The Rules of Magic
by Alice Hoffman is the prequel to her 1995 bestseller Practical Magic. It is the story of three siblings: Frances
“Franny.” Bridget “Jet,” and Vincent, the only son born after centuries of
daughters. Their mother, Susanna, is a part of the Boston Owens family who have
been accused of being witches for centuries. She ran away from home and married
a psychiatrist and settled in New York City. She gave her children very
specific rules to follow and as the children got older, one by one the rules
were broken. One summer, when Franny turned 17, the siblings went to stay with
their Aunt Isabelle in Boston. There they learned their family’s history and
discovered their own unique powers. When they return home, they know that life
as they knew it was over and the three, in their own way, deal with their new
knowledge. Until one day, tragedy strikes and the siblings have a choice before
them. Do they fully embrace their heritage or do they hide and deny their
history?
I was invited to read The
Rules of Magic because I have reviewed two of Ms. Hoffman’s books before.
While I have never read Practical Magic,
I accepted the invitation because I had enjoyed Ms. Hoffman’s books. Unfortunately,
I did not enjoy The Rules of Magic. I
felt it was drawn out with pages and pages of nothing. At first, I was
intrigued and eagerly read as I was introduced to the family and their
abilities. However, the constant hints at why the family has been ostracized in
Boston and why a certain family draws fear in some of the Owens family. I had
enough. I could not finish it. I no longer cared about Franny, Jet or Vincent.
The book did not intrigue me enough to seek out Practical Magic. I read other reviews and many gave this book a
glowing review and I’m not sure what I missed. If you are a fan of Practical Magic, you may enjoy the Rules of Magic. However, if you are
not a fan, I do not recommend The Rules
of Magic.
The Rules of Magic
will be available
October 10, 2017
at all major
booksellers
