Customer Reviews

Once a Witch

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We've somewhat moved on from vampires into other realms of supernatural beings, i.e. zombies, werewolves, fairies, etc. And sometimes it gets tiring, I must admit. There don't seem to be many teen fantasy novels out lately that don't have a main character that's somehow not human, so you can't blame me for being slightly wary when it came to this one. I was slightly afraid of being bored, but ended up pleasantly surprised with a likable main character and a thrilling plot.

Once a Witch, written by Carolyn MacCullough features Tamsin, a 17 year old girl, who completely disappoints her family, simply by being ordinary. Tamsin comes from a long line of incredibly powerful witches and at birth, she was thought to be one of the most powerful in the world. Instead, her magic never came. She is just an ordinary, clumsy, teen stuck in a family of fantastic, beautiful, powerful beings. That will take take a toll on almost anyone!

While working in her grandmother's bookshop, Tamsin is approached by a mysterious man needing her sister's help in "locating" something very important. Instead of filling the man in on who she is, Tamsin pretends to be her sister, wanting to be able to accomplish what the man wants and prove to her family she's not just ordinary. What happens though is a crazy, thrill ride of events, mixing magic, some romance, and a whole lot of danger into Tamsin's slightly boring exhistence.

I loved Tamsin's character (and her name!) and really felt teen girls would understand where she's coming from, (even if her main complaints are because she doesn't have any powers). We all know what it feels like to not fit in and this character definitely has the relatability factor down. The plot was unique and exciting, for the most part, though I did feel small chunks of the story could have been cut out and it would have prevented a slight dragging through some portions.

Highly recommended for fantasy fans, a nice choice for libraries as well.

Generally speaking, I love a good tale about witches. I think that they have fascinating history, and are a great subject to discuss. That being said, Once a Witch is possibly the best YA book involving witches that I have read in a while. The plot was enchanting and fast paced. It included an amazing dynamic between its lead characters, Tasmin and Gabriel. Their constant back and forth banter was amusing, and kept me laughing throughout the novel. In addition, Tasmin was a wonderful heroine. She was smart, witty, comical, just everything that I love in a spunky lead female.

One aspect that I was surprised to enjoy was knowing who the evil character was for most of the novel. (The description also pretty much tells you, too.) While the reader knows the "who", MacCullough keeps the reader in suspense giving only small clues to the "why" every so often. This method worked really well in keeping me on the edge of my sit trying to figure out the bad guy's motive.

All in all, I thought this was a fabulous novel. I laughed, a teared up a bit, a yelled at the bad guy, etc. I am really looking forward to more from this author and the series. There is a lot more that I want answered about Tasmin and her family, and I cannot wait to learn more.

Born into a long-established family of variously Talented witches, 17-year-old Tamsin Greene was supposed to be the most Talented of them all, but her magic, which should have shown up on her eighth birthday, has never appeared. She spends most of her time at a boarding school in New York City, but helps out in her grandmother's bookstore/magic shop at home in the summer. One day, while tending her grandmother's shop, a mysterious Scotsman, a professor at NYU, comes in, and, mistaking Tamsin for her extremely Talented older sister, asks her to find a lost family heirloom for him. Tamsin accepts the job, and it turns out that finding the valuable artifact will entail a journey back in time.

This marvelously complex story of romance, mystery, intrigue, conflict, magic and time travel is exceptionally well-written, and it's filled with fascinating, lifelike characters. I especially enjoyed the portrayal of Tamsin's large extended family, all with their own quirks and individual magical Talents. And I liked the author's playful treatment of time travel, with its paradoxes and complications, and its danger of catastrophic consequences.

The tale comes to a satisfying conclusion, but it's clear that very soon Tamsin will have more challenges to deal with, which gives us the hope and expectation that we have at least one sequel to look forward to.

I was really excited when I read the description for Once a Witch. Three of our kids are really into the YA paranormal fiction which has come out within the past 10 years. I was hoping Once a Witch would be just different enough that it would appeal to our 16 year old daughter, who has loved these types of books - starting with Harry Potter, and more recently the Twilight series. She wasn't much of a reader until she read the first Harry Potter book. Now she devours books. Our 12 year old son, who's in 7th grade, loved Harry Potter, and now is into the Vladimir Tod series by Heather Brewer. I suspect Once a Witch will appeal to him, because the theme of time travel is introduced. Also, the adventures of Tamsin is the main plot - as opposed to romance - which isn't his main priority right now.

I was so excited by the description of the book that I called "dibbs" on it once it came. After I started reading, I didn't want to put it down - which is what our 16 year old also said. It was a very fast read, with all the elements she looks for in fiction. She will read just about any type of book if the description appeals to her, but she has really enjoyed fast paced books with a bit of the paranormal element. She enjoys some romance, but it's not a requirement in the books she reads - which wasn't a major theme in this novel.

Our daughter and I both felt the ending left us with a real possibility for a sequel. We'll be watching for it!

This book, despite being aimed at teens, caught my interest from the very first chapter. The lead character, Tamsin has more then the usual teen angst - she is the black sheep of her mystical family. Tamsin is the only member of her large, commune-like household to not have a special "Talent". She is envious of her beautiful sister, Rowena, who is perfect and talented, and Tamsin is pitied by her extended family who don't understand how a baby born with great promise has managed to grow into a high school student so thoroughly ordinary. Through this story, she comes to learn about her family history, solving a mystery and discovering her own strengths.

It is a coming of age story, with fun, humor, romance, adventure, time travel and witchcraft, and allegorical for all teens who are looking to find their "talents". Teens (and adults) will find plenty to enjoy in this book. It is easy to relate to the characters, who are well developed , inviting you to care about and root for them. Tamsin is written with great depth and you feel she is an actual person. Carolyn MacCollough has done a great job of "showing" instead of telling her story. Unlike many other popular teen novels, the lead female character has a strong personality, and stands up for herself. There is romance and some rebellious teen behavior, but nothing too inappropriate for most teens.

For the most part, I would feel very comfortable adding it to a classroom library and encouraging teens (and adults) to enjoy it. However, I am confused as to why the author decided to have Tamsin smoke? It added nothing to the story and detracts from the likability of the lead character.

I have several students eager for me to share. I will personally be looking forward to a sequel.

Highly recommended

Tamsin Greene is a fun, eccentric narrator - the kind of girl who always shops at thrift stores and always finds something great, and spends her evenings sneaking into clubs (with her trusty fake ID) so she can catch hip new bands in hidden, grungy bars. She's outgoing, funny, and nice.

She's a wonderful girl, but there's a huge shadow hanging over her head. Tamsin comes from a tight knit family of talented witches, for whom magic is an integral part of daily existence. Everyone in her family has a Talent...except for Tamsin. Tamsin's too-perfect sister has a gift for mind control, her wise grandmother can see into the future, her father can manipulate the weather. The list goes on and on. Tamsin feels inadequate - and it seems like her witchy relatives are of the same opinion. She became a hip young New Yorker in order to escape her identity as a failed witch.

Which is why it's so strange that Tamsin offers to perform a magical task for a strange professor. He wants her to locate an opulent old clock that his family lost more than a hundred years earlier - though, the way he describes the loss, it sounded to me like it could have been through sale or gambling. I wasn't sure why Tamsin decided that the object should be returned to him without a little bit more research.

In any case, Tamsin can't find the clock without help - enter Gabriel, a hunky cousin who has a Talent for finding things. Together, the two of them get into a mess of trouble. It turns out that the clock once belonged to her ancestors - and the professor's reasons for wanting it are anything but innocent.

Not much more I can say without spoilers, so I'll stop. The ending clearly set this up to be a series, and I was engaged enough to read a second book. I liked Tamsin a lot, and I liked the sheer variety of magic that was possible in this world. The writing is very good, elegant and fluid without being showy, and I had a strong sense of place and time throughout. All in all, a fun and smart read.

Confessions of a Book-a-holic
[...]

I forget why I picked up this book.

The whole time I was reading it, I still don't remember.

The book is about Tasmin. Her whole life she was told that she had no Talents, and she thought she was an outkast from her family. She tried her best to blend in with humans (Talentless people) to make up for what she lacked at home. One day a mysterious man came by and asked her for her help, he thought she was his sister and conflicted and wanting to prove something she told him she was.

Tasmin searches for the mans missing object with her love interest Gabriel to find that the object the man is missing is an object that should have stayed just that. They travel in time, release it's power only to unravel a mystery her family has kept from her. She has powers after all! A great power, and with finding the man's missing thing, she unleashed another power that give life to him, and his family. Push come to shoves, she saves her family for the moment, only to leave a cliff hanger that I guess will lead to the next book.

Hmmm, Carolyn had very good writing talent. I mean though to me the story didn't take off how I wanted it to. I wanted there to be more romance between Tasmin and Gabriel! Yet, I was still drawn into the story. It was a short and easy read. Tasmin is a very relatable character. She is a different kind of protagonist, that unlike a lot of stories, makes the wise decision instead of the dumb that leads to the next book. In contrast to books like the Immortal series and Twilight. So that was refreshing, to read about someone who not only made a mistake anyone would make, but she made the smart mistake. Instead of constantly making the one that would bite her in the ass later.

If you are looking for a bewitching love story, this has a little love, but it does not go a long way. The story is still entertaining, and it has a little action in it. If you like Blue Bloods, you will probably like this.

Who else is getting sick of this whole new craze of supernatural young adult novels? Is it just me or are those YA novels the only ones that are being pushed lately? It's just me? Okay... I admit, yes, the whole supernatural thing is grating on my nerves just a bit, but Once a Witch, while a supernatural YA novel, is just unique enough to work and not seem like a knock-off.

Tasmin comes from a long line of witches. She's supposed to be this huge beacon for all the Talented, as predicted by her grandmother (one of the most Talented herself). But instead of having this huge power, it doesn't show up. So what's Tasmin to do? Well, go to a boarding school in the city and pretend to be normal, hating going back home because she's the black sheep in the family.

I think any teen can relate to this book. Relate to a book about witches and spells and potions, you ask? Well, yes. Every teen has at least once felt like the black-sheep in their family or at the very least felt excluded. Who also hasn't felt bad for not living up to your family's expectation of you? Carolyn MacCullough has exceeded in making a very remarkable heroine in Tamsin. She's relateable, likeable, witty, and everything that I believe a young adult heroine should be.

This novel has everything any young adult book fan would wish for. Intrigue, wit, sarcasm (or maybe that's just me?), witches (I've always loved anything to do with witches, starting with my anything, but brief obsession with the tv show "Charmed"), mystery, romance (one that didn't make me roll my eyes and that has to be a first with me), quirky and amazing characters (Tamsin's family is just deliciously weird) and an enchanting, yet action-filled plot that will have you rooting for the main character. And while I'm also a bit tired of almost every novel having a sequel (seriously, what's so bad about a stand-alone novel? I quite like those...), this one is just begging for a sequel, if not more than that. If you're a YA fan, pick up Once A Witch...it's an amazing light-hearted read.

There are a few things that really increase my enjoyment of a book in this genre more - a strong central character who doesn't need to be saved all the time, some good romance, an unraveling mystery, and a real sense of danger. Carolyn MacCullough introduces us to Tamsin Greene, who has grown up feeling like an outcast both at home and in school. At home, she is the only one without Talent, and has felt the sting of friends and family distancing themselves from her. She is considered to be a freak by everyone else in her home town because of the notoriety of her Talented family. You immediately feel the heavy weight of Tamsin's situation, and because of that, you root for her throughout the novel and cheer her snarky ripostes.

Tamsin is reunited with her childhood friend Gabriel and despite their awkwardness, it is obvious that they are an excellent match for each other. And although Tamsin asks for Gabriel's help, it is left to Tamsin to use her intuition and strength rather than waiting for someone else to save her. I do wish that their budding romance played a bigger part in the novel and that her feelings for him were more well explored. However, the light treatment of their relationship means that the focus of the story is on the action, which starts to really pick up about halfway through the novel.

Carolyn MacCullough builds a wonderful sense of dread, and once strange things start to happen, you can't put the book down. Tamsin must unravel the mystery, keeping her courage throughout despite the malevolent forces at work. Once a Witch was an interesting, quick read that leaves you ready for more.

There were some nitpicks: I didn't like it that everyone was SO talented and I really didn't like it that there was time travel involved. Things just get messy when time travel is involved...if the characters can change everything by traveling back in time and touching something, how do you ever get invested in the story? I also didn't like it that Gabriel turned out to be Mr. Gorgeous - it was a bit too "plot device for romance"

Tasmin is a young woman born into a family of witches. While the rest of her family has grown up learning to develop their talent Tasmin has grown up without a talent. When a strange man mistaking Tasmin for her sister asks for some help in finding a lost clock Tasmin discovers that her world is nothing like she thought it was.

Once a read is a great story for teens. The writing is complex enough and the characters and plot line interesting enough for older teens (and adults who like YA lit) but the content is mild enough that it would be appropriate for younger readers who enjoy stories about older teens. There is no sexual content and the romance is secondary to the action.

I suspect that this is the first in a series as the author spent a long time setting up the background of the character and the ending though satisfying left room for more. I'm looking forward to more in this series.