Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this fabulous book by Alice Hoffman - it's the prequel to Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic, which are both must reads as well. 5 stars for such a fabulous read - and so appropriate to read about witches and magic as we head into the Halloween season.
This book finds us in the 1600s as Hannah Owens discovers a baby left in the field who she takes in and raises as her own. Hannah recognizes the bloodline of witches in baby Maria and begins teaching her the valuable lessons of magic. The first two - Do as you will, but harm no one and What you give will be returned to you threefold. But then there's love and all the magic involved there. When Maria falls in love a man who leaves her, she follows him to Salem, Massachusetts. When things go wrong, Maria puts a curse over all the women in her family and anyone who may love them.
Alice Hoffman is just the most gifted writer - while this book started off a bit slow for me, before long I was glued to the pages. We learn history here too - of the Salem witch trials but also of the history of New York and the way women were treated in these times. So many life lessons here to be learned as well as to how we treat each other and how very important love is. I loved how books were portrayed as magical - they sure are for me and this one definitely is! Highly recommended!
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