Genre: Fantasy Fiction

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Note: There are NO spoilers in this review. When discussing in the comments, please provide a spoiler warning if needed.

In one word, The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman is enchanting. Full disclosure, I went into reading this after recently watching the movie Practical Magic so the curse of the Owens family was fresh on my mind. Sometimes, with prequels, knowing the fate of the characters can take away from the story, but not here. 

The story begins with Franny, Jet, and Vincent at a young age and their first summer with Aunt Isabelle. Although their mother has tried to hide the truth, the children begin to realize they have a secret – they are witches. With the promises of no spoilers, I won’t provide much more description, but it’s a fun and heartbreaking ride as they each grow up. 

My life ebbs and flows from kind of busy to overwhelmingly busy, so I wouldn’t directly correlate how much I like a book by how fast I read it. However, I did finish The Rules of Magic in 3-4 days. 

Alice Hoffman’s writing style is unique and spellbinding. At first I was unsure of the narrative style, which reminds me of an old story being told around a campfire, but it grew on me within the first few chapters and I was hooked. Spellbinding really is the perfect word because it’s sing-songy and will have you tangled up before you know it. 

Of course, if you have seen Practical Magic and know what the curse of the Owens family is, you know this tale is full of heartbreak and tears. The happy moments are bittersweet and beautiful but don’t carry the same lightheartedness of most stories. The drama throughout the pages is not flashy and overdone, it’s subtle and heart-wrenching. 

I’ll go as far to say this novel is emotionally taxing, but worth every moment of the pain you feel. Because ultimately, this is a story about love and how the only solution to your struggles and heartbreak is to love more.

It really was a fun book to read. It’s also nice to read a fantasy novel about witches that doesn’t involve the apocalypse or some large-scale, life threatening obstacle. They are normal(-ish) people who happen to be witches and are just trying to make it through the day and find a little happiness while they are at it. 

I haven’t read any of Alice Hoffman’s other novels, but I highly recommend this one. I enjoyed it from start to finish. 

Buy The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman here at Old Town Books (Alexandria, VA) or at your local bookstore!

Have you read The Rules of Magic? Let’s talk about it in the comments here or on Instagram.