Book 1 of the Practical Magic series
“These are the lessons to be learned. Drink chamomile tea to calm the spirit. Feed a cold and starve a fever. Read as many books as you can. Always choose courage. Never watch another woman burn. Know that love is the only answer.”
Maria is a foundling and taken in by a wise woman called Hannah Owens. As a child, Maria learns all about herbal remedies and magic from Hannah. After Hannah is put in jail for witchcraft, Maria flees with her biological parents Rebecca and Robbie. When they arrive on Curaçao, in the Caribbean, Maria is sold into servitude by Robbie. While working for the Jansen family, Maria meets John Hathorne and the two fall in love. However, he leaves her to go back home to Massachusetts. After he left, Maria found out she was pregnant. Once she has her child, Faith, Maria leaves Curaçao and follows John to America. Once she gets to Salem, she learns that John is married to someone else, and that he has children with his wife as well.
Maria and Faith settle in Salem, and when one of the women in town takes a shine to Faith, Maria is accused of witchcraft. The woman guilts Maria into having her take care of Faith while she’s imprisoned and consequently disappears with the 6 year old girl in tow. Though Maria is sentenced to hanging, the rope breaks and she’s set free. For years, Maria searches for her daughter…
I love this series, Maria is a lovely character – she’s a strong lady who is nice as well. Her pain of her lost love, the betrayal, and then the kidnapping of her daughter, it is heartbreaking.
One thing though, the book could have done with a Dutch editor because some of the Dutch sentences or words were not quite right (FYI I am Dutch) which is a shame.
Read for the Book List Queen Reading Challenge 2026
Prompt 19: Book That Makes You Happy
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️