Practical Magic
#6673.93 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 4 books Status Complete 1995–2021 Reading commitment Medium Alice Hoffman Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
Practical Magic is a series of four novels by Alice Hoffman about the Owens family, a New England line of witches living under a curse that dooms those who love them. Practical Magic (1995) follows the sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, raised by their aunts in Massachusetts. The Rules of Magic (2017) is a prequel set in 1960s New York, following their aunts Franny and Jet and their brother Vincent. Magic Lessons (2020) is a prequel set in the 1600s that follows Maria Owens, who sets the curse in motion in Salem. The Book of Magic (2021) is the sequel, in which three generations of Owens women try to break the curse.
Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (4 works) counts toward ranking
Practical Magic Alice Hoffman
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Practical Magic | 1995 | 1 | core | 3.71 (174,050 ratings) |
 | The Rules of Magic; A prequel to Practical Magic. | 2017 | 2 | core | 4.01 (131,043 ratings) |
 | Magic Lessons; A prequel to Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic. | 2020 | 3 | core | 4.22 (71,826 ratings) |
 | The Book of Magic; The sequel to Practical Magic. | 2021 | 4 | core | 4.14 (36,097 ratings) |
Four novels about the Owens family of witches and the curse on their line, from 1620s England to the present day.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Practical Magic? Practical Magic's Core Canon is 4 books.
- What is the reading order for Practical Magic? Publication order, starting with Practical Magic. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Practical Magic finished? Complete (1995–2021).
- How much reading does Practical Magic take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 4 Core Canon books).
- How is Practical Magic ranked? #667 in this site's official ranking, based on 413,016 reader ratings across 4 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #667?
Ranked #667 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.93 across 4 core books.
- Backed by 413k reader ratings.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.71 to 4.22.
- Less than 0.01 behind #666, The Library Trilogy (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 4 books · Complete · 413k ratings · Ranks #667 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (4 Core Canon books)
- Practical Magic (1995)
- The Rules of Magic (2017)
- Magic Lessons (2020)
- The Book of Magic (2021)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Suggestions computed from what Practical Magic and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
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- The Adept Urban fantasy · Unfinished · Medium commitment · 4.04
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.93 across 413,016 ratings on 4 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 31 universes; 3 candidates ruled out; open items closed accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Audible: Practical Magic series Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Practical Magic Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Alice Hoffman Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = Practical Magic (1995), The Rules of Magic (2017), Magic Lessons (2020) and The Book of Magic (2021).