The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman

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Practical Magic #2 

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Primary Genre: Fantasy/Magical Realism

Blurb:

Master storyteller Alice Hoffman brings us the conclusion of the Practical Magic series in a spellbinding and enchanting final Owens novel brimming with lyric beauty and vivid characters.

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.

My Thoughts:

I think that it's pretty obvious that I had a hard time getting into this book, considering how long it took me to post this. I felt that once again, it started very slow. 

Kylie and Antonia are grown up and VINCENT returns! Sally has somehow found herself a third love interest, Gillian is shockingly with the same man and the girls are growing into the realization of the Owens curse. A large portion of this book takes place in rainy London. The Owens family also makes the trip back to Maria's home town, in search of finally breaking the curse. There's some apple pie baking going on and if you read this book last like me, you'll know what that means. Two new Owens babies and we lose some Owens family members along the way. 

Surprisingly enough, there were no familiars in this book. Well, not in the way that they present in the other books. I was kind of thankful, to be honest. They always seem to die in the most sad ways in this book series. In reflection, there is a lot of sorrow in this book series. One thing that I didn't understand about the plot was why Maria didn't just break the curse herself. She knew how to end the curse, so why didn't she just end it instead of leaving her family to suffer for 300 years?

In this book, which I assume to be the final, the Owens bloodline finally gets their happy ending. The first half of the book seemed treacherously boring to me but it was worth it in the end. The ending was timed well and most of the loose threads tied off. Although, I could think of a couple of ideas for a fifth book...

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