This was the perfect season to read this atmospheric, witchy, novel. If you're a fan of the Practical magic series, this is the origin of the story, the tale of Maria Owens in the 1600's, the witch who cast the curse on the Owens family for centuries to come. I loved this series and was so excited to be able to learn more about where it all started.

Although this one had a bit of a slow build in the beginning, I sank into it quickly. I loved the elements of including the potions and methods of healing used for hundreds of years by those who practice the art. If you dig a bit deeper into the symbolism Hoffman uses when describing the attitude towards women and witchcraft, it can easily be applied to the way we treat one another in this millennium. Persecution, hate and dissemination all come from a place of fear. And the things fear can do in the hearts of those without kindness and empathy to temper it is terrifying.

This is an excellent book for spooky season, but also had me looking a little harder at the world around me. Why are people so afraid of what we don't understand? Why do we immediately cast out those we see as different? How can we be better?

For fans of the world that Alice Hoffman created in "Practical Magic", Maria Owens has always loomed large as the matriarch of a the most beloved Owens family. Whether you first encountered the strong, powerful Owens women through Gillian and Sally in "Practical Magic", Franny and Jet in "The Rules of Magic", or through Maria herself in "Magic Lessons", once you enter their world, you will always be a part of it.

This new novel, a prequel to Hoffman's previous two Owens Family books, tells the fascinating story of Maria Owens - introducing readers to her origins as an abandoned baby in a snow-covered field, and carrying them along as she grows into her magical talent, learns to trust herself, knows heartbreak and loss, and inspires love, fear, and betrayal in the men and women around her. She is at once strong and flawed, determined and doubting, formidable and endearing, and readers will be hard-pressed to lay this book down before they've devoured her story from cover to cover.

Maria's journey from England to the islands of the New World, on to Boston, Salem, and New York mirror her transformation from a foundling baby in Hannah Owens' care, to a young servant in a strange land, to a mother, teacher, healer, lover, and matriarch. She faces incredible trials, skirts death, and loses her heart, yet she still manages to stand tall, face her oppressors, and find a way to help other women like her who are caught up in the fear, distrust, and violence that taint some men's souls.

With historical touchstones such as the religious persecution of the Jewish people in Europe, and the witch trials in both England and America, this story is not just about a woman's journey across the sea, but it also takes readers on a journey through time, giving them a chance to see all the ways in which our world has changed and the many ways in which it hasn't.

Beautifully descriptive with a minimal amount of dialogue, Alice Hoffman has created yet another masterpiece that will no doubt enchant, intrigue, and delight both readers who are very familiar with the tales of the Owens women and those who are new to them. Though it explores many themes, the core of this novel is love - that of mothers and daughters, husbands and lovers - and the many ways in which it can shape us, blind us, and ultimately, heal us.

I loved this book and will no doubt read it again and again over the course of my life. Maria and her descendants are beautiful, wonderful, passionate people that will always have a home on my bookshelf and a special place in my heart.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman is a prequel to her books Practical Magic and Rules of Magic. This book is the story of the matriarch of the family, Maria Owens. If you’ve read the first two books, she would be the one that uttered the curse that has plagued the Owens women through the generations. “To any man who ever loves an Owens, let this curse befall you, let your fate lead to disaster, let you be broken in body and soul, and may it be that you never recover.” When Maria was born in 1664 her mother abandoned her in a field and she was taken in by Hannah Owens who practiced the Unnamed Arts and when she realized that Maria had a gift for the Arts she taught her everything she knew. This is a time when witches were blamed for things that went wrong and many women were murdered after being accused of witchcraft. The book follows Maria’s life from Essex England, to Curacao as an indentured servant where her daughter Faith is born, to Salem, Massachusetts, to New York City and then back to Salem. As a huge fan of both Practical Magic and Rules of Magic I found this story to be delightful and full of wisdom and magic. I highly recommend reading all three stories. Publishing Date: October 6, 2020. #MagicLessons #AliceHoffman #SimonAndSchusterCanada #HistoricalFiction #MagicalFiction #FantasyNovels #bookstagram #bookstagrammer

Magic Lessons is a sweeping epic that covers three continents and three generations of a family of witches. Packed full of interesting tidbits of the wisdom of "wise women", it's a story about the hardships that befall women, the pain and the magic of love and the coming of age of two women.
I love Hoffman's sensitive treatment of her witches and her sympathetic portrayal of the women and the horrors of the witch trials in both Massachusetts and in England.
Covering Maria's life in the 17th century, the story brings to life the history and culture of the time in vivid colours and whether it's history wrapped in fiction or fiction rooted in the history of a turbulent time, if you're a fan of American historical fiction, this is a story you have to read.

Thank you Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

This author has been on my to read list for a very long time. Specifically her book Practical Magic. Every season I watch the movie I add the book back to my list to read list. So when I saw Hoffman was releasing a prequel to the book I figured it was a good opportunity to read them in order.

This is the first book I have read by Hoffman and I overall enjoyed it. I enjoyed the characters and all the historical details in the book, however this book felt unbalanced for me.
Let me start by saying I love when authors add information like recipes or other things in that add to the story- so I really enjoyed reading the spells and lists that Hoffman added in. However I felt there were a lot of paragraphs of information and then lists of spells that wasn’t balanced with character dialogue to push the plot forward. I often felt like the author was telling the reader a bunch of information verse showing the reader through character interactions. The first 50-60% off the novel was very information driven which for me made the pace very slow. Once you get passed the first half you get to know these beautiful characters and follow them on a wonderful story that is rooted in magic. I do believe the end outweighs the beginning but you have to be willing to put in the work to get there.

Quality of writing 9/10
Although I found this book to be very slow in pace due to the writing style I did love the quality of writing. I loved the addition of witchy lists and spells and also found many beautiful quotes. However the pace of the first half to 60% of the book really got in the way of me full enjoying the beautiful prose.

Pace 5/10
The pace was a mix for me where there were times I wish it would slow down, particularly towards the end, but then the first half of the book was a bit too prose heavy and not enough dialogue. The lack of interactions between characters in the beginning slowed the development of the plot.

Plot Development 5.5/10
I appreciate the author’s beautiful words and the integration of the spells and lists but at points it felt like being told a bunch of information verse being shown by the characters interactions and dialogue. I found myself craving more dialogue and less paragraphs of information.

Characters 7/10
I enjoyed the characters, especially Samuel. For the lack of dialogue there was still something that made you get attached to the characters and their stories.

Enjoyment 7/10
My enjoyment of the book was split because of how much I didn’t really enjoy the first half of the book. The second half is really where the book shined for me and I couldn’t put it down.

Thought Provoking 8/10
Since the book is heavy on long paragraphs with details of historical occurrence and information on Witchcraft- the book definitely made me want to learn more about the people during this period of history. I feel it would be a great book to study for an English or History course and could pair really well with curriculum.

Ease of Reading 8/10
This book is easy to follow. The first few chapters are a bit confusing until you get more details on the characters and learn their involvement with each other. There were a couple time I had to read back to remember who a character was, but for the most part it was easy to read and comprehend.

Ending 9/10
I feel the author did a great job of trying up loose ends and had a good overall end to the story. Knowing this is a prequel written out of order (I have not read the other novels) I feel like it did a good job at tying things up but leaving things open enough to carry forward.

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

The perfect moody fall read 🍂 A little bit dark, a little bit creepy, featuring a strong female protagonist who fights against the societal norms of her time and place. There’s love, curses, redemption... a magical origin tale for the Owens family known to us from Rules of Magic and Practical Magic.

The setting is 1600s, bringing us from England to Curaçao to Salem and beyond. I loved the strong historical fiction undercurrent in this tale. The descriptive writing and time-period context provided really allows for total immersion in the story.

I think you can absolutely read this as a stand alone. I’ve actually read both the novels this is a prequel to, and enjoyed knowing how the Owens’ family lineage plays out, but I actually think this was my favourite. It’s the longest and for me, had the richest storyline and characters.

It took me a little bit of time to get into the story, but it really picks up and I became invested quickly. The writing style was very reminiscent to the Rules of Magic, and lends to a dreamy quality to the book.

I recommend for anyone who enjoys a good dark story, with rich characters and interesting historical setting.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to an e-copy of this novel I’m exchange for review!

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman is the prequel to Practical Magic.  I am actually fortunate, that I have not yet read that, so getting to read the prequel first is a bonus.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Simon & Schuster Canada, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

In 1664, Maria was just a babe when her mother left her in a basket in the in a field in England.  Hannah Owens, known for her abilities with the "Unnamed Arts", found the child, and raised her as her own.  Maria already had a magical heritage, for her true mother was a witch.  She quickly learned how to cultivate her own gifts, and under Hannah's tutelage, she learned so much more.  

When still young, Maria found love, but was duped.   However, Faith was born from that union, and her daughter was more precious than life itself.  Still, Maria followed the man to America, and that's when she discovered the truth of the man she thought she loved.    She cursed all men who would love an Owens.  But she cursed before she knew how important love was.

In a time of the Salem witch trials, and the lack of women's rights, Maria and Faith learned the hard way.  Not everyone would accept them.


My Opinions:   

Alice Hoffman is an amazing writer.  Her prose pulls you into the story and keeps you there.  Her characters are deep, and they help to pull you deeper into their lives.   The book definitely has strong female characters.  Occasionally there were lists of magical cures (most of which used herbs from our own gardens), and those were fun to read.

The historical accuracy of some of the events was interesting.  The book also probed the relationships between mother and daughter, which was sometimes intense.  As well, it explored a woman's progression from childhood to adulthood, and the trauma that sometimes accompanies it.

It is hard to describe the genre of this book.  Although fantasy or magical realism may be true, I found myself thinking this was more of an epic historical saga (which I don't normally read or enjoy).  It doesn't matter though, it was good.  I think the books only fault was it's length, and although I believe she is an excellent writer, sometimes the descriptive narrative was a little much.  As well, it was a dark time, and the story was dark as well, but it would have been nice if there were a few light moments.  They were few and far between.

Bottom line...it was great. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next (first) book in the series, and will then probably re-read the second.

I am a huge fan of the Practical Magic series - I started with Rules of Magic and loved it and then really enjoyed Practical Magic, so I was very excited to see that this book is the origin story of the Owen's women's curse! I thought it started very strong and ended very strong and the storyline was fantastic - there was a lot going on, and a lot of characters to love and hate. I found a few places in the middle story to be a little slow-moving in terms of pace, but they still added to the storyline and setting! Overall, really enjoyed this whole story and series!

I will always want more of the Owens women. If you've read Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic, this is a must. If you haven't - dive in now! Hoffman creates a world of strong women and powerful magic. This story crosses the ocean and creates a journey of a mother and daughter that does not disappoint.

Hoffman is a very successful American author of such books as "The Dovekeepers", "The World That We Knew" and "Faithful". This new book is a prequel to her book "Practical Magic", but it is not necessary to have read that book to enjoy this one. It is set in the 1600's in London, Curacao and the USA. We follow the life of Maria Owens, from an abandoned baby in rural England to her fight to save her own daughter in Salem Massachusetts. This is a not just a compelling story but offers a comment on the role of women in that society and the fear that led to the Salem witch trials. With adventure, history, romance and of course magic, this is a great recommendation for historical fiction fans. It releases in trade paperback and has a Goodreads rating of 4.47/5 from 531 readers.

Such a beautiful story of love and fate. Hoffman writes a wonderful blend of magical realism and historical fiction so well. The characters were so vibrant and you felt everything right with them.

This work of historical fiction was such a wonderful read! I was immediately swept up in Maria Owen's story. I loved the sections which read like a guidebook for the practice of magic as it allows the reader to become fully immersed in Maria Owen's world. The author was able to convey the horror of the Salem witch trials. I loved that there were so many strong female characters in this book.

The prequel to Practical magic, this is the story of Maria and Faith Owens. Fearing love and seeking revenge the mother and daughter travel to North America in the tumultuous time of the Salem witch trials. There they learn of love and power both good and evil; witchcraft for good an evil. In the end what survives are the rules of witchcraft
Do as you will, but harm no one.
What you give will be returned to you threefold.
Fall in love whenever you can.
A good read for those lovers of historical fiction whether the topic of witchcraft interests you or not.

What a beautifully written story about the fierce bonds between mothers and daughters, the perseverance of strong independent women and love. I loved the eloquent, yet accessible style, the immersive imagery and the strong full characters. This world felt so real I forgot sometimes that it was fiction. What a pleasure to read. Having no not read the other books in this series, I really enjoyed all the references to herbs, cures, spells, etc. and how these almost naturopathic home remedies were seamlessly worked into the narrative alongside the supernatural powers of the Owens. Things like burning tears, floating in water and turning the silver black were awesome. I can’t wait to read what happens to the future generations of this strong witch family.

Thank you to Netgallery for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

All I can say is that this is one of the most interesting families I've ever read about. Do I secretly want to me an Owens? Maybe. Don't judge! I would probably be a cool witch who would do cool things with her powers... well, that's what I would hope for anyways.

I've never been into books about magic and witches but this book I couldn't put down. I read "The Rules of Magic" before getting to this one and I'm so happy I continued on. Alice Hoffman does not disappoint.. every character is so important and gives life to the story. It's made me start researching what other books are out there like this one, maybe ones that are based on true stories? haha.

There were times when I found myself a bit bored but I'm happy I kept going. I don't want to give much away, but definitely this book is an amazing addition to anybody's collection.

I hope she continues the story on the family, I can't wait to find out more and more!

Five gold stars for this work of art, but even that doesn’t seem worthy enough to fully encompass how gorgeous this book truly is.

Magic Lessons is a book that pulls you in from the first page and leaves you spellbound. This is the story we’ve all been waiting for, it seems, since Practical Magic. In this novel, we’re finally getting to read about Maria, the matriarch of the Owens clan and what a beautifully woven story it is.

The book starts off with Maria being found as a baby by Hannah Owens, a woman who feels the girl’s magic from the very beginning. From there, she plays a vital role in moulding Maria into a powerful young witch. There are endless lessons in this book and several herbal spells and teas that are both endearing and quite handy - but perhaps the most important lesson is the one that sets the entire theme of the book: only love someone who will love you back.

From the imagery of each location (from England, to Curaçao, all the way to Salem, Massachusetts) to the raw emotion dredged up in every page, Alice Hoffman paints these worlds that are so easy to get lost in. This has easily become one of my favourite books and I know that I’ll be thinking about it in the days and weeks to come.

Maria’s story was one that needed telling and I am so incredible happy that it surpassed any and all expectations I had. This was everything.

MASSIVE thank you to Simon & Schuster + NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A stunning addition to the world of the Owens family.
Rich and vibrant, this book will have you enthralled.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I saw Practical Magic the movie way before I ever read the book. I liked the movie so I thought I’d try the book. I enjoyed the book but not as much as I thought I might. I decided to try the prequel, The Rules Of Magic. I liked that book more than the first book. When I heard that there would be a third book in the series I wondered if I should even bother reading it. I didn’t want it to disappoint me. Low and behold, it did not disappoint. In fact, I would say this was my favourite of the series!

The story takes you back to find out where the Owens family curse began and why it progressed the way it did. Long story short, love isn’t easy for anyone but especially not for Owens women. When the action takes you to Salem, MA you have to know that witchcraft is about to become central to the story. It isn’t as if you didn’t know witches would be involved but here is how the paths cross and the future characters become who they are. However, I would say that you don’t have to have read the previous books in order to enjoy this one.

I really enjoyed this book and I’d be happy with this being the end of the series!

Alice Hoffman has become an auto-buy author for me, so when NetGalley approved me for an early review copy of Magic Lessons in exchange for an honest review, I was ecstatic, and this book certainly didn't disappoint!!

In 1664, Hannah Owens finds a baby in a basket in a snowy field in England and takes her in to raise as her own, and with that the origin story of Maria Owens begins. Hannah teaches her everything she knows about the Nameless Arts - spells and rituals handed down through generations - but she also teaches her the rules of magic, and Maria is a natural because she is actually a bloodline witch. The most important rule Hannah teaches her is: "Do as you will, but harm no one. What you will give will be returned to you threefold". This becomes a central theme to the story, and as Maria grows into adulthood she experiences much love, loss, and tragedy, all of which help her to learn and grow into a woman with incredible strength and the desire to help and fight for others, but that's all I will tell you because I don't want to spoil the story. All I will say is that I found myself rooting for Maria every step of the way!

This is a story about family and the power of love and magic, but it becomes so much more as it takes us on a journey from England to Curacao to the early US settlements. It's about the rewards of helping those in need and the dangers of turning to darkness, and it dives deep into the history behind the witch trials in Salem which show the mentality of the age. Basically women were blamed for much of the world's troubles, and if a woman showed any independence, strength, or knowledge that was thought to be dangerous (i.e. reading, writing), they were deemed to be witches. Superstitions ruled their lives, but women still found their way to Hannah and later Maria for help with their problems. I absolutely loved learning about the old traditions and remedies and seeing Maria raised by such a kindhearted woman who truly just wanted to help others.

Of course, nothing in life is easy, and Maria's life is full of challenges, but it's obvious as the story evolves that Maria will become the strong matriarch of the Owens family that we have all heard about before. Alice Hoffman is a natural storyteller, perfectly weaving together history with memorable characters, so much emotion, and lessons to be learned. Magic Lessons fills in all the details and questions we have had for years after reading Practical Magic and flows seamlessly into the beloved story we already know.

I often wonder how prequels would fare if you had not read/loved the book it follows.
For example I read Margaret Atwoods Testaments. And I loved it, but I didn't know if I loved it because it was an amazing story, or if it was because I loved A Handmaids Tale. Most recently I thought this with Midnight's Sun. And I think I may have my answer. I did not read Practical Magic, or The Rules of Magic, I did not know the story of the Owen women, but figured this is a prequel, that should be fine. Unfortunately it wasn't.
I just could not get into the story.

Maybe I will read practical magic and then go back and read this one. I felt as though I was almost missing something, I mean when you look at the reviews I'm obviously missing something right?
But as it stands this book did not do it for me, I thought it was slow, it lacked depth and it never grabbed my attention.