According to author Alice Hoffman, her four-novel Practical Magic series can be read EITHER in the order the books were written, OR in chronological order. I picked chronological so this is book #3 and while I didn’t find it quite as impressive as the first two, it was still very enjoyable. Awarded four stars on Goodreads.
In this novel we meet more descendants of accused witch Maria Owens, the matriarch of this series. This time it’s the story of sisters Sally and Gillian and later, Sally’s two daughters Antonia and Kylie.
Sally and Gillian are as different as they could be but having survived traumatic events as children by relying on one another, even as adults there remains a strong tie between them. Sally is the dependable, level-headed sister while Gillian is the wild child. So even after not seeing each other for many years, it’s still Sally that Gillian turns to when she finds herself in BIG trouble.
Along the way, other important themes are included. A family curse hundreds of years old, serial abusive relationships, falling in love, even a murder. And, once again, as in many of her books, Alice Hoffman uses PRACTICAL MAGIC to explore the strange but strong ties between and among women, especially those who are related by blood (mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts). They may yell and insult and hate and reject each other at times (feelings we all share)— but there is, beneath it all, always a deep commitment, connection, and love.
I am loving this series and am now preparing to read the final book, THE BOOK OF MAGIC. Currently scheduled for publication on October 5, 2021, I was fortunately able to get early access through netgalley.com. Thank you Simon Schuster. I’ve just been waiting to tackle this one until I could finish the first three novels in the series, so I’d have the full background for #4.
More about the author, Alice Hoffman, one of my favorites.
You may be interested in my reviews of other books by Alice Hoffman:
The Practical Magic Series:
Other books:
Toby A. Smith 