Once A Witch

I just devoured this novel from the first page, which is set in a bookstore by the way (what's not to love?). The Talents are similar to some other stories I have read, most recently those in the Alcatraz Smedry series by Brandon Sanderson, although he did something quite different with them. It reminded me too, for reasons I cannot divulge, of Shanna Swendson's Enchanted, Inc. books, which are also completely fabulous. The writing is good, the characters are interesting and the plot draws you in and keeps you there.

Tamsin was easy to relate to from the get-go. Most everyone has felt like an outsider at some point or had sibling issues (although not me, as I'm an only child) or wished desperately for some special talent. She has a bit of an edge to her, which I appreciate for the most part. She sneaks out to bars to drink beer and watch bands with her roommate Agatha. She's sarcastic with her family. In addition, she adapts well to all crisis situations, trying desperately to make things work out; even though she doesn't always succeed, it's awesome that she tries, rather than sitting idly by waiting for a savior.

My one big complaint about Tamsin is the scene where she smokes a cigarette in her room. Blah blah rebellion blah blah badass. I really hate smoking, because, well, it's awful. However, what really bugs me about this scene is that it has so little bearing on the rest of the book. It seems so out of place. Tamsin never smokes again, nor does anyone else mention her doing so. I can't help wondering if she was a smoker originally and most of it got edited out. Either way, it struck me as clunky and gross.

Gabriel was totally awesome. His talent (finding things) rocks. I seriously want one of him for my own, so he can keep me from having to turn my house upside down trying to locate my missing remote. (This happened this evening and the remote was, of course, in the first place I looked. Why I didn't see it, I don't know, but that's always how it goes.

Once a Witch was such a fun read and I am eagerly anticipating starting the sequel. If you're looking for an awesome summer read, definitely pick this up at your local library or book store!

Reader reviewed by Yiling

I LOVED this book. I first heard about it when the author, Carolyn MacCullough visited my school. I wasn't really sure if I wanted to read it, but then I saw that Cassandra Clare (one of my favorite author) was on the cover talking about how much SHE liked it. Well, then I NEEDED to read it. Wow. Thank god I did. With witches and time traveling, you are going to love this book. The plot is totally orginal and I ACTUALLY couldn't guess the ending.(Shocker!) And the characters, WOW. Ok, let me introduce them. There's Tasmin the awesome heronie, Gabriel the childhood best friend-who-moved-away-and-came-back-hot, Rowena the perfect older sister, and finally, our villan Alistair the-im-going-to-get-revenage-for-my-family. How they create this amazing story? READ.

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

Tamsin Greene comes from a very large family of witches with exceptional Talent. Unfortunately, she has no Talent of her own. Feeeling like she has disappointed her family (her grandmother predicts that she will become one of the most powerful witches ever in their family the day she is born), she eagerly accepts the chance to prove herself to them. Her chance comes in the form of an NYU professor  who needs help finding a missing family heirloom. Of course, he mistakes her for her extremely Talented older sister. After her friend, Gabriel (whose Talent is finding any lost item, no matter where it is), tells her that the item doesn't exist any longer, they discover a painting in her aunt and uncle's home with the item pictured in it. So Gabriel takes her back in time to when it DID exist. Of course, there are always consequences for anyone who tries to change the past! It was one of the best books I've read in ages! I can't wait to read more about Tamsin!!

Reader reviewed by Christi

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough is something of a coming of age story about teenager Tamsin Greene.
 Born into a family of witches, Tamsin is the outcast. She, unlike those before her, never specializes in a 'Talent". Seemingly so, she lives her life as a misfit. Forced to watch her perfectly powerful sister prance around planning her wedding, grabbing all the spotlight, Tamsin is always painfully aware of her normalcy.
 One night a stranger comes in, and triggers Tamsin to innocently fall into her family's warped history, nearly taking down those she loves most with her.
 The theme in this book is time. Time, a fragile thing, if tampered with, can pull the delicate thread of a carefully constructed sweater of consequences. Those consequences will keep you up well into the night, racing through the pages to see what happens next.
 This book is like a perfect piece of chocolate. It melts, and flows smoothly until the very last page.
I loved the character of Tamsin, a normal, yet emotionally conflicted girl. There are great moments that I kept thinking about long after I closed the book. The humor is deliciously wrapped into this wonderful urban fantasy, it was truly great fun to read.

Reader reviewed by GRgenius