The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

I could not wait to get my hands on this book. Therefore, I was super excited to see it was a selection at Book of the Month. I loved Practical Magic and just knew that The Rules of Magic would be the same. I was right!

The Rules of Magic is the prequel to Practical Magic and in it we meet Jet and Franny, when they are young, along with their brother Vincent. The story starts in New York when the three siblings are still children living under what they consider harsh parental rules. They can’t wear black, red shoes, or have any books on magic, among other things. They know they are different but their parents refuse to discuss their heritage with them. Then one day an invite from their Aunt Isabelle arrives and the trio sets off to Massachusetts on their summer break for a visit. 

While with their Aunt the three discover who they our and their heritage. They learn about a family curse dating back to the early 17^th century that was invoked when a family member fell in love with the wrong person. Because of the curse, when any member of the Owens family falls in love they threaten the very life of the person they love. Of course, life never works the way we have planned and bad things happen to good people. The siblings experience love, heartbreak and tragedy as they grow up and grow older and must learn to accept who and what they are.

The story is not about magic in the sense of witch craft, though there is some of that, it is really about the magic of love. Love as in love for your family, love for your partner, and love for humankind. It is so well written and the prose is outstanding, which made for a quick read. Ms. Hoffman did an excellent job making characters that everyone could empathize with. You will be drawn into the story from the very beginning.

I thought it was especially nice that both books are stand alones so you can read in any order. I can see people who are fans of Nora Roberts or Nicholas Sparks loving this book; as well as, fans of fantasy and general fiction. All in all, it is just an excellent story.