The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
Ta-da!
Book 4 of the Owens family saga is finished for me.
I did it…I finished this whole Practical Magic series in less than a month.
If you’re wondering how I did that, it’s allllll because of that 1.8x audibook speed, yall.
As yall know quite well by now, I have some strange need to listen to things at a faster pace than “normal” (yep…I do it with other things too, like podcasts…) and thus, tend to get thru books very fast.
If there was a way for me to make my physical paper book reading skills match my listening auditory reading skills than OMGGGG my books per month consumed would friggin’ SKY ROCKET 🤣
Anyways….. this series is done…and as a whole, I liked it!
Separated book by book….The 1st in the series (chronologically) and the 4th in the series were my favorites. The 2nd and 3rd were just kinda neutral for me. They were necessary and integral to the storyline, but they just were not as enjoyable as the other two.
Here is the official summary of this last book:
“The Owens family has been cursed in matters of love for over three-hundred years but all of that is about to change. The novel begins in a library, the best place for a story to be conjured, when beloved aunt Jet Owens hears the deathwatch beetle and knows she has only seven days to live. Jet is not the only one in danger—the curse is already at work.
A frantic attempt to save a young man’s life spurs three generations of the Owens women, and one long-lost brother, to use their unusual gifts to break the curse as they travel from Paris to London to the English countryside where their ancestor Maria Owens first practiced the Unnamed Art. The younger generation discovers secrets that have been hidden from them in matters of both magic and love by Sally, their fiercely protective mother. As Kylie Owens uncovers the truth about who she is and what her own dark powers are, her aunt Franny comes to understand that she is ready to sacrifice everything for her family, and Sally Owens realizes that she is willing to give up everything for love.
The Book of Magic is a breathtaking conclusion that celebrates mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, and anyone who has ever been in love.”
After only being sorta kinda prevalent in the 3rd book, magic is back BIG time in this one, yall.
And so is Vincent!
YYYAAAAASSSSSSSSS!
It’s so so so wonderful.
And….
They have FINALLY had enough of the flipping curse (unfortunately because of a big familial loss 😥) and this whole book is the Owens’ fam journey to end it.
ABOUT DAMN TIME, YALL.
I been WAITING for this day since that curse started way back in the beginning!!
This book not only has LOTS more magic, BUT it also has lots more action, tension and deep introspection.
What a person will do for love and the sacrifices one will make for those we love is really dug into in this book.
Dark magic (or left handed magic as they call it) is a big part of this story as is the whole conflict of what can pull a person from the light to the dark…and if once there, if there is a way to completely turn around.
The thread that ties all the Practical Magic books together is the concept of LOVE and all it’s layers. I have mentioned that before and this book just confirms that repeated theme.
Lots of things happen in these pages and your interest and attention are peaked and engaged the whole time.
I am not gonna tell yall if their journey ends in breaking their curse…
But
I WILL tell you that there is a surprising and unexpected ending that IS satisfying and also provides closure for the whole story thus far.
There is JUST ENOUGH at the end of the book where you can use your imagination and glimpse into the future of the Owens family a bit….maybe another book one day???…and it is lovely.
I enjoyed this series overall.
The beginning of the saga and the end of it were the best parts for me…but I guess that can be true for many things in life, isn’t it??
(Also…I don’t think I am going to watch the movie version of “Practical Magic”. I looked up the preview for it and was like “WTF is this?!?! That shit is NOTHING LIKE what I read in the book!!!!! That did NOT HAPPEN!”
So if I was feeling that agitated from a two minute snapshot into the film, I think I’ll just pass on that mess for now….)