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mxcassandrasnow's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
bouldermimi's review
4.0
Read 11/4/2018 (Audiobook)
Loved this book! I didn't realize it was a prequel to Practical Magic when I first picked it up, and now I'm so happy I did. Of course, the story was a heartbreaker. Everything seemed to be moving the Owens family into ruin, but as with any Hoffman story, there is a beauty beneath the tragedy and a rebellious, lingering hope.
Loved this book! I didn't realize it was a prequel to Practical Magic when I first picked it up, and now I'm so happy I did. Of course, the story was a heartbreaker. Everything seemed to be moving the Owens family into ruin, but as with any Hoffman story, there is a beauty beneath the tragedy and a rebellious, lingering hope.
jduff86's review against another edition
3.0
Enthralling prose, charming characters, and a spellbinding story. Overall, I really enjoyed this book!
There were occasional lulls, but I found the love between the siblings endearing and the question of the family legacy we’re born into an interesting one to explore.
There were occasional lulls, but I found the love between the siblings endearing and the question of the family legacy we’re born into an interesting one to explore.
quirkysunflower's review
5.0
This is a slow paced boom and one that I found myself enjoying. Like sipping a fine wine and indulging yourself in some chocolate dipped strawberries while soaking in a bath. It was something you want to take your time and savor. It was layered and I loved the individual characters and their voice. I felt like I could relate to each one and their struggles. The heartache and loss. The guilt and shame. The fear of love. It addresses these topics in such a unique and heartfelt way. I was along for the journey and felt my heart shatter at moments. I held my breathe waiting to see how it would weave together and get “fixed”. It all felt so raw and real. It didn’t wrap it up neatly in a bow. Instead it was more a story on acceptance of things beyond our control and how to live on with pain and find beauty beyond. There’s good and bad in everything. So love and love a lot as much as you can because life is short and you can’t let fear hold you back from living. Accept yourself and live authentically. Of course there’s more to it than that and I find the way you find these messages will take your heart on a journey. I absolutely love this book an highly recommend. It found me at a time I was struggling and it breathed fresh life into me. I truly hope you find something in it for yourself and you get joy from it as well ❤️
averygrey24's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lovelykd's review
4.0
I received an ARC of this ebook, from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first novel I've read by [a: Alice Hoffman|3502|Alice Hoffman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1477318484p2/3502.jpg] and I was absolutely enchanted. The story, which can no doubt be considered the prequel to the well-known Practical Magic unfolds beautifully. Each character offered something to love/hate, at any given moment, but you were able to watch each one grow and contort into full-fledged adults with very real practicalities about life and love.
Having never read Practical Magic, I thought I might feel lost, or disconnected from the story, but that was not the case. This novel is every bit as good as a stand-alone, whether you ever find a reason or want to read it's predecessor. If anything, the reading of this may inspire many to seek out the other.
What I loved most about reading The Rules of Magic was the way each character developed as they blossomed from children into adulthood: in love, in loss, and in tragedy, you could see how every one of them changed. Each experience, for better or worse, marked them and changed their philosophy about how they should live and what is most important.
And while you felt their pain, with each successive emotional (and physical) challenge, as individuals, you also understood their triumphs.
Jet was by far my favorite character in the story. She endured so much and had the most reason to be made bitter by life's unfairness. Yet, she made the decision to continue to live a life based on her own terms, centered around its goodness. She remained bruised, but never broken, and her decision to do so, in light of all she went through, took an unspeakable amount of courage.
Franny and Vincent were interesting, but I liked them considerably less. That said, they offer much in the way of learning how often we all tend to pass judgment and offer intolerance, as opposed to acceptance.
Even so, in my opinion, because each appeared to be utterly self-serving in their pursuits of living a life worthy of contentment, they left much in the way of collateral damage. That was tough to watch and left me unsympathetic to their pain much of the time.
Having said all that, however, each of their journeys was fascinating because evolution-even when it is born of unexpected circumstances-is always expected. Each character evolved in his/her own way and, eventually, don't we all?
I truly enjoyed this book.
In a time when humanity seems to be lacking, in the real world, it's always lovely to escape into one where it can so skillfully exist.
Great read.
This is the first novel I've read by [a: Alice Hoffman|3502|Alice Hoffman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1477318484p2/3502.jpg] and I was absolutely enchanted. The story, which can no doubt be considered the prequel to the well-known Practical Magic unfolds beautifully. Each character offered something to love/hate, at any given moment, but you were able to watch each one grow and contort into full-fledged adults with very real practicalities about life and love.
Having never read Practical Magic, I thought I might feel lost, or disconnected from the story, but that was not the case. This novel is every bit as good as a stand-alone, whether you ever find a reason or want to read it's predecessor. If anything, the reading of this may inspire many to seek out the other.
What I loved most about reading The Rules of Magic was the way each character developed as they blossomed from children into adulthood: in love, in loss, and in tragedy, you could see how every one of them changed. Each experience, for better or worse, marked them and changed their philosophy about how they should live and what is most important.
And while you felt their pain, with each successive emotional (and physical) challenge, as individuals, you also understood their triumphs.
Jet was by far my favorite character in the story. She endured so much and had the most reason to be made bitter by life's unfairness. Yet, she made the decision to continue to live a life based on her own terms, centered around its goodness. She remained bruised, but never broken, and her decision to do so, in light of all she went through, took an unspeakable amount of courage.
Franny and Vincent were interesting, but I liked them considerably less. That said, they offer much in the way of learning how often we all tend to pass judgment and offer intolerance, as opposed to acceptance.
Even so, in my opinion, because each appeared to be utterly self-serving in their pursuits of living a life worthy of contentment, they left much in the way of collateral damage. That was tough to watch and left me unsympathetic to their pain much of the time.
Having said all that, however, each of their journeys was fascinating because evolution-even when it is born of unexpected circumstances-is always expected. Each character evolved in his/her own way and, eventually, don't we all?
I truly enjoyed this book.
In a time when humanity seems to be lacking, in the real world, it's always lovely to escape into one where it can so skillfully exist.
Great read.
tallulah85's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
shadowfalcon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
hollsesh's review
2.0
I have not read anything by Alice Hoffman before, including Practical Magic, and so I am new to her writing style. That said, this was probably not the best book for a first impression.
First off, within the first 20 pages (p. 16, actually), Hoffman makes a painful and embarrassing typo, describing a photo album that is wrapped in a material she calls "muslim." Ouch. Definitely a poor first impression for me.
Also, I found the introduction of characters and plot to be quite awkward. Although I am a sucker for a story that involves magic and power realization, I very nearly gave up several times while working my way through the first third of this novel. The only things that kept me going were the overall length, which gave hope for improvement, as well as a combination of general optimism and my aforementioned fondness for witch stories.
Essentially, the characters were too forced for my liking; the traits of the three children were awkwardly reinforced and reiterated as if the reader didn't quite grasp their personalities the first several times they were described (seriously, how many times can one describe a person as "scientifically minded" before I smash a beaker over my head?). I could say similar things for the rest of the plot as well: it dragged at times and then was rushed, as if the thing was a brainstorm on paper, a first draft that was never revised.
The middle third of the book was difficult to enjoy, due to the painful experience I had during the first third. However, the ending definitely picked up, and the plot became more original and exciting, and I was glad that I stuck with it. There were twists that I did not see coming, which is always fun for me, and the character development was pleasing, however choppy. Unfortunately, I felt that there was a major contradiction between the central problem (curse, rather) and the ending. I'm not sure how long this prequel has been planned, but it gave me the feeling that it was written because Hoffman is running out of other ideas, and decided to revisit one of her most popular works.
Overall, I would not recommend this book. Despite the original plot, the quality of writing is quite poor, and that really takes away a lot from the overall experience for me. That being said, it is a fun prequel for Practical Magic, so I suppose that might make it worth reading for others.
First off, within the first 20 pages (p. 16, actually), Hoffman makes a painful and embarrassing typo, describing a photo album that is wrapped in a material she calls "muslim." Ouch. Definitely a poor first impression for me.
Also, I found the introduction of characters and plot to be quite awkward. Although I am a sucker for a story that involves magic and power realization, I very nearly gave up several times while working my way through the first third of this novel. The only things that kept me going were the overall length, which gave hope for improvement, as well as a combination of general optimism and my aforementioned fondness for witch stories.
Essentially, the characters were too forced for my liking; the traits of the three children were awkwardly reinforced and reiterated as if the reader didn't quite grasp their personalities the first several times they were described (seriously, how many times can one describe a person as "scientifically minded" before I smash a beaker over my head?). I could say similar things for the rest of the plot as well: it dragged at times and then was rushed, as if the thing was a brainstorm on paper, a first draft that was never revised.
The middle third of the book was difficult to enjoy, due to the painful experience I had during the first third. However, the ending definitely picked up, and the plot became more original and exciting, and I was glad that I stuck with it. There were twists that I did not see coming, which is always fun for me, and the character development was pleasing, however choppy. Unfortunately, I felt that there was a major contradiction between the central problem (curse, rather) and the ending. I'm not sure how long this prequel has been planned, but it gave me the feeling that it was written because Hoffman is running out of other ideas, and decided to revisit one of her most popular works.
Overall, I would not recommend this book. Despite the original plot, the quality of writing is quite poor, and that really takes away a lot from the overall experience for me. That being said, it is a fun prequel for Practical Magic, so I suppose that might make it worth reading for others.