Hoffman starts the story way before the town began, sharing the experiences of the very first settlers, what they did, how they survived, and why they called things what they did. Then, she jumps forward in time to show how time changes what keeps its name, what gets changed, and how things get lost to each successive generation. Threaded all through this is a family curse that needs to be broken.

Such a sad and sweet book. Written quite simply it reads like a YA novel, but is also so full of feeling. The Owens siblings have quite the life as witches in hiding, their parents, however, will do what ever they can to hide the magic brewing in their three teenage children, hoping to protect them from curses and the general taboo of witchery. Tragic accidents are aplenty in this book, and the children ban together to try to make sense of their lives, and keep moving forward.
We follow them as they age and try to find happiness in a world that just keeps bringing them down. Written as a prequel to Practical Magic (which I haven't read) it definitely leaves you glad to know there is more to come in this unique family saga.

The Rules of Magic is a prequel to Practical Magic, which I read so long ago that all I can remember about it is that there were lilacs. There are lilacs here, too, and many other plants, too, and wild, beautiful, and haunting settings. It's the story of three siblings, born in New York, into a magical family; magic that they embrace or run from and different times in their lives. Ultimately, it's about being yourself, and the importance of love.

I somehow have never managed to get around to reading the popular and much loved "Practical Magic". But I couldn't resist the temptation of the prequel "The Rules of Magic", when I saw it up for request on NetGalley. When I understood that it could be read as a stand alone, or in advance of Practical Magic, namely thanks to the lovely Elise's words of wisdom on GR, I had to immediately start reading it.

The narrative is straightforward and moves in a linear pattern as we follow the three Owen's siblings as they discover more about who they really are. Their mother Susanna Owens escaped to Paris as a young woman and then married and settled in New York having three children - Frances, Bridget (known as Jet) and Vincent. They live in the family's shabby town house on Eighty-Ninth Street on the Upper East Side. Despite their mothers attempts at hiding their pasts and extended family, along with a list of seemingly strange rules, the children grow up to be unusual.

Then one day everything changes. On Franny's 17th birthday she receives an invitation to go to her Aunt Isabelle's in Massachusetts for the summer holidays. Her younger siblings suggest to their parents that they will accompany her to look over her. Their mother warned them that their Aunt would test them when they least expected it and she would be aware of everything they did. Against their parents wishes, they arrive on Magnolia Street on a long Midsummer's Eve, the summer solstice, with the knowledge nothing would ever be the same again and that they would be entering into a different life altogether once the summer was over and they returned to New York.

Oh what a glorious book. The prose is simple but so delightful. You become immersed in a world with beautiful descriptions of nature and of the smells and changing of the seasons and weather, in Massachusetts and also New York City of all places. Alice Hoffman makes Central Park sound like an oasis of nature, full of flora and fauna and magical delights. It will make you view Manhattan through new eyes and see another layer to the city.

Being new to the Owen's family I have no idea what the future holds, or whether this book would have more meaning if I had read Practical Magic. This feels almost like a coming of age story, in a magical realism realm. I do personally like that prior to reading P.M, that I now already know the backgrounds and back stories of the family, and what turmoils they have been through and overcome; therefore what shapes and made them who and what they are as adults.

There were so many things i adored about this book; the peppering of herbal remedies and little sayings and quotes "Unable are the Loved to die, for Love is Immortality", Emily Dickinson. The insightful life lessons - life is short, so live and live a lot. The emotions and feels. The exquisite descriptions. The character development is superb and I felt like part of the bewitching Owen's family by the time i finished. Although I definitely didn't want it to end, I wanted to read more about the saga of the Owen's family, and in particular certain characters.

The Rules of Magic is a truly captivating, moving and magical story, perfect for readers who love their books to contain a sprinkling of magical realism.

With many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and the author Alice Hoffman, for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

How much did I love this book? I cannot even count the ways.

Franny, Bridget (Jet), and Vincent Owens are siblings growing up in New York City in the late 1950s and early 1960s, raised by no-nonsense parents who discourage their children from exploring their uniqueness. Their mother Susanna knows that her children are different—headstrong Franny can talk to birds, beautiful Jet can read people's thoughts, and charismatic Vincent has been charming people to him since birth, and he uses that to his advantage.

Susanna has many rules she demands her children follow—no walking in the moonlight, no books about magic, no candles, no crows, and most importantly, never fall in love. The Owens family has been cursed since 1620, when their ancestor, Maria Owens, who was accused of witchcraft after loving the wrong man, predicted ruin for anyone in her lineage that dared fall in love. Many bore the scars of that curse, including Susanna herself.

While the children know they are different, at first only Vincent wants to understand what they really are. But after spending the summer at their feisty Aunt Isabelle's house, they are urged to embrace their heritage and their differences, rather than hide who they are and what they can do. Living in the small Massachusetts town where everyone looks askance at the Owens family, believing the rumors of witchcraft and evil to be true, they learn to have pride in who they are, to be bold and unafraid of those who disapprove.

It is in Massachusetts where each of the children come face to face with understanding the curse that plagues their family, and they try to test its limits. As they grow into adulthood, they must wrestle with the dilemma of embracing their identity and keeping love at bay, or risking it all for the magic and fire that love can bring? And what will that risk entail?

The Rules of Magic is utterly compelling, exquisitely told, and really just so fantastic. It's a story of family, identity, self-discovery, embracing your fears, love, loss, and, of course, magic. These characters are so affecting and fascinating, and I could have read a book about each of them. Alice Hoffman is once again at the top of her storytelling form with this book, which has so many beautiful, memorable, touching moments which I'd rather let unfold for you than tell you about.

While this book is a prequel to Hoffman's fantastic Practical Magic, don't worry if you've never read it or, like me, don't really remember it. (It was published in 1995, so don't feel bad.) You absolutely can read this one without any knowledge of the Owens family and enjoy it immensely. And if you've never read Alice Hoffman before, you're in for a treat.

I'm so sad this is over!!

NetGalley and Simon & Schuster provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman definitely fits into the world that I already know from Practical Magic. Although I haven't read the book I have seen the movie multiple times and I was delighted to be able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The setting of this book is the 1950s/60s and the story revolves around three magical siblings. Rather than embracing their magical blood these siblings were taught to hide it because of the family curse. (If you've read or watched Practical Magic you are already familiar with this curse.) As someone who didn't live through this time period it was at times hard to relate and at other times it was refreshingly different. I vaguely know about the different movements of the time and to see them tied into the coming of age journeys for all three siblings was delightful.

I loved getting to know the three unique siblings as they found out who they are and who they wanted to be, as well as who they wanted to love. I loved that they weren't exactly the same nor were they polar opposites. Their relationship among themselves truly felt like that of siblings who shared a magical bond. The romances the siblings had throughout the book were also drastically different and yet all were loving in their own way. It was a treat to see how they each came to accept love in their lives.

The only issue I had at times was a lack of direction with the plot. If it was just to watch the siblings grow into their own then it surely accomplished that. However, it almost felt as if Franny was meant to achieve something great, something beyond herself and it never obviously happened. (Maybe I missed it because it was subtle? Or maybe they are referring to events in Practical Magic?) Nevertheless, there was never a true climax for me nor a true resolution. I'm sure many readers won't mind as they'll rely on Practical Magic to have already provided those but I wish Franny and Jet had some grand moment together like Vincent had. Maybe they did in their own ways (I won't spoil anything here) but I had hoped for a more momentous and shocking evolution for them rather than a slow methodical movement to their futures in Practical Magic.

I give this book 4 stars because it was well written, the characters were engaging and fully formed, the story was something that I hadn't come across before, and it is a solid prequel to a movie I love.

Slightly embarrassed that I was not aware of Alice Hoffman when I received an ARC via NetGalley. For those who don't know Alice Hoffman is the author of the successful and much adored novel Practical Magic.
Rules of Magic is a prequel to Practical Magic which deals with the Owens Family, who suffer from a curse dating back to 1620. A curse caused by loving the wrong man. Hundreds of years later the novel focusses on three unique Owens children, Franny, Jet and Vincent, all with their own set of 'powers'.
Protected by their parents the children begin to discover the secrets of their 'special' family and who they really are and begin a journey on how to escape the family curse.
I found this book beautifully written and engaging, love is at the centre of the novel but inextricably linked to sorrow and this is expertly balanced and handled with sensitivity.
Alice Hoffman is obviously extremely fond of these characters and this is elegantly displayed in how they come to life off the page and how the reader becomes part of the family and cares for the characters.
I really enjoyed the links to historical events that took place such as Stonewall and Vietnam, I'd like to have seen this developed a little more but the book is really all about the family, their closeness, their bond,their loves and their losses.
I think not knowing Alice Hoffman and Practical Magic helped me to enjoy this book so much. It's particularly satisfying to know I have another instalment to look forward to.
Only slight issue that prevents 5 stars is that it was probably a little drawn out at the end and could have been a little shorter.
This is a book full of witchcraft and love, lovingly crafted and beautifully written. Bewitched.
4.5 stars

First, let me say that I wanted to read this book the moment it was announced that she was going to write it. Second, I loved every minute of reading it. Ever since I read Practical Magic, I always wanted to know more about the Aunts who took in the Owens Sisters and WHY they were who they were. The Rules of Magic gave me that and so much more. Learning how they grew up without being allowed to use their gifts because of the rules their parents had put on them but then seeing them rebel just enough to give them what they thought would be freedom made the reader care about them more. Learning that there was another sibling helped to explain HOW the Owens Sisters in Practical Magic came into being.
I feel like all of the characters were fleshed out and complete. It showed that even thought they had magic at their hands, they still struggled with everyday problems and not so everyday problems. Overall this book is one that can be read after reading Practical Magic or before the reader decides to pick it up.

As always, Alice Hoffman entertains, keeps in suspense and delights me! I loved this story!

I have read several of Alice Hoffman’s books but this one was certainly different for me. I have not read “Practical Magic” so did not really know what to expect. While this book is a prequel to “Practical Magic”, it also stands alone. Ms. Hoffman is certainly versatile – the story of Masada in “The Dovekeepers” and now witches.

In the 1600’s when the witches were being persecuted in Boston they sought safety in Manhattan. It is now late 1960’s and Susanna Owens lives in New York City with her three children. Franny can converse with birds, Jet can read people’s thoughts, and Vincent charms everyone that he meets. He was so charming at his birth a nurse attempted to kidnap him from the hospital. So no wonder that everyone shuns the family – unless they want a potion or a salve.

Susanna tries to protect her children by applying rules - no walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. But above all they are never to fall in love. For them, love is a curse. But teens are teens, witch or not. They are going to rebel and do exactly what they are told not to do.

Ms. Hoffman made the three siblings so real that I found myself caught up in their emotional struggles. They set out to discover who they are and their place in the world. And as hard as they try to avoid love, the teens could not deny the feelings of their human hearts. Thus they are forced to struggle with the consequences of their family curse, and perhaps the greatest lesson they learn is that in the Henry David Thoreau quote in the epigraph – “There is no remedy for love but to love more.”

Note: Cannot post yet on Amazon
Also posted to BookBrowse.com, BooksaMillion.com and Edelweiss Plus

<b>5 Crazy, Dazzling & Reckless Stars!

"The Rules of Magic" is a Mystical, Whimsical, Fantastical and Heartbreaking Novel about the Owen family. Siblings, Franny, Jet and Vincent, who are given simple, yet strange rules by their mother Susanna: no walking in moonlight, no wearing black, no wearing red shoes, no cats or crows, no candles and no reading books about magic. Oh.. and the biggest rule? No falling in love. </b> They are provided no explanation. None. They obey.. though they don't know why - until they are summoned to visit their Aunt Isabelle in Massachusetts. Then they discover the truth. They are witches. And everything falls into place. Jet and Vincent take to it immediately and they study and practice. Franny tries ignores what she knows to be true until one day, she too has no choice but to embrace her true self. She is a witch, through and through. And her siblings need her.

From their Aunt, and from books that they have been warned to stay away from, they learn spells; they learn the secrets of making soaps and how to make potions; and from each other they find strength. They find love; though it terrifies them - for they have been told of the curse on the Owens family. It is beautiful, exciting, haunting and terrifying. Yet Franny, Jet and Vincent are destined for it.

<b>In "The Rules of Magic" by Alice Hoffman, what you will learn, is that "There is no remedy for love, but to love more." We all strive for this, each and every one of us. This book's magical realism and utter whimsy made me want to dance in my kitchen, learn to fly, converse with animals and make potions, but alas, I had to settle for dancing in my kitchen. Thankfully, it was enough. </b>

Alice Hoffman does something amazing here, but then, doesn't she always? Her characters are beloved and endearing, yet tortured. The story grabs you from the get go, and not just because it's a Prequel to Hoffman's "Practical Magic" (which you don't need to have read in order to read this) and she just creates this <i>feeling</i> that sinks into your soul and soothes you completely. Yes. She does that.

<b>All I can say is that you must experience its magic for yourself. It worked for me. </b>

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon Schuster and Alice Hoffman for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I am externally grateful that I was given the opportunity to read and review this incredible book.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 8.13.17.

*Will be Published on Amazon on 10.10.17.

Alice Hoffman, in this prequel, has written a lovely and magical story about being true to one's self. The characters are well-drawn and the prose is funny, sad and endearing. This is magical realism at its finest.

m not being fair to the book by rating it lower and I'll explain. I'd consider myself a fan of magical realism books. I adore most anything written by Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen. Those are the two I automatically think of. But I've been in the mood for mystery, suspense and horror more than usual lately and so I feel like maybe it wasn't the right time to read this book. I still liked it quite a bit but I feel like if I read it at another time, I may have rated it higher. All of that being said, I think I also have some valid reasons why I chose the rating that I did. So make of all of this what you will. Still read this if you like Hoffman and books in the magical realism genre. For those unfamiliar, this is a prequel to one of Hoffman's most popular books, "Practical Magic." I enjoyed that book and was always curious about the aunts. What was their back story? Now we finally know. I don't think it's necessary to read, "Practical Magic," first. This works well as a stand alone. So jump in and get to know the aunts of Sally and Gillian. Frances, Jet and their brother Vincent. My quibbles are that it was very slow at times and I felt like Hoffman really beat some points into the ground which resulted in some repetition that I didn't care for. Some parts felt awkward to me. Overall it was delightful following the siblings on their journey. Hoffman remains a master in weaving tales of Magic and creating characters to root for. Thank you Netgalley for the book. (less)

This is the prequel to Practical Magic, which I had not read. BUT, I most recently read Hoffman's Faithful, which I loved. This NOT SO MUCH!

The setting: "For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.

Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk."

And so the scenario. Rules of magic are laid out. What they can and cannot do -- either because of a rule or because they are from a family of witches/wizards and what can or cannot happen because of their heritage.

Most GR reviewers raved about this book. I slogged through it. Never captured me though there were some "magical" parts I liked. [For example--potions, familiars, rabbit, crow, dog, not being able to drown, things turning colors.] About half way through [and it is a short book], I thought--aha--it's turning/changing, but sadly, not.

But some of it too predictable-- e.g., Vincent [no spoiler alert from me]. I did like Aunt Isabelle and her parts of the story and her home.

A huge disappointment.

The Rules of Magic is my first book by Alice Hoffman. This is the prequel to Practical Magic. Practical Magic has been on my to-read list for a while but I think that it worked out that I read this first. This way I’ll have all the back-knowledge when I read the “first” book.

I really enjoyed this book! I was busy so I had to read it across a couple of weeks but I was able to get right back into it.

The Rule of Magic is the story of 3 siblings (2 witches) and a wizard growing up in the early 60’s; their trials and tribulations growing up in a family that has had a love curse on it since the 1600’s and magic is forbidden by their parents

I won’t say more about the plot for fear of spoiling the surprises throughout the book, but if you enjoy funny quirky stories this is the book for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Franny, Jet, and Vincent are the three Owens "witches" living in NYC. While I never read Practical Magic, I've seen the movie. So my association with Franny and Jet were the actresses who played them on the big screen. Throughout the book I found myself drawn more to Jet, but her character wasn't developed nearly as well as Franny's. I wanted more for Jet than what she was given. Vincent's character would've been so much better had he not turned out to be gay. It just seemed so cliche and trite. I really thought something big - huge - was going to happen with his character and being gay just wasn't big or huge in my opinion.

If you're a fan of Practical Magic, you're obviously going to read The Rules of Magic.

THE RULES OF MAGIC (October 2017)
Alice Hoffman
Simon and Shuster, 384 pages
★★★★ ½

When it comes to cultural repetition, sequels get most of the bad press though, truth be told, prequels are far more likely to be awful. Do you know anyone who prefers any of the awful Star Wars prequels to the original? Did you ever hear anyone say they liked Go Set a Watchman more than To Kill a Mockingbird? Have you even met anyone who has read Scarlet or Before Green Gables? One of the many things that makes Alice Hoffman's The Rules of Magic a joyful read is that the prequel to her beloved Practical Magic is by far the superior novel. That's no dig at the original; Hoffman was a good writer back in 1995, but she's even better now.

The Rules of Magic takes the Owens family back two generations—to the childhood and young adulthood of Frances (Franny") and Bridgett ("Jet"), the eccentric aunts who will later raise Sally and Gillian in Practical Magic. In many ways, the two novels are the same story, though Franny and Jet grow up in New York City, not in a Massachusetts town a stone's throw from Salem. Fear not, they will make their way to that crooked Gothic house on Magnolia Street with its garden of herbal delights. There is no escaping the legacy of witchcraft surrounding Owens girls. Or, in this case, Owens children, as Susanna Owens and her husband, psychologist James Burke-Owens, also have a son, Vincent. Try as they will, these children cannot be what their peers consider normal. Franny is taller than most children, has blood red hair, loves Emily Dickinson poems, and possesses animal attraction in both senses of the word. She is the serious and pragmatic counter to her beautiful, reticent, kind, raven-haired, thought-reading sister Jet, and their reckless, lazy, musically gifted, conjuring younger brother Vincent. (For me, Vincent evokes a young Jim Morrison.) Susanna desperately wants a conventional life for her children and lays down the book's namesake rules: "No walking in the moonlight, no Ouija boards, no candles, no red shoes, no wearing black, no going shoeless, no amulets, no night-blooming flowers, no reading novels about magic, no cats, no crows, and no venturing below Fourteenth Street." And there's another: Don't fall in love. Affection bonds are doomed because of a 17th century family curse and an eventual brush with Salem witchcraft inquisitor John Hathorne*—the only judge from 1692 who never expressed regret for the trials.

It gives away nothing to say that Susanna's brood will break the rules. After all, if they don't, we'd have a paragraph, not a novel. The book opens in 1960, the cusp of when bending rules is about to become the new norm. There is also the matter of the heart desiring what the heart desires, plus let's not forget that Susanna has a sister living in Massachusetts who is equal parts witch, social worker, and cranky crone. Aunt Isabelle plies her nieces and nephew with "tipsy chocolate cake" whenever they visit, and she knows full well that Susanna's desire to suppress her children's essential nature can only come to a bad end. Her rules of magic are simpler: "Do as you will, but harm no one."

If you've already read Practical Magic, you will find tremendous similarity between it and its prequel: animus toward differences, lingering historical fears, curses, spite, white magic, difficult personalities, and the precariousness of all relationships between the enchanted and non-gifted. But Hoffman spreads literary fairy dust to keep us spellbound in the details of how the dramas unfold. Her characters have depth, her prose is graceful, and intersecting stories are well crafted. Fans of Practical Magic will revel in new details about the Owens family, but the best thing about a well-done prequel is that you need not have read (or remembered) it to appreciate The Rules of Magic. The only downfall of reading Rules first is that you might find Practical Magic tepid by comparison. It's pretty clear that Ms. Hoffman has perfected more tricks in the past 22 years.

Rob Weir

Postscript: This novel is not slated to release until October, but orders are being taken now. I read a pre-release copy courtesy of Netgalley.

*Those who have read The Scarlet Letter will know that John Hathorne bore a curse of his own. Nathaniel Hawthorne changed the spelling of his surname to disavow his ties to his ancestor.

#alicehoffman
#simonshuster

"Know that the only remedy for love is to love more."

This book managed to kick me out of my book slump. Cried several times even when reading the happy parts.

4.5 stars - highly recommended 👍🏼

With the way Alice Hoffman enchants us with THE RULES OF MAGIC, one must wonder if she, herself is a witch. Just a magnificent read with rich characters and a marvelous plot. Hoffman is so skilled at rendering a place real that I felt as though I could just step into the house on Magnolia Street and make myself some courage tea. Even better than PRACTICAL MAGIC - and that's saying something. I never wanted it to end. I hope Hoffman can imagine the lives of Gillian and Sally's children so I can read another book with its origin in the house on Magnolia Street.