"The Rules of Magic (Practical Magic Prequel)" by Alice Hoffman

Disclaimer: I was given a free advance ecopy of this book via NetGalley from the publisher, Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review. My opinion remains as forthright as ever.

Well, it's time to think back to all the things I loved about The Rules of Magic, because letting it sit without a review irks my perfectionism to no end, especially when the book was as powerful as this one is. It follows three siblings through their adolescence and into adulthood- choosing their own paths, while still trying to avoid the family curse.

I have read many of Alice Hoffman's books. This one, for me, was the best of the bunch- the only two that come close are Turtle Moon and The Dovekeepers. I think the reason this one is 5 stars while the others I mentioned only garnered 4.5 stars is because I read this one precisely when I needed it. My grandmother passed away last year on October 3rd, and I'd only begun to read this book a few weeks prior (and slowly, as I was trying to savor it). This book has themes of death, grief, and injustice that resonated with me as I side-stepped through my own familial dramas.

The Plot (As Seen on Goodreads):

'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. Back in New York City each begins a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse.

'The Owens 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 revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy.'

What the future would be was yet to be discovered. As for the past, they already knew it too well.

            ~The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman, 73% Kindle edition

Whether you love, hate, or feel some sort of apathy toward your family members, they shape the way you grow up, and The Rules of Magic explores that avenue. I developed an immediate like for Franny and Jet, and a disgust for Vincent, who does typical teen boy stuff (or at least, what some of the typical teen boys I knew did). All of them are a bit lost in the world, and they cope with it in different ways, but in the end I found myself relating more to Vincent than any of the female characters (which I consider quite the miracle due to my initial dislike of him). 

Another of my favorite parts of this book is the fact that all of the Owenses have their own distinct plotline- and yet I never got bored or disinterested, even when most of their behavior was predictable. There was something delightfully operatic about this book that kept me reading even though some of the themes felt a bit too painful for me to touch at the time. Ms. Hoffman brought tears to my eyes and made me smile, even when I didn't want to.

The Rules of Magic is the sort of book you need when you don't know what to do. It is not, by any means, a self-help book, but it helped me nonetheless. Sometimes fiction is a much easier medicine than nonfiction to share ideas and stories, and I feel that is the case with The Rules of Magic. I recommend this book to everyone, whether you want to read it or not. Too bad, it's now my favorite, and therefore will be ruthlessly mailed as a gift to acquaintances and friends near and far for all occasions. 

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars for an extraordinary novel that helped me navigate 2017!

Age Advisory: Ages 16+ for sexual content, drug use, violence, swearing, and themes of grief.

Page Count: 369 pages