The Book of Magic Summary: Curse-Breaking Quest in Hoffman’s Series

Sally Owens has tried to protect her daughters by hiding the family’s magical heritage. She lives in the family house with her aunts, Jet and Franny. Sally cannot see the color red, a sign of her emotional shutdown.

The story accelerates when Jet Owens, now in her eighties, sees her own death in a mirror. She hears the deathwatch beetle, a signal she has seven days left. Alice Hoffman writes that Jet travels to New York to spend two days with Rafael Correa, her secret love of sixty years.

Jet returns and passes away on March twenty-first. At her funeral, a letter from an ancestor reveals the curse to Kylie and Antonia. Sally dismisses it, but Kylie tells her best friend Gideon Barnes she loves him. He is immediately struck by a car and falls into a coma.

Kylie finds a hidden book, The Book of the Raven, in the library. It burns her hands and remains locked. She steals it and flees to England to find the origin of the curse in Thornfield, Essex.

Meanwhile, Sally, Gillian, Franny, and Vincent reunite in Paris. Vincent, who faked his death sixty years ago, uses his ability as a finder to trace Kylie to London. The family follows her, first stopping to consult Ian Wright, an expert on left-handed magic.

Sally heals Ian from a poison curse cast by Tom Lockland. They fall in love. In Thornfield, Kylie aligns with Tom Lockland, unaware of his true plan. Tom wants to unleash a plague of Red Death.

Kylie realizes the book requires a life to be sacrificed to break the curse. Tom casts his plague, and the village sickens. Sally sacrifices her magic to stop Tom’s spell and save Ian. In Boston, Antonia goes into labor and reveals that Franny must give a life to end the curse. Franny walks into a pond with stones in her pockets.

The curse dissolves immediately. Gideon wakes, Kylie’s fever breaks, and the red rain stops. A year later, Sally marries Ian, Vincent lives with David Ward, and Kylie and Gideon live on Magnolia Street. The family is finally free.

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Summary by Chapter

Spoiler warning: This section covers each part in detail.

The novel contains six parts. These sections trace the journey from Jet’s premonition to the final resolution.

Part One: The Book of Shadows

Section I: Jet Owens sees her death in a library mirror. She has seven days to live. She travels to New York with a rescued dog named Daisy. Jet spends two days with Rafael Correa, her secret love. She leaves him a note and returns to Massachusetts.

Section II: Jet dies on March twenty-first. A large crowd gathers for her funeral. Rafael stands at the edge, grieving privately. A sparrow enters the house, signaling Jet’s spirit. Sally refuses to discuss the curse with her daughters.

Section III: Vincent Owens lives alone in France, grieving his partner William. He travels to Paris and visits William’s grave. Jet appears to him in a dream, telling him he holds the key. A letter from Jet arrives with a physical key.

Section IV: Franny struggles with Jet’s loss in Massachusetts. Kylie sees an ashy aura around Gideon Barnes. Gideon is struck by a car on Brattle Street. Kylie realizes her love triggered the curse.

Part Two: The Book of Spells

Section I: The family reunites in Paris. Vincent uses a wax doll and an atlas to locate Kylie in London. They prepare to follow her.

Section II: Kylie arrives in London and meets David Ward at the Invisible Library. She discovers her ancestor Hannah Owens was tried as a witch in Essex. The Lockland family is connected to the curse.

Section III: Antonia visits attorney Ariel Hardy about Jet’s will. Antonia rejects magic but feels drawn to Ariel. She fears the onset of love.

Section IV: The family consults Ian Wright in London. Sally finds him paralyzed by a poison curse. She heals him with a Latin spell and seals a bargain of loyalty.

Part Three: The Book of Wonder

Section I: Franny dismantles the curse on Ian. Ian suspects Tom Lockland stole his book. Sally asks about The Book of the Raven. Franny notices the attraction between Sally and Ian.

Section II: Antonia visits Gideon in his coma. She later meets Ariel for lunch and kisses her, dropping her emotional defenses.

Section III: Kylie travels to Thornfield and meets Tom Lockland. They perform a blood ritual, and the kitchen table levitates. A waitress warns Kylie about Tom, but Kylie ignores it.

Section IV: Vincent finds the Invisible Library and David Ward. Ian realizes Tom is using Kylie’s bloodline magic. The group leaves for Essex.

Part Four: The Book of Love

Section I: The family arrives in Thornfield and checks into the Three Hedges Inn. Sally finds a locket with a photo of Jet.

Section II: Kylie and Tom perform dark magic. Kylie’s hair turns black. They head toward Lockland Manor.