The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

Getting my hands on this book was almost like real magic. I recently finished reading Faithful, which I got on NetGalley last summer. Less than a week after finishing that Alice Hoffman novel, I got an email from Simon & Schuster asking me to read her upcoming work, which I’ve been waiting for with baited breath anyway! I literally squealed and downloaded it right away.

The Rules of Magic is the prequel to my beloved Practical Magic  – one of my very favorite books and movies.  I’ve read the book once, but have seen the movie countless times. I’ve always wondered about the aunts – Jet and Franny – and this novel is like a dream come true because we finally get to learn about their lives.

Jet and Franny live with their brother Vincent and their parents in New York City. There are so many rules at home – no red shoes, no night blooming plants – that the trio just don’t understand. As they grow older, they start to realize that they are able to do things that other’s can’t, like turn out the streetlights or make objects move. When Franny gets an invitation from Aunt Isabelle at the family estate in Massachusetts, her parents send her brother and sister as protection. While there, all of the siblings explore love, life, and magic.

But remember that the deathwatch beetle always comes to call for the Owens family and the lives of their loves are cut short. But Aunt Isabelle says that it’s possible to beat the curse, so the Owens children are determined to do find a way.

The story follows the Owens sisters until Sally and Gilly move in with them after their own parents die and the Practical Magic story begins. This is exactly what I needed to read this summer. It’s full of witchy goodness: herbs, spells, gardens, and romance. Fans of Practical Magic have something to look for when this book is released in October, which will be the best time of year to cuddle up with it! Now is the time to pre-order!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.