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leftik's review against another edition
4.0
Tamsin Greene, reluctant and newly-discovered witch, is back in the sequel to MacCullough's Once a Witch to try and prevent her family from being destroyed by Alistair Knight and his scheming family. For this, Tamsin must travel back to the 19th century and infiltrate the Knight's ranks to prevent Alistair from passing his knowledge of the future onto his ancestors. Determined to both save her family and make the correct choice in a prophesied terribly difficult decision, Tamsin must rely on her just-found Talent and New York City smarts to try and defeat the Knight's once and for all.
I found I liked Always a Witch much more than its predecessor (and I liked Once a Witch). The suspense was ripe throughout most of the story and the new characters were mostly deliciously evil - which always makes for a fun read. Tamsin seemed to grow as a character as she faced situations on her own and made some tough decisions. Also, the wonderful Gabriel is back!
On the whole, I suggest this book, but would recommend reading Once a Witch first!
I found I liked Always a Witch much more than its predecessor (and I liked Once a Witch). The suspense was ripe throughout most of the story and the new characters were mostly deliciously evil - which always makes for a fun read. Tamsin seemed to grow as a character as she faced situations on her own and made some tough decisions. Also, the wonderful Gabriel is back!
On the whole, I suggest this book, but would recommend reading Once a Witch first!
operasara's review against another edition
5.0
Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough is the sequel to Once a Witch. The series stars Tasmin a girl who has always felt like an outsider in her family. In the first book Tasmin discovered her unusual talent and traveled through time to save her family. In this book Tasmin must travel back in time to save her family from the evil Alistar. She works as a maid for a family that uses evil means to enhance their magic.
It has been almost two years since the original book came out so I was worried that the sequel would not be at the same level as the original. I was pleasantly surprised. The story was very entertaining and I enjoyed both the time travel aspect and the magic. The characters were well developed and I really cared about what would happen to Tasmin. I finished the book quickly and found myself thinking about what would happen next when I wasn't reading.
Appropriateness: There is no adult content in this book. There is a bit of romance as the main character has a boyfriend but it is not the focus of the book. The main character is in her late teens and she's working as a ladies maid for most of the book. I would recommend this book to teens 12 and up with it being interesting and mature enough for the older end of the YA audience.
Review copy obtained from Amazon Vine. Release date is August 1st
It has been almost two years since the original book came out so I was worried that the sequel would not be at the same level as the original. I was pleasantly surprised. The story was very entertaining and I enjoyed both the time travel aspect and the magic. The characters were well developed and I really cared about what would happen to Tasmin. I finished the book quickly and found myself thinking about what would happen next when I wasn't reading.
Appropriateness: There is no adult content in this book. There is a bit of romance as the main character has a boyfriend but it is not the focus of the book. The main character is in her late teens and she's working as a ladies maid for most of the book. I would recommend this book to teens 12 and up with it being interesting and mature enough for the older end of the YA audience.
Review copy obtained from Amazon Vine. Release date is August 1st
allisonwilliams's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked the plot of this book and the historical aspect. It would have been nice to have some more character development though.
broooe's review against another edition
4.0
I liked [b:Once a Witch|6393119|Once a Witch (Witch, #1)|Carolyn MacCullough|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266675213s/6393119.jpg|6581611], But this book totally surpassed it.
Maybe I'm a little biased, but I tend to love books set in the 1800s. I can't really explain it but I like it makes me love the story a lot more. So I was so excited when Tamsin travelled back in time to fix the mess she created by helping Alastiar Knight regain his family's (evil) power.
As soon as she arrives in 1880s New York, Tamsin realized that the "Easy job" wasn't going to be as quick as she thought. Starting off with the creepy guy who offers her a position where he's niece works Spoiler who you find out later it's not really his niece, just some ex-prostitute he's in love with even though she's a bit pyscho and clearly in love with someone else as a maid. Tamsin refuses the job until her mentions it being for the Knights, which changes her mind and she accepts, in hopes to get there before Alastiar does.
Right of the bat you can tell that something fishy is going on in the Knight household. Maybe it's the sudden dispearances of the other Maids before her, or the fact that Cook and everyone else seems to fear La Spider, and Liam. Rosie, the "niece" is treated almost as good as Liam, although she's a maid.
Jessica, the girl Tamsin is hired to wait on, is an outcast even though she's part of the regal Knight family. She hates her family, especially her mother La Spider. She hates how they treat her, and how they treat people without talent (humans). It's clear that Jessica wouldn't even listen to her mother, except for the fact that her mother is threatening her Spoiler La Spider found out about Jessica's relationship with her old music teacher, and she's threatening to kill him if she doesn't break it off
Liam gives off this flirtatious innocent vibe when in reality he's as evil, if not more evil then his mother.
I don't want to give too much away, mostly because I'm too lazy to type much more. So I'll just say that the Author wrapped everything up nicely, but without being too unrealistic. And that I'm a little sad that Tamsin's adventure is over. I hope to see more books written by [a:Carolyn MacCullough|374429|Carolyn MacCullough|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1298383919p2/374429.jpg]though.
Maybe I'm a little biased, but I tend to love books set in the 1800s. I can't really explain it but I like it makes me love the story a lot more. So I was so excited when Tamsin travelled back in time to fix the mess she created by helping Alastiar Knight regain his family's (evil) power.
As soon as she arrives in 1880s New York, Tamsin realized that the "Easy job" wasn't going to be as quick as she thought. Starting off with the creepy guy who offers her a position where he's niece works Spoiler who you find out later it's not really his niece, just some ex-prostitute he's in love with even though she's a bit pyscho and clearly in love with someone else as a maid. Tamsin refuses the job until her mentions it being for the Knights, which changes her mind and she accepts, in hopes to get there before Alastiar does.
Right of the bat you can tell that something fishy is going on in the Knight household. Maybe it's the sudden dispearances of the other Maids before her, or the fact that Cook and everyone else seems to fear La Spider, and Liam. Rosie, the "niece" is treated almost as good as Liam, although she's a maid.
Jessica, the girl Tamsin is hired to wait on, is an outcast even though she's part of the regal Knight family. She hates her family, especially her mother La Spider. She hates how they treat her, and how they treat people without talent (humans). It's clear that Jessica wouldn't even listen to her mother, except for the fact that her mother is threatening her Spoiler La Spider found out about Jessica's relationship with her old music teacher, and she's threatening to kill him if she doesn't break it off
Liam gives off this flirtatious innocent vibe when in reality he's as evil, if not more evil then his mother.
I don't want to give too much away, mostly because I'm too lazy to type much more. So I'll just say that the Author wrapped everything up nicely, but without being too unrealistic. And that I'm a little sad that Tamsin's adventure is over. I hope to see more books written by [a:Carolyn MacCullough|374429|Carolyn MacCullough|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1298383919p2/374429.jpg]though.
helloimjacq's review against another edition
4.0
Wow... Is there going to be another one? Please say there's going to be another one or else I will be quite frustrated!
emslovestoread's review against another edition
4.0
I started this series with Once a Witch, and rather enjoyed it. It wasn't your run-of-the-mill witch story and I liked that. Tamsin is the sole Talent-less witch in her family, and it kind of grates on her.
Well, it would, wouldn't it?
I rather relate, being the least talented of my piano-genius sisters.
Anyway, Tamsin finds out later that she is NOT Talent-less, but is quite powerful. It leads to adventures, saving the day, and discovering true love.
Woo!
Then we come to Always a Witch. The title makes a huge amount of sense now that I've finished. I'm not going to give away the ending, have no fear. It's a great ending though, just you wait.
Tamsin faces choices this time that will alter her life forever. She discovers who she really is, instead of who she thought she was. Her choices could change the course of history and the future, which is pretty daunting when you think about it.
I like that we get to see her growth through the two books. I really came to like her as a character. She's strong, and yet vulnerable at the same time.
The plot is great, carrying on where we left off the first time. It flows nicely and has lots of nice twists to keep one entertained.
All in all, a great read. Really enjoyed it, and readers of YA Paranormal will like it too.
It gets a 'drool worthy' rating from me.
Well, it would, wouldn't it?
I rather relate, being the least talented of my piano-genius sisters.
Anyway, Tamsin finds out later that she is NOT Talent-less, but is quite powerful. It leads to adventures, saving the day, and discovering true love.
Woo!
Then we come to Always a Witch. The title makes a huge amount of sense now that I've finished. I'm not going to give away the ending, have no fear. It's a great ending though, just you wait.
Tamsin faces choices this time that will alter her life forever. She discovers who she really is, instead of who she thought she was. Her choices could change the course of history and the future, which is pretty daunting when you think about it.
I like that we get to see her growth through the two books. I really came to like her as a character. She's strong, and yet vulnerable at the same time.
The plot is great, carrying on where we left off the first time. It flows nicely and has lots of nice twists to keep one entertained.
All in all, a great read. Really enjoyed it, and readers of YA Paranormal will like it too.
It gets a 'drool worthy' rating from me.
alyssaperry97's review against another edition
This book really disappointed me because the first one just pulled me in and I couldn't stop reading it and this one I had to make myself read which made me angry but I had to know what happened...
thehodgenator's review against another edition
4.0
Tamsin is a delightful, selfless character. She wants to do what is right by her family, not by herself. As the novel opens readers are prepared to celebrate her sister's wedding, but quickly things take a turn, and Tamsin makes a fateful decision to step back in time to save her family.
This sequel was satisfying until the very end. There were many twists and turns; there were many cringe-worthy moments; there was a magical showdown. All three of these made me love this novel. At times I was not sure where MacCullough would take her plot, and that was refreshing.
While I did not feel Tamsin grew as a character, I felt that that was never the author's purpose. She is a storyteller, and thus she took two books to tell the story of Tamsin - a teen who comes from a family of talents; a teen who believes she has no talent; a teen who discovers she does have a talent; a teen who pays the ultimately price for that talent.
This is a great, witchy tale of wanting to belong, of first love, of family, of sacrifice.
This sequel was satisfying until the very end. There were many twists and turns; there were many cringe-worthy moments; there was a magical showdown. All three of these made me love this novel. At times I was not sure where MacCullough would take her plot, and that was refreshing.
While I did not feel Tamsin grew as a character, I felt that that was never the author's purpose. She is a storyteller, and thus she took two books to tell the story of Tamsin - a teen who comes from a family of talents; a teen who believes she has no talent; a teen who discovers she does have a talent; a teen who pays the ultimately price for that talent.
This is a great, witchy tale of wanting to belong, of first love, of family, of sacrifice.
thedearest's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the ending, and although in general I am generous to endings *ahemSookieahem* I loved the way this wrapped up.