Shadow Spell by Nora Roberts

"This is what we are," Brannaugh said, still glowing from the shock of energy. "This is what we have. The nights grow longer now. The dark conquers light. But he will not conquer us."

Oh, would you believe how much this pains me? Writing this out, spelling out my feelings this way, a way that doesn't make Nora Roberts sound like the god of romance and storytelling and romantic storytelling I know her to be. She's fueled my dreams of love and fulfillment since I was a girl of preadolescence and I still firmly believe she is a queen among authors. But even royalty have an off day, I suppose.

To be fair, I knew that beyond the first book, Dark Witch, I was going to have a tough time. There was something so specific and individualized about the way I loved Iona and her story that I knew it wouldn't translate the same throughout the series. And it didn't help that these characters whom I knew would arise from the role of secondary to primary characters failed to win me. It was the love of Iona and the promise of her future with Boyle that drew me away from my doubt and trapped me into really liking the Dark Witch after the rich opening chapters.

Without her intense draw, it's too easy to see how dull I find the rest of the story beginning with Shadow Spell. Because the remaining characters felt like a gloomy day that left me begging for the sunshine that was Iona and because most of the plot is made up of uneventful, boring dinner conversations of supposed strategy instead of actual action, I found myself yawning and flipping quickly through the pages--so quickly, in fact, that the words could only be skimmed. Barely.

In truth, this read felt more like a DNF sitting since I can't recall over a quarter of the book, just a blur of words as I hastened to reach the ending I desperately wanted. Wanted not due to real worry or excitement for the conclusion, but due to eagerness in actually finding one at last. Folks, it's a sad day when I'm begging for a new Nora Roberts book to end so that I can chuck it aside.

I will be checking out the final book, just to see how that final couple stops prolonging the torture of not being together and to convince myself that it was just this installment that bothered and not the whole story idea. And let's face it: I'm always excited for a New Nora no matter what, even when I'm disappointed by the last.

Paperback / 319 pgs / March 25th 2014 / Berkeley Penguin / Goodreads / $17.00

My copy was purchased on Amazon.com.

What did I rate Shadow Spell?

Review: Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

Title: The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom
Story Arc: Series, Book 1
Publication: May 1, 2012 by Walden Pond Press
Hardcover: 419 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Retelling, Adventure
Age Group: Middle Grade, Teen
Content: Mentions of Kissing
Source: Bought | Quote(s): Yes

Prince Charming is afraid of old ladies. Didn't know that, did you?

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You've never heard of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change. Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, Liam, Frederic, Duncan, and Gustav stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it's up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be.

Debut author Christopher Healy takes us on a journey with four imperfect princes and their four improbable princesses, all of whom are trying to become perfect heroes--a fast-paced, funny, and fresh introduction to a world where everything, even our classic fairy tales, is not at all what it seems.

Bards don’t know squat about the Princes Charming

It’s no secret that I’m in love with The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy. I’ve been declaring my love and affection on Twitter, on Youtube, for gosh sakes, and there’s a reason for it, my friends. I don’t normally DO middle grade books. I’ve always felt that there was this lack in them that I couldn’t get passed. Sometimes things get a little too predictable, a little too easy, but you know what, I’ve realized this year that I’m full of CRAP. Baskets of crap. Because what the heck do I know? This is my second attempt at middle grade, and for the second time, I’ve been put in my place, and my silly preconceptions about the age group as a whole have been popped and have dissipated into NOTHING, not even blips in my memory. To the point where I’m going to make it my business to pick up more middle grade.

I picked this up after I read this really fabulous review and character interview over at Small Review. I thought to myself, unheroic, endearing Princes Charming setting the record straight? I WANT IN. SO WANT IN. And I’ve been giving The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy these wide, creepy, happy smiles and not-so-subtle dreamy glances. Because, yes, this book is THAT good. Perfect book material, totally. It hits up my two favorite things—fantasy and retellings. It retells the fairy tales you think you know, the ones that I love, and shows you how WRONG they actually are. The Princes Charming totally set the record straight, and you’ll remember their names by the end.

You guys, this is laugh-out-loud narration, wholesome fun, charming, hilarious characterization, and so much more. The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy is about flaws turned to strengths, about a rare, unheroic bunch becoming the real thing, becoming the heroes the bards will remember this time.

Prince Charming is character girl heaven

GOSH, I love these characters. Adore them, treasure them, admire them, root for them. Each of these screw-up princes, with all their flaws, banter, and triumphs, own a mansion in my heart. I have such a soft spot for sweet-natured, curious, oddball Duncan, it’s ridiculous. Frederic is a close second place, making me LAUGH OUT LOUD in wonder and humor over his prissy, prim, and proper dialogue and his amusing prudence, his entertaining OBSESSION with cleanliness. Reading as these two discover their so-called weaknesses and oddities as strengths, as they discover their heroic qualities themselves, as well as the bond of friendship among four unlikely companions, is the purest form of joy and entertainment. I was hooked.

Then, Healy throws in quintessential storybook hero and prince with the dashing good looks and excellent strategist tendencies—Liam—and a prince with a fierce superiority complex and impulsive, reckless act-first-think-later personality—Gustav, and you couldn’t have pried me from this book if you’d offered me your last carton of cookies and cream ice cream. The illustrations just ADD to the whole disarmingly awesome reading experience.

Christopher Healy made me openly share my SNORTS of HORROR, causing shame to my relatives, I was laughing so hard, and I was too absorbed to be the least bit embarrassed. Please, I didn’t have time for that. I was too busy reading about four of the BEST male main characters to enter middle grade/young adult fiction and their quests into No Man’s Land and foreign kingdoms where they fight giants, dragons, witches, and BANDITS. Their adventures absolutely took precedence over EVERYTHING ELSE.

Prince Charming wants his princess back

From losing said princess to the promise of adventure with Rapunzel, to making another feel unwanted and underappreciated, to realizing how nasty YET ANOTHER one is, these Princes Charming certainly have their hands full.

Poor Frederic, after kissing and dancing and proposing to the lovely Ella, has driven her away with his lack of understanding and sense of adventure (his idea of a daring escapade is an outdoor picnic with a new menu to try), and he must overcome his fears of the outside world to chase after her (never mind he leaves with the little knowledge as to how to ride a horse).

Prince Gustav, shamed by his part in Rapunzel’s story and irritated at everyone’s mockery of his heroic potential, has, with his callousness and abrasiveness, sent Rapunzel packing to head in the opposite direction, off on her own in order to use her healing abilities for the good of others.

And Prince Liam? The good, noble prince actually capable of rescuing the damsel in distress, and does, has found himself in quite the pickle. After rescuing Princess Briar Rose from the evil, jealous fairy who cast a sleep spell on her entire kingdom, has witnessed firsthand, and in due shock, her plain (and unexpected) meanness and selfishness and has, with relief, refused to marry her, much to the detriment of his impeccable reputation.

All is not well for these princes, and they find themselves in the same hellhole. None of the bards have remembered their names, and so EVERYONE knows them all as only Prince Charming, and nothing more. Unwittingly stumbling across one another, Prince Frederic and Gustav are the first to unite, Gustav in hopes to finally gain a hero status in helping the helpless, clueless, frightened Frederic in saving the damsel. When that fails, and they seek the aid of the famous Charming whose reputation for defeating a witch FAIRY is widely known, the two seek him out and pick up Duncan as well for their trouble. Their distaste for each other quickly expands to trust, trust to respect and admiration, and eventually the four become protective of one another, basking in their kinship over the horrors of their reputations. They become so heartwarmingly close, and grow to be exactly the kind of people they always longed to be, while forming a brotherhood of sorts worthy of unabashed cheers and fist-pumps!

A fourth character and GIGANTIC hopes for more

Healy’s narration, so laidback and funny and surprisingly modern and natural, feels like a character all on its own. There’s constant foreshadowing and subtle trickery, in which this omniscient narrator fools us into believing the worst, one thing over another, and constantly catches us by happy surprise. His humorous perception of the characters and the goings-on in the novel make things EVEN FUNNIER, if you can believe it. And I look on this voice as a faceless character that I adore almost as much as the rest of the book!

Because The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy is to develop into an ongoing series, you’d maybe think that it ends in a dissatisfying, wide-open, even abrupt, way and that COULDN’T BE FARTHER FROM THE TRUTH. The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy has an ending of perfect proportions, everything tidied up yet still left room for possibilities to stretch, and closes on a happy, high-spirited note in which it’s obvious that continuous adventures are BOUND to come. I want to read the sequel, and every sequel after that, PURELY FOR SELFISH and JOYOUS reasons. I want to read every book after because I am SO IN LOVE with this story and these characters and my seedling expectations for the light romances between the Princes Charming and their princesses.

"This was meant to be. I'm coming with you."
"Oh, for crying out loud," Gustav moaned. "Another one with a cape? And an itty-bitty cape at that!"
"I think it's rather snazzy," said Frederic.
"Why, thank you," said Duncan. "I wanted something that I could swish over my shoulder for dramatic entrances--and yet not get caught in doors."
"All right, fine," said Liam. "We can always use another sword. Are you an good with a blade?"
"Ha!" laughed Duncan.
Liam furrowed his brow. "Is that 'Ha,' as in, 'How silly of you to ask; everyone knows I'm the best swordsman in the land'?" he asked hopefully.
"No, that was 'Ha,' as in, 'I've never even a held a sword,'"Duncan answered. "But I will provide all the flute music we need. Leroy!"
The other three stared at Duncan, perplexed.
"Who's Leroy?" Frederic asked.
"Oh," Duncan said. "There's a bunny over there between those trees. He looked like a Leroy to me."
Awkward silence. (119)

"That's right. We've slept in worse places," Gustav replied. "And you haven't heard me complain once, have you?"
"You complained when I wiped the gooseberries off your face," Frederic said.
"That was an invasion of my personal space," Gustav retorted.
"I'm sorry, but there was a huge glop of berries stuck to your cheek. Was I supposed to leave it there?" Frederic said. (139)

Rating: Special Shelf

I haven’t been this utterly taken with a novel in a ridiculously long time! I feel flushed and excited and SO READY for more. An encore is as necessary as air at this point. The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy has everything from a wholesome, action-packed plot in which these Princes Charming fight off evil witches, dragons, and sly, cunning, feared bandits, and contains characters flawed, huggable, and—this has to be said—charming that it’s impossible to be bored and miserable reading their story. I was dazzled by the fun omniscient narrator, the unique concepts in the plot, the villains and the good guys, and especially the illustrations—I’d never thought pictures so vital before now. I absolutely recommend The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy for peeps of all ages, and that you not just pick it up for younger relatives and friends but for yourself as well!

OTHER REVIEWS: Small Review Good Books and Good Wine The Book Smugglers

SIMILAR TITLES: The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell Storybound by Marissa Burt Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

Prince Duncan, Prince Liam, Prince Frederic, and Prince Gustav respectively.

Got something specific in mind? Dare I believe I might NOT have covered something you wish to know? If so, let me know down in the comments section. Don't be shy!

ARC Review: Spellcaster (#2)

The following review contains NO SPOILERS!

my thoughts in a few sentences: Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz is the book that kicked off this fun witchy series, and Shultz's innate humor and charm shone in that first taste of her writing, urging me to return for another delightful helping. Well-written, hilarious, and featuring ordinary, adorable characters with a great sense of humor, Spellcaster carries over that same entertaining wittiness while bringing more intense issues to Emma and Brendan's table, one which already carries many nicks and scars in the strong wood used to fabricate it. With a main character I can't get enough of (real bff material!) and a romance that may have started out with an instalove that broke through my reservations but has since then become something to gush and blush and smile from ear to ear about, Spellcaster and I had a great time and I'm looking forward to a third date.

hooking first lines: "You probably don't remember me, but I remember you. And you and I have a common enemy. How do you feel about getting a little revenge on Brendan Salinger and Emma Connor?"

Rating: Sud-Kissed | HarlequinTeen • NetGalley • Paranormal Romance • 3/27/12 • $9.99

DNF Review: Initiation + Excerpt

Click here to read a character interview with Octavia!

my thoughts in a few sentences: Despite the fun setting of a boarding school chockfull of paranormals roaming about, and the one romantic interest that intrigued the hell out of me, I couldn't endure a heroine who pretty much posed as a nuisance at every turn and continue with the confusingly plotted story line, in which we are thrust into the story with little introduction and background information, wholly expected to understand what's going on with very little clues to work with. Even if that were all, there is only one character in the story that pulled any interest out of me and the rest fell flat to my estimation, striking me with slight interest, a mild curiosity that wasn't enough to propel my reading pace.

hooking first line:"Trust No One. The wooden plaque hanging over the bed couldn't be any more in-your-face. "

Rating: Did Not Finish | Self-Published • Blog Tour • Paranormal Romance • 12/25/11 • $14.99

Review: Born Wicked

my thoughts in a few sentences: A wonderfully thought-out historical world with an undercurrent of the paranormal to excite and bewitch, Born Wicked gives us a familiar take on witches with a twist and takes us back to a time period in our history that sickens us when we think of it, for innocents were slaughtered unmercifully for the wrong reasons. The romance is sexy and adorable, throwing in another heart-throbbing element to an already delightful story.

hooking first line: "Our mother was a witch, too, but she hid it better."

Rating: Perfect Bed Partner | Putnam • Historical/Paranormal Romance • 2/7/12 • about $12

Review: Texas Gothic

Texas Gothic
by Rosemary Clement-Moore

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Release Date: July 12, 2011
Publisher: Random House
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Library Check-Out
Rating: Sud-Kissed
About the Book:

Amy Goodnight's family is far from normal. She comes from a line of witches, but tries her best to stay far outside the family business. Her summer gig? Ranch-sitting for her aunt with her wacky but beautiful sister. Only the Goodnight Ranch is even less normal than it normally is. Bodies are being discovered, a ghost is on the prowl, and everywhere she turns, the hot neighbor cowboy is in her face

The goat was in the tree again...

I have a big crush on witchy books. I just love the idea of magic in a cauldron, spells from nature, and useless or inconsequential charms in a bottle. The idea that regular humans can possibly tap into otherwordly forces. Maybe that's why I was a little disappointed that Amy Goodnight wanted to play Protector of the Family from Outside Forces who wouldn't understand about magic, and was totally desperate to assimilate to non-witchy society. I wanted spells galore, magic at its finest run amok, and I didn't get that, didn't get what I was expecting so that's why I couldn't LOVE this book like I wanted to.

Although it wasn't what I was looking for at the moment, Texas Gothic did continually surprise me. The Goodnights are just so charmingly quirky, much like the entire book, that I couldn't help but like their characters. And Clement-Moore did a wonderful job giving a certain liveliness to all of the characters. Each had their own voice, their own personalities that were tangible even if they weren't the narrator like Amy. Amy herself falls under one of my favorite types of heroines - a Snarky Spirit. Her quick wit and her dismay at her family's lack of subtlety for magic in the presence of nonbelievers were a hilarious and endearing combination, if a little annoying at times. Pair her up with a sexy cranky cowboy (Tucker, I miss you!) who can use words like whips just as well, even as he's herding your goats for you, and you've got a devastatingly sexual tension-filled romance that progresses ever slowly, followed by a steamy explosion of Hot and Busyness in the... Well, *waggles eyebrows* we don't want that to get out now, do we?

The snarky prose and cast aside, my main reason for being glued to the pages of this large-sized novel in the span of a day was Amy and her sister's quest to cleanse the Goodnight name. Accused of being the reason for so many mishaps in the town, both supernatural-inspired and mysterious attacks on the site that may be derived from a notso supernatural, but just as sinister, culprit, the Goodnights feel the unbending urge to clear their family name and get the town off their backs. Well, Amy, in particular, whereas Phin is more interested in monitoring the paranormal activity taking place. The mystery didn't make my hands go white at the knuckles, but it was enough of an incentive to keep reading and figure out Who Done It.

Overall, the characters combined with the fast-paced mystery of the eerie poltergeist plaguing the town proved to be a very entertaining (expect a lot of laughs and surprises!), very hot (Ben equals yum!), and very engaging (the history plus the paranormal were truly amazingly written) read. If Clement-Moore decides to write anything else (have word of anything?), then I will surely read whatever it is so long as her witty writing style remains intact.

Review: The Near Witch

The Near Witch 
by Victoria Schwab

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Release Date: August 2, 2011
Publisher: Hyperion
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Library Check-Out
Rating: Special Shelf
Good for 2011 Debut Author Challenge
About the Book:

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

It starts with a crack, a sputter, and a spark. The match hisses to life...

This book made me feel small and innocent again, like before the illusion of Santa was shattered, like Lexi's younger sister Wren, tiny and gullible. Because before school and homework and college applications, and all that other real world crap, this took me back to that time when my mom and dad would sit with me at night and read to me the requisite bedtime story. The writing, gosh, how can I explain it? It's poetic and dreamy and fairy tale-like. It flows beautifully and feels almost as if you're floating in a dream. The way the setting is depicted is just like that - surreal and immersive. The descriptions are lush with fantastical imagery, so that you're sitting there completely in awe of Schwab's writing ability.

The Near Witch truly didn't disappoint me in any way. Not in the heroine, Lexi, another Serious Supergirl with an HoG and such wisdom and open-mindedness. Her courage, her sense of duty, and loyalty and love for her family is just remarkable really. The fact that her well-loved father is dead, her mother's a ghost of a person, and her uncle doesn't believe in her, wishes to hold her back and do the protecting, does not deter her from learning about the enigmatic stranger that suddenly pops up in the town, or from searching for the vanishing children. Despite the consequences, she befriends and allows this stranger to help her hunt for the answers. Her unflinching trust in him - Cole - endeared her to me.

The mystery of the disappearing children, I thought, was NOT going to hold the book throughout. But I was wrong. The plot is eerie and intense, and it keeps you suspended in suspense. As you read on, you grow as hungry for the truths of the town's history and the secrets kept by the town witches as Lexi. It becomes imperative, because Schwab masterfully wraps Lexi's feelings in beautiful packaging so that you get to know everyone in the town, and feel sorry for the children's parents. I felt the sudden loss of the children strongly because of this, because of Lexi's firm connection to everyone there. And it made me worry all the more for Lexi's younger sister, because she could be kidnapped next at any moment. Lexi's love for Wren is palpable, and you don't want anything to happen to her.

I got so FREAKING ANGRY at the townspeople for their unwillingness to believe in and listen to Lexi, for their close-mindedness toward Cole and the Thorne sisters, and for the lies and premature blame placed on innocent people. How and why their children begin disappearing from their beds in the night is connected to this quick-to-blame attitude within the town. And that's another reason why I found this story to be so, well, beautiful. Because, like with all children's fairy tales, there's a lesson to be gleaned from this book. The Near Witch isn't just another book; it has strong themes of acceptance and delivers that age-old, sometimes trite saying, "don't judge a book by it's cover," in a non-preachy and breath-stealing manner. It's timeless, this story.

And the romance is like the cherry on top of a perfect sundae of epic and magical proportions. Cole is sad and in pain and basically introverted. He's not an Agressive Alpha in the least, but he falls under the Sentimental Sweetheart category, which I love nearly as much. And, to me, he fits in perfectly with this mystifying tale. The attraction that sparks between he and Lexi is undeniable and evident, but sweetness can be found in Lexi's prying for details of his life. They swap anecdotes about their lives - well, Lexi does more of the talking - and exchange personal, heartwrenching memories. I wanted to physically reach into this book and give them bone-crushing hugs. They brought each other out of their darkest periods and believed in each other, working together seamlessly to save the children of Near. There's nothing more heartwarming than that, watching them press forward in spite of the towering obstacles.

The Near Witch is like an old bedtime story to be passed down - both original and familiar - or a cherished fairy tale to bring you out of the gloom and believe in happy endings, no matter how bad things get. I want to clutch this story to my chest and hug it, reread it, and then share the magic of it with everyone around me. The Near Witch is memorable and will stay with me for, I imagine, a very long time.

Thought up by the lovely Small Review, Special Shelf books are unforgettable books that make you emote in extraordinary ways, hold beautiful stories inside and characters you will forever be in love with... (My Rating System In-Depth )

"I've always been your friend, Lexi. That will never change. Why can't we be more?"

I take a deep breath. The wild grass rolls away from me toward Near.

"Do you remember," I say over the growing wind, "when we were little, and we used to play those games, the spinning games?"

"Of course I remember. I always won."

"You always let go. You let go when you thought it would be funny, and the circle broke apart, and everyone fell down except you."

"It was just a game."

"But everything's a game to you, ***." I sigh. "All of it. And it's not about skinned knees anymore. You just want to win." (65)

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."

Review: Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Once a Witch

By Carolyn MacCullough

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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)