Book Review: The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman

For over 300 years, the Owens family has been cursed.  Those of us who have loved the Practical Magic series from the beginning have watched this family endure heartbreak upon heartbreak due to the curse uttered by Maria Owens at the gallows.  Just before placing her head in the noose to hang for witchcraft, Maria cursed any man who ever loved an Owens.  In The Book of Magic, the final book in the series, her descendants are determined to finally break this curse.  

For those of you who, like myself, have loved the aunts from the first pages of Practical Magic, I should warn you that the book starts with Jet hearing the death watch beetle and knowing she has only seven days to live.  As she prepares to say her goodbyes, we are reminded of the lengths these lovely characters have gone to in order to protect their loved ones from the curse.  Remember when Vincent had a whole funeral to protect William?  He missed watching his daughter grow up and has never met his granddaughters or great-granddaughters.  Jet spent one night a month with Rafael for years.  One night a month and then returned to pretending they didn’t even know each other.  And Gillian and Ben?  Still living in separate apartments.  Sally’s daughters, Kylie and Antonia, have been raised to believe the curse is an old family story and nothing more.  However, when Kylie’s boyfriend, Gideon, becomes the latest victim of the curse, she knows it’s time to find out the truth about who she really is.

This is one of my favorite series, so this was a bittersweet read for me.  So sad to see it end, but loved it just the same.  Hoffman does a beautiful job of writing a final installment, wrapping it up like a beautiful gift for her loyal fans.  I highly recommend this book, but I recommend reading the series from the beginning.  There is so much here that you will miss if you haven’t learned the history of this unique family.

This one comes out on October 12, 2021 - perfect for spooky season.  Please spoil yourself by indulging in the whole series.  

Thanks to Alice Hoffman for giving us this wonderful story to cherish for years to come.  For being a strong feminist voice, for reminding us to always be ourselves, for creating such beautiful magic.  Thanks also to Simon and Schuster, as well as Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.