A review by gen_wolfhailstorm
Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

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