Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman (✰✰✰✰✰)

Magic Lessons, the prequel to Alice Hoffman’s 1995 Practical Magic, does not disappoint. If you have not yet read Practical Magic, read Magic Lessons first. However, I read them in order of publication and felt that they work that way equally as well.

Whereas Practical Magic takes place in the present day and revolves around siblings, Magic Lessons is absolutely a work of historical fiction, taking readers back to Puritan Salem, Massachusetts, during the 1600s. The witch trials of 1692 are peripheral to the plot but not the main focus. Although I loved the interplay amongst the siblings in Practical Magic, I preferred the multi-generational aspect of Magic Lessons.

Magic Lessons goes back in time to narrate the early history of where the inherited magic in the Owens siblings in Practical Magic originates. The reader learns that magic is something that Owens witches are born with and also something that requires tutoring to develop. 

If you enjoy historical fiction, you will especially enjoy Magic Lessons, even if you were not a fan of the magical realism that was a hallmark of Practical Magic. I highly recommend the audiobook, narrated by Sutton Foster. She was a completely new narrator for me; I would choose to listen to titles that she narrates even if the book itself was not on my radar.