I love this series and I am a reader who normally doesn't like fantasy books. I do enjoy books about Witches evert now & then though. Alice Hoffman is the queen of witchcraft books in my opinion though. I do recommend reading these books in order though. I highly recommend this book and this series.

I have read every pooka in this series and this finale book does not disappoint! We see our favorite characters from previous books and go along with them in their journey to finally end the Owens curse. This is the perfect book to read and get you ready for the delicious autumn and all its witchy vibes. There is love of all kinds and the bonds between the Owens women is something that grows stronger through the years. A great autumnal book!

As all serious readers know “the best stories begin in a library” and there should be love somewhere inside every story. Throughout the series there have been strong women, bloodline witches, devoted sisters, all of the Owens clan, descendants of Maria and Hannah Owens. This is to be Jet and Franny’s finale with a bow to Sally and Gillian those youngsters who arrived on their aunt’s doorsteps years ago. Much of this story is circles around Sally’s daughters, Kylie and Antonia.

If it is to be a story of the Owens’ women, magic and love have to play crucial parts in the story. What Sally will do to deny her magic, what Gillian will do to win her deepest desire, what Kylie will do to save her love, what Antonia has to learn from her disbelief. Sisters as different as could be imagined are everything to the other. There are no boundaries when a sister needs help. Nothing need be asked - everything is given. “This is what love was, you stayed when you wanted to run away. You held on when you knew you had no choice but to let go.”

The rhythm of the first third of this book felt slightly off. The balance was smoother and reminiscent of the previous books in the series. The introspection of each character was necessary and deftly handled. The reintroduction of Jet and Franny’s brother, Vincent and his history was a fresh breath of a life lived for love and devotion. Through Sally and Gillian, Alice Hoffman reminds us of what is truly important in this world as they hold hands and walk home.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a copy.

Last year close to Halloween I took the time to read Practical Magic and Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman and really enjoyed them. So when NetGalley and Simon and Schuster offered me the chance to read and offer my honest review of The Book of Magic, I applied and was thrilled to have been chosen. While last year’s Magic Lessons went back in time to the start of the Owens family curse, The Book of Magic is set in present day, with the characters from Practical Magic aged about 20 years.

Going into a book and knowing it is the end of a series is a little bittersweet, because the Owens family has grown on me. I was first introduced to them with the movie (Shock! Horrors! She watched the movie first!) but didn’t read the book until last year, right before Magic Lessons came out. I quickly became a fan of Alice Hoffman’s writing.

Let me just say that I could totally see the same actresses reprising their roles for the movie version of this book. Because I was introduced to the Owens family through the film, that’s how I picture them. But who would I picture as Vincent? Hard to say. Because I haven’t read The Rules of Magic, where we see Vincent as a younger man, I’d be hard-pressed to imagine. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if they make a movie out of this book, too.

The gist of this book is Kylie, one of Sally’s daughters, trying to break the Owens curse Maria hoisted upon the family 300 years before, because the man she loves was in a terrible accident and is in a coma. She gets ahold of the book of dark magic that Faith Owens used hundreds of years ago and heads to England, where the original Sussex County and Owens family originated.

Franny and Jet and Sally and Gillian and Antonia know they have to stop Kylie, but before they can go after her, the death watch beetle appears. Who is it for? As the publisher’s blurb mentions, it is for Jet, and you know there’s no escaping death, no magic that can reverse the inevitable conclusion.

For a book series that deals with curse for loving someone, you do feel a lot of love between the characters. The familial bond, the instant connection to strangers who won’t be strangers much longer. There’s a lot of emotion in this book, so if you’re one who cries at books, have some tissues on hand because there are plenty of instances where one could shed a tear.

There’s also this incredible darkness in this book that I also found in Magic Lessons when the subject deals with the dark arts, a feeling of helplessness that can only be evoked by an author of the caliber of Alice Hoffman. I had a hard time with these sections, because my heart has never felt so dark, not even when suffering personal loss. What motivates someone to hurt others? It certainly makes for a more interesting story, let me tell you that!

Is the curse finally broken? Can the Owens family truly love someone without fear of death? You’ll just have to read the book to find out. While the beginning of the book gives some of the backstory, it felt incomplete to me, so I do recommend you read Practical Magic and Magic Lessons first before you tackle The Book of Magic for a more fleshed out explanation of who is who and what is what.

What I love about the Practical Magic books is that even though in my everyday life I don’t believe in magic, it’s totally believable in the books because of the weaving of tales and depth to the stories. I want to try some of the herbal concoctions for illness that are mentioned throughout the books. I will definitely be going back and reading The Rules of Magic (Amazon), which deals with Franny, Jet and Vincent’s earlier lives when they began unraveling the mystery and curse of the family.

There are some books I know I'll give five stars to before I even start. These include all of the books in Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic series.

The most press these books have gotten, and the way I've mentioned them to most people, are the book that the Practical Magic movie was based on, and then more of the glorious, magical back story. Which of course is now followed by the what happens next for Aunt Jet and Aunt Franny, and Gillian and Sally.

This book (book 2, because Practical Magic was book 1, and The Rules of Magic and Magic Lessons actually took place before Practical Magic), tells of Aunt Jet and Aunt Franny leaving their magical legacy to Gillian and Sally (although Sally really doesn't want it), and also to Sally's daughters (who don't know about their magical history). The biggest conflict of The Book of Magic is the curse - is it real even if you don't believe it? And if some don't believe it exists, can it still be eliminated? The Owens women deserve to give and receive love, but no solution has been found in hundreds of years.

I don't want to spoil the details for those who haven't yet read the series. Of course, I can't recommend the series strongly enough. It doesn't quite need to be read in order (it wasn't written that way), but I can't imagine reading just part of the series. I read Practical Magic first, then the two prequels, and last week I finished The Book of Magic. I don't know if there are more coming or not. There are reasons to continue, and reasons to say the story is now complete. We'll just have to leave that up to Alice Hoffman.

Thank you again, Ms. Hoffman, for another great and engaging book. Definitely 5 out of 5 stars again from me. While I don't have time to read them all again yet, I'm looking forward to watching the Practical Magic movie again and see how the newest installment influences my views of the characters, by knowing what comes next.

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.
.
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.
.
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.
.

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.