Oct 9

Oct 9 The Book of Magic (Practical Magic, #2)

Author: Alice Hoffman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Goodreads | The StoryGraph

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Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

Master storyteller Alice Hoffman brings us the conclusion of the Practical Magic series in a spellbinding and enchanting final Owens novel brimming with lyric beauty and vivid characters.

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. The younger generation discovers secrets that have been hidden from them in matters of both magic and love by Sally, their fiercely protective mother. As 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.

The Book of Magic is a breathtaking conclusion that celebrates mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, and anyone who has ever been in love.

TL;DR Review

The Book of Magic is a really great conclusion to the Practical Magic series. I think fans of the Owens family are going to love it.

For you if: You like Practical Magic, and/or witchy books about sisterhood and true love.

Full Review

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

The Book of Magic is the fourth and final novel in the Practical Magic series, perfect for October. It’s witchy and moving, about sisterhood and family and desire and (as always) true love. I think fans of the Practical Magic series are going to be really happy with this one!

The Book of Magic takes place after Practical Magic, giving us the conclusion of Sally and Gillian’s story, but also Aunt Jet and Aunt Fran’s. You don't have to have read all the books in the series before picking this up — I started my PM journey with Magic Lessons, which was the third one released, and THEN I saw the Practical Magic movie, and now I've read this one. That said, I could tell that there was a lot from The Rules of Magic, Jet and Fran’s story, that I would have appreciated more deeply if I'd read that one. Still, I never felt lost — she gives great backstory.

I also listened along with the audiobook as I read, and it was really well narrated, as I fully expected!

Read this if you love books about witches and sisterhood and true love and whimsy and magic.