Apparently this is the year where I read sequels or prequels and end up mildly disappointed because they don't quite live up to the first book. I was happy to get back to the journey of the Owens family, but this book did drag and meander for me. While I'm glad to know where the story ends, it wasn't the most engaging book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Not sure why connecting with The Book of Magic was hard for me. I loved the others in the series, but something about this one didn’t engage me. Makes me sad that I didn’t feel better about it.

This one was not for me. Rules of Magic is one of my top 5 books of all time but it has been the only one in this "series" that I've liked. I was hoping this one would be a hit for me too, but sadly it was not. I will still have this in my store because I do often recommend Alice Hoffman to customers and I feel like this one just wasn't for ME, not that it is not a great book.

Alice Hoffman delivers on this prequal to Practical Magic in the delightful prose that we've come to love. Full of broken hearts, true love, and that Owens women stubbornness, this title is a definite must read.

I wanted to like this book. Was a fan of Practical Magic, but this one could not hold my attention. Kept skipping forward on chapters, and eventually just gave up.

I have loved all of the books in this series, this one was no exception! So excited for it and I loved every second. I loved it so much that I also bought a physical copy!

Book series goes backward in chronology

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

For the most part, I found that the chronology of the series began at the end or so I thought until this book! Ultimately, each book focuses on a generation of the Owens family.

This is story provides closure to many questions and curses which have followed the Owens family for centuries. They tried and failed at love blaming the curse, forcing them into situations to avoid tragedy. But, tragedy does follow them through the years resulting in unconventional relationships. Reversing the curse had remained a mystery for generations which many have tried and failed. Little did they know that the answers to their questions, although closer than they knew, carried years of resentment for another family.

For Jet, she knew her days were numbered the day she heard the watch beetle. She lived a long and happy life surrounded by family and neighbors in the family home. She knew before her time expired she needed to tie up several loose ends to free the family of the curse which has been preventing them from enjoying a full life.
Jet had studied and reviewed the family Grimoire which seemed to be an ode to the Dark Art, Book of Shadows. She goes through the elusive Book of Raven which should be used with love and courage. Her intentions were for it to be found by her sister Franny as she knew she could trust Franny to do the right thing.

Let’s just say that things don’t go according to Jet’s plan and what follows is a series of events which fall like dominoes. It takes the whole Owen family to come together to help each other break free from the curse which haunted them for generations. This is a great ending to this mystical series.

Okaaaaay. So I started this book on October 2nd and I just finished it yesterday (Oct 26). I had such a rough time with this one. I really liked the beginning and the ending (so roughly the first hundred pages and the last hundred) and ended up crying a lot. But it was the middle bit that really lost my interest?

I think it came down to writing style? This book feels sooooo rambly and just so much longer than it needs to be? It's like listening to a story told by someone who just cannot seem to get to the point and, honestly, seems to forget the point entirely. So I had a really hard time concentrating and had to reread a lot of it just because I would zone out whenever it went off on a ramble.

But I also remember having similar problems with the other books in the series so I think it’s just the writing style? Plus my favorite characters are the aunts and they’re really only ~main players at the beginning and the end so that didn’t help. I struggled through the vast majority of this book and honestly spent most of it just waiting to be done with it.

It’s definitely not my favorite in the series but at least I didn’t hate this one as much as Practical Magic! So I guess that's an improvement. I vaguely remember struggling with Rules of Magic too but that's definitely my favorite of this series. For this one, in particular, I just think this could’ve used some editing and been a little more concise but maybe that’s just me?

Anyway. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!

The final book about the Owens family and its just as wonderful as the rest of the books. It was such a great way for us to say goodbye to the Owens family. It is filled with characters that we have seen before and ties the stories up perfectly.

This book was magical! One of my favorites! I love alice Hoffman and all she writes! Highly recommend

Hoffman has written a beautiful end to the Practical Magic series. Each chapter is heartfelt and has me wanting nothing but the best for the Owen's after almost 300 centuries of being cursed in love. The opening chapters were so emotional with Jet playing out her last few days, as was the ending with Franny living her final moments of sacrifice for the future Owen's generations. I'm sad that the series has met its end, but the book was so well written and full of closure.

The long-awaited sequel to Practical Magic, the Owens family curse of death befalling any person who would dare to love a family member continues. Jet Owens discovers a way to finally end the centuries-old curse, but can she put the steps in motion before her own time comes? The Owens family races to find Kylie Owens, who is risking it all to try to stop the curse from taking the man she loves before it is too late. Can they find Kylie before she meets her own tragic end?
Alice Hoffman finally gives readers what they have been waiting for, more of saga of the Owens family curse. The recently published prequels, Magic Lessons and The Rules of Magic have deepened readers interests be providing the backstory to the origin of the family curse. The Book of Magic pickup the story in modern day. This book was a great conclusion to the series. My only reservation is whether this book could have held its own independent of the series, but why bother finding out? Read them all!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#NetGalley

Alice Hoffman can do no wrong, especially where her Practical Magic series is concerned. The fourth installment of this series finds itself telling the story of Sally’s daughters and their journey as young women who have come under the eye of the Owens family curse—will they finally unwind the spell that has kept their family so unlucky in love for generations? Rules of Magic still reigns supreme for me of the volumes in this series but The Book of Magic is a close second, full of family and longing in all the best ways.

This book was magical. I have loved all of Alice Hoffman's books about the Owens family but this one really was my favorite. It brought everything full circle and was filled with love, loss and those powerful Owens women. I devoured it from start to finish.

Absolutely loved it! Hoffman offers tidy endings but still leaves you wanting to read more about this family. Great addition to an excellent series.

The final book in the Practical Magic series is practically magic! "The Book of Magic" is different than the others in the series. It reads more like one of Alice Hoffman's other books, with beautiful prose and languid storytelling, full of emotion and heart. It doesn't quite contain the same adventurous magic as the other three books in the series though. That aside, "The Book of Magic" is a beautiful way to close the story of the Owens family and the curse that has haunted their family all of their lives. It was nice to see so many of the characters connect in one book, each with their own significant contributions to the story. I'm sad to see the series end, but thankful for the way it was done.

If you are a fan of Alice Hoffman books you will probably love this conclusion to the Owens family story. Enjoyable travels to see if the curse can be ended. I really enjoyed seeing what happened next after Practical Magic. Some readers may find Hoffman's typical rambling prose a bit too much.

My goal this fall was to read the whole series and I did it!!!! I have been a LONG time fan of Practical Magic and watch it every year multiple times - I was shocked when I learned there was a whole series - very upset with myself that I hadn't know this already but thanks to NetGalley marketing of The Book of Magic I discovered this and my fall was made.
This one seemed a bit long but there are MANY stories and characters so there is a lot going on - I will say it was a great ending and very well done! If you are like me and watch Practical Magic every year and/or enjoy Hocus Pocus or Halloween Town series and all things witches and fall then I recommend you not only get this book but get them all and buckle in for a great fall reading list

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman is the final book in the “Practical Magic” series and it was everything I wanted to say goodbye to the Owens family. Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

In this conclusion to the Practical Magic books, 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 on others in the family.

The family shifts into high gear as they make an all-out effort to save a life, traveling back to where it all began. Each family members uses his or her gifts to break the curse. Their ancestor, Maria Owens first practiced the Unnamed Art in a rural English countryside. Sally has rejected the magic all her life and now realizes she must use her powers as well. Kylie Owens uncovers the truth about who she is and what her own dark powers are, her aunt Franny comes to understand that she is ready to sacrifice everything for her family, and Sally Owens realizes that she is willing to give up everything for love.