Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Since the gripping conclusion of Once a Witch, Tamsin Greene has been haunted by her grandmother’s prophecy that she will soon be forced to make a crucial decision—one so terrible that it could harm her family forever. When she discovers that her enemy, Alistair Knight, went back in time to Victorian-era New York in order to destroy her family, Tamsin is forced to follow him into the past. Stranded all alone in the nineteenth century, Tamsin soon finds herself disguised as a lady’s maid in the terrifying mansion of the evil Knight family, avoiding the watchful eye of the vicious matron, La Spider, and fending off the advances of Liam Knight. As time runs out, both families square off in a thrilling display of magic. And to her horror, Tamsin finally understands the nature of her fateful choice.

Review:

Just a little over two years ago a little book named Once a Witch rocked my world in more ways than one. Combining witches, time travel, and family secrets, there was a lot to love about that one. So when I heard about Always a Witch, the sequel that has been two years in the making, I couldn't wait to read it. I was eager to get back to Tasmin's world. However, while Always a Witch certainly did provide an interesting story, it wasn't nearly as great as its predecessor. Sadly enough, in some small ways, I even wish the main story ark in this one had been combined into Once a Witch somehow, because by itself, it didn't stand nearly as strong as it should have, in my opinion.

Always a Witch opens a little while after Once a Witch left off. Tamsin and her family are preparing for Rowena's upcoming wedding, and because of that Tamsin has moved back home for the meantime. However, even though Tamsin is enjoying being home in some ways, nothing is nearly as peachy as it should be. Tamsin is still silently fretting about her grandmother's prophecy that has bothered her in more ways than one, and after a surprise attack on the Greene family, everything is thrown into chaos yet again.  Her family's enemy Alistair Knight has a new sinister plan in the works, one that just may ruin everything for the Greene family. Knowing she has no choice but to go after him, Tamsin slips back through time, hoping to bring down Alistair once and for all. What she's doesn't know, though, is that this trip will change her in more ways than one. Will she be able to survive the burn so to say? Only time and more pages can tell!

The one thing I always enjoy about sequels is seeing the characters I've come to adore come back to life on the page, and that was just the case with Always a Witch. Tamsin especially was such a joy to see. I loved seeing how she continued to grow as a character as the book continued. Plus, I enjoyed seeing Gabriel once again. Just as sweet and adorable as ever, he managed to steal the show when he made an appearance, which made the fact that he had so little page time, all the more frustrating, in my opinion.

Even though I enjoyed seeing the characters in this one, the plot made Always a Witch fail in more ways than one. What I loved about the first one in this series was how exciting the plot had been, but with Always a Witch I felt everything had been watered down. The main storyline didn't hold the intrigue I was looking for, and for the most part, I knew how everything was going to go down form the beginning. Plus, Alistair, the villain who had been so cunning and manipulative before, even appeared watered down at times. Sometimes it was even hard to truly see him as anything but a non-essential character, one who was weak and even pathetic at times. However, I will admit that I enjoyed the storyline of  La Spider and her family. Now those people were wicked to say the least!

Carolyn's writing was good overall though. She did a great job with descriptions of the time period Tamsin was in and with furthering character development.

Lacking the spark and flair Once a Witch contained, Always a Witch wasn't really the sequel I had been hoping for. However, I still suggest it to fans who adored Once a Witch, as seeing the characters in this is more than enough reason to read it, but to others who were iffy about Once a Witch, I recommend ending the series with that one.

Grade: B

Always a Witch is now available!

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Contest for a SIGNED copy of Once A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Thanks to the amazing, Jenny, at Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, I have a fablous signed copy of Once A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough to give away! If you haven't heard what it's about before, here's the summary:

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.

Intrigued, yet? Well, you should be, it's a really cute book. :)

How to enter:

Leave a comment on this post telling me what supernatural power you would want, if you could have any one your heart desired. For example, some of the characters in Once A Witch, can time travel and compel people into doing what they want. Oh, and no answer equals no entry, so be sure to answer it. :)

Extra Entries:

+4 for already being a follower/ subscriber of this blog.
+2 for becoming one.
+1 for commenting on my review of Once A Witch here.
+1 for commenting on my interview with Carolyn below.
+ 2 for each time you link to this contest from sidebar, facebook, myspace, twitter. ( Though with twitter please add @Lauren817 to your link, so I can track them easier, thanks!)

Ends:

October 5th at midnight eastern and this is open internationally! :)

GOOD LUCK!!

Quick Q and A's with Carolyn MacCullough

Carolyn MacCullough is the author of several books for Young Adults, one being Once A Witch which I recently reviewed here.
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1) Once A Witch is your latest teen book. So, can describe it one sentence?

Once a Witch is about a 17 year old girl, Tamsin Greene, who comes from a long line of witches, but she herself has no magical power...or does she?

2) What inspired you to put Tasmin’s story to paper?

Exercise! I took up running for all of two weeks one April and in an effort to distract myself from the agony of exercise, I would study all the really cool old brownstones as I ran through Brooklyn. There was one house with a little gargoyle statue and I always wondered what stories he could tell if he could talk. Then I thought about a character who possessed the magical ability to make him speak. And then I thought about a character who didn't possess any magical abilities whatsoever, but who happened to belong to a family who was very Talented. What would she be like? And that's how I started hearing Tamsin's voice.

3) In Once A Witch most of the characters have “Talents”, otherwise know as magical powers, which leaves me to wonder what talent you would want to have if you could choose one?

Too hard of a question! I would love to be invisible, to fly, and to read minds. But I would also love to be able to rewind time even for a day or even just a few minutes to get a chance to "do over" things.

4) Do you have a favorite scene or line from Witch?

When Gabriel asks Tamsin out right after they've returned from time traveling to the 1800's and she says:

“I don’t know. I mean, you just took me back, like, a hundred years. Dinner would probably be so . . . anticlimactic now.” There is a small silence and finally I dare to look up at him. One eyebrow jabs upward. “If you and I went out on a date, the last thing it would be is anticlimactic.”

5) Is there one thing that you hope readers of your books take from them?

That everyone has a talent, no matter who you are. And that you should find that talent and focus on it, follow it and see where it takes you.

6) Was there a specific moment in your life when you decided, “ I want to be an author”?

I always wanted to be an author. But then I always wanted to be a lot of things--a pilot, a vet, and a princess in a tower to name a few.

7) What other hobbies do you enjoy besides writing?

Horseback riding. Swimming. Taking long walks in the woods. (This makes me sound athletic and I'm really not!)

8) Is there one book out there that you just wish that you had written yourself?

Wow--I love that question. Yes, there are so many books that I wish I had written myself. But I'm going to aim high here and say The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.

9) Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Persistence and patience are what you need to become published. That's more than half the battle. That, and read. Read everything out there--it will make you a better writer in the long run.

10) Are you currently working on any new projects? Perhaps, a sequel to Once A Witch?

Yes, I am working on the sequel--titled Always a Witch--it contains more Talents, time travel, undercover spywork, and of course some romance!

11) Is there anything else you would like to add?

Come visit me at http://www.onceawitch.com/!

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So, what are you waiting for? Go check out Once A Witch. It truly is a fantastic book! :)

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Summary:

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.

Review:

Once a Witch is an enchanting tale of the life of a black sheep from the Greene family, her name being Tamsin. Carolyn created Tasmin in a way that was easy to like and gave her flaws along with characteristics that any teen girl or boy can relate to even if they are not an almost witch. Tamsin feelings towards her family were ones that I could understand, because as anyone can realize it would be hard to live and interact with your witch family if you thought you didn't have a talent. I also adored reading about her relationship with the drool worthy Gabriel because it was funny to read their conversations and to see how his talents, as well as her, developed throughout the novel.

The plot of Once a Witch was one that was thrilling and mysterious making this a fun read. Carolyn is one to make your hypothesis of whats going to happen constantly change with the twists and turns she deals into the plot. Also, her writing flowed well, making this a well written read.

Overall, Once a Witch was a fast paced and excellent read that will defiantly be flying off the shelves come it's release in September. I look forward to reading more about the Greenes, possibly, because then ending of this novel is built for a sequel.

Grade: A+

Once a Witch will be released September 14, 2009. Be sure to check out the website for this novel, here, which includes quizzes, news/ events, and an excerpt among other things.

*Much thanks goes to JG for sending me a copy of this! :)