Preface:
Let me begin by saying that I am a huge fan of the Practical Magic movie, but have never read Alice Hoffman's book -- more specifically book one. People always told me that the movie was better. After reading Magic Lessons and now The Book of Magic I have a difficult time believing the movie captured this complex family better than the books. I'm not saying the movie still isn't great -- it absolutely is! But the movie wraps everything up from three books into one story (mostly book one) and gives the characters endings from that point. Likely the filmmakers didn't anticipate so much more to be told. That said, I will completely understand which parts turn off fans of the film who grew so attached to these amazing women.
Review:
Since I never read book one, but did know Maria Owen's history with her biological and adoptive mothers and their fates, I felt fine jumping into book two. If you have the chance to begin fresh I recommend reading them in timeline order, not in publication order: Magic Lessons, Practical Magic, The Book of Magic.

Parenthood is a particular theme explored since the women are not homogenous. The great aunts, Jet and Franny, take in young Sally and Gillian after their parents are tragically killed. Franny never expected to be interested in raising children, but she and Gillian have a strong bond. Gillian desperately longs to have a daughter; noting, that by this point the youngest girls are in their twenties so Gillian (working at MIT) is probably late forties and Sally (librarian) is around fifty. Sally's daughters, Antonia and Kylie are as different as can be. Like Franny, Antonia didn't expect to be find a connection to mother. She is dedicated to her education and work life. She didn't believe in love, but she believed in motherhood and has decided to make a unique family with her lifelong best friend, Scott. It turns out both of them are gay (though Antonia seems bi) and this kid will have four parents plus extended family that love it to pieces. Vincent is Sally and Gillian's grandfather they never knew. He ran away from the family to live in France.

As for dear Kylie Owens, she becomes the center of this book's story. She finds Maria's secret book of shadows, The Book of the Raven which was written by Amelia Bassano. Kylie is in a relationship and battling the Owens curse. Some other relatives have taken drastic steps to try and trick the curse into not noticing their relationships. Kylie's relationship with Gideon Barnes sets off all the turmoil for the characters.
Hoffman is a master and that title shouldn't be thrown around lightly. What I found interesting as far as her technique is that she does exactly the opposite of what every mentor, friend, and editor have told me about my on writing: don't "head hop" especially not in the same chapter. Well, my friends, Hoffman does it and it's fine. It's fluid. It never once brought me "out" of the story as people have told me numerous times about this technique. To each their own. Fans will like what they like.

The "big bad" in this book is a distant relation which ties back to Magic Lessons and the connections between Rebecca (Maria's biological mother) and Hannah Owens (her adopted mother). Tom Lockland is named after the man who swore he married a witch, Rebecca. Rebecca sought help from Hannah Owens, a local woman skilled in the Nameless Art -- a learned witch as opposed to a blood lineage witch. After those Locklands and the townspeople destroyed Rebecca and Hannah, the Lockland family itself was ruined for many generations. From nobility to poverty. The modern day Tom, nicknamed "Bad Tom" by local women who learned not to trust a thing he says, lives a destitute life. He routinely goes back to the destroyed Lockland Manor with its crumbling roof and walls to connect to the power of his ancestors and to work on his own magic. The connection is: Kylie is the thirteen-times great-granddaughter of a witch who had been married to his six-times great-grandfather.

That catches you up on the main characters. What brings them together is that Kylie's life partner Gideon ends up in a coma and she is led to this mysterious book that was hidden for ages, the Book of the Raven, which includes dark, left-hand magic about curses. The book has the answer for casting curses and breaking them. Kylie follows the codes and ends up back in the first Essex County, the one over in England, to find the people who can help her break Maria's curse and save Gideon's life. Bad Tom isn't only a selfish misogynist; he's every kind of bad news an Owens witch could possibly encounter.

Kylie and her mother Sally go through significant transformations during the story. Kylie repeats Maria's slide into left-hand magic. Her hair goes black to show it. Sally, who had not been able to see the color red after closing herself off to magic reverses that symptom. As many fictional witches (or super-powered characters from any genre), Sally builds up incredible power as she protects people. Afterwards... I won't spoil it. Let's just say Sally may have been finished with love, but it wasn't finished with her. Part Four is subtitled The Book of Love. Writer and expert on magic, Ian Wright is perhaps "Mr. Right" for Sally.

Speaking of Kylie's hair changing colors, this is something that Hoffman loves to detail. Colors are mentioned often. Red magic. Red hair. Red boots. Red ink. Blue thread. Black hair. Silver eyes. They were black for weddings and white for funerals. Hoffman also loves to list the plant life in certain locations. She introduces readers to what would be native or planted. The great lore of the magnolia tree comes up repeatedly since it was a gift for Maria Owens from Samuel.

With the theme of motherhood/parenthood comes the connected cycle: birth, life, death, afterlife, new birth.

In Practical Magic, the big question was: what wouldn't you do for love? In The Book of Magic, the big question is what wouldn't you do for the people you love? There's no way I couldn't give this the highest recommendation. The characters are complex and quite individual with strong family ties they get to discover along with the reader.

Rating: 5 stars

How very wonderful to have completed a series that made me wonder and love the gifts of magic contained within its pages! As Alice Hoffman's series of Practical Magic continued, we once again are enamored with the Owens family as they deal with the many possibilities love can take and how being denied this wondrous emotion can possibly be overcome.

Perhaps, for those of us who find joy in reading of magic, we, too, would love to be part of this family either in the past or presently. The curse placed on the family has had many who have valiantly tried to avoid its happening and when a young man loved by one of the current sisters, she will do anything to trace down the curse and try to eliminate it. The family rallies to her support traversing overseas to eventually wind up where it all started with Maria Owens. As three generations of the Owens family work together to reverse the curse and save the young man traveling to death's door, they learn that love in all its forms can conquer all. Franny Owens, with the aid of a book and her long lost brother realize that anything worth fighting for involves a sacrifice, perhaps the greatest sacrifice of all.

Joined in love and that wonderful gift they all possess even though Sally Owens wants to keep her daughters away from the secret, they all come to the final truth that love is worth every sacrifice, every stolen moment, and sometimes requires every bit of courage and magic one possesses.

I have loved this entire series, and of course am saddened by its ending. However, the magic in the world will continues as the old saying goes, love conquers all.
Thank you to Alice Hoffman, Simon Schuster, and NetGalley for a copy of this endearing story which published recently.

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

Truth!

Alice Hoffman continues to bewitch and dazzle me with her writing and this book is no exception. I loved falling into the pages of this book, being reunited with some characters, and having characters of the past mentioned again. It all comes full circle.

If you are not familiar with the series, the Owens family has been cursed when it comes to love for over 300 years. DO NOT FALL IN LOVE or the cures will take effect.

This book begins in a library and with the appearance of a deathwatch beetle brings the knowledge that an ending for one is coming soon. The Owens family is a tight knit group who love each other deeply. But what happens when they love others? You got it - the CURSE!


As they attempt to save a young man, they learn secrets, undiscovered truths, and the meaning of sacrifice.

"When you save someone's life, they belong to you, no matter what they might say."

Hoffman's writing is beautiful, moving, lyrical and beguiling. She has the ability to transport her readers to the various locations in this book. It's pure magic! Her descriptions are vivid and crisp. Her characters are likeable and endearing.

"What begins can end. What is done can be undone. What is sent in the world comes back to you three tines over.

So go out, do good, love, and if you have not read this series, you need to do so, but I suggest not starting with this book. To fully appreciate this book, read the other books first.

Thank you to Simon & Shuster and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

*3.5 stars rounded up. How far would you go to remove a curse on your beloved? Kylie Owens has to find out in the conclusion of Hoffman's enchanting Practical Magic series. As always the story is filled with fascinating history, remarkable characters and plenty of witchery and spells but I found the first third of the book to be a bit dull and rambling before I was finally drawn into the story. It's certainly a study in people not being honest and forthcoming with each other. So many problems might have been avoided if they had been.

The perfect background music for this book would be the folk song The Water is Wide which is mentioned several times in the story. Here's my favorite version from the 1997 Lilith Fair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d32rA...

Does the description of chocolate tipsy cake have you drooling? A recipe I found online: https://www.hungry-bookworm.com/2017/...

I received an arc of this new novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

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

And so begins the fourth and final novel in "The Practical Magic Series."

In "The Book Of Magic," due to hit shelves Tuesday, Oct. 12, author Alice Hoffman takes us back to the magical house on Magnolia Street, where the story of sisters Sally and Gillian Owens first began. It was there the orphaned sisters learned about the family curse — cast over 300 years earlier by family matriarch Maria Owens, that causes the untimely death of anyone loved by an Owens. It is where the sisters, under the care of their ancient aunts Franny and Jet Owens, learn of the magical gifts they possess as hereditary witches. And later, years after escaping from the extraordinary lives, it was where the sisters, as adults (Sally with two young daughters in tow), would return to embrace the magic and family they had left behind.
It has been 26 years since Hoffman first published "Practical Magic" but not the first time she has brought us back here to the house, where daffodils push up through the earth a month before anywhere else, black cats are plentiful and where, if the porch light is on, those looking for help in matters of luck or love might get a bit of help. We first returned to the Owens house in 2017, in "The Rules of Magic," when in the 1960s, the Owens siblings Franny, Jet and Vincent, first learn of their magical powers when a trip to Massachusetts lands them on the doorstep of their Aunt Isabelle.

It is on Magnolia Street the Owens siblings learn why their mother has set down certain rules: no walking in moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic and most importantly, never ever fall in love. The trio uncover family secrets and begin to understand who they are, all while practicing magic and hard as they try not to, falling in love.

In 2020, Hoffman returned with a third book, another prequel, "Magic Lessons," which details the life of Maria Owens, who, in 1620, cast the curse. Charged with witchery after falling in love with the wrong man (whom she followed from England to Salem) and exiled after escaping execution, it was Maria who built the ancestral house.

And so, it is here, on Magnolia Street, that beloved Aunt Jet, now in her 80s, first hears the deathwatch beetle, a sound that means she has only seven days left to live. It is the sound that sets off events — the discovery of a long forgotten book, The Book of the Raven, hidden in the family library. It's a book that holds the promise of breaking the family curse, but the cure comes with the price of a great sacrifice.

It is also where we find Sally, once again shut off to the possibility of magic. Tragic events have caused her to close herself off and to, in an act of love, shield her daughters Antonia and Kylie, now grown women, from their hereditary powers and any knowledge of the family curse. But try as she might to protect them, the family curse comes calling for Kylie's true love.

Kylie, desperate to save the love of her life, discovers the Book of Raven and begins a journey that will take her back to the land of her ancestor, the epicenter of where Maria's heart was first broken and the roots of the family curse reside. Her journey takes the majority of the Owens clan overseas as well, where long-lost brother Vincent (the only family member to escape the curse) comes out of hiding to help his sister and granddaughters track down Kylie before it's too late. For Kylie's journey has brought her directly in contact with the descendant of the man who sparked the family curse. He, too, is looking to break a curse, one that caused his family to fall from grace and fortune. But unlike Kylie, his intentions aren't pure but born of hatred, revenge and dark desire.

Hoffman, who lives near Boston and has connections to the Berkshires (Hoffman's "The Red Garden" is set here), will surely delight fans with this final chapter of the Owens' family series, which from the first page is a homecoming of sorts. It was if I had just arrived in a memory, just out of reach, filled with warmth and comfort and the smells of a freshly baked chocolate tipsy cake the aunts serve for breakfast.

There's a magic to Hoffman's prose; delicate, deliberate and soothing. Indeed, she casts a spell that makes the reader reluctant to leave the world of the Owens family, even if just for a minute.

The beauty of the series, and in this return to the start of the series, is that Hoffman allows her characters to not only grow, but also to retreat to old comforts, and then learn from past mistakes. Ultimately, the story of Sally and Gillian, of Franny, Jet and Vincent, of Kylie and Antonia, is one of perseverance; of secrets and curses; of dark and light; of unconditional love. It is all of those attributes that make the story of the Owens family so easy to slip back into and makes it so hard to say goodbye to them for good.

4.5 stars for this magical novel!

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman is the final book in her “Practical Magic” series, involving the Owens family and their practice of magic, the Unnamed Art.

“All the best stories begin in a library,” and this story begins in the Owens Library, in Essex County, Massachusetts. Elderly Jet Owens hears the deathwatch beetle and knows she has just seven days to live. She resolutely decides use that time to change her family’s destiny and break the curse on love set by Maria Owens in the 17th century.

After the dramatic beginning, the book recaps the past activities and members of the Owens family. Then the action really takes off as Franny (Jet’s sister), nieces Sally and Gillian, and Sally’s daughter, Kylie, go on a quest to Europe and the family’s roots in Essex County, England, to cast some spells, break the curse, and resolve the family’s problematic history in matters of the heart. Along the way, Franny’s brother, William, is found after many years of living in France and joins the group. I especially appreciated William’s appearance and participation, involving all three siblings into this story. Other quirky characters add interest, like Professor Ian Wright and evil Thomas Lockland. No spoilers here—the action moves with intensity to a partly bittersweet, but satisfying, conclusion.

It is clear that the author has researched the history of magic, and the ingredients involved in remedies and spells. There are many details about the background and uses of herbs. The historical note at the conclusion is fascinating, as Amelia Bassano, author of the Book of the Raven in the story, is revealed to be based on the actual woman Emilia Bassano Lanier, a mysterious character and author in the court of Elizabeth I in England.

Like the other books in Hoffman’s “Practical Magic” series, this story is ultimately about strong women and their families, wisdom, love, loyalty, and the seemingly never-ending quest by women for independence and equality. As Ian remarks, “If a woman doesn’t write her own history, there are very few who will.” Whether it is 1664 or 2021, the effort continues.

This can be a stand-alone novel, but I believe it is more impactful when read as the conclusion of the series of four novels. I continued to be awed by Hoffman’s command of language and thought-provoking prose. Her skill at setting scenes with atmospheric writing keeps me immersed in the story, the locale, and the characters.
I highly recommend this book to admirers of Alice Hoffman, and readers interested in herbal and natural remedies, as well as intelligently written women’s historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC. This is my honest review, and it was a great pleasure to preview this wonderful novel.

When I heard that there was going to be one more book in the Practical Magic series I was INSANELY excited. I jumped at the chance to get an early copy of this book because I love the stories of the Owens women. The story picks up with Franny and Jet in their 80s, Gillian and Sally in their 40s, and Antonia and Kylie in their 20s. Jet hears the infamous deathwatch beetle and knows that it’s almost her time to go. She spends her remaining time with those she loves and after discovering something in the Owens Library, sets up Franny to find a way to break the family curse that their ancestor Maria set upon them centuries ago. But it’s not Franny who finds what Jet leaves behind for her. Let me tell you that when that happened, I knew that all sorts of things were about to happen and not all of them good. Kylie finally discovers the truth about who she is and who her family is after her mother, Sally, had spent all those years hiding it from her daughters.

If you have read and loved one of the previous books in this series, The Rules of Magic, then you will be very happy to find that a familiar face has returned to the story. Franny and Jet’s brother Vincent! Vincent is also the absentee grandfather to Gillian and Sally. Before they were born, Vincent had faked his own death to escape being drafted into the army during the Vietnam War. He fell in love with a man named William and the two of them absconded to France, leaving behind everything and everything they ever knew. When Kylie goes off in search of answers, Franny, Gillian, and Sally board a plane to France to see Vincent and enlist him to help them find her. Seeing them all together again was wonderful even if the circumstances weren’t the best. Add another plane ride and another character later and we have the incredibly interesting Professor Ian Wright in England.

I don’t want to say a whole lot more in regards to the plot because once you hit that point in the story, it’s hard to keep out the spoilers. But let me tell you that it was absolutely incredible. I loved being with these characters again in their story and the new characters that were introduced to the story, with the exception of Tom Lockland (you know what you did, Tom!). The writing is everything I’ve come to love from Alice Hoffman. Everything flows so easily and so descriptive that I have no trouble playing the story out as a movie in my head which is one of my favorite parts about reading. She has a way of making it feel as though the reader was right there in those moments. I fell in love with these characters more than I had loved them before. As sad as I am that this is the end of this series, I believe it was the perfect conclusion. I highly recommend reading this book. I can’t wait to re-read the entire series again in the near future from Maria’s tale in Magic Lessons, to the introduction of Franny, Vincent, and Jet in The Rules of Magic, with Gillian and Sally in Practical Magic, and finally this continuation of Franny, Jet, Vincent, Gillian, Sally, Antonia, and Kylie’s story in The Book of Magic.

“Read as many books as you can. Choose courage over caution. Take time to visit libraries. Look for the light in the darkness. Have faith in yourself. Know that love is what matters most.”

Alice Hoffman has gifted readers with one last beautiful and enchanting tale about the Owens family! It was such a treasure to be back amongst their magic and see generations of Owens family members unite for what matters most. Love.

The Owens curse has followed the family for generations and where there was once resignation, there is now determination to be freed from it. What must be lost in order to gain what matters most? And is this family willing to pay the price? This story is beautifully told with all of your favorite flawed family members accounted for, will answer questions you’ve always had, and leave you with a heart that is full.

I am sad this is the last of the Owens series, but am so grateful that I am able to return to them anytime I feel the want of magic. Afterall, “Books may well be the only true magic.”

📚 Book Review 📚
Title: The Book of Magic
Author: Alice Hoffman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
@simonandschuster
Genre: Fantasy
Pub Day 10/12

I’ll admit I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to the Owens family, but felt extremely satisfied with the story author Alice Hoffman gave us. It’s filled with her signature lyrical writing, vivid & strong characters, and of course...magic!

“Curses are like knots, the more you struggle to be free, the tighter they become, whether they’re made of rope or spite or desperation.”

The Book of Magic brings The Practical Magic series full circle shining a spotlight on the strong woman in the Owens family and the curse that has haunted their family for 300 years. Pour yourself a cup of courage tea, grab yourself a slice of tipsy chocolate cake (cake is best for breakfast!), and reunite yourself again with Jet, Franny, Vincent, Sally, Gillian, Kylie and Antonia Owens as they each use their gifts to try to break the curse started by their ancestor Maria Owens.

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

Kylie has fallen in love, putting her boyfriend’s life at risk. Sally has kept their powers from her daughters, but with the help of her Aunts and the library Kylie begins to uncover the truth. Jet hears the deathwatch beetle. Knowing she only has seven days to live. Franny feels the pull and understanding of sacrifice. Sally is ready to give up everything for love. My oh my oh my.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 This book celebrates families and love. I loved the messages woven around the magic. The bonds of sisters. Sacrifice. Being a protector. I loved traveling to London and Paris in this one. I also loved the use of plants in all the magic and spells. Whenever I see or smell lavender I will always think of the Practical Magic series.

Thank you @netgalley and @simonandschuster for honoring my request to read and review this title.

If you’ve read or are planning to read The Book of Magic this is a #mommaleighellensbookclub October pick. We will be chatting on Saturday October 30th at 6pm.

This is the final book in the Practical Magic series that started over twenty years ago and gives readers the happily ever after the Owens family deserves.

I struggled with the inconsistencies in this book from the previous (Practical Magic) and I wish Hoffman would have taken a little more time to smooth them out with explanations instead of just dropping new things into the story.

Other than that, this book had what I love about all Hoffman’s books in this series: intense love and friendship, the bond of family and sisterhood specifically.

Hoffman writes a tale of bewitching magic bound up in the love of family and I’ll always enjoy that in a book! 💕 She also writes so atmospherically that I always inevitably feel like I could be part of the family or the story. That magic can be found in all of us, especially in readers.

Thank you to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for my arc!!

“To end a curse, be prepared to give up everything.”

Thank you @simonandschuster & @netgalley for the #gifted copy of The Book of Magic, which made my heart so happy this week.

Synopsis: The Owens family has been cursed in matters of love for over three-hundred years but all of that is about to change. The novel begins in a library, the best place for a story to be conjured, when beloved aunt Jet Owens hears the deathwatch beetle and knows she has only seven days to live. Jet is not the only one in danger—the curse is already at work. A frantic attempt to save a young man’s life spurs three generations of the Owens women, and one long-lost brother, to use their unusual gifts to break the curse as they travel from Paris to London to the English countryside where their ancestor Maria Owens first practiced the Unnamed Art.

I devoured this book in a day. Alice Hoffman is such an incredible storyteller. Her writing is mesmerizing and really transports the reader into the world she’s created. Her skill for writing is definitely magical. I loved all of the generations that tapped into this book, this might be my favorite.

This was my first time reading the series and The Book of Magic was the perfect ending. I so badly wanted a happy ending for this series and the characters, and that’s what I got. The life lessons in this book are also timeless, and I can definitely pull many of them into my own life.

It is going to be so hard saying goodbye to the Owens family, and I sincerely hope this is not the last time we see a member of the Owens family. If you loved any of her other books, love books and libraries, or just want to lose yourself in a witchy read this October, this is for you.

To say that I highly anticipated this book is an understatement. I’ve read the previous two books in the series and loved them both. Traveling through other worlds that Alice Hoffman created has also enriched my reading life and allowed me to live in other places and times. Her ability to envelop you in the place and characters is remarkable and this book is no exception. We start with the aunts, particularly Jet. They are older and still the closest of sisters. At a high level, we learn what Sally and Gillian have been doing in the years since we last read about them, we pick back up with Vincent, Antonia and Kylie as well. It’s a story of family love, romantic love and love of this life. We see the beauty of our world through their eyes and it is beautiful. It can be heartbreaking, uplifting and validating all at the same time. Many thank to the author for giving us this final piece and bringing some closure to the Owens curse.

I love the Owens family minus Sally. A nice albeit non-urgent sendoff for the Owens crew.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

The Book of Magic is the stunning conclusion of Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic series! I absolutely loved how the story wraps up into a suberbly woven tail that follows the Owen's family throughout history! The story tugs at all of your heartstrings and one will NEVER guess how it ends!! Ms. Hoffman truly is a master storyteller! I really hope that the entire set is put to film in the near future! What's nice... even if you haven't read the prior two books, you will still be able to easily follow along. Beautifully written... and the timing is perfect!! If you start reading it on its release date... you will easily finish around Halloween!!

I don't want to give away spoilers. Just know that ALL of your questions should be answered by the end of the book! I have to wonder how much of the book is a story and how much is actual history! I found myself researching books from the 1500s and 1600s. Hard to believe that so many deaths came about due to someone being accused of being a witch. I cannot wait to buy the set in hardcover! This is one set that I want to grace my actual bookshelves!

What a roller coaster of emotions! If you are like me and have been invested in the Owens family story, then I'm sure you cried a lot while reading The Book of Magic...No? Just me?! The last installment story about the family curse that was placed on the Owens woman for over 300 years has finally been lifted...or has it? The Book of Magic follows Kylie, as you know is Sally's daughter who is all grown now and set on finding out how to break the curse. But at what cost?
The Book of Magic, is devastating, hopeful and leaves your heart aching. I cried I don't know how many times while reading this book, because it was sad? Partly, but mostly because I wasnt ready to say good bye to the Owens woman, who (I know its ridiculous) have formed a bond to...I think with every great story there needs to come an end, but I hope one day Alice Hoffman gives us an update on how the Owens woman are doing.
Read the book, and buy it for your sister.
" Once upon a time there were two sisters, as different from each other as night and day. In their family a sister was everything, your heart and soul..."

This series is very dear to me. I love them all! My favorite is the one about Maria Owens but The Book of Magic is a close second. This was a wonderful ending to a magical story, I couldn't have chosen a better way to finish the Owens' story.

Absolutely fabulous book that brings to a close the story of the Owens family when they are finally able to break the curse that has followed them forever.

I think this was my favorite of the series. I love how Hoffman gives time and space to so many different characters. Each character is described so well and given their own distinct personality. Ian is a great addition!

I also have enjoyed the different kinds of magic that appear in these books, but especially in this one, as well as the different ways that people become involved with magic.

I don't want to spoil anything, but it is a great ending for the Owens family saga and I could have asked for anything more fitting. A great witchy read for October, though not necessarily a spooky one, though there are quite a few hexes and curses throughout.

The Book of Magic releases 10.12.2021. thank you so much @netgalley for this amazing advanced reader.

#bookreview #bookstagram #alicehoffman #thebookofmagic #simonandschuster #bookishlife #reading #instabooks #girlswhoread #bookphotography #bookrecommendations #bibliophile #fantasybooks

As I’ve loved the other books in this series, I wasn’t surprised to find this one truly fantastic. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to the Owens family. What I love about this series is the substance behind the writing and the story. It’s always so well thought out and draws the reader in to it’s world with charm and enchantment. A magical conclusion to an astonishing journey.

Oh @ahoffmanwriter what a perfect end to the Owens family story and the Practical Magic series. Thank you @simonandschuster for the #giftedcopy - this book is available now!

The Book of Magic brings us back to the present, and back to the lives of Jet, Franny, Sally, and Gillian. Sally has kept secrets from her daughters - both about their bloodline and about the curse that was placed on their family over 300 years ago. Only, her daughter Kylie has fallen in love, and now her boyfriends life is at risk. On top of that, Jet hears the death watch beetle and knows she only has a matter of days before her time is up.

Three generations come together to save lives and break the curse so the Owens family is free to love how they please.

I really think this was a great way to end the series and tie everything together, as heartbroken as I was towards the end of this book. I want to go back now and read these in chronological order, instead of publication order! I hope I get the chance to do that one day.

On a side note, I adored the way plants were used in the spells and potions in this book! I love my #doterraoils and incorporate them into my everyday life. It’s interesting how many remedies stem from nature. (No I do not use them in place of modern medicine, I use them in conjunction.) All of the oils shown here are used in this book (the plant, not necessarily the oil).