Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Magic Lessons: The Prequel to Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

21 reviews

deedireads's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

Magic Lessons is a dark, emotional, but not too heavy story perfect for October. I haven’t read Practical Magic, but it seems like a fantastic prequel.

For you if: You are looking for a literary witchy read.

FULL REVIEW:

“Always love someone who will love you back.”

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing me an advanced copy of this one via NetGalley. It was the perfect read to get into the mood for fall!

I’ve never read or seen Practical Magic (for which this is a prequel), but I was reassured that I didn’t need to in order to read Magic Lessons. That turned out to be true (I still loved it), but now I definitely want to read the rest of these books! I’ve heard that Magic Lessons
This novel tells the story of Maria Owens, matriarch of the Owens family and originator of a family curse, in the time of the Salem witch trials. She’s raised by another woman practiced in the Nameless Art, but is forced to flee as a young girl when fear and hate come knocking. Despite her resolve not to fall prey to love, infatuation strikes, and she careens herself into a long, often painful journey of a destiny.

Reading this book felt like sinking into a pile of fall leaves wrapped in a plaid blanket with candles lit and a mug of hot apple cider. It’s pricking candles with a pin and spells and herbal mixtures and grimoires and familiars, but without any cheesiness. It just feels like literary October. And it’s clear that Alice Hoffman has done a good amount of research, both into the history of the region and traditional witchiness.

But it’s also got a ton of depth and heart. There’s much here about motherhood and daughterhood and chosen family vs blood, friendship and abandonment and true love and faith and trust.

I think this book will hold a special place in my heart for a long time!



TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Pregnancy and childbirth; Animal death; Kidnapping

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Moderate: Animal death