Fans of Alice Hoffman's insanely successful Practical Magic series were overjoyed when it was announced that the beloved books would be getting another prequel. Magic Lessons is the third and final installment of the mystical series, and is set to be out October 6th!
If you're as huge a fan as we are, or are just looking to get lost in a word of witches, curses, and doomed love, then Magic Lessons is the book you've been waiting for. Keep reading to find out why we're so excited for the Magic Lessons release.
1. We’ll Be Introduced to the First Witch in the Owens Bloodline
Abandoned as a baby and scorned as an adult, Maria Owens’ magical gift has made her an outcast all her life. Raised by Hannah Owens, the young Maria is taught to understand the “Unnamed Arts,” and that in life, you should always love someone who will love you back.
When the matriarch from whom the beloved Jet, Fanny, Vincent, Regina, Sally and Gillian are descended is abandoned yet again by a man who claimed he loved her, we follow Maria to 17th century Salem, Massachusetts, a place that alters the course of her descendants’ futures forever.
2. We’ll Finally Learn the Origin of the Curse
From fatal car crashes to accidental poisoning, men have suffered horrible deaths at the mercy of forces unbeknownst to them. The Owens women themselves have been subject to inescapable loss and heartbreak their entire lives.
With a dive into Maria’s life, Hoffman unveils the series of events which lead to the creation of the centuries-old curse which brought death to anyone who dared fall in love with an Owens woman. Perhaps she was justified in the curse, perhaps not. Either way, we will gain much-coveted understanding into this powerful woman’s perspective and decisions.
3. We Get to Experience Alice Hoffman’s Enchanting Storytelling Once More
A distinguished novelist, Alice Hoffman has over 30 works of fiction under her belt. These include Survival Lessons, The Foretelling, and Angel Landing.
Hoffman’s novels have been named time and time again as books of the year by The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, Library Journal, and People Magazine, and her work has been published in over 20 translations by more than 100 foreign publishers. But it seems like regardless of how much she publishes, readers cannot get enough of her storytelling.
In TK a film adaptation of Practical Magic was released, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Her novel Here on Earth was selected for Oprah’s Book Club, while The Rules of Magic was a Reese Witherspoon's Book Club pick. One of her novels which deals with AIDS in a family, At Risk, is even put on many universities’ required textbook lists.
Now, for once again, we can allow Alice Hoffman's magnetic storytelling to transport us into the mystical world of Practical Magic.
4. There’ll Be Even More Characters to Fall In Love With
Hoffman vividly crafts real characters, both pure and evil, and we can’t help but let their stories stick with us. The Magic Lessons prequel opens us up to a whole new ensemble of characters to laugh with, cry with, root for and fall in love with.
The compassionately written, flawed yet dynamic Owens family members we hold dear are expanding and we can’t wait to venture into their fantastical lives.
5. The Focus That’s Put on Powerful Females
A truly eye-opening focus is always placed on the women in Hoffman’s novels. In Magic Lessons, she recounts the treatment of single women in the 17th century, and critically explores the perceived threat of an intelligent woman with agency to the status quo.
As a fiercely independent and driven woman, Maria Owens, along with Hannah Owens, and all the Owens women, offer true sources of inspiration for women of today to draw from, as they continue to defy limitations set upon them by a male-dominated society.
6. The Lifelong Lessons We’ll Learn Along the Way
In Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman weaves a tale of tragedy and heartbreak from which important lessons can be drawn. The novel touches on themes of courage, love and family and never for a moment wavers in the importance of selflessness over selfishness—and we expect more of the same from the prequel
A page-turning adventure that will have your head spinning, Magic Lessons is a celebration of life, and is bound to be everything you could hope for in a world of witchcraft and more.
Read the Entire Practical Magic Trilogy
Magic Lessons
Unravel the story behind the Owens family curse as we journey through the Practical Magic world in the 1600s. Maria Owens has been scorned and abandoned by both her family and the man she loves. Using the magical gifts taught to her by Hannah Owens, the woman who raised her, Maris will enact a curse which will plague her descendents for years to come.
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The Rules of Magic
Despite their mother’s warnings, young Franny, Jet and Vincent Owens just can’t stay away from spells, magic, or love. The curse set upon the Owens family by their ancestor Maria looms ominously over the siblings, and threatens anyone who falls in love with them. Unable to escape their fate, Franny and Jet grow up to be the revered aunts in Practical Magic and Vincent’s choices leave an unexpected legacy.
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Practical Magic
After the death of their parents, Sally and Gillian move in with their eccentric aunts. Their time there is marked by pain and ridicule so the sisters decide to leave as soon as they can, with the promise to see each other soon. Years later, the deaths of both their husbands brings the sisters together again, almost like magic. Now they must bury a body, deal with a ghost, and keep the investigator off their trail.
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