Monday

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough


Title: Once a Witch
Author:  Carolyn MacCullough
Pages: 312
Genre: YA/ Teen
Source: Library

Tamsin Greene was born, destined to be one of the most Talented and powerful witches in her family. But now at seventeen, she has long since gotten over the fact that her “Talent” just never came to be. She’s more or less an average teenager (of course, without taking her Talented family into consideration). She attends school in New York City, has a great roommate/BFF and is as far away from the eccentricities of her family as she can get.

But when a stranger walks into her grandmother's shop and asks if she can find something for him - thinking her to be her older sister Rowena (who can find anything - no matter where in the world or in time it might be), Tam passes herself off as her sister and agrees to take on the job. With the help of her old friend Gabriel, she is able to locate the object (in 1897), but that’s only the beginning of a tale that will lead you on a hunt through time that will reveal plenty of family drama.

I absolutely loved the premise of this story. Young girl from powerful family full of all types of zany family members all with their own special "Talents" and her with none. Loved it!

Tam was a very relatable character. What girl doesn't struggle to fit in with their family? There will always be someone bigger and better than you - it's a matter of accepting who you are. That's not always easy to accomplish - but something worth striving for. I enjoyed the bickering between the sisters and the love/hate relationship they had. I can definitely relate to that. The scenes where the family is gathered and you read about their Talents - was just a treat to read. I especially loved the parts where Tamsin goes back in time - very detailed, it gave you that dreamy, glittery-around-the-edges feel to the time.

The ending left plenty of loose ends, but you can totally understand this since the sequel Always a Witch will be releasing in early 2011.   This was a quick, fun read - with sibling rivalry (which I always love), quirky characters, a sprinkling of romance, and plenty of mystery and intrigue. Although the story is written for ages 12 and over - no matter what the age, this is a story that can be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys urban fantasy.

My Rating:

**Originally reviewed January 2010**

5 comments:

Kelly aka yllektra(I Work For Books) said...

OH wow she has no powers at all?
That's so refreshing!!
Thanks for this review, it does sound fabulous!

Tales of Whimsy said...

O I bet I would love this. Great review.

Tara SG (25 Hour Books) said...

I wasn't sure about trying this series, but after seeing your review I think I have to give it a shot :)

Danny said...

Thanks for posting this Review again, I also have the book but didn't have time to start it yet. Then, I got the ARC from the second book so I really would love to start with the firs one now.

Glad you liked it, will definitely read it now!

christina said...

That cover is absolutely gorgeous. I so wanna be that girl there!

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