BOOK REVIEW: The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

 

Publication Date: October 10, 2017
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: Paperback 
Pages:  385 Pages
Genre:  Fantasy Fiction 
Buy: Kindle | Paperback 

Synopsis:

Find your magic.

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.

From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the 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. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Yet, the children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the memorable aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy.

Review: 

While this is the prequel to Practical Magic it is very much a stand alone book.  I was always obsessed with Practical Magic, so when I discovered this book I had to grab it.  This book tells the story of the Aunts, Franny & Jet from Practical Magic their childhood, their parents, and relatives.  

This book sucked me in from the very beginning.  Learning about the quirky Owens family,  why there is a curse and how it manifests seems to be very complicated.  Also interesting is the childhood and history of Franny, Jet and their brother that I didn't know existed Vincent. 

This is a heartbreaking and illuminating book filled with family myth, strength of character and overall love. Beautifully written the story pulls you along and invites you to believe in curses, and witches.

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