What irritates me, and is a trip down tropey lane, is Franny, Jet and Vincent being described throughout as being utterly beautiful people. It’s cliche rather than romantic, mopey rather than poignant, but does have a certain teen charm. Interestingly the publisher, Scribner (part of Simon & Schuster), doesn’t list The Rules of Magic under Hoffman’s Young Adult Novels. Aside from the subject matter it certainly reads young, containing simplistic language throughout. Tropey YA I hear you cry? You wouldn’t be entirely wrong. It’s at Aunt Isabelle’s house they meet their wayward rebel cousin Alice, who has a profound influence on each of their lives. It’s only when they visit their aunt Isabelle that they begin to learn about it, and about themselves too. Despite the warning handed down through the family for centuries – Know that for our family, love is a curse – they will all strive to break the rules and find true love.įranny, Jet and Vincent grow up in New York, each of them falling in love for the first time despite a wicked curse which promises to dispose of their lovers.Įach of the siblings have powers, but their parents don’t raise them with magic in mind. Each heads down a life-altering course, filled with secrets and truths, devastation and joy, and magic and love. Susanna needed to set some rules of magic: no walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles and certainly, absolutely, no books about magic…īut the Owens siblings are desperate to uncover who they really are.

In this sparkling prequel we meet the Aunts from Practical Magic, sisters Frances and Jet and Vincent, their brother.įrom the beginning their mother Susanna knew they were unique: Franny with her skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, who could commune with birds Jet as shy as she is beautiful, who knows what others are thinking, and Vincent so charismatic that he was built for trouble. I’ve been warned if I insult either book I might be stepping into the flames of internet hatred. But having neither Practical Magic, nor seen the adaptation I am blissfully free from the shackles of loyalty. The Rules of Magic is a prequel to a much loved cult-classic, Practical Magic.

The rules of magic novel