Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm a big fan of Alice Hoffman. I love her writing style and the magical realism she incorporates into her stories. The Practical Magic series isn't my favorite of hers, but I really enjoyed the second two novels to be published. I was a little nervous about reading the conclusion since it so heavily featured Sally and Gillian, who are not my favorite characters in the series. I was pleasantly surprised. Hoffman gave all the Owenses roughly equal page time, so I never got dragged down by Sally and Gillian's unpleasantness. Also, they have grown (a little) as women, so I suppose their rough edges have smoothed out a little.

THE BOOK OF MAGIC is all about the Owens family quest to end the three-hundred-year-old curse that causes their lovers to die. To remain spoiler-free, I will say only that it is a family affair. All three generations are involved, and the story of their efforts is engaging, occasionally humorous, and often educational. Hoffman knows so much about the lore of magic and witchcraft, and she sprinkles these delightful nuggets throughout the book.

BOOK OF MAGIC was a satisfying conclusion to the Practical Magic series. I only docked a star because it dragged in places. I would definitely recommend it to fans of the series or Hoffman.

In typical Alice Hoffman form, she has delivered a enthralling and magical tale. The final book in the Practical Magic series, Hoffman perfectly sums up the story leaving her readers in a wistful tale of everlasting love and laughter.

I had to sit with this one for quite a while before crafting even the meagerest of reviews, because I’m not sure I’m ready to say goodbye to the Owens family. I’ve spent so much time with them over the years, they feel like my own family.

In the final installment of the series, the family comes together again, perhaps to finally break the curse. A young man’s life hangs in the balance as the Owens traipse the globe in search of a lost brother and a solution before he dies. It’ll take sacrifice, patience, and a lot of love to make things right.

As usual, the characterization is amazing. The story is well-paced, and it feels like an adventure with your cousins that you don’t see for a few years but always pick right up where you left off. Some familiar faces from previous books come back, and there are a few new members of the clan as well.

I split my time between the print and audio format, because Jennifer Ehle, who narrates, holds part of my heart always. If you’ve read the other books, I hope you’ll think this a good ending for our witches, and if you haven’t, go read all of the others then conclude with this one, and get a tad wistful as I did, a few tears falling at work as I finished the final pages at my desk.

Absolutely love this book! You can never go wrong with the owens sisters. Full of magic and mystery! Love love love!

THE BOOK OF MAGIC by Alice Hoffman is lived up to my expectations. It was a powerful ending to the Owen family saga. Rules of Magic was my favorite of the series, but I love how this book is tied the entire series together. As much as I will miss the characters, I think this was a great way to end the saga. My advice would be to read the series in the order they were published, starting with Practical Magic. Hoffman’s writing is beautiful and she is such a wonderful storyteller. I feel like I know the Owens family, and I want to be part of it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

THE BOOK OF MAGIC by Alice Hoffman wraps up a favorite series of mine with as much magic as it started with. The remarkable lives through generations of the Owens’ family are weaved together to finalize a literary tapestry that was beyond my expectations. The power of words and the power of love collide in this final installment. I found myself often looking at my right hand (the path we are born with) and the left hand (the path we choose) and stopping to think about the many lessons in the final chapters of the book. I enjoyed how the series wrapped up and how it connected all the strings through all the books.

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman is the conclusion to her Practical Magic series. The book is well written and interesting. I enjoyed the story line and the characters very much.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Shuster for the opportunity to read.

I love Alice Hoffman books, but I felt like this was a lackluster conclusion to the Owens family tale that did not do them justice. It just felt more like the rambling inner monologue of a senile old lady than something significant. I kept finding myself losing focus because it felt like the pace was slow and the plot distracted.

This was a great addition to the Practical Magic series. The story was interesting and captures the imagination. It is well written and entertaining.

4.5 stars.

This was a great end to the series! I have read all of the prequels in addition to the original, Practical Magic, and this ranks up there as one of my favorites of the series. (Oddly, my other favorite is not Practical Magic, but The Rules of Magic and I only actually started the series in the first place because of the movie...which I adore.)

Going in, I wasn't sure what I was going to get. I didn't have exorbitantly high hopes since this series has been a mixed bag, but I really wanted the rest of the story and I have such love for the characters (especially Jet...she's my favorite). So, I was pleasantly surprised by the family drama that unfolded. It is a long story, but there is a lot at work and I felt that each character was given their due. The history of the family plays well into the plot and there are a lot of wrapped up feelings in the story. I still prefer movie Sally to book Sally, but there is a good exploration of each character's history that plays a part in how they individually and as a family move forward in the future. I love the characters and the family structure. Also...I love the witchcraft. It's enough to be witchy without being over-the-top and I just find myself so caught up in it.

The plot can be a little slow in places and there is a lot of background setup, but for me it was just an exploration of those things I was fond of in previous books, so I didn't get dragged down by it much. The Book of Magic was a rewarding end to the series for me and left the characters in a place where I can always be comforted in reminiscences of the whole series.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

Absolutely love this series by Alice Hoffman. I read this right around Halloween and this witchy tale, was perfect for the season. Alice Hoffman never disappoints!

Great family saga, sure to please fans of the series. That said, it's necessary to have read all the previous books to really enjoy it.

I just love this series by @ahoffmanwriter ! This book is a return to the Owens sisters as they work to protect each other, learn to understand their magic, and work through the struggles of loving with their curse. For the sake of future generations, it’s time for the curse to end.

This is the perfect wrap up to the Practical Magic series, but I’m going to miss these witches. The character development for this book is just as enchanting as the others and you can help but root for the new family members introduced, Kylie and Antonia. Hoffman’s storytelling is magnificent and the style of the narration feels like a fairytale for grown-ups.

5 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

For the fourth and final Practical Magic book, Alice Hoffman returns to the beloved Owens family of witches, who are once again trying to navigate their world, protect each other, and better understand themselves and their magic as they grow and learn. This book opens with a death—and a secret. The Owens women have been cursed in love for 300 years, and for the sake of the two girls in the youngest generation, Kylie and Antonia, it’s time for the curse to end. But finding a way to break the spell and save them all from lives without love will prove difficult and dangerous.

This perfect autumn read has all of the charm and magic of the previous Practical Magic books—each character feels like a warm hug, and there’s plenty of black soap and chocolate tipsy cake to go around. Hoffman writes with her well-known gift for comforting, folky storytelling, in her particular tone and style that makes you feel like you’re listening to a tale with friends around a crackling fire on a cold night. We didn’t want this one to end, and our only solace is that we can continue to return to these books and characters often in the future, simply by reading them again next time the leaves fall.

While this is technically the last book in the four-part Practical Magic series, we want to stress that all of the books stand alone and that only the first book in the series, PRACTICAL MAGIC, takes place within the same timeframe and with the same set of characters. So: no worries if you haven’t read any of the books, no worries if you’ve only seen the movie—you can pick this one up without an issue and read the rest (if you’d like) in any order you’d like.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Nice to read the conclusion of the Owens Family. However, I liked the two prequels more than Practical Magic and The Book of Magic.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book, in return for a fair and unbiased review.

I loved this book - what a terrific resolution of the series!

I did feel compelled to go back and read the previous books in the Practical Magic Series - Magic Lessons, The Rules of Magic, and Practical Magic - which was actually a good thing, since I had enjoyed all of them, and it was a pleasure to revisit them. One suggestion for anyone else doing this - don't get too hung up on complete consistency - since Practical Magic was written in 1995 and two other books have been written in the meantime, there are a few discrepancies. Just let it go - it doesn't affect the overall story arc and there's just no need to fret about it!

This book is a wonderful wrap-up to the series. The characters have developed and grown, and children have become adults. As one would expect, there is dissension, primarily between generations, but the family can work together to save one of its members. The plot is intricate, but not too convoluted to be a good read.

It does not leave me frustrated, wanting to know "what happened to them next?" The book does suggest that Ms. Hoffman really means it, that this is the conclusion to the series, since the book does not leave us dangling.

I highly recommend this book, along with the other books in the series!

What an impactful, amazing story. So powerful and deeply moving! I loved the complex mother daughter relationship explored here.

I was lured by the beautiful cover so I didn’t thoroughly read the description of this story. I didn’t realize it was the conclusion of a series. I haven’t read any of the other books in the series so this prequel was lost on me. I must admit, I didn’t finish the book and only made it 25% through. I just couldn’t get into the story. I didn’t care about the characters and the writing style is too wordy. This might be improved by a good editor but it was not a book for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Spoiler ahead

“She had forgotten this is what happened, that things ended when you least expected them to, that you could not protect those you loved from nature and fate.”

This book was so beautifully written. There was so much heartache and loss throughout this book. Losing the beloved Aunts was so hard. I loved their character development in Rules of Magic, and losing them in The book of magic was so unbelievably painful., but this was an amazing read with relatable life advice and affirmations to live by.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review!

Did not get to this book in 2021.
My review is not a reflection of the work or the writing/plot itself, but rather speaks to other books that caught my attention more.
Hate I didn't manage to squeeze this one in, but there are so many books and only so much time.

I would look to Goodreads or other reviewers on Netgalley who read the title and will offer their unbiased opinion.