Reviews

I read Practical Magic a few months ago and really enjoyed it. Lots of Alice Hoffman fans, and fans of the Owens family, have raved that the prequel book The Rules of Magic is so much better. I have to go ahead and sort of disagree on that. The Rules of Magic is painfully slow with a pretty weak plot. It has too many characters so none of them are developed enough. The POV is a mess and confusing. The whole premise of the book seems to be about what extraordinary and special people the Owens kids are, yet when given times to show these traits, Hoffman writes with such a matter-of-fact tone that it makes their actions sound completely commonplace. The last part of the book was really rushed and felt awkward as if Hoffman had to hurry up and remind everyone how this book relates to Practical Magic.

All in all, this book was just okay. There were parts that I enjoyed and I hung on to finish the novel just out of curiosity.

stonecoldjaneausten's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-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

4.0

louisayd's review against another edition

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4.0

What a fun read. Needless to say I'll be adding her other books to my list

shannonfaz's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

amanda1793's review against another edition

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5.0

I freaking loved this book. I see some similarities to early Hoffman books I have read (The Dovekeepers comes to the forefront of my mind).

I have already purchased and plan to soon read "Practical Magic" and learn of Sally and Gillian.

Highly recommend for sure.

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