I'm late to the party but this was AMAZING!

This book draws you in immediately. The book follows 3 siblings who have to follow the "Do not fall in love" rule. It wouldn't be a great story if they didn't. If you love witches, magic, spells and Alice , then this is a MUST.
Lets be real. Who doesn't love Alice Hoffman!?

This book is magic. I am a huge fan of Practical Magic, and this prequel was pure delight. I was drawn in from the first page and had a hard time putting it down. One of my favorites.

I think I'm one of the few readers who came at this one without prior knowledge of the Owens, beyond the movie of Practical Magic. That said, the Owens siblings were compelling and relatable, and I enjoyed this quick, magical read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this free readers edition. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

I've not read Hoffman's bestseller Practical Magic but I will be after reading this prequel to it. While Hoffman wrote and published Practical Magic first I am rather glad I am behind the times and just now delving into the story of the Owens' and their magical ways.

This title introduces the reader to the Owens' siblings - Franny, Jet and Vincent. They have been raised by a mother who had some very strange rules for them. Rules that made no sense and their mother wouldn't explain. No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And the most important rule of all, never, ever, fall in love. As any parent knows, rules like these only make those they are impressed on more curious about the very things they are supposed to stay away from. As Franny, Jet and Vincent grow older they each experiment with the rules. Things really get interesting when Franny turns 17 and receives an invitation to an Aunt's house that she has never met. Jet and Vincent, bored and dreading the summer without Franny, tag along. It's the summer that changes everything. From that summer on the Owens' siblings will never be the same. Once they learn the rules of magic they try to fit back in to a normal life but it proves to be very difficult. This is the story of their efforts from the summer of 1960 through the whole of their lives.

Franny, the eldest, always trying to approach everything analytically but finds she is unable to explain why she and birds seem to be kindred spirits and why she can see what is happening or what has happened in a person's life. Franny works to reconcile who she really is, a witch, with what the rational world would say. Jet, the middle child, open to her sight and open to the magic that seems to follow her and her siblings around. But she is wounded by the curse of no love. Vincent, the only boy and youngest, charming and hypnotizing. He was so charming from the moment he was born that he was kidnapped by a nurse at the hospital - she said it was like she had been under a spell. Vincent can move things with his mind and see people the way both his sisters can. Troubled by what he can and does see Vincent spends his life trying to hide from it.

I really liked this title. It took me a long time to get into it and I wondered if it was because I didn't like it but it turns out I just needed to quit letting other things distract me. Once I really gave myself some time with the story I devoured it. Because I've not read Practical Magic I had no idea how this title led up to it, but a quick review of Practical Magic's summary tells me that this title segues almost straight into Practical Magic. I'm definitely interested in reading that title as well as another prequel Hoffman wrote that shares the story of the Owen that started it all. Truth be told, I'm not sure what I liked so much about the story. The writing is good, the characters were interesting, the story moved and kept me engaged. But there was nothing that made me starstruck. And yet, I'm definitely going to read the other two titles and there's a possibility I will want for more in the series after I finish them.

Sorry to say, this is one Hoffman that I couldn't connect with. I had even gone back and read Practical Magic in anticipation of this release. When I attempted to immersed myself in the pages, I found that I wasn't enjoying the storyline. Therefore, I made the difficult decision to set this down and move on. Thanks for granting me access to an early copy.

Yet again Alice Hoffman pulls me in with a beautiful book. With each chapter you could fully understand each character's story, unique personalities and beautiful lessons.

The Rules of Magic", is such a wonderful world to visit.
Most people avoided the Owens family believing any entanglement with them would taint not only their present but their future as well.
It was said that some family members could place a single horse hair into a pan of water and turn it into a snake.
Yikes... that might scare me away from them too! Ha!

Few years ago I read Faithful by Alice Hoffman and I loved it. It was one of the best books I read that year and I knew I wanted to try Hoffman’s other work at some point.
When nice people from Simon & Schuster provided me with an eARC of The Rules of Magic I was pretty happy, but then life got in a way and this magical book was left behind, neglected.
This year, I made a decision to read all the books from my dusty to-be-reviewed pile and this prequel to Practical Magic shined it’s way to my hands.

I have to confess that I have never read Practical Magic, but I’ve seen the movie many times, because it is a good movie and it’s also very popular in my country because it has Croatian actor in it (Goran Višnjić) along with two famous actresses (Nicole Kidman and Sandra l).

However, it is not obligatory to read or watch Practical Magic to read The Rules of Magic, because it is it’s prequel, and it features different characters.

What won me at the very start of my reading journey was the beautiful writing style that almost read as sing-song in some parts.
I remember I loved it the most in Faithful too, so I guess it’s save to say that Hoffman’s writing is one of the most beautiful voices out there that I have come across.

This novel is written in third person, following perspectives of three siblings who have magical abilities.
I enjoyed following each character, and I honestly can’t even say that one’s story sticks out from other. I liked them all similarly.

The story takes place in New York in sixties (and after as the story progressed) and in the small town Massachusetts. I usually love small town stories, and this time was the same, but I have to admit that I enjoyed New York parts more.

I love how this book roused emotions in me, even though the story itself wasn’t too sad or too emotional. It is a story of life, with magical realism in it.

The Rules of Magic will stay in good memory with me and my only regret is that I haven’t read it sooner.

Alice Hoffman is well received writer with a reason, and I highly recommend you to give her a try. Read this novel, Faithful, her newest release The World That We Knew, or any other of her many novels. I truly believe that you won’t regret it!

This book starts out melancholy, with children losing their parents, follows them as they grow and become adults. The ending is also very melancholy, but that's to be expected with Hoffman.

This book is about three siblings who are descendants of a witch and have magical powers, but set in the real world. This is ostensibly the prequel to Alice Hoffman's long ago book "Practical Magic," but given that I read that book literally 25 years ago and don't really remember it, you can definitely read this book without having read that one. Some of the imagery and writing is really rather lovely, but the story (to the extent there is one) is very slow and meandering, and the characters remain someone remote. Not Alice Hoffman's best book by a long shot, but not her worst either - somewhere in the middle of the pack.

If you loved Practical Magic, you will feel right at home in this book. Alice Hoffman takes the reader back into her magical world, giving the reader a glimpse of the aunties before they were the "responsible" adults we met in Practical Magic. While the family copes with its share of tragedies, there is an under-girding message of hope and optimism that makes this a delight to read.

Finally got around to reading this book, and I terribly regret not getting to it sooner - I LOVED IT! My first read by Alice Hoffman and I'm definitely going to seek out others!

ARC provided by the publisher through Netgalley.

I adore this book. The prequel to Practical Magic, is a winner. What makes The Rules of Magic a better book than Practical Magic is the character development. By the end of the book I was sad to say goodbye to Franny, Jet, Vincent, William, and Haylin.

I haven't read or seen any of the movies prior to reading this, so maybe that played into my lack of enjoyment in many parts of the book. I didn't find the characters very engaging, and there were large portions of the book that seemed to lag for me. I've read and thoroughly enjoyed other books by Alice Hoffman, but just couldn't feel the same about this one.
I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley.

Special thanks to Alice Hoffman for writing this brilliant, haunting, novel and to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster, Canada for providing me with a digital ARC of THE RULES OF MAGIC, enabling me to write this unbiased review. I listened to the unabridged audiobook of THE RULES OF MAGIC expertly read by the talented Marin Ireland.

"Reading an Alice Hoffman book is like falling into a deep dream where senses are heightened and love reigns supreme. THE RULES OF MAGIC is no exception." - JODI PICOULT, New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things.

"There is no remedy for love but to love more." - Henry David Thoreau

THE RULES OF MAGIC is the spellbinding prequel to PRACTICAL MAGIC.

It was with great anticipation that I started this book, and I was not disappointed. The characters seemed real and Alice Hoffman once again bewitched me with her wonderful writing.

Susanna Owens knows that her three children are different and although she wants to protect them, she allows them to leave home and spend their summer vacation with Aunt Isabelle in Massachusetts. Fanny, Jet and Vincent's lives change that summer in the early 1960s.
When the siblings return home to New York City, they know much more about themselves and the truth of who they are. In the 1600s the Owens family had a curse put on them and must never fall in love.
Tragedy strikes and we follow Fanny, Jet and Vincent as they leave childhood, make life altering decisions and grow into adulthood, all the while bearing in mind that they are cursed in love. Vincent and Fanny try to outwit the curse. Will they succeed?
There were several twists to this story, but surprisingly it all came together nicely, leading into the novel PRACTICAL MAGIC. I thoroughly enjoyed THE RULES OF MAGIC and am eager to start the next one in the series to see what lies in store for Fanny, Jet, and their nieces Sally and Gillian. If you liked Ami McKay's THE WITCHES OF NEW YORK, then you must read THE RULES OF MAGIC by Alice Hoffman.
5 magical stars ⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️
Posted to Goodreads

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book to me in exchange for my honest review.

I really and truly loved this book - It was whimsical and fun and sad all wrapped up together.

I read Practical Magic first because I wanted to have some context for this story and.... as an after thought.... I think I should have read this one first. Practical Magic was not new to me as I have seen the movie; however, this story was fresh and new and I really wanted to find out where my characters came from and how they developed. The Rules of Magic really delivered. The characters were wonderful to discover and to live with as they grew and changed. I cried with them. I laughed with them. I felt like I grew with them too.

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone who has a light heart and can suspend their disbelief in magic and witches.

Enjoy and Happy Reading!

This review has been posted on GoodReads and Amazon.

I am pretty sure that I read Hoffman's Practical Magic since I've read several of her books, but it was probably in the 90s, long before I started keeping track on Goodreads. I once heard Anna Quindlen speak, and she said something I never forgot regarding certain female authors, "You can't go wrong with a book written by an Alice." This is terrific advice, and, I've found, completely accurate.

When I saw The Rules of Magic offered on NetGalley, I requested it right away, especially since the author considers this the first in the series, just in case I forgot the plot of the first one. (Yes, here I go with a series again, right after I said I never read them...) The family legacy of witchcraft haunts the Owens family, and you can bet that Susannah Owens' three children are not about to escape unscathed. Charged with a myriad of rules, their mother offers one that is just too compelling to ignore, "Don't fall in love." So you see where this is going — witches, spells, secret powers, and love — what's not to like? Trust me and Anna Quindlen, you can't go wrong with a book written by an Alice.


For Goodreads:

Why I picked it — Because I love Alice Hoffman books.
Reminded me of… Brunonia Barry's The Fifth Petal
For my full review — click here

More like a 4.5 star rating, because from about 50 to 70% I was considering marking it as DNF. But it started to pick back up after the conclusion to the section involving Frances and Vincent's love lives, and how Vietnam affected them. The last 30% or so flew past and I enjoyed seeing young Sally and Gillian at the end, getting ready to start their lives with the Aunts. My only criticism of the book really is the density of the description, the way certain things dragged on for a tad bit too long. I do recommend it for fans of magical realism, Alice Hoffman's other books, or even just the movie version of "Practical Magic."

I received a review copy of this from the publisher on NetGalley, which in no way influenced my opinions. Thanks NetGalley!

I'll start by saying that Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors. I've read a number of her books, but had not read Practical Magic when offered Rules for review. Out of an abundance of caution, and a fair bit of compulsion to read books in the order they are written, I picked up PM and read that first. Despite that compulsion, after reading both, I was delighted to discover that ROM was cleverly written to appeal both to those of us who read PM first, and as a stand-alone novel. Kudos for that. . . not everyone can carry that off.

The Rules of Magic was simply transcendent. Franny, Jet and Vincent are masterfully characterized in very distinct and special ways. All subject to their mother's list of rules, they discover their family history and the reason behind those rules -- paramount among them to never fall in love -- while discovering themselves in a magical coming of age story.

Thank you, Alice! You are an amazingly talented author.

I usually like Alice Hoffman books, but not having read the other Magic book left me at a disadvantage with this book. I couldn't really get into to it, and abandoned my reading after the first chapter.