The book of magic by Alice Hoffman

No doubt fans of the Practical magic series by Alice Hoffman will be thrilled to read this final book about the family of witches, each person in the family cursed to have the ones they love perish immediately they admit their love. There are four books in the series, with the novel Practical magic written first, then two prequels, and now the dramatic conclusion.

Not having read the other books, I found The book of magic laborious to begin with. I seemed to be reading many pages without anything really happening, and I started to wonder about the point of it all. The plot does pick up about half way through as the younger generation, Kylie and Antonia, begin their struggle with the curse, a loved one in a critical coma following an accident, and Kylie unwittingly led down the path of evil. Sally, their mother, is desperate to ensure the safety of her daughters. There are secrets to unravel, and magic to be embraced.

There are strong themes of sisterhood and mother-daughter relationships, trust and distrust, and of personal sacrifice; the female characters are convincingly drawn; and the writing is rich in description. Perhaps it all works much better in previous books. A ReadPlus reviewer recommended The rules of magic, one of its predecessors.

Readers who have fallen in love with the characters in the previous volumes, are certain to welcome this last chapter to discover how the curse is finally overcome. For readers new to the series, I would recommend starting with one of the other books.

Themes: Fantasy, Magic, Sisters, Mother-daughter relationship, Love, Good and evil.

Helen Eddy