Every 'Practical Magic' Book, Ranked According to Goodreads

Practical Magic is one of the most treasured book-to-screen adaptations of all time. The cult classic, based on Alice Hoffman's 1995 novel, follows the Owens sisters, Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman), who come from a line of witches with a complicated relationship to magic. A deadly curse has troubled the love lives of Owens women for generations, while also ostracizing them in the small New England island town they call home. In the years since Hoffman's Practical Magic was published, the Owens family lore has expanded significantly. Hoffman, a prolific writer with over 40 titles to her name, returned to this lineage of powerful women three times over, writing two prequels and, most recently, a Practical Magic sequel, decades in the making.

With Practical Magic 2 soon to hit theaters and introduce a new generation of Owens witches, it's the perfect time to revisit Hoffman's spellbinding family saga. Turning to Goodreads, this ranking of Hoffman's beloved book quartet is a close one. Each installment has very similar reader ratings, hovering around the four-star mark. Not to mention, each book in the series is self-contained and can be read as a standalone or out of order. That said, for those who wish to read this magical series chronologically, the order is as follows: Magic Lessons, The Rules of Magic, Practical Magic, The Book of Magic.

4 'Practical Magic' (1995)

Book 1

Surprisingly, the original Practical Magic novel is the lowest-rated of the bunch on Goodreads, as the only work to dip below four stars. A big reason for the diminished ratings seems to be the influence of the widely revered 1998 movie. As one of those rare cases where a film adaptation arguably outshines its source material, the Practical Magic Goodreads grade has been chipped away at by readers who are coming to the novel after falling in love with Sally and Gillian onscreen. Truly, the book is a very different animal compared to its cinematic counterpart.

Although it's the same characters and the same climactic plot point involving the resurrection gone wrong, readers complain that the book has structural issues and the magic component is strangely miniaturized. Hoffman's magic is, indeed, practical, rather than indulgent in this debut. The eccentric aunties are a standout, of course, but Hoffman sidelines them per the book's primary focus on the Owens sisters. Luckily, Hoffman eventually granted her readers wishes with an entire prequel dedicated to Aunt Franny (Stockard Channing) and Aunt Jet (Dianne Wiest).

3 'The Rules of Magic' (2017)

Prequel 2

The Rules of Magic drops readers into 1960s New York to follow the sibling trio of Franny, Jet, and Vincent Owens, growing up under the watchful eye of their mother, Susanna. This Owens matriarch is a woman of many strange and inflexible rules: no walking in the moonlight, no wearing black, no wearing red shoes, no candles, no books about magic, and absolutely no falling in love. The three siblings don’t question this odd rule code until they’re sent to visit their Aunt Isabelle in neighboring Massachusetts and subsequently uncover their true magical inheritance.

Published more than two decades after Practical Magic, Hoffman’s expanded mythology of the Owens family is where her magical realism really hit its stride. As a popular standalone read, the younger version of these Practical Magic characters soar on their own without the context of its predecessor. The Rules of Magic is a book of wonder, whimsy, and heartbreak, set in a delightfully immersive 60s counterculture backdrop. All you need is love!

2 'The Book of Magic' (2021)

Book 2

The most recent entry into the book series is a sequel 25 years in the making. The Book of Magic brings the Owens family tale full circle through many of the series' recurring themes: love, loss, sisterhood, sacrifice, fate, etc. Opening with a matter of terrible urgency, this sequel is driven by a race against time, as Aunt Jet hears the deathwatch beetle and recognizes she only has seven days to live. Her death omen isn't the only pressing matter facing the family, as Kylie Owens' beloved beau, Gideon, ends up in a coma after an accident. The time is clearly ripe to change the family curse once and for all, rather than continue to outrun it.

The Book of Magic serves as the inspiration for the upcoming sequel movie, which brings some new faces into the tight-knit Owens tribe, including Sally's grown daughters, Kylie (Joey King) and Antonia (Maisie Williams). Across the pond, the addition of Professor Ian Wright (Lee Pace) further expands the story beyond the family circle. Whether Hollywood can make lightning strike twice and deliver another film adaptation that eclipses its literary source is yet to be seen. Regardless, The Book of Magic stands as a top-notch sequel that brings a surplus of adventure, romance, and, most importantly, closure.

1 'Magic Lessons' (2020)

Prequel 1

Hoffman's other prequel spin-off, Magic Lessons, is the most highly rated of the series on Goodreads. Perhaps her most ambitious work, this novel was a Goodreads Choice Award nominee in the historical fiction category. The story hones in on the ancestor who started it all, Maria Owens. Abandoned in rural England as a baby, Maria is taken in by Hannah Owens, who instructs her in the "Nameless Arts." Maria, a prodigy, absorbs the wealth of magical knowledge that will ultimately shape generations of Owens women's lives.

Later, when Maria is baited and abandoned by a man's false love, she follows him to Salem, Massachusetts, where the infamous curse is invoked. Set in the 1600s against the backdrop of the Salem witch trials, this prequel is the most well-received by readers despite being the darkest installment in the series. Magic Lessons is not just about love; it's about historical injustice and brutality. For those who want their witch fiction a bit more ominous while still being rooted in the resonant power of wayward women and mother-daughter bonds, Magic Lessons is the spellbinding standalone read for you.