Today I’m sharing my review of Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. I have stated to do a series of Instagram Reels where I pair a book with a cocktail. Earlier this week I paired Practical Magic with a Empress 75.
Synopsis
The Owens sisters confront the challenges of life and love in this bewitching novel from New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman.
For more than two hundred years, the Owens women have been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in their Massachusetts town. Gillian and Sally have endured that fate as well: as children, the sisters were forever outsiders, taunted, talked about, pointed at. Their elderly aunts almost seemed to encourage the whispers of witchery, with their musty house and their exotic concoctions and their crowd of black cats. But all Gillian and Sally wanted was to escape.
One will do so by marrying, the other by running away. But the bonds they share will bring them back—almost as if by magic…
Why I Decided to Read this Book
I watched the Practical Magic movie a lot growing up and didn’t even know it was a book until a few years ago. The last book in the series just came out so I wanted to read them all!
Rating
4 Stars (Check out my rating system!)
My Thoughts
This book and the entire series is very much outside of my reading comfort zone. I have a hard time with fantasy or magic books but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I loved immersing myself in the Owen sister’s world and ended up really enjoying Alice Hoffman’s writing.
The story was a little bit slow but I didn’t mind it. There is still a plot and I was entertained. I loved the magic and actually wished there was more. I have already started reading The Rules of Magic (second book published in the series but it is a prequel) and I am loving it because there is a lot more magic there. Who knew I was going to want more magic?
I would say it took me a second to get used to Alice Hoffman’s writing but I am in love with it. It is different so I can see some people not loving it but it worked for me and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series. I am hoping to finish them all by the end of November.
Content Warnings
Domestic abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death, Bullying, Sexual violence
Who I Recommend this Book to
I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a new book world to get lost in. You don’t need to like fantasy to enjoy this one.
The Drink
Since I shared a matching cocktail for this book on my Instagram, I thought I’d share the recipe here!
Get the Book!
Did this review of Practical Magic convince you to read it? Check out the links below to order it from Bookshop.org and libro.fm. Please consider ordering it from a Black owned independent bookstore. This list of Black owned independent bookstores accepts online ordering.
If you’ve read this book let me know your thoughts in the comments!
