Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title. Practical Magic is one of my all-time favorite movies/stories, so I was thrilled to catch up with the family. This book was such a delight to read, even though I was also caught in the suspense of the plot. If you're a fan of any of Hoffman's books in the series, this one will not disappoint!

Beautifully written conclusion to the Owens family saga. The bonds between sisters are stronger than ever but flexible enough to admit love into their lives. This is an ode to books and libraries and those who love them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC to read and review.

If your grandmother was writing a rambling book with incredibly low stakes and absolutely no angst, that would be this book.

The Owens family is cursed. Any one who falls in love will regret it with something bad happening to their loved one. Will the Owens Family be able to lift the curse in time?

Rambling took on an entirely different meaning in this book. My gosh, I would often even forget the plot because The Book of Magic would go off into so many different stories and sub-stories that I was left confused. Unfortunately, this book was a lot of tell and not a lot of show. This was like a Hallmark movie but with no drama, no urgency. Everything always works out "magically." People fall in love just by looking at each other. Sorry, I can't get behind any book where characters instantly fall in love.

This book discussed being a witch and magic, but I do wish that it was more realistic. The author would list off certain spices for potions and other elixirs. There is a certain need in modern medicine to go back to natural cures. For example, nursing mothers often take fenugreek and blessed thistle. Peppermint can help with stomach aches, and C0Q10 can help improve heart health. Doctors are extremely quick to offer up drugs from pharmaceutical companies than offer up natural remedies. The Book of Magic did touch on how the local townspeople would seek certain cures when the porchlight was on, and I enjoyed the idea of people seeking help from non-traditional sources.

Overall, I knew I was not going to like this book in the first chapter because the author's writing style was too rambling for my preference; however, if you don't mind extreme rambling and want a cozy, feel-good story in time for Halloween, this will fit the bill.

I enjoyed this final book in the series about the Owens family and their many generations of magic. In this book, they decide that enough is enough and it is time to break the 300 year old curse on their family. It takes three generations and travel and sacrifice and some dark magic, but they are willing to do this in the name of love. Ms Hoffman is a great storyteller.

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman is the final book in the 4 novel Practical Magic series.

This books is split up into different sections. In Part 1 Hoffman does a great job reviewing family history and reintroducing characters as we say goodbye to one of the main matriarchs in the family. A bit of a lengthy set up, it does remind readers of the characters they love while introducing the plot.

From there the Owen's family is on a quest to end the centuries long curse over their family.

It is not secret that Hoffman can be wordy in this series. Sometimes the beautiful prose and descriptive language allows the reader to see into the world that Hoffman has created. For example, I think all of the fine details really worked in her previous book "Magic Lessons" to give the full picture of where the family curse came from. In this book, I felt like it was at times too much.

What should have felt like a race against time to end the curse once and for all ended up as kind of a long winded middle to a quick conclusion. I thought the extraneous details sometimes slowed down the pace right as it was beginning to pick up, especially once most of the family members all get to the same place. When we finally get to the exciting part of the book that I was interested in, I found that's when things moved too quickly. While the ending was warm and I felt like a satisfying resolution to the series I also found it a bit anti climactic.

Overall if you are a fan of the Practical Magic series and these characters, I do think The Book of Magic is worth the read. Was it my favorite of the series? No. Do I feel content with how it all ended? I guess so.

A huge thank you to Alice Hoffman, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Some stories begin at the beginning and others begin at the end, but all the best stories begin in a library."
My goodness, can Alice Hoffman tell a story and I have loved the Owens story from the beginning. Each book tells a beautiful story of the power of love these family members have for one another.

For many years the Owens family has been under a curse created by Maria Owens at the gallows. As she faced her death for being a witch, she cursed anyone who dared love an Owens. In The Book of Magic, the final book in the series, Maria's descendants are determined to break this curse.

Jet and Frankie are older women, and their brother Vincent has recently lost the love of his life. Gilly is married but lives separate from her husband to avoid the curse. Sally has kept the curse a secret from her girls and kept them from knowing about Owen's magical powers. Sally's daughters, Antonia and Kylie, are college age. As the story progresses, Kylie's boyfriend, Gideon, falls victim to the curse. Kylie is determined to discover the truth about the curse and the lives of the Owens women, which also reveals the truth of who she is.

The Book of Magic was the perfect conclusion to this series. The final installment is bitter-sweet because I love this family! It's beautifully written, the dialogue and characters are witty as ever, and I cannot imagine a better conclusion.
If you have not read this series, I highly recommend it! This one comes out on October 12, 2021, perfect for the season.

a beautiful wrap up to the owens family. y'all knwo my love for AH's books. and the owens family books aren't even my favorite of hers, and I still love them. AH weaves together the bonds of love, family, romance, and past so intricately. The bond of family and siblings is strong in this one. The themes of sacrifice and revenge run throughout. I love how AH has developed the people we have come to love in this family. I think this might be the last book of their family because of the ending, and it's a beautiful ending if true.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

This is the second in the series but this is actually book #4.
Magic Lessons 0.1
The Rules Of Magic 0.2
Practical Magic 1.0
The Book Of Magic 2.0

The book starts with a recap of the Owens family history. There is more than the movie can portray.

Sally hasn’t told her daughters about the family history of witches. But she needs to tell them now since Kylie has fallen in love AND has heard the beetle’s omen. Kylie travels around the world to figure out how to break the curse that Maria Owen placed.

I really hope we get a follow up movie to the original with Bullock and Kidman. The movie is a staple for me in October and I can imagine the actresses reprising their roles to bring the next book by Alice Hoffman to life.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Highly recommend this to anyone who loves Practical Magic & Alice Hoffman! This is a sequel to Practical Magic, & I was taken on an emotional roller coaster. Hoffman gives us love, friendship, romance, conflict, and magic most of all. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy!

What a beautiful end to the saga of the Owens family. While this book could stand on its own, I would recommend reading all of the previous books in this series to fully understand the history of this family. The heart of these books is the power of love and family. Please read them all.

Anne Wolfe's reviewSep 30, 2021 · edit
it was amazing

I have loved Alice Hoffman's writing ever since her first book and have read everything she has written since. But I must admit that this final book in the Practical Magic series was my favorite. From the first sentence I fell into her poetic, descriptive geography. Every tree, flower, bird, animal all described flowingly and visually.

It was interesting to me that Hoffman, now in her later years (as am I), has begun to notice changes in herself as she grows older. She describes loss, grief and suffering as I know she has experienced it first hand. Her character's surprise when catching unexpected sight of her face in the mirror, "mirrors" my own. When did I get so changed?

The story of the Owns family finally reaches its end, but not without suspense, excitement and, most of all, love. Ever since their ancestor's curse, the Owen women (and its one male) have always avoided love. The curse means they lose the object so desired. This final book is about how that spell can be broken and what must be given up in return. In Alice Hoffman's inimitable style, you will escape into the world of witches, magic, both white and dark, and a moving experience that only this author can give you. there is suspense, danger, excitement and beautifully described unusual people.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for not making me wait for its publication and allowing me to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was so pleased to do that as I adored this book.

Anne Wolfe's reviewSep 30, 2021 · edit
it was amazing

I have loved Alice Hoffman's writing ever since her first book and have read everything she has written since. But I must admit that this final book in the Practical Magic series was my favorite. From the first sentence I fell into her poetic, descriptive geography. Every tree, flower, bird, animal all described flowingly and visually.

It was interesting to me that Hoffman, now in her later years (as am I), has begun to notice changes in herself as she grows older. She describes loss, grief and suffering as I know she has experienced it first hand. Her character's surprise when catching unexpected sight of her face in the mirror, "mirrors" my own. When did I get so changed?

The story of the Owns family finally reaches its end, but not without suspense, excitement and, most of all, love. Ever since their ancestor's curse, the Owen women (and its one male) have always avoided love. The curse means they lose the object so desired. This final book is about how that spell can be broken and what must be given up in return. In Alice Hoffman's inimitable style, you will escape into the world of witches, magic, both white and dark, and a moving experience that only this author can give you. there is suspense, danger, excitement and beautifully described unusual people.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for not making me wait for its publication and allowing me to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was so pleased to do that as I adored this book.

If you love The Owens, you will definetly enjoy this read. It's not an easy read, there is sadness and heartache, bad choices and darkness but The Owens do what they do best, they keep moving forward and overcome. It's not my favorite of the series but it's a great ending and wil leave you believing in the power of love and magic.

The Book of Magic is a love-letter to the fans of the beloved Owens family, a magical family with a long history of being unlucky in love. At its heart, the Practical Magic series is about the bond between sisters, and the final installment reinforces that theme as the sisters seek the cure to the curse that has plagued their family for generations.

This series includes four books, but each one can be read as a stand-alone. And they were written out of order, starting with Practical Magic, then The Rules of Magic (a prequel), Magic Lessons (a pre-prequel), and finally The Book of Magic, which continues Sally and Gillian’s stories started in Practical Magic. This last installment does a wonderful job of tying all four books together, weaving the stories of all the characters into one book.

If you’ve never heard of the books, you’ve probably heard of the film adaptation of Practical Magic made in the 1990s staring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. It’s somewhat campy and cheesy but nostalgic, and lands on many fall-themed must-watch movie lists.

Back in 2017, I was invited to read an advance copy of The Rules of Magic. I’d read a couple of Alice Hoffman’s other books and enjoyed them (The Dovekeepers and Faithful), and I’d seen the adaptation of Practical Magic, so I was excited to pick it up. I enjoyed it and eventually picked up a copy of Practical Magic to add to my shelves where it has been waiting. When I was approved for The Book of Magic, I knew it was time to read Practical Magic, as well. I read the two books back to back, but I can reiterate, it’s not necessary. Plenty of history is recapped in the beginning of The Book of Magic to catch the reader up to the current storyline.

While I did find myself laughing out loud several times, The Book of Magic is a more somber book than its predecessor, diving deeper into the curse and its consequences. But the sisterly bond readers know and love, the magic they create, their mystical remedies, potions, and rituals are all present in this final book. And, of course, some romance, as well.

All the major players are here: Sally and Gillian, their aunts Franny and Jet, Sally’s daughters Antonia and Kylie, along with many others, including some new memorable characters, as well.

This was the perfect series to start my fall reading, with lyrical writing, historical touches, and plenty of magic. I was sad to see this series end, but it was lovely to revisit some old friends.

I can't bear to say goodbye to the Owens women, but in The Book of Magic we must. Cursed in romantic love by the matriarch Maria Owens for the protection of her female descendants, each of the Practical Magic books -- including this one -- are filled with love, and particularly the enduring love between sisters. Bookended by death, the bulk of the novel is based on the efforts of three generations of the Owens clan to break the curse. The middle portion of the novel is quite frankly the weakest, as it is easy to get confused by all of the action and the characters. Who is doing what and why, and doesn't it seem like more than seven days have lapsed since the deathwatch beetle first came to call? But the beauty of the language of love, death and mourning, and the strength of the characters are extraordinary in both the beginning and end of the novel. At times I was left wondering whether there was ever really a curse at all, or whether every tragic love story was really the inevitable lesson we all learn about what it means to be human and to lose what we love. I highly recommend the entire series. 4.5/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an eGalley of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

’Some stories begin at the beginning and others begin at the end, but all the best stories begin in a library.’

I’ve had this copy of this for months, but I knew this was the last one in the Practical Magic series, and so I held off reading it as long as I could. I know Alice Hoffman has many other books that I still haven’t read, and many others that I have, but this series has held an almost magical enchantment of its own for many readers.

Set in the present, this story begins in a library which is where Jet Owens hears the deathwatch beetle, and knows she only has seven more days to accomplish what she knows she must before it’s too late. End the family curse. Fortunately, she knows where the book that shares the way to accomplish this feat.

This covers a lot of the family history, centuries worth of history, but it never loses its momentum as this story includes many moments that will leave the reader turning pages until the end.

I loved this, but am sad to leave this family behind, a series that always reminds me that the real magic is family and love.


Pub Date: 12 Oct 2021

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Simon & Schuster

This series is a bit confusing in regards to release dates and story timelines. After the 1998 release of Practical Magic, the next book in the series, The Rules of Magic was released in 2017 as a prequel to Practical Magic, followed by Magic Lessons in 2020, a prequel to The Rules of Magic. The latest book in the series, The Book of Magic is a sequel to Practical Magic, picking up with Sally's daughters, Antonia and Kylie, as young twenty-somethings. As the youngest in a family of witches cursed to never love, Antonia and Kylie know nothing of the curse or their powers until tragedy strikes, sending Kylie on a mission to save her lover. As the final book in the series, it is both heartbreaking and hopeful and while I enjoyed reading each book, I am happy to put the Owens family to rest. All these years later, I still can't help but compare the characters and settings to the movie Practical Magic (released 1998.) I saw the movie before I read the book (released 1995) and I don't know if it is because of seeing the movie first, but I just don't connect with the books like I do the movie. While there are similarities between the movie and the book, I love the movie so much more. I am pretty sure this is an extreme exception to the rule of the book always being better than the movie, but I always feel let down by the books because I'm chasing that high of the movie.

I love the Owen’s family history. I feel like I’ve been a part of the family since Practical Magic. This story felt like a really great ending to this world. Thank you Alice Hoffman for building this world and this amazing family. The Book of Magic gives you all the feels and warms your heart.

Oh, how I love to read Alice Hoffman’s books. There are no wasted words, every sentence is important and relevant to transport the reader and bring them into the story. Even sometimes when I am tempted to skip ahead thinking I don’t need to read all the words, I go back because I know I might not be missing anything super important to the story, but I am missing the beauty that Ms. Hoffman felt needed to be in the story. Practical Magic remains one of my very favorite books and movie, and I love that this series has taken us back in time, and now forward to explore the lives of the Owens women. I am so sad that The Book of Magic is the final volume in this amazing series, but so happy with how each of the characters arc is played out an ultimately resolved. There are no loose ends, and as with real life, there are some happy endings and some that are inevitable and quite sad. The ongoing message of the power of love, family and the strength of women is carried throughout this book as well as all the others. There are enough references to make this book stand on its own, but reading them in order definitely helps to keep track of each of the Owens women and what time period they lived in. I simply cannot say enough good things about this book and the entire series, so read it already! I received an ARC from the publisher Simon and Schuster, through NetGalley, and appreciate the opportunity to read this amazing book.

The Book of Magic is the conclusion of Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic series. Love and curses dominate. It is a fast paced, well crafted conclusion to this enjoyable, magical series.

”Some stories begin at the beginning and others begin at the end, but all the best stories begin in a library.”

I loved getting lost in this fourth and final installment of Alice Hoffman’s vibrant, magical world! Reuniting with the Owens family one more time, to enjoy their spells and charms and familial bonds, was just what I hoped it would be.

”Although Sally considered herself to be a logical woman, she knew there was more to this world than could be seen with the naked eye.”

The Book of Magic is a beautiful story about the significance of a life well-lived and the necessity of love, with a tribute to the real-life magic of books sprinkled in along the way.

”Love was inside every story. Love lost and love found, red love that stained your heart, the darkest love that twisted into despair or revenge, love everlasting, love that was true. You carried love with you wherever you went.”

Hoffman’s world-building and sense of intrigue are fully on display as she weaves her unique brand of mystical elements into the narrative. If you’ve read the other books in this series, it will feel like falling back into a familiar routine as you re-encounter the people, places, and particulars from other stories.

”The future rises from the ashes of the past…”

The first third of the story deals with Jet Owens, a beloved character from earlier in the series, who is now advanced in age and grappling with her own mortality, as her death is mere days away. The remainder of the book follows Kylie, a young woman in the newest Owens generation, who is determined to break their family’s curse once and for all.

”Franny understood this was how loss began. She had been here before, but then, like anyone else, she had forgotten this is what happened, that things ended when you least expected them to, that you could not protect those you loved from nature and fate.”

I wouldn’t recommend reading the Practical Magic series out of order or beginning with this book - it doesn’t work well as a standalone novel; as a reader, you really need the situational and relational connections from prior books in order for this one to really be meaningful.

”Even for those with the sight it was a marvel to behold time in all its beauty and confusion: What has been, what is, what will be.”

But, if you already know and love the Owens family and the magic they bring, The Book of Magic is a delight. Hoffman spends significantly more time on plot than on character development, so the story moves quickly and is a fast read. A nice conclusion to a beloved series!

”She had thought it was hard to love, but it had turned out to be easy, all you had to do was have the courage to open your heart. The future was what mattered most, whether or not it continued without her. Let there be courage. Let there be love.”

——

A huge thank you to Alice Hoffman, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!