Genre: Fantasy / Historical / Romance
Book Type: Combination Physical and Audio
Author: Alice Hoffman
Narrator: Sutton Foster
Pages / Length: 416 pages / 13 hours and 26 minutes
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition (October 6, 2020) / Simon & Schuster Audio
Book Description:
Where does the story of the Owens bloodline begin? With Maria Owens, in the 1600s, when she’s abandoned in a snowy field in rural England as a baby. Under the care of Hannah Owens, Maria learns about the “Nameless Arts.” Hannah recognizes that Maria has a gift and she teaches the girl all she knows. It is here that she learns her first important lesson: Always love someone who will love you back. When Maria is abandoned by the man who has declared his love for her, she follows him to Salem, Massachusetts. Here she invokes the curse that will haunt her family. And it’s here that she learns the rules of magic and the lesson that she will carry with her for the rest of her life. Love is the only thing that matters. Magic Lessons is a celebration of life and love and a showcase of Alice Hoffman’s masterful storytelling.
Thoughts:
I mean, I LOVED The Rules of Magic last October, so it’s only natural I would keep reading about the Owens Family this October! This pre-prequel (is that such a thing 🤷🏼♀️) was such a beautiful story. While I loved the different loves that were present in The Rules of Magic, I thought the back story of Maria Owens was done so well in this novel. It tied together beautifully with the rest of the story line, but also broke my heart for her and Faith.
This is the back story of Maria Owens and the Owens Family Curse (on those who love them). It was set up in such a natural way and didn’t feel like a “forced” story and was full of Hoffman’s eloquent writing style. She has such insightful takes on how love happens.
Favorite Quotes:
I narrowed down some of my favorite passages to the following:
🐺 [They] were prone to ignore the rules and the warnings inside their own hearts and heads. Love could ruin your life or set you free; It could happen by chance or be a well-planned decision (pg 45).
🐺 Samuel put a hand on Maria‘s arm as she went forward. “That’s a dangerous animal,” he said concerned.
“Every mistreated creature is dangerous,“ she replied (pg 211).
🐺 What you send out comes back to you threefold. What you give to the world returns in kind. Blood begets blood (pg 330).
This was a great “witch” story and I definitely recommend it! It’s a perfect #octoberread.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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