Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Magic Lessons: The Prequel to Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

5 reviews

gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Ah! What a beautiful, enchanting prequel. This was written just as wonderfully as practical magic and I adored it just as much.

Hoffman writes generational, magical stories about women so fantastically.

I loved learning how the Owen's curse began and who began the legacy, and growing with them. I felt attached deeply to Hannah, Maria and Faith and though some decisions took characters down some dark roads, the character development that came from that was phenomenal.

There's a few heart wrenching animal deaths that absolutely broke me, so just prepare if things like that greatly upset you too.

The writing was lush and rich. I always adore the little spell work included between chapters/parts. It just feels so wholesome and perfectly placed.

Overall, I adored this so much!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Genocide, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Sexual content, Infidelity, Infertility, Death, Dementia, Child abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Confinement, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Sexism, Stalking, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Pedophilia, Blood, Medical content, and Violence

danimain's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Old world old school story of magic and Witchery, with strong female characters. Though this books style and plot is not personally my style Marie is endearing and the perpetual bleakness of the plot being during the Salem which trials does redeem itself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Sexism, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Child abuse

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Self harm, Racism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Pedophilia, Slavery, and Kidnapping

booksalacarte's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

Magic Lessons- 4⭐️ 2🌶️

Historical Fantasy
Magical Realism
Witches
Salem witch trials
Witch heritage
Early America
One Bed
Journey
Coming of age
Generational Curse
Kidnapping


Alice Hoffman’s writing often feels like campfire storytelling . It’s such a specific style that is a perfect example of the Art of a tale. With whimsey, magic and love she transports her readers to another place and time. 

I found the history of the Owens family and the originator of the love curse to be rich in prose, vivid descriptions and a careful attention to history.

This is a slow moving tale that follows the entire life of the matriarch of the Owen’s family. But Hoffman completely captures the scene of each of the places the MC finds herself, as well as the misogynistic and fearful tone of the time.

“Do as you will, but bring harm to no one.
What you will give will be returned to you threefold.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Sexism, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Dementia, Chronic illness, Confinement, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

vistacanas's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

“Tell a witch to go, and she’ll plant her feet on the ground and stay exactly where she is. Instead of doing as she’s told, she’ll take a knife to her arm and let her blood drip onto the ground, and in that way she will claim the earth for herself and for her daughters and for all the daughters who follow her. It is the future she’s claiming, the right to be a woman who can do as she pleases.“

With every book I read about witches, I feel more and more connected to a tribe. Definitely not a typical one. This tribe isn’t restricted by the boundaries of time and place. It’s filled with countless generations of strong women who were/are deeply connected to nature and use its gifts to heal. They refused to follow the herd and be stifled by the patriarchy. They are my sisters. 

This book is the prequel to Practical Magic…I have the full series and chose to read them in chronological order. It is the story of the matriarch of the Owen witches that takes place in the late 1600s in England, Curaçao, Salem, and New York. 

Although it’s magical realism, you learn a lot about history…of each place and the plight of those women who chose to live on the edges. 

The plot was formulaic, thus predictable…it was the characters that kept me turning the pages. Alice Hoffman has a gift for character development.

The two biggest detractions for me were the magical realism and Hoffman’s diversions into Jewish history. My personal preference is for more realistic fiction, so that’s totally on me. I think more readers would agree with me that the breaks from the story to educate us on the plight and contributions of Jews were overindulgent, wholly unnecessary and mild to moderately irritating. 

Looking forward to reading Practical Magic, which I’ve heard is very different than the movie. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, and Infertility

Minor: Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Abortion, Antisemitism, Colonisation, Torture, and Slavery

bookishfaye's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is a very slow burn & very heavy on the historical elements so with that being said I can see how this book is maybe not for everyone. I have never seen or read practical magic & decided to go about the series in chronological timeline order so I’ve started with the story of Maria Owens. I absolutely loved every second of this book, it was beautiful, & heartbreaking, & hopeful, & devastating & I’ll be jumping right into The Rules of Magic Asap!!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Violence, Chronic illness, Confinement, Abandonment, Animal death, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Sexism, and Toxic relationship