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40th out of 73 books
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12 voters
Once a Witch (Witch #1)
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—a...more
Kindle Edition, 309 pages
Published
September 6th 2010
by Clarion Books
(first published September 14th 2009)
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Jul 18, 2011
The Holy Terror
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of X-Men or witches
Recommended to The Holy Terror by:
Moonlighthaven2004
I have to say I was pretty surprised at how much I liked this book. I've been reading a lot of mediocre teen books lately so I didn't have my hopes up too high when I started this one. Thankfully, it was a really great book!
Tamsin's family is a group of witches, they each have Talents that manifest at around the age of eight. Unfortunately for Tamsin though, her Talent never manifests, but her older sister Rowena is one of the most powerful of the family. Tamsin's forced to live in her sister's...more
Tamsin's family is a group of witches, they each have Talents that manifest at around the age of eight. Unfortunately for Tamsin though, her Talent never manifests, but her older sister Rowena is one of the most powerful of the family. Tamsin's forced to live in her sister's...more
Although Carolyn had a few novels under her belt already, Once a Witch was my first experience with her writing, and I’m looking forward to more.
Tamsin was a very relatable character. Feeling like you don’t quite fit in with your family or that you’ll never live up to their standards is something that I remember struggling with myself. I loved the dynamics of her family and how even though it was so huge everyone was close in their own ways. It was refreshing to read about a “normal” happy and l...more
Tamsin was a very relatable character. Feeling like you don’t quite fit in with your family or that you’ll never live up to their standards is something that I remember struggling with myself. I loved the dynamics of her family and how even though it was so huge everyone was close in their own ways. It was refreshing to read about a “normal” happy and l...more
Wowzers, this book moves at breakneck speed. There were a lot of characters, a lot of powers, a ton of plot, and Carolyn MacCullough packed it all into a shorter book. Did I enjoy it? Definitely. I just wish it was about 50 pages longer and unraveled at 70-75% of the current pace.
Tamsin is a witch that’s not witch. The Talentless daughter of a powerful magical family she would prefer to escape. And she has escaped—at least a little, in her dorm at prep school.
But when a dark and mysterious stranger asks her to FIND a clock, Tamsin tells a fib.
She claims she can find it.
And it’s all downhill from there. Well, almost all. There is Gabriel, the young man from her past who seems not at all disturbed by the fact that she never developed her powers. And not too disturbed by th...more
But when a dark and mysterious stranger asks her to FIND a clock, Tamsin tells a fib.
She claims she can find it.
And it’s all downhill from there. Well, almost all. There is Gabriel, the young man from her past who seems not at all disturbed by the fact that she never developed her powers. And not too disturbed by th...more
9 likes · like · see review
Okay first off… I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK!!! I sat down to read it last night but was interrupted so the first chance I got today I started. I went so far as to not even put it down to blow dry my hair making this a very bad hair day because I got completely distracted by the book and so sucked in that I blow dried my hair until it was just a little too dry. This book was very well written and I have to admit I am impressed by the author. It was such a smooth read and as you breeze through the...more
9 likes · like · see review
Despite a promising start, this book really didn't turn out very good for me. I had a hard time swallowing the resolution, since it didn't involve any measure of apology on the part of her family for estranging her all those years. One moment she's the bitter black sheep with no measure of witchy Talent, the next she is the most powerful witch of them all, ready to defend her family with her life despite the perpetuated lies they used to alienate her since she was 8 years old. The book seemed to...more
9 likes · like · see review
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 t...more
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 t...more
Feb 17, 2011
Vinaya
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-liked,
ya-fantasy
This book suffers severely from First Book Syndrome. What it really needs is some solid rewriting and a strict editor.
Where's that full stop, young lady?
Once A Witch is a story about Tamsin, who is born into a family of Talented witches. On the day of her birth her grandmother prophecies great things for her, but it turns out, Tamsin was born with no Talents at all. Feeling like a freak and a misfit, Tamsin grabs at the opportunity to prove herself when a stranger mistakenly approaches her to...more
Where's that full stop, young lady?
Once A Witch is a story about Tamsin, who is born into a family of Talented witches. On the day of her birth her grandmother prophecies great things for her, but it turns out, Tamsin was born with no Talents at all. Feeling like a freak and a misfit, Tamsin grabs at the opportunity to prove herself when a stranger mistakenly approaches her to...more
36 likes · like · see review
Jul 15, 2011
Rachel
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Rachel by:
Kate (Nomalicious Reads)
You can check out more reviews on my blog: Paper Cuts
So Once a Witch was recommended to me by my cool friend from Australia, Kate (She's got a pretty cool blog, Nomalicious Reads that you should follow. Check it out!), and I'm so glad she did. I really enjoyed reading it. I thought the relationships were well-developed and the storyline had a perfect, flowing pace.
Normally, I'm really not a big witch fan. Other than Harry Potter, I can't help but think of pointy hatted women with warts, and that...more
So Once a Witch was recommended to me by my cool friend from Australia, Kate (She's got a pretty cool blog, Nomalicious Reads that you should follow. Check it out!), and I'm so glad she did. I really enjoyed reading it. I thought the relationships were well-developed and the storyline had a perfect, flowing pace.
Normally, I'm really not a big witch fan. Other than Harry Potter, I can't help but think of pointy hatted women with warts, and that...more
2 likes · like · see review
I started this book excited and was not disappointed.
Tamsin's oldest sister Rowena is a powerful witch, beautiful and charming. Tamsin longs to have some of her talent since she is the only one in her family (so she believes) does not have gifts. Feeling left out she pretends to be her sister at her grandmothers store when a professor seeks her to find a clock.
Gabriel a talented childhood friend and hotty helps her find this clock and their journey and story behind the clock becomes suspensful...more
Tamsin's oldest sister Rowena is a powerful witch, beautiful and charming. Tamsin longs to have some of her talent since she is the only one in her family (so she believes) does not have gifts. Feeling left out she pretends to be her sister at her grandmothers store when a professor seeks her to find a clock.
Gabriel a talented childhood friend and hotty helps her find this clock and their journey and story behind the clock becomes suspensful...more
Honestly, I don’t have too much to say about this one. The story was nice enough, I liked the characters as well as the whole gift concept, but somehow I can’t seem to find anything to gush or complain about.
When I first started reading I got really excited since the plot moves at a really fast pace and I found myself being glued to the pages. I only stopped because I had already spent the better part of my evening reading and this annoying thing called real life kept demanding my attention. Str...more
When I first started reading I got really excited since the plot moves at a really fast pace and I found myself being glued to the pages. I only stopped because I had already spent the better part of my evening reading and this annoying thing called real life kept demanding my attention. Str...more
15 likes · like · see review
I was immediately swept away in the world created by MacCullough in the first book of what promises to be an amazing series. Tamsin feels shadowed by her older, more beautiful, more powerful sister – an emotion that is relatable to by many amongst us. What immediately sets the story apart, for me, is the fact that it is a story of dynasties. A shared history among family members who are all different from the normal, more ordinary people. Tamsin, you see, hails from a family (from generations) o...more
2 likes · like · see review
I think I see a sequel in the future for this one. I guess I hope so because I'd love to read more about Tamsin, Gabriel and their big family of witches.
Tamsin, born of a long line of witches, has no Talent, what the witches call their power and she feels left out and different. In an effort to try to show that she is capable of doing what the others can, she makes one very bad choice, or maybe several, depending on how you look at it. Anyway, there is time travel, surprising magic and the begi...more
Tamsin, born of a long line of witches, has no Talent, what the witches call their power and she feels left out and different. In an effort to try to show that she is capable of doing what the others can, she makes one very bad choice, or maybe several, depending on how you look at it. Anyway, there is time travel, surprising magic and the begi...more
I don't what it was about this book but there was something about it that just drew me in.
The book was a continuous stream of fast-paced tension with an added dose of action. I loved the chemistry and interactions Tamsin had with the male lead. It's quite obvious that they have feelings for the other but it's never bogged down in a mushy subplot that takes away from the main story. Yes, they like each other, but their friendship is more important and she doesn't really want to be in a relations...more
The book was a continuous stream of fast-paced tension with an added dose of action. I loved the chemistry and interactions Tamsin had with the male lead. It's quite obvious that they have feelings for the other but it's never bogged down in a mushy subplot that takes away from the main story. Yes, they like each other, but their friendship is more important and she doesn't really want to be in a relations...more
Tamsin Greene was born, destined to be one of the most Talented and powerful witches in her family. But now at seventeen, she has long since gotten over the fact that her “Talent” just never came to be. She’s more or less an average teenager (of course, without taking her Talented family into consideration). She attends school in New York City, has a great roommate/BFF and is as far away from the eccentricities of her family as she can get.
But when a stranger walks into her grandmother's shop an...more
But when a stranger walks into her grandmother's shop an...more
Oct 25, 2011
El Templo de las Mil Puertas
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
19-eltemplo,
reseñas
"“Tu hija será una de las más poderosas que hayamos tenido jamás. Será una luz para guiarnos a todas.” Esto fue lo que la abuela de Tamsin le predijo a su madre cuando ella nació. Ahí es nada. Desde entonces, la familia entera había esperado con ansias que la joven revelase cuál era su Talento, su don, su poder. Cómo, según la profecía de la anciana, guiaría al clan en el futuro. Sí, todos habían esperado y esperado y esperado… Pero, después de diecisiete años, tuvieron que admitir que la ancian...more
REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED http://hobbitsies.net/wordpress/?p=1558
Whee! I love books about witches! Lots of people like vampires or werewolves, but witches are definitely my favourite paranormal “creature” – seriously. I’ll read anything about witches. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I picked up Once a Witch – I’d heard good things, but I was a little iffy. I’m not a huge fan of the paperback cover, which is what I think made me iffy.
BUT – Once a Witch is wow! I really enjoyed it. I loved T...more
Whee! I love books about witches! Lots of people like vampires or werewolves, but witches are definitely my favourite paranormal “creature” – seriously. I’ll read anything about witches. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I picked up Once a Witch – I’d heard good things, but I was a little iffy. I’m not a huge fan of the paperback cover, which is what I think made me iffy.
BUT – Once a Witch is wow! I really enjoyed it. I loved T...more
Mar 10, 2013
Something_personal
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
novel-terjemahan-penyihir-percintaa
Novel ini ak baca dalam waktu kurang lebih 5 jam setengah. Ak inget banget begadang ampe jam 2 pgi bru tidur. Abis dr awal buku ini udah keren,udh bikin penasaran.
Yang kurang tuh:
A) terjemahannya ga enak buatku
B) covernya tuh aduuh,mending cover asli deh
C) romensnya dikit. Itu jg dimulainya pas udh mau tmt
Dr awal ga ada tnda2 si cewe sm s cowo suka. Tiba2 aja pas si cewe mau bertingkah selayaknya seorang hero,langsunglah bermunculan adegan kiss dan aku-sayang-kamu scene
Ak bacanya udah lama jg ud...more
Yang kurang tuh:
A) terjemahannya ga enak buatku
B) covernya tuh aduuh,mending cover asli deh
C) romensnya dikit. Itu jg dimulainya pas udh mau tmt
Dr awal ga ada tnda2 si cewe sm s cowo suka. Tiba2 aja pas si cewe mau bertingkah selayaknya seorang hero,langsunglah bermunculan adegan kiss dan aku-sayang-kamu scene
Ak bacanya udah lama jg ud...more
Once A Witch was fantastic! I really enjoyed it.
I love everything that has to do with witches/wizards and magic so it was no surprised that I was hooked from the start. The plot seemed very straight foreword at first, I knew that almost right away that there was something not quite right with Alistair Cullum and I was right. He is such a creepy dude, especially when he was controlling Rowena and Althea. I also had a hunch that Tasmin’s (I love this name) Talent must be something along the lines...more
I love everything that has to do with witches/wizards and magic so it was no surprised that I was hooked from the start. The plot seemed very straight foreword at first, I knew that almost right away that there was something not quite right with Alistair Cullum and I was right. He is such a creepy dude, especially when he was controlling Rowena and Althea. I also had a hunch that Tasmin’s (I love this name) Talent must be something along the lines...more
Carolyn MacCullough's Once a Witch delves into the hidden mystery of the Greene's family history of Witches. Each member has a special Talent, all except Tamsin, who grows up normal at least that's what she's lead to believe.
My Review (spoilers):
The spacing of the story is gripping as the growing mysteries of what the Domani is and what the growing danger of a man looking for it. There's also the characters each sufficiently fleshed out, as MacCullough has intertwined their personalities to sh...more
My Review (spoilers):
The spacing of the story is gripping as the growing mysteries of what the Domani is and what the growing danger of a man looking for it. There's also the characters each sufficiently fleshed out, as MacCullough has intertwined their personalities to sh...more
Actual rating: 3.8 stars
Review also on: http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.hk/
Plot:
When I picked up Once A Witch and went into it, I never once expected it to be a time travel novel, but I when do, I smiled. This book is good!
The plot was a little flat and childish to me at the first half of the book,but in the other half, when things picked up, I genuinely enjoyed it. I like intricate and complex plots, so needless to say a book that dealt with the ripple effect of time-traveling is right up m...more
Review also on: http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.hk/
Plot:
When I picked up Once A Witch and went into it, I never once expected it to be a time travel novel, but I when do, I smiled. This book is good!
The plot was a little flat and childish to me at the first half of the book,but in the other half, when things picked up, I genuinely enjoyed it. I like intricate and complex plots, so needless to say a book that dealt with the ripple effect of time-traveling is right up m...more
Let me start by saying that since the over-saturation of the young adult market, I'm very queasy when it comes to paranormal romances for teens. Especially those published by traditional publishers. In my experience, these are mostly a weak rehash of Twilight tropes.
Yet somehow, upon visiting my local brick-and-mortar bookstore, I walked away with a copy of Once A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough.
It sat among a nauseating sea of covers so similar to the aforementioned bestselling series that my firs...more
Yet somehow, upon visiting my local brick-and-mortar bookstore, I walked away with a copy of Once A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough.
It sat among a nauseating sea of covers so similar to the aforementioned bestselling series that my firs...more
Tamsin is a seventeen year old who comes from a long line of Talented witches and at her birth it is proclaimed that she will be among the most powerful. But by the age of 8 when her power failed to show up Tamsin starts to feel like an outcast and a failure.
Tamsin goes to boarding school in the city but every other weekend she has to work in her grandmother's shop. One day when she is about to close the store Tamsin is a mysterious man needing her sister's help in "locating" a family heirloom...more
Tamsin goes to boarding school in the city but every other weekend she has to work in her grandmother's shop. One day when she is about to close the store Tamsin is a mysterious man needing her sister's help in "locating" a family heirloom...more
Enjoyment *** Plot ** Interactions *** Characters **** World *** Originality *** Grammar **** Style ****
Review Format
Once a Witch is a young adult contemporary fantasy about a girl, Tamsin, who comes from a family of 'witches'. Every member of their family, except Tamsin, has a Ttalent' or a magic ability. At her birth, Tamsin is proclaimed to be very special, but by the time she is 8, by which time every other member of her family gets their talent, Tamsin still doesn't have one.
Tired of being...more
Review Format
Once a Witch is a young adult contemporary fantasy about a girl, Tamsin, who comes from a family of 'witches'. Every member of their family, except Tamsin, has a Ttalent' or a magic ability. At her birth, Tamsin is proclaimed to be very special, but by the time she is 8, by which time every other member of her family gets their talent, Tamsin still doesn't have one.
Tired of being...more
Wow. Another book-read-in-one-day. It was an excellent read and somehow, extremely compelling. I can relate to the main character. I know how it feels to have someone older than you who's perfect. And being a misfit in her family. That's a hard life.
Although there was a plot hole that I was confused about: (view spoiler)...more
Although there was a plot hole that I was confused about: (view spoiler)...more
The action moves pretty fast in this story about a girl who has grown up with no known "Talent" in a family of witches. Home for a break from boarding school, she lets a stranger who comes into their family-owned bookstore think she's her very Talented older sister, agreeing to use her powers to find an item his family lost over a hundred years ago. But the stranger isn't what he seems, and neither is the item that he wants.
While I enjoyed the book overall, there were a couple things that eithe...more
While I enjoyed the book overall, there were a couple things that eithe...more
I'm a pessimist when it comes to new authors. So, when I started to read Once a Witch I was waiting to be underwhelmed.
The opening scene, with Tamsin and Professor Callum was okay, not the best first chapter I've ever read, but the setup, a girl without powers growing up in a family of talented witches, was intriguing enough to keep me reading.
By the time I got to Rowena's Engagement party, her grandmother's prediction for her when she was born ('she will be a beacon')and Tamsin's meeting with G...more
The opening scene, with Tamsin and Professor Callum was okay, not the best first chapter I've ever read, but the setup, a girl without powers growing up in a family of talented witches, was intriguing enough to keep me reading.
By the time I got to Rowena's Engagement party, her grandmother's prediction for her when she was born ('she will be a beacon')and Tamsin's meeting with G...more
Carolyn Macullough’s Once a Witch takes her own hodge-podge of elements a little mythology [archetype of a savior], a sanitized bohemianism, and a touch of history and creates a charming narrative of the young witch Tamsin Greene’s discovery of her heretofore unknown powers, or Talent, in order to save her family, after years of believing that she was the only member of her extended clan to have been passed over by a magical gift or ability.
Tamsin’s long felt alienated from her family because sh...more
Tamsin’s long felt alienated from her family because sh...more
I was totally ,completely taken in by this book. I read it in a span of 2 hours ,non stop. I am not lying ,it was unputdownable. Is that even a legitimate word ? I had loved the cover and had to go through loads of grilling by my parents when I ordered this book online . ( You know the story where I am still a student and shipping and hardcover books dig a huge hole in my pocket)But just look at the cover , can you resist it ? I am weak , I gave in. And for once I don't regret the decision. It w...more
I officially love this series. Everything about Once a Witch was just amazing. The characters, the setting, the strange yet intriguing Talents that every witch, except for Tamsin has, and the way every perfectly crafted sentence had my mind reeling over all the possible situations that the main character Tamsin could encounter on the next page! Everything...from start to finish. I found it totally unpredictable. From the prologue, that I instantly found interesting, had me attracted to it like a...more
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| RE: TALENTS | 3 | 34 | Dec 12, 2011 03:36pm |
Carolyn MacCullough received her MFA in creative writing from the New School and lives with her husband in Brooklyn.
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“Please!" I stop my pacing, glare at him. "Is that all you can think about at a time like this?"
Gabriel rolls up on one elbow and smiles at me. "I'm a guy. It's what I think about all the time.”
—
64 people liked it
Gabriel rolls up on one elbow and smiles at me. "I'm a guy. It's what I think about all the time.”
“Okay," I gasp. "I can't really breathe, but other than that, okay."
"Breathing's overrated," Gabriel advises me."I'm discovering that right about now with this damn tie.”
—
57 people liked it
More quotes…
"Breathing's overrated," Gabriel advises me."I'm discovering that right about now with this damn tie.”
Jul 20, 2011 08:09am
Sep 22, 2012 09:19pm