haunted the family strikes again, when Sally's daughter, Kylie’s love is struck down and in hospital fighting for his life. Kylie, heartbroken, sets out to right the wrongs of nearly 300 years of a curse that has destroyed the ones they love. A curse so terrible when all they want to do is LOVE.

I've read every book in the series, and The Book of Magic nicely wraps of the story bringing back family deeply missed - Vincent and saying goodbye to others. The Practical Magic Series is a cast of unforgettable characters, stories of centuries of magic and witchcraft and a family who deeply loves and will do anything for each other.

Where can I purchase some black soap, of cup of courage tea and a piece of the chocolate tipsy cake. This is truly a satisfying end to this series. I strongly recommend all books be read in order.

The Book of Magic is bewitching as it brings this marvelous series to a close. It’s best to have read the previous three novels to help recognize the many characters, to truly understand the Owens’ family curse (“Never, ever, fall in love”) and to be aware of all of the rules of magic they follow (or sometimes fail to follow.)

Harm no one.
Know that what you give to the world will come back to you threefold.
Fall in love whenever you can.

The newly rediscovered Book of the Raven provides the ability to grant the reader thereof her heart’s desire, “whether it be revenge or love . . . To have a blessed future; dispose of a cursed past.” However, a personal sacrifice is required to do this. The hope for the three generations of Owens family members included in this novel is that this book will help them reverse Maria Owens’ curse. After all, they all understand the following: Love is the only thing that matters.

As always, Alice Hoffman draws the reader in with her delightful storytelling. For me, this was the best of the four novels in this series. Highly recommended!

This is a story of magic, the love of family, a curse of love, and the love of books. This starts in the library where the death watch beetle has come to find Jet.
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As a young life hangs in peril it is time to end this 300 year curse once and for all. With a satisfying conclusion to the Owen’s family curse it was wonderful to revisit these characters and see the conclusion of this story.
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The end of the curse gave this solid advice that is true for all. “Read as many books as you can. Choose courage over caution. Take time to visit libraries. Look for light in darkness. Have faith in yourself. Know that love is what matters most.” How lucky they were to have each other.
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This is the final part of a series, and it'd be a good idea to read them in order even though there is a large amount of backstory. There were so many characters and timelines that it was confusing for a lot of the story. It caused many lulls in the story, and I really had a hard time staying engaged. Things picked up a bit near the end of the story, and the conclusion was satisfactory.

Alice Hoffman - you have surpassed all of my expectations and more! The Book of Magic was such a magnificent book that I was truly immersed in the story of the Owens sisters. I have come to know the characters, as such details were so vivid. The book is bewitching and such a perfect time to read during the season. I truly enjoyed every page of this book and I am still not over it. Highly recommend!

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

• more magic, family and love from the Owens family -- I've missed these characters!
• amazing storytelling
• beautiful conclusion to a truly magical series

While I'm sad to say goodbye, this was a great close to the Practical Magic series! There are quite a few characters so it takes a minute to get reacquainted with everyone. Alice knocks it out of the park again with her beautiful storytelling. Get swept away in this lovely, cozy book!

🗣️ Thank you so much to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Alice Hoffman for the opportunity to read and review this book via e-ARC. All opinions are honest and my own.

I love all thing Owens and Alice Hoffman. I want to give this book 5 stars (which it totally deserves) but I'm going to settle on 4.5 because it's an ending of the Owens saga. And honestly, I need more.
We pic back up with the Owens witches, still battling the love curse that has plagued them for 300 years. And yet, they still can't help falling in love. Kylie and Antonia, Sally's daughters, were never really told about the curse. Sally wants all things magical to go away and not effect her daughters. But when Kylie's secret boyfriend, Gideon, comes close to dying because of his love for Kylie, she goes on a quest to save him. A left-handed quest. A black magic-induced, curse-breaking quest. And gets into all kind of trouble. Can Sally save her daughter? Can Kylie save Gideon? Will the curse be broken once and for all? Will love finally triumph for the Owens family? This is a wonderful wrap-up to the Practical Magic saga. I'm just sad it's over. Thank goodness Alice Hoffman has other wonderful stories to tell.

*Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this amazing e-arc.&

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for gifting me a digital ARC of the final book in the Practical Magic series by the wonderful Alice Hoffman - 5 magical stars!

The Owens family has been under a 300-year curse - do not fall in love. Those who have have suffered the consequences but everything is about to change. When the youngest of the Owens family has her loved one at death's door, the entire family rallies to find a cure for the curse. This generation has had the Owens' family magic kept from them but all is going to be revealed as they race together to end the madness of not being able to fall in love. Sacrifices will be made but "everything worthwhile is dangerous."

How can you not love a book with this for its first sentence: Some stories begin at the beginning and others begin at the end, but all the best stories begin in a library. Sigh. It was so wonderful to slip back into the Owens world with this book, as much as I hated to see this series come to an end. I would definitely recommend reading the entire series but there's enough info here to read it as a stand alone if you must - and you must read it because Alice Hoffman - enough said. The ending was perfect - a wonderful wrap up to this series.

Even if you’ve never heard of this book series, you’ve probably heard of the film adaptation of Practical Magic made in the 1990s starring Sandra Bullock and Nichole Kidman.

The magical Owens family has been cursed in matters of love for more than 300 years. The curse was begun by their ancestor Maria Owen at the gallows. As she faced her death for witchcraft, she cursed anyone who dared love an Owens.
Each previous book in the Practical Magic series has followed the lives of the Owens clan as they struggle with the consequences of denying love, hiding it, and eventually embracing it into their lives, only to have the person they love most ripped from them by the curse.

In The Book of Magic, the final book in the series, Maria’s descendants are determined to change their destiny when Sally Owens’ daughter Kylie falls in love and the dreaded curse returns.

The Owen family is just as charming, stubborn, and inventive as ever in The Book of Magic. We get to meet long-lost relatives as they travel the globe in search of Kylie. Aunts Jet and Frankie (remember “Midnight Margaritas” in the movie?) are older women, and their enigmatic brother Vincent has recently lost the love of his life. Gilly is married but lives separately from her husband to avoid the curse. Sally has kept the curse a secret from her college-age daughters, Antonia and Kylie, until Kylie’s boyfriend, Gideon, falls victim to the curse.

Kylie sets out, determined to discover the truth about the curse’s origins. As she travels from Paris to London and the English countryside to research and find a cure for the curse, she also reveals the truth of who she is.

The Book of Magic is a more somber book than its predecessor, diving deeper into the curse and its consequences, as well as the dark magic needed to break it, and the sinister pull it exerts on those who try to use and control it. As Kylie uncovers her own dark powers, her Aunt Franny comes to understand that she is ready to sacrifice everything for her family.

I thought this book was the perfect conclusion to the series. It’s beautifully written and I found it easy to fall back into the familiarity of the earlier characters. They are still so strong and unusual, especially Jet and Franny. I have loved Alice Hoffman’s writing ever since her first book, and I identify readily with the witchcraft and magic she writes into her stories, since I’m sure much of it is based on folk tales and historic hedge witch potions and herbs. It’s easy to visualize her poetic descriptions.

Overall, the entire series is about the very human magic of love of family, and the consequences of decisions made for that love that echo through generations.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Shuster for providing a review copy in advance.

Alice Hoffman continues the Owens saga with The Book of Magic. This sequel to Practical Magic opens with the loss of a beloved matriarch, but the family doesn’t have long to grieve before a member of the youngest generation of Owenses, Kylie, conjures up enough drama to keep them well-occupied. Sally’s decision to hide the family’s magical roots from her children doesn’t work in her favor when Kylie falls in love and the dreaded Owens curse returns. Kylie sets out, determined to do whatever it takes to banish the curse once and for all.

The Owens family is just as charming, stubborn, and determined as ever in The Book of Magic. We get to meet long-lost relatives and distant cousins as they travel the globe; Kylie in search of a cure for the curse and everyone else in search of Kylie. The family’s own genealogical research inspires a similar curiosity in the reader, so you might just find yourself connecting the branches to the roots of your own family tree. Of course, magical folklore abounds throughout the tale, so it’s easy to get lost in the enchanting details.

Hoffman fans will not be disappointed by this latest edition of the series. As the Owens family reckons with the conflict that inevitably arises with being true to oneself, the reader will recognize a bit of themselves in each character’s plight. Even the antagonist has a relatable side, despite endangering our precious Owenses and having a penchant for burning books. In one volume, the book provides both a magical escape from reality and a comforting ground to come home to.

*I am an employee of the publisher, Simon & Schuster. All views stated are my own.

4.5 Stars. Another brilliant book by Alice in the Practical Magic series. I really honestly don't know which one I loved the most, but I think this book being the last, did a really beautiful job of tying everything together and bringing closure. I love the Owens women so much and even though I am sad their story is at an end, they did provide so much magic and love and joy. It is hard not to get immersed in these amazing women and their universe and keep wanting more. Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.