Review: Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

WARNING: If you haven't read Once a Witch, the first book in the series, then you probably shouldn't read this review.

Always a Witch

By Carolyn MacCullough

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Release Date: August 1, 2011
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Source: NetGalley/ARC
Purchase: Book Depo. | Amazon | Kindle
About the Book:

The adventures of Tam and Gabriel continue with more time travel, Talents, spy work, and of course, the evil Knights.

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.

Maybe I'm still not off the high caused by the recent Harry Potter movie, but I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't get my magical family square-off like I'd expected. Perhaps it's possible that I misinterpreted...? But then: ...both families square off in a thrilling display of magic... I was preparing for this huge battle, practically jumping up and down in my seat, but it didn't really happen the way I imagined.

Don't get me wrong! The sequel was still great. One of my not-so-secret wishes was fulfilled: more romance for Tamsin and Gabriel! Every time they got all gooey or sexy on me, I sported this ridiculously wide smile. I adore them together. And I'm glad that, despite the present (or should I say past... hehe) circumstances, MacCullough didn't totally cut Gabriel out of the book, only giving him moments in the very beginning and the very end. An added plus was the time-traveling. Tamsin going back to the late-1800s--one of my favorite time periods, by the way--brought out a familiar, yet refreshing feeling. Familiar because I've been taken to this time period by several different books, but each time it's unique and in Always a Witch it's no different. I was a little fearful that MacCullough would be lengthy and dull in her descriptions, but, gratefully, I was spared any boring, several-pages-long descriptions that I would've presumably skipped over. It was anything but boring being in Old New York, and in the Knights' residence no less. These wicked, bloodthirsty witches that everyone is so scared of and horrified by.

I admire Tamsin. She has a healthy sense of what's right and wrong, but even she is forced to make decisions, is put into situations where she's capable of making mistakes. And she does. I'm not just saying that. Her judgement can be impaired; she's flawed. But not in a Too Stupid to Live kind of way. She's feels... authentic, genuine. Like a real teen, a real person, and not in a totally annoying way. And Gabriel complements her well. If she tries to pull the whole I'm Super Powerful Because of All My Cool Powers And Therefore I Will Be In Less Danger So You Should Stay Behind to Stay Safe routine, he's all like Don't Even Think About It, You Don't Get to Make Decisions for Me And I'm A Guy, What Did You Expect? Their banter, Gabriel's innuendos always give this book that wonderfully addictive comical flair that breaks the tension and tugs a much-needed laugh out of me.

With the addition of characters like La Spider, Liam, and Jessica Knight and the Greene family ancestors, I enjoyed the range of emotions that each of them invoked. La Spider really permeated that spine-chilling, creepy atmosphere throughout the book. And Liam was no better. A mask of lazy good-humor and charm hiding the inner-cruelty and murderous tendencies that come with being apart of the aforementioned bloodthirsty family. Sympathy coursed through me for Jessica, and I started to feel protective of her, to wish happiness unto her. I don't know how such a sweetheart ended up in that greedy, devious family, but... I'm glad for her...and that's all I'm going to say. The Greene family ancestors lacked the depth and dimension that their descendants possess in the future, but, their personalities and Talents were completely intriguing. I was just disappointed not to be able to get to know them a bit better.

And all of the events encompassing both books lead up to the heartbreaking decision that's been plaguing Tamsin's conscience, her grandmother's warning/prophecy echoing constantly throughout the book as an insistent and mysterious reminder. MacCullough did an excellent job wrapping up Tamsin's story, making sure to come full-circle and tie up the loose ends. Really making sure that the reader understands everything and anything that has caused questions up until the ending. And the ending itself was a satisfying closing that makes me sad to see this series go. I'm definitely going to be missing the Greenes, Tamsin and Gabriel. I hope to catch a glimpse of them in MacCullough's future books, unexpected cameos that would undoubtedly make me super happy!

--------------------------------------------------- 

"Mmm," I say, licking icing from the corner of my mouth. "It's so good. Even if it probably is poisonous. Go on, I dare you."

Gabriel narrows his eyes at me, then takes the remainder of the cake from my fingers and eats it in one gulp.

"Some of it," my mother answers, inspecting a fork. "And stop hanging on that door," she admonishes absently. "It'll break again and I'm tired of having Chester fix the refrigerator. The last time he fixed it, sang 'I'm a Little Teapot' every time I opened it, it drove me insane."

Gabriel inhales on a laugh, then begins choking on cake crumbs, alarmed, my mother whirls around. "Which one did you eat?" she cries.

"The chocolate flower one," I say. "Will he live?" I help myself to another cake, this one covered in sugar violets. "Is this one okay?" I ask, and then pop it into my mouth.

My mother closes her eyes briefly. "Yes."

"Yes I'll live or yes the second cake that she just ate is okay? It's kind of important that you be specific here," Gabriel says.

"You're not smarter than me," I blaze, looking up at him. And sure enough, he's laughing at me. "How dare you! How dare you laugh at me!"

"Wow, you're even starting to talk like you're from the 1800s. Are you going to stamp your foot now and toss your head at me?" And he starts laughing even harder.

"No," I mutter, but I'm trying not to smile now. "Jerk."

"And may I say you look pretty damn hot in the maid's uniform. How come you never dress up like that for me?"

I roll my eyes. "I take it you've forgiven me."

"You take it wrong," Gabriel says lightly, and then closes the distance between us again. "But you can try to persuade me to."

I lean back in his arms, tilt my face up to him again, and flutter my eyelashes in exaggerated manner. "I thought you said we weren't going to kiss and make up."

Author Chat: Carolyn MacCullough

• Visit Carolyn MacCullough's Website
• Visit Carolyn's Blog
• Read My Review for Once a Witch

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.

Once a Witch is a fun, enchanting story, a seamless blend of magic and time-travel in a thrilling race-against-time adventure, where Tamsin Greene must somehow stop the sinister stranger hoping to release a very dangerous, deadly power that jeopardizes the past, present, and future as Tamsin and her family know it!

Today I have Carolyn MacCullough stopping by to answer some pre-Always a Witch questions that plagued my mind as soon as I was done with its predecessor.

Thank you, Carolyn, for helping me piece together the following interview...

Hi, Carolyn!

I've been totally and completely ensnared by your first book, Once a Witch, and I have to say, I'm tremendously excited to get going on the sequel, Always a Witch. First of all, what drew you to writing about witches?

I love a good witch story! Something about Halloween has always seemed wonderful and mysterious and magical to me--and so I thought of a girl born on that night into a family of modern day witches.

How did this story come about? What inspired the Once a Witch series?

It started when I tried to become a runner. And I'm not great at running--or any other form of exercise, really. But I was running every day or every other day through beautiful brownstone Brooklyn and I always passed this one little gargoyle statue who seemed to be grinning at me. And I wondered just what kinds of stories he could tell if he could talk. Then I started thinking about a character who had the power to make stone speak and then I started thinking about another separate character who didn't have any power whatsoever, but had the misfortune of being born into a family of very Talented witches. What would she be like? What would she do to gain a power for herself? Then I ran home and started writing.

How would you describe Tamsin Greene?

Prickly. Loyal. Sensitive. Deeply attached to her family even though she pretends not to be.

Your novel is really the perfect blend between time-travel and magic. Have you always had an interest in them? Was it difficult incorporating and melding the two?

I was a little scared to mess around with time travel since it's a delicate topic. Pull one thread and another unravels. But in the end I really enjoyed it.

Was it always you're intention to write out Tamsin's story in two novels? Was it challenging to accomplish that?

I didn't think there was enough material for a third. So this is a duology.

Did you have a favorite character you loved writing for?

Aunt Beatrice! I do love her. I want to be her in the 1930's in New York City.

Could you share one best-loved line or scene from the book?

When Gabriel asks Tamsin out for the first time:
     "So," Gabriel continues. "Dinner?"
     "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."

(I can't believe I didn't include this scene in my review!)

One of my favorite things about book one is Tamsin and her gorgeous love interest, Gabriel, who's pretty patient with her as far as starting up a romance. Are we going to see more of Tamsin's romantic side in Always a Witch?

Of course. But Tamsin does make a mistake and tries to protect Gabriel without really consulting him about it and well... he's not too delighted with her for it.

I'm definitely itching for what's to come, and I, and I imagine others, want to know what to expect. What else can you unveil about the sequel, Always a Witch? Any sneak peeks you care to share?

More Travelng, more Talents, spy work, the evil Knights. Oh, and Tamsin gets kissed early on in the book by someone who is definitely not Gabriel!

Being that Always a Witch is the final book in this two story arc, what can we expect to see from you in the future? Any projects currently underway?

Yes--I'm working on a YA paranormal set in a fishing village where a girl attempts to rescue her drowned sailor love from the depths of the sea.

Have you read anything particularly awesome so far this summer? Are there any books you're looking forward to getting your hands on before the year fades out?

I've got a 2 year old and a 4 month old--my reading is limited to some pretty amazing picture books right now! :)

Thank you for stopping by the blog!

Thank you for such a fun interview!

---

I can't wait to find out more about that mysterious YA paranormal you've got cooking, Carolyn. Especially if mermaids are involved... I have a fetish for 'em.

I hope to have you back on the blog soon!

Review: Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Once a Witch

By Carolyn MacCullough

Get the Deets: Goodreads»»  
(What is Goodreads.com?)
Release Date: September 6, 2010
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Source: borrowed/Public Library
Purchase: Book Depo. | Amazon | Kindle
About the Book:

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.

That's not the cover that was originally published, but I like this one so much better!

I received Always a Witch, the sequel, a few months ago for review from NetGalley, and I haven't thought of it since. Well, other than it's immensely attractive cover (like a sexy guy (or girl) you saw in passing awhile back--a fleeting image that gets called up every now and then because of the appealing, yummy outside) I haven't. But, recently a few reviews have cropped up, and I was intrigued. So I went to the local library and picked up its predecessor, Once a Witch.  And I was mightily pleased to discover that this book is as incredible as it was rumored to be!

It's been awhile since I've actually sat down with a book about witches. Psychics, yes. Humans with super abilities, also a yes. But witches, I haven't had the pleasure recently. And it felt wonderful and refreshing to delve into the story of Carolyn's impressive, fun witch family, the Greenes. Not only was it fascinating as I navigated my way through all the simplicities and complex rules, the reinvented witch lore, but the Greenes themselves, their dynamic, are entertaining, amusing, and relatable. The wise, old grandmother, the flighty, scatterbrained great aunts and uncles, the nosy relatives, the bunches of cousins, the Golden, picture-perfect sibling, the outcast, black sheep... I swear there's at least one family member that could be the clone of one of your own. I know I thought it while immersing myself in the intricacies of this family.

Tamsin Greene is one such outcast, and what evoked my deepest sympathies toward this girl lay in the fact that she did nothing that truly forced her into that mold. Other than being born for greatness, and, apparently, ending up a disappointment to everyone. You see, it was proclaimed by the matriarch of the family, her grandmother, that she would be a "beacon" for them all, a great witch. And on her eighth birthday, she turned up with nothing special. In fact, she turned up with no magic at all, Talentless. This automatically set up a wall between her and her family, a block that prevented her from participating and bonding with her family. Any childhood friends made within the family forsook her because of her lack of Talent, including--or so she thought--Gabriel, her best friend and a very distant family relation. I could understand why Tamsin was bitter about her family, resentful toward her perfect older sister, whose Talent surpasses many, and distant. I know I wouldn't want to be where I felt like I an alien, like something was wrong with me, like I didn't belong and wasn't wanted.

Going along with Tamsin around NY, to school with her bff Agatha, to her family farm with the rest of the Greenes, to a local club for Gabriel, and, best of all, to the past, was so much fun! I loved seeing the closeness, that strong bond between Tamsin and Agatha, Agatha being that best friend you wish you had during your teen years. I want an Agatha as a gal-pal, that's for sure. And as Tamsin and Gabriel reconnect... well, I was mentally nudging Tamsin closer and closer to Gabriel, forcing her to realize how he feels about her. And how she, deep down, feels about him. She blushes enough times for it to become pretty obvious, at least to the reader, and, oh, Agatha. I was cheerleading for Gabriel, growing frustrated with Tamsin, and that almost-but-not-quite-there-yet aspect to their blossoming romantic relationship kept me on my toes and my nose firmly in the book.

My only concern was the faint connection I felt with Tamsin. Yes, I sympathized with her. She's had it rough up until this point. BUT, I felt like Tamsin erected a wall right from the beginning, separating us. And, unfortunately, I didn't feel like it came down at all. There was that faint, but traceable distance between us, a gap that needs to be closed come the next book. Otherwise, I don't think I'll enjoy this series as much as I potentially could.

Surprisingly, I'm not as disappointed with the plot/adventure as I thought I'd be once I finished. Because, I reasoned with myself, this is the intro book. A prelude to the magical face-off fast-approaching. I'm GLAD things happened the way they did. Time-traveling back into the past is one of my bookish pleasures, and so I was delighted to find that I got a great blend of both time-travel and magic. The best of both worlds. And that feeling that worse things are about to happen, that darkness and evil and battles (oh, I can't wait!) are coming, had me trembling with undeniable anticipation. There's absolutely no other way to describe it. I thought because I wanted more magic, and maybe a fight or two, that I'd be discontented with what was given to me, and I realized, by the time I finished, that I was utterly wrong. Any more and it probably would've resulted in overload, which DEFINITELY would've turned me off. So that race-against-time feeling combined with the hard search for the Domani (you'll have to read the book to find out what that is!) both satisfied me and makes me yearn. Yearn for what I know is going to be an incredible finale.

---------------------------------------------------

"I'm going to keep a few feet between us. Maybe about six."
"Sorry," I murmur as we walk toward the house. My bike is making little clicking
sounds that can't be healthy. And just then it occurs to me that I've forgotten to
pick up the ice cream. I try not to sigh too loudly. My only consolation is that
Rowena will have expected me to have forgotten. Which isn't much of a consolation at all.
When we reach the porch, I lean my bike against the rail, turn
to him, and open my mouth to say something like I'm sorry again, but the words
evaporate in my throat. The guy standing next to me is undeniably beautiful. He
has dark shoulder-length hair, dark eyes, and a lean face. His long, supple
mouth quirks up in a smile as he says,"Who knew you'd turn out to be so klutzy, Tamsin?"
I make a futile swipe at the mud crusting along my forearm while staring at the blue moon tattooed on the right side of his neck. Who knew you'd turn out to he so hot? I swallow and say only, "Hi, Gabriel." (25)

"Would you not be such a guy about this? You can't 'take' him because he's
not. . . normal, really. He's evil. I shouldn't have to explain this to you, of all
people." I take a breath. "Please. I don't want him to know that you're . . . important to me. He can't know that." The engine mutters and skips beneath us and I stare at the green blinker light flashing on the dashboard. And then without warning Gabriel turns to me, grips the back of my neck with one hand, and pulls me to him.

(219)