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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I was surprised at how much I loved this book. I love Tamsin, and my heart absolutely breaks for her! The way everyone treated her pissed me off, but she made her own path. Well, sort of made her own path. The ending is what really ended up dropping the rating for me because not one of her crappy family apologized for how they treated her. It wasn't even your typical ignore child. She was literally ostracized because she was different. The way they spoke to her or even completely ignored her like she wasn't there. I wish for better for Tamsin.
*Read for the first time from May 21 to May 22 2012. Gave 4 stars.
2) Finished 7/19/14 - 3 stars. For some reason, I did not like this book nearly as much upon rereading it. Even though I read this just two years ago, I noticed that it seemed very "young" and childish the second time around. I will be reading the sequel (especially since I already own it) and I can only hope that the main character (and the author) grew up a little for the second book. Thankfully this is a dualogy and not a huge series. It simply didn't "grab me" this time around.
2) Finished 7/19/14 - 3 stars. For some reason, I did not like this book nearly as much upon rereading it. Even though I read this just two years ago, I noticed that it seemed very "young" and childish the second time around. I will be reading the sequel (especially since I already own it) and I can only hope that the main character (and the author) grew up a little for the second book. Thankfully this is a dualogy and not a huge series. It simply didn't "grab me" this time around.
Read the full review @ Frazzled Book Nommer.
Once a Witch involves a classic story where the main character, Tamsin, just doesn’t fit in – with her family or with the world. She turns to the real world for any semblance of normalcy, because the truth is this: Tamsin’s a witch. I love that the main character is the odd one out, the one who is a part of something special but completely cut off from it at the same time. She belongs, but she doesn’t belong.
The witch lore in this story was absolutely riveting. I love anything that deals with witches, but these witches were different. Instead of holding control over all magic, a witch is limited to their specific Talent. Their powers reminded me of geass’ in the anime Code Geass. Every time you use your Talent, its power diminishes bit by bit. Not only do they have special power, but they have limits on their power.
Every little thing that occurred in this novel was brought up later because everything had its own significance. It’s one of those books that you read, find out what happens, then re-read again and see how what happened fits into the bigger picture. Carolyn essentially slips us clues here and there, but I never pieced two and two together.
I loved Tamsin as the main character. She was bitter at not having a Talent, but she never took it out on those who did have Talents. She self-exiled herself to her room and to her own misery half the time, but she never gave up. What she did do was try her best not to let it bring her down, and that’s what brought her to her “normal” boarding school in New York. She wanted to impress her family and fit in so badly that she accepted a seemingly impossible task that does more damage, rather than help, to her family. Gabriel, the “main love interest”, was... charming. How else can I describe him? He’s witty, he’s a musician, and he was very blunt for a teenage boy. He’s gentlemanly, of course, but he thinks about sex just as much as the next kid, and that added to his realism.
Their romance was a little under-developed for my tastes. It was more like the romance took a backseat to the plot. Sure, Tamsin and Gabriel have history, but it’s a history we can’t see and they don’t really do much re-connecting. It mostly just felt like Tamsin thought Gabriel grew up hot, they have a few scenes together, and the next thing we know they’re together. Hopefully in the sequel there’s more romantic development (their first date better be included!).
Overall, Once a Witch is a very enchanting tale that combines romance and witchlore perfectly. It has elements of betrayal, mistrust, helplessness, time-travel, magic.. . You name it! The main character lived up to her mistakes and “followed through” with what she had started instead of dropping out and letting someone else clean up her mess.
Once a Witch involves a classic story where the main character, Tamsin, just doesn’t fit in – with her family or with the world. She turns to the real world for any semblance of normalcy, because the truth is this: Tamsin’s a witch. I love that the main character is the odd one out, the one who is a part of something special but completely cut off from it at the same time. She belongs, but she doesn’t belong.
The witch lore in this story was absolutely riveting. I love anything that deals with witches, but these witches were different. Instead of holding control over all magic, a witch is limited to their specific Talent. Their powers reminded me of geass’ in the anime Code Geass. Every time you use your Talent, its power diminishes bit by bit. Not only do they have special power, but they have limits on their power.
Every little thing that occurred in this novel was brought up later because everything had its own significance. It’s one of those books that you read, find out what happens, then re-read again and see how what happened fits into the bigger picture. Carolyn essentially slips us clues here and there, but I never pieced two and two together.
I loved Tamsin as the main character. She was bitter at not having a Talent, but she never took it out on those who did have Talents. She self-exiled herself to her room and to her own misery half the time, but she never gave up. What she did do was try her best not to let it bring her down, and that’s what brought her to her “normal” boarding school in New York. She wanted to impress her family and fit in so badly that she accepted a seemingly impossible task that does more damage, rather than help, to her family. Gabriel, the “main love interest”, was... charming. How else can I describe him? He’s witty, he’s a musician, and he was very blunt for a teenage boy. He’s gentlemanly, of course, but he thinks about sex just as much as the next kid, and that added to his realism.
Their romance was a little under-developed for my tastes. It was more like the romance took a backseat to the plot. Sure, Tamsin and Gabriel have history, but it’s a history we can’t see and they don’t really do much re-connecting. It mostly just felt like Tamsin thought Gabriel grew up hot, they have a few scenes together, and the next thing we know they’re together. Hopefully in the sequel there’s more romantic development (their first date better be included!).
Overall, Once a Witch is a very enchanting tale that combines romance and witchlore perfectly. It has elements of betrayal, mistrust, helplessness, time-travel, magic.. . You name it! The main character lived up to her mistakes and “followed through” with what she had started instead of dropping out and letting someone else clean up her mess.
It was AMAZING!!! I love, love, loved it. There was so much action, nothing was slow at all. There was Romance, friendship, sisterhood and evil. And Adventure. It was a perfect and amazing mix. The preview was not as exciting as the book
A fun and exciting story. I can't wait to read the next book.
A teen book - enjoyable and kept interest going. Tamsin thinks she is the only one in the family with no powers, only to discover she is the most powerful and this has been kept from her until she needed to use the powers
Really enjoyed this one. However... Stupid intentional cliffhanger-til-the-sequel! Now must pick up "Always A Witch" ASAP! :)
While most teens struggle to be normal, Tamsin seems to be cursed by it. In a family full of Talent, Tamsin is the only one without a magical gift, even though it was prophesied that she would be the most powerful of them all. At seventeen she goes off to boarding school in an attempt to distance herself from her family and the constant reminder of being different. One day she is approached by a young professor in search of a family heirloom and is mistaken for her gifted sister. Instead of correcting the professor, Tamsin plays along determined to succeed and rub it in her family's faces. Tamsin enlists the help of Gabriel, an old family friend, and begins a journey through time in search of the missing object and her family's fate.
You know the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover?" Well, sometimes you can. Once a Witch was featured on a display shelf at my local library and caught my eye. I mean, have you seen that cover? It's gorgeous. Knowing nothing except that it was apparently about witches and had great cover art, I started reading without any real expectations. Yay for good surprises! Tamsin was a very likable character; she was easy to relate to, and her voice definitely kept me entertained. There was also an element of mystery held throughout the novel. Although the "who" was revealed early on, the "whys" kept the reader guessing up until the very end.
Overall I was captivated from the first few chapters. Tamsin and Gabriel's constant banter and the details about Tamsin's extended family made for some light hearted moments amidst the dark, looming threats. I really enjoyed Tamsin's journey into the past and the discoveries she made. While the ending was a bit of a cliff-hanger, it was still a satisfying end to the first book in a series. Book two, Always a Witch, is scheduled for release early next year. I'm definitely looking forward to it.
Read more reviews like this one at http://bookmarkedreviews.blogspot.com
You know the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover?" Well, sometimes you can. Once a Witch was featured on a display shelf at my local library and caught my eye. I mean, have you seen that cover? It's gorgeous. Knowing nothing except that it was apparently about witches and had great cover art, I started reading without any real expectations. Yay for good surprises! Tamsin was a very likable character; she was easy to relate to, and her voice definitely kept me entertained. There was also an element of mystery held throughout the novel. Although the "who" was revealed early on, the "whys" kept the reader guessing up until the very end.
Overall I was captivated from the first few chapters. Tamsin and Gabriel's constant banter and the details about Tamsin's extended family made for some light hearted moments amidst the dark, looming threats. I really enjoyed Tamsin's journey into the past and the discoveries she made. While the ending was a bit of a cliff-hanger, it was still a satisfying end to the first book in a series. Book two, Always a Witch, is scheduled for release early next year. I'm definitely looking forward to it.
Read more reviews like this one at http://bookmarkedreviews.blogspot.com