Always a Witch (Witch, #2)

Jul 12, 2012 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: blood-suckers, fantasy, tea-party, supernatural, time-warp, what-a-witch

Always a Witch is the sequal to Once a Witch. In Once a Witch, Tamsin Greene grew up in a talented family of witches believing herself to be ordinary. Her own family were rather awful to at her times considering their deception. We find out part of the reason why they treated her this way in Always a Witch. (view spoiler)...more Always a Witch is the sequal to Once a Witch. In Once a Witch, Tamsin Greene grew up in a talented family of witches believing herself to be ordinary. Her own family were rather awful to at her times considering their deception. We find out part of the reason why they treated her this way in Always a Witch. (view spoiler)

Both novels handled the complicated matter of time travelling rather well. Tamsin has to go back to 1889 New York to stop Alistair Knight from preventing her own ancestors from defeating the Knights. Tamsin goes undercover as a ladies maid.
This could have had much more potential. Tamsin had it much too easy maneuvering her way around a time she did not belong in. She missed breakfast once, but the hardships of the times weren't felt by her character. The Dark Shadows revival came to my mind. Victoria was accused of being a witch because her clothing said machine wash on them. Tamsin was prepared somewhat with an outfit but, she didn't plan her excursion into the past all that well. She should have fallen on her face some.
Tamsin from Once a Witch made a few mistakes and lied. Perhaps, if the writer had borrowed a page from Iva Ibbotson's The Countess Below Stairs things might have been more compelling. Life as a ladies maid was hard. She could have been expected to actually use the equipment of those times and burned someone's hair off.

Liam was creepy lite. He hit on her and murdered people but again, the missing maid was not utilised as it could have been. She found out straight away that Rosie and Horace had lied. I will overlook that it was too convenient she met Horace who got her the job in the first place. The book would have been bogged down with detail if everything was explained.
Liam wasn't used to his full potential as a pervert. She never wanted him. There just wasn't much tension or stakes in this book. Alistair was more insidious in Once a Witch when he put a love spell on her sister. If she had been a governess instead to the weird child Edmund things could have had more drama. No romantic feelings towards the perverts? Oh well, Gabriel is a nice love interest. I can't blame MacCullough for keeping their relationship intact.

I kept thinking of Hugh Jackman in Kate and Leopold during her excursions in 1889 New York. "This sir, is not New York!" Always a Witch shared more in common with Kate and Leopold's New York than Gangs of New York. (less)

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Aug 27, 2011 Kate (Nomalicious Reads) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, favourites, reviewed

More reviews can be found at my blog Nomalicious Reads

Always A Witch was a thrilling, sigh worthy read; a fantastic conclusion to Once a Witch.

Carolyn MacCullough tied all the ends off very nicely, and I'm sad that Tamsin's journey is now over :( But it ended so well that I can't complain.

Tamsin dealing with the social norms and bad guy,s in the nineteenth century definitely had its amusing moments as well as its heartwarming and shocking ones.

The bad guys, La Spider and Liam were amazingly,...more

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Mar 05, 2011 oliviasbooks rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those who liked its precessor or Bewitching Season

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, witches-sorcerers-magic, urban-fantasy-paranormal, e-version, read-2011, historical-fiction, love-story-romance

I confidently predict that readers who loved Once a Witch will also love the second half of the story about the seemingly talentfree, teenaged witch Tamsin Greene, her wacky, magic family, her hot and talented boyfriend Gabriel and their joint fight against the super evil and humans-hating Knight clan, because it is basically composed using the same elements:
- an imperfect and insecure but likable, courageous and strong teenaged heroine.
- a cute and devoted love interest and side-kick.
- a slig...more I confidently predict that readers who loved Once a Witch will also love the second half of the story about the seemingly talentfree, teenaged witch Tamsin Greene, her wacky, magic family, her hot and talented boyfriend Gabriel and their joint fight against the super evil and humans-hating Knight clan, because it is basically composed using the same elements:
- an imperfect and insecure but likable, courageous and strong teenaged heroine.
- a cute and devoted love interest and side-kick.
- a slightly nutty familiy of bickering but well-meaning witches who provide both surprise elements and entertainment.
- physically dangerous time travel.
- action and a little thrill.
- throroughly evil black witches lacking a conscience and compassion but filling the gaps with cool calculation, greed and gruesome practices like human sacrifice.
- decent writing.

For me personally, „Always a Witch“ dropped half a star from the 3.5 stars I doled out to Once a Witch (out of a total of 5), maybe mainly because the sequel is exactly that: The second part of the story, one which did not add new elements, take the romance to a further level, or make the heroine’s otherness stand out – apart from her developing quite angelic traits in the end. All in all, a sequel that is almost as good as its precessor is an unexpectedly positive thing, for the nature of paranomal sequels seems to have this natural gravitation thing, that drags them down, built in. Still, I nonetheless irrationally hoped for

- Tamsim to have more difficulties to adapt to her life in the past (the struggle of nowadays’ people with the customs and the mechanisms of everyday life in past centuries is what makes time travel stories so attractive to me. But Tamsin takes over the life and the tasks of a lady’s maid within a day and without blinking an eye or getting scolded for being clueless.)
- Tamsin’s and Gabriel’s shared time not to be wholly consumed by witchy business matters (i.e. saving the Greene family) instead of occasionally letting some hot sparks fly. (I really expected Tamsin, who is different from her family, not to be so hesitant and/or old-couplish. Apart from one misunderstanding (view spoiler), all of the young couple’s actions consist of heroically saving each other, planning together, trying to exclude each other from overly dangerous acts. „Always a Witch“ is a paranormal targeted at girls. And in the end I could not even remember what Gabriel looks like.)
- the villains (members of the Knight family) to be less than 100% evil.( Yes, there are some specimen that turned out to belong to the good side, but those who didn’t, were painted a shiny black without any hints of gray.)
- Tamsin’s heroics to be a little more real and believable. (Sure, Tamsin did the right thing and it is consistent to show her being courageous, but I expected her to be more afraid, more desperate to find an alternative solution in the end and to be a little more spunky and inconventional altogether.)

I really did enjoy reading „Always a Witch“, but I have to summarise that I am a little disappointed and that I did not feel compelled to write a review in order to persuade all my friends not to miss this book. On the contrary: I shoved writing the review from day to day, getting a worse and worse conscience, because I had been kindly provided with the opportunity to read the book before it was published by NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcout, the publisher.
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Jun 25, 2011 Patty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved this even more than the first book in this series...my question is...will there be a book three? I am not quite ready to say good bye to Tamsin and Gabriel.

Always A Witch
By
Carolyn MacCullough

From The Book…
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 everyone she loves. When she discovers that her enemy, Alistair Knight, went back in tim...more Loved this even more than the first book in this series...my question is...will there be a book three? I am not quite ready to say good bye to Tamsin and Gabriel.

Always A Witch
By
Carolyn MacCullough

From The Book…
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 everyone she loves. 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.

My thoughts…
This book was fabulous. The author managed to write a sequel that I thought was even better than the first book. The danger and mystery and fear were accented by Tamsin’s offbeat 16 year old mannerisms and sarcasm. Tamsin loves second hand clothes and her BFF Agatha and lattes and fun…her hair is pretty much always a mess…she is irreverent to say the least and has a typical 16 year old disregard for any and all authority.
So she finds herself in practically medieval times (for her) trying to secure pins in the hair of the daughter of her family’s evil enemy. She knows she is the only one who can fix all of the awful things that the Knight family has done to innocent people and to the Greene family. And because of her grandmother’s warning…she knows that she may not come out of this unscathed.
So…it was a breathtaking reading experience for me…nail biting even. I literally finished it overnight. I cheered Tamsin. She is a fun and an amazing heroine…
Now…I yearn for book three.
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Aug 09, 2011 Kate McMurry rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: older teens and adults

Shelves: witch, witches, ya-fantasy, ya-paranormal, ya-urban-fantasy, young-adult-fantasy, young-adult-paranormal, young-adult-urban-fantasy

Book 2 of the Witch Urban-Fantasy Series for Teens

Note: Please do not read this review if you have not read Book 1 of the Witch series, Once a Witch, because there will inevitably be spoilers for that book.

Once again 17-year-old Tamsin Greene’s life is strongly influenced by one of her grandmother’s prophecies, in this case that she will soon have to make a huge decision that could affect her family’s very survival. After the events of Once a Witch, Tamsin has become fully aware of her enormous...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Andrea at Reading Lark rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-stars, arc, fantasy, kindle, netgalley, paranormal, read-in-2011, time-travel, witches, young-adult

Review Posted on Reading Lark 6/24/11: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2011/...

I read Once a Witch awhile back after it was first released and remembered really enjoying it, but this one blew it out of the water. It may be cheesy to say that this book put a spell on me, but that is exactly what it did. I was unable to put this book down for long. Every time I closed it to do something other than read, my Kindle kept whispering my name urging me to pick it back up and dive into the story. This ed...more Review Posted on Reading Lark 6/24/11: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2011/...

I read Once a Witch awhile back after it was first released and remembered really enjoying it, but this one blew it out of the water. It may be cheesy to say that this book put a spell on me, but that is exactly what it did. I was unable to put this book down for long. Every time I closed it to do something other than read, my Kindle kept whispering my name urging me to pick it back up and dive into the story. This edition in the series is so fast paced that there are hardly any lulls in the action. My heart was pounding as I read chapter after chapter.

Tasmin and Gabriel are back for more adventures of the witchy variety. In the first book, they have to travel back in time to find a family heirloom that left in the wrong hands can spell disaster for the Greene clan. In this follow up novel, Tasmin and Gabriel will once again have to use their Talents to track down Alistair Knight as he seeks to protect his family from losing their magic. Will Tasmin and Gabriel be able to stop him a second time OR will Alistair prevail and destory the Greenes once and for all?
I love Carolyn MacCullough's take on magic and witches. Each of her characters has a special talent that they can wield for both good and evil purposes. Some have the power to heal, others have the power to manipulate the weather, and some can even steal the bodies of others to use for their own purposes. Tasmin is more special than all the rest - she has the power to resist Talents and if someone uses a Talent against her three times then she takes on their powers. Just like they say in Spiderman - with great power comes great responsibility. Tasmin must use her unique Talents to save her family before the Knight family erases them for all time.

Fans of witch novels and historical fiction are sure to be delighted by this tale. The writing is solid and the characters come to live as the story unfolds. I have to admit that I have quite the crush on Gabriel at this point. He sacrifices everything to make sure that Tasmin is safe. That is pretty swoon worthy if ya ask me. I also enjoyed getting a break from the whole love triangle plot strand that seems to be dominating YA books these days.

One Last Gripe: I didn't like that the ending left me feeling hollow. I am just not happy with how things were left for Tasmin. I just didn't get a strong sense of closure with this one.

My Favorite Thing About This Book: The fast paced action that begins as soon as Tasmin goes back to the 1800's - the momentum rolled through the novel and kept me enthralled

First Sentence: I was born on the night of Samhain.

Favorite Character: Gabriel

Least Favorite Character: Liam(less)

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May 28, 2012 Ferdy rated it 3 of 5 stars

The plot centers on two family of witches, the Greenes and the Knights. Every witch has a talent be it speed, fire or being able to find lost things. Tamsin always believed she had no talent but recently found out that she does in fact have a powerful talent, she is immune to all other talents and can take other peoples talents if it used on her three times.
The Greene family in the 1800's discovered the Knight family using their talent for evil so they created the Domani, the Domani stops the K...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Kristi-The Book Faery rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: written-reviews, houghton-mifflin, witches, read-arc-in-2010, ya-pnr-2011, ya-pub-date-aug-11, ya-reviewed, ya-series

THE FAERYS VIEW

After Tamsin Greene’s horrific encounter with the wicked Alistair Knight in Once a Witch, Tamsin is just starting to get comfortable with her new found Talent and finding her place within her extraordinarily Talented (magical) family. Tamsin’s happy and relieved to have found her Talent yet struggling with her grandmother’s prediction that she will soon make a decision, a decision so vital it will affect her entire family’s future.

Life has finally settled down a bit for Tamsin; h...more THE FAERYS VIEW

After Tamsin Greene’s horrific encounter with the wicked Alistair Knight in Once a Witch, Tamsin is just starting to get comfortable with her new found Talent and finding her place within her extraordinarily Talented (magical) family. Tamsin’s happy and relieved to have found her Talent yet struggling with her grandmother’s prediction that she will soon make a decision, a decision so vital it will affect her entire family’s future.

Life has finally settled down a bit for Tamsin; her sister, the lovely Rowena is getting married, she has Gabriel, the boyfriend of her dreams and she’s back at school in her dorm room with BFF, Agatha. She deserves a little peace, right? Well-- not quite yet—there’s a bit of a problem with the future. It seems that Alistair did indeed travel back to the Victorian era; warning his ancestors of the Greene’s intent to compile the Knights power into the Domani thus disabling them from causing harm and doing ‘blood magic’. It’s up to Tamsin to travel back in time and stop Alistair from warning the Knights of the Greene’s intent.

When Tamsin travels back to Victorian era New York ahead of Alistair she finds a position in the Knight household as a lady’s maid for Jessica Knight; daughter of the cruel calculating matriarch La Spider and sister to charming Liam Knight. The Knights are powerful witches and along with their extended family, they use their Talents for increasing wealth and personal gain at any cost. Add Alistair to the picture and things start to get a little hairy.

Tamsin finds herself caught between her wary ancestors and the vicious Knights in a struggle to save her family--past, present and future, all while trying to protect the innocent’s that are caught in between. It’s through other’s love and sacrifice that she learns how every move she makes and every word she utters impacts the fateful decision her grandmother predicted. She can only hope and pray that she doesn't lose her future along with that of her friends and family along the way.

Carolyn MacCullough spins a spellbinding story of magic, time-travel, suspense and adventure. The story flows fluidly from chapter to chapter and the characters are richly defined. The history of Victorian era New York is fascinating and visually descriptive.
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Jul 21, 2011 Alisha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-vine, arc-s, young-adult, fantasy, books-i-own-that-i-ve-read

I loved Once A Witch. Seriously, it was one of my favorite books read last year (or was it the year before?) and not only was it the PERFECT Halloween read, but it was also a fairly unique read. You don't see many YA novels written about witches (or at least many that have been done well...or at least I haven't). Therefore, I have been anxiously awaiting the sequel, Always A Witch. While I didn't think the sequel was as good as Once a Witch, it was still a really entertaining novel.

Always a Witc...more I loved Once A Witch. Seriously, it was one of my favorite books read last year (or was it the year before?) and not only was it the PERFECT Halloween read, but it was also a fairly unique read. You don't see many YA novels written about witches (or at least many that have been done well...or at least I haven't). Therefore, I have been anxiously awaiting the sequel, Always A Witch. While I didn't think the sequel was as good as Once a Witch, it was still a really entertaining novel.

Always a Witch had more thrills, adventures, wit, and sarcasm then it's predecessor, Once A Witch. And I loved the whole Elizabeth Bathory type of storyline that it used. Tamsin is still a strong heroine that never grates. In fact, NONE of the characters in Always a Witch grate (and that has to be an absolute first for me). In fact, Always a Witch is as much fun as Once A Witch was. It might even be more fun as Tamsin stays in the past more than a matter of minutes (like she did in Once A Witch). The sense of danger was also more prevalent in this novel, so that made it that much more intriguing to me.

So why the four stars while Once a Witch got five full stars? I felt that Always a Witch was a bit...rushed. While I did feel that sense of urgency as Tamsin did in wanting to accomplish her goals and destroy the Knight family, I felt like we got to that point extremely quick. I didn't feel that there was enough development in the first few chapters for Tamsin to decide that she has to go right at that particular moment. I would have liked more build up to that. Also, a huge reason why I loved Once A Witch is because I loved Tamsin's wacky, zany, and endlessly entertaining family. Unfortunately, in Always a Witch, Tamsin's family is barely a footnote. They are there for a few pages in the beginning and a bit in the end. That really wasn't enough for me.

So, in the end, I really did like Always a Witch. I just didn't think it surpassed the awesomeness that is Once a Witch. I am, however, still saddened that this seems to be the last in this series. While some authors take their series to the extreme and keep churning one novel after the other even though it's clear to everyone that the series should have came to a close some novels ago, I feel Carolyn MacCullough should at least write one more novel to wrap the series up. Anyway, I recommend Always a Witch. Like it's predecessor, it is an amazing, light read. (less)

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Aug 06, 2012 Mιss •kαthєяίиє• Τhε Emεrαℓd Pяίиcεss® rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-books, nice-cover

Once a witch, Always a witch

The titles together give the best sum up you could ever find.
Truly.

So, Tamsin, being the super witch she is, after a surprise visit from Alistair, decides to go to the past when everything started between the Knights and the Greenes.

I have to say that I loved the background of this story. New York in the 18th-19th century? I just loved that the history of the Big Apple boosted the story.

Moving on, Tamsin decided to go alone. She makes Tamara (who has turned into a Br...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Monica&spikey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: witches

nice follow-up from the awful cliffhanger that left us hanging t the end of Once a Witch. again, i feel the romance between her and gabriel was anti-climatic and not epic enough, but i've grown to expect super-epicalist romances from these types of books.
the time-travel was thing was iffy. time travel is always dangerous, especially when you interact with family from your past. you could end up being your own great-grandfather (that happened once on Stargate SG-1) or you could end up wiping out...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Ravenous Biblioworm rated it 4 of 5 stars

I’ve always been fasinated with witches. Probably because witches are mallable and flexible. Not literally, but their representations. They can be beautiful and deadly (Glinda, the Good Witch of Oz… did I mean that? Oh yes I do… here’s why: Proof) or ugly and deadly (those faces filled with worts we’re all taught at a young age)… good witch vs. bad witch… the possibilities are almost endless when you also add in the magic factor (how their magic works). In Always a Witch, I felt that MacCullough...more I’ve always been fasinated with witches. Probably because witches are mallable and flexible. Not literally, but their representations. They can be beautiful and deadly (Glinda, the Good Witch of Oz… did I mean that? Oh yes I do… here’s why: Proof) or ugly and deadly (those faces filled with worts we’re all taught at a young age)… good witch vs. bad witch… the possibilities are almost endless when you also add in the magic factor (how their magic works). In Always a Witch, I felt that MacCullough created an interesting witch world, where each witch (refers to both male and female) has their own special ability… all except Tasmin Greene our heroine.
This novel is the second in the series. The first book being Once a Witch, which I will not review because I read that book before this blog. I actually own it, and may be extremely bias at this point. Anyway, Tasmin struggles most of her life living in the shadow of her family because everyone else has a witch power. She feels incomplete and questions her identity as her family’s identity is so closely tied to being witches.

I liked this book a lot because of a few things. One of them being: Tasmin is actually a capable young woman. She doesn’t need her boyfriend to come save her. She makes decisions herself and sees it through and accepts the fate that has been given to her. She isn’t handicapped by her boyfriend, doesn’t rely on him for saving, her world doesn’t completely revolves around him. It reminds me of a saying… the person you should love the most is yourself. This quote doesn’t mean in the self absorbed kind of way. Besides love is selfish thing anyway (we can discuss this too if anyone likes). Basically Tasmin is a girl in a YA book I approve of and if I had a daughter I wouldn’t mind my girl idolizing her. She’s a better choice than some other girls in other books, and some other celebrities in real life.

In the previous book (if you haven’t read the previous book I would skip down to the next paragraph) we find that the Greenes have a rival family of witches. This book explores that revealed fact and an all out battle of the families begins… and ends. Yes, it ends in this book. Another reason why I like this book. MacCullough doesn’t drag the book out unnecessarily. She gives us what readers need and goes onto the next. She does so and finishes her story. There’s no third book, no fourth book, no next book. The storyline isn’t pulled out, stretched, forced over a few books (milking money as much as they can… oh you know it’s true for some series).

I liked most of the characters in the book. Even one belonging to the “bad” witch family: Jessica, who becomes a very pivotal character in the book. Each character is given a triat and personality.The choice that Tasmin has to make at the end and her courage to do so was written well.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book. It isn’t filled with romance fluff and actually has a enjoyable plot (that doesn’t revolve around the romance).

Verdict: I own this book. Enough said.

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Mar 19, 2012 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: five-stars, magic-supernatural, covergasm, couples-i-fangirled-over, witches, screwed-up-families

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 13, 2012 Maureen Hoar rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the follow up novel to Once a Witch. IT picks up after Allistare has traveled thru time to reverse the effects of the spell that was cast by the Green family in 1893 that blocked the Knight family's magic due to their missuse and murder of humans and eventually other witches. Tansen is a witch that can steel another witches power if they use it against her. She feels it is her destiny to thwart Allistare in his endeavors, so she goes back in time to 1893. What she sees there in the Knigh...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Book Title: Always a Witch

Author: Carolyn Maccullough

Published By: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (August 1, 2011)

Genre: Supernatural

Recommended Age: 13+

Reviewed By: Emily Tuley / AngelsCryHavoc

Blog Reviewed For: Great Minds Think Aloud Literary Community

Rating: 4 Ravens

The follow up book to always a witch, which I did not have the pleasure of reading before I read this book. How soon after I did regret that as this book even as standing on it’s own pulled me in and had me devouring each p...more Book Title: Always a Witch

Author: Carolyn Maccullough

Published By: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (August 1, 2011)

Genre: Supernatural

Recommended Age: 13+

Reviewed By: Emily Tuley / AngelsCryHavoc

Blog Reviewed For: Great Minds Think Aloud Literary Community

Rating: 4 Ravens

The follow up book to always a witch, which I did not have the pleasure of reading before I read this book. How soon after I did regret that as this book even as standing on it’s own pulled me in and had me devouring each page and chapter with the insatiable urge to see what was going to happen what was next and just how it would all play out. I was amazed at the ending thrilled with the characters and even found myself falling in love with the world that had been created by Carolyn Maccullough. It’s definitely a book to pick up and read for yourself if you want a good story with a really good ending one where you feel that your heroine really did give it her all.

The story is of Tamsin Greene shortly after she had found out that she was a witch after all like the rest of her family. For most of her life she had grown up thinking she had no powers when she was actually the strongest of her family through their whole blood line and would be the one that eventually saved them from the horrors of their past and they all lost one of the things they valued the most besides family. You get to travel through time once again with Tamsin as she goes back to the roots when her family have to stop another coven of witches within their town from experimenting on humans and eventually others of their time.

It’s a sacrifice from Tamsin and a young witch from the other families line that ends up saving them all from a fate worse than death or well fates worse than death even if some of them don’t see it the way that Tamsin and the other you witch does. It’s an intriguing tale one that will keep you on the edge of your seat with a lot of action and even some suspense pick this book up today and check it out I’m sure I’m not the only one who will love it.
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Feb 13, 2012 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-wonder, paranormal-romance, sweetly-sickening, urban-fantasy, whatever-catches-my-fancy, young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. My rating: 4 1/2 out of 5
To save her family she must take a life.
But is Tasmin willing to go to such extremes? What if it was the only way to save Gabriel? How far is Tasmin willing to push her moral boundaries to save all those she loves?
A truly spellbinding read that was detailed and invigorating. A darkly spun tale that define's dark magic in a whole other light. I was captivated by Tasmin's strength, her willingness to put herself into daring and morally trying situations all in order to pro...more My rating: 4 1/2 out of 5
To save her family she must take a life.
But is Tasmin willing to go to such extremes? What if it was the only way to save Gabriel? How far is Tasmin willing to push her moral boundaries to save all those she loves?
A truly spellbinding read that was detailed and invigorating. A darkly spun tale that define's dark magic in a whole other light. I was captivated by Tasmin's strength, her willingness to put herself into daring and morally trying situations all in order to protect her family.
MacCollough wove two different eras together, molding each with thick, rough, and darkly deliberate stroked details. She spared no efforts in capturing the very essence of the late 1800's. I was thoroughly transfixed with her tale.
The ending was truly and utterly stunning.

The story picks up right where it left off. A wedding is in the winds for Tasmin's sister Rowena but something else linger with the breeze, something dreadfully dark. When the sudden appearance of a young man sends the Greene's Hedgerow household into a whirl spin and it's family members reeling with the threat of their family lines complete destruction it is once again up to Tasmin to save the day. And to do this she has to Travel again, back to a time when he only way of coming back to her present has yet to be created.
Tasmin is left with no other choice but to go back in time to the late 1800's, where she must confront the very man who presently haunts her dreams. With the discovery that Tasmin's to copy another witches power holds only temporary effects she has no other choice but to travel back in time with only her power and the power to freeze people with one touch, having already lost the ability she gained the first time she and Gabriel Traveled back in time, the ability to throw fire from her finger tips. But, Tasmin fears, will that power to freeze people stay with her long enough for Tasmin to use it to her advantage, or when she truly needs it will it disappear?
The decision is made and with the reluctant help of her sister Tasmin lands, quite literally, right smack in the middle of New York City, materializing out of thin air in front of two doe eyed Talentless kids. Using the money Rowena gave Tasmin she buys a fruit pie from a local cart woman and starts asking anybody she can if they've ever heard of a family called the Greene's. Her luck, however is sour and so curious, Tasmin enters a Pub where she meets a man name Horace who offers her work as a Ladies maid to no other than Lady Jessica Knight. Tasmin considers this offer and accepts thinking that if she can't find her own family than she might as well keep an eye on their enemy.
As Tasmin starts her first day she realizes that Lady Jessica has secrets of her own, these secrets leads Tasmin to help Jessica sneak out of her house to meet her lover at a circus where a charming elephant drink tea, where a crow turns into a girl that turns out to be a woman name Isobel Greene, and where at the back gate Jessica gives Tasmin a cameo watch.
The night is far from over yet and w/ a determined Tasmin she finds that the Knights has secrets that run so deep that ooze so black that they seem to have taken the form of dark shadows. After Tasmin follows Rosie, a house maid, into a secret passageway she discovers something far more terrible than she bargained for. Alistair has finally decided to call upon the Knight house, after which appearance everything around her begins to unravel.
Rosie shows her true greedy hunger, Liam give Tasmin a glimpse 'experiments' and what he is truly capable of, even worse though Tasmin is faced with a choice, a choice that has the power to leave her forever emotionally crippled.
The next morning Tasmin wakes to find an angry Rosie glaring down at her, and an old friend, one who knows Tasmin's real name. Gabriel apparently hadn't taken well to the idea of being 'ditched' because just as Tasmin comes into the Piano room, baring fresh tea for Jessica she sees him.
Tasmin and Gabriel together flee to the Greene's pig farm but what they expect to find is nothing of what they receive. Darkness unfolds, and death follows, Tasmin in the middle of it all is forced to make another choice, one that will haunt her until her death. (less)

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Jan 05, 2012 Chapter by Chapter rated it 5 of 5 stars

With the way that Once A Witch ended, just begging to give the world a sequel that sounded just as amazing as the first novel in the series. I was pretty eager to get started on Always A Witch. from the way it started, which I found a bit comical and was still serious, I was wondering how this novel would go exactly...it wasn't like how Once A Witch ended, with everything perfectly fine. There's still a hundred and fifty nine questions running through my head (and since I'm too lazy to list ALL...more With the way that Once A Witch ended, just begging to give the world a sequel that sounded just as amazing as the first novel in the series. I was pretty eager to get started on Always A Witch. from the way it started, which I found a bit comical and was still serious, I was wondering how this novel would go exactly...it wasn't like how Once A Witch ended, with everything perfectly fine. There's still a hundred and fifty nine questions running through my head (and since I'm too lazy to list ALL of them I'll list my top three): What happens to Alistair Knight? How does Tamsin warn her family? Does she stop the Knight family from rising to power once again??? Now I know what you're thinking “I was thinking those same things too!” and now you're thinking “I want answers, now!”. Those same thoughts were going through my mind while I was reading, and lucky for all of us they get answered. All one hundred and fifty nine of them.

In this installment, Tamsin has to travel to the past to a time before the Domani was created to warn her family about the Knights and that this time the Domani won't work. I instantly was intrigued because of the fact that Tamsin had to travel back to Victorian, New York City where we got present day insights on the past. I found that really, really cool. Well, not only that...the other thing that made this installment stand apart from Once A Witch was the way that MacCullough made her olden day New York so believable. I could easily imagine the outfits that the characters wore. I could imagine the settings genuinely and better yet, I found the old Victorian characters more memorable than the present day ones that we met in Once A Witch (That isn't a bad thing). Mainly because we got to get an insight into the Greene family's enemies, the Knights.

We got to see La Spider and see just how vicious and terrible she was, so willing to help increase her Talents no matter what the cost was. We got to see the sort-of-hunky-but-only-if-he-weren't-such-a-creeper Liam Knight whose Talent of slipping into other peoples bodies I found disturbing, what I found even more disturbing was the way he found his victims whose blood he would end up drinking. But despite meeting the frightening Knight family, the servants that they had control over were very interesting, like Rosie and Cook who ended up being very realistic characters who both remained in the Knight household for reasons unknown until later in the novel.

I remember myself gasping whenever a major point in the plot was revealed where I would end up stating what I thought might happen next (I won't say what). It had a spectacular ending though, one that I found very memorable and because I nearly cried. If you don't believe that Tamsin Greene is a strong and powerful character even after reading Once A Witch just wait until you read Always A Witch where you'll finally see just how strong she really is.(less)

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Dec 14, 2011 Jeanbooknerd rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews

Always a Witch is a marvelous and pleasing continuation to Carolyn MacCullough’s Once a Witch. It started right where it left off and another adventure began. The outline of the story was planned out well and MacCullough definitely knew how everything was going to happen. This time around, Tamsin must make a choice that can change the fate of her family’s entire future. Usually when a story involves time traveling, it can tend to be confusing and get the reader out of place, but I found it to be...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Saewod Tice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Book Title: Always A Witch
Available on Amazon HERE
Author: Carolyn MacCullough
Published By: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Recommended Age: 15 and up
Reviewed By: Saewod Tice
Blog Reviewed For: Great Minds Think Aloud
Rating: 4 Ravens

In Once A Witch we are left with a couple of loose ends. And in Always A Witch, Carolyn MacCullough takes us back to the Talented Greene family, but this time Tamsin gets to know her ancestors.

Sent back to find her ancestors, Tamsin ends up surrounded by Knights. Whilst tryi...more

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Nov 16, 2011 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Always a Witch is an extremely well-executed sequel, delving us deeper into Tamsin’s world and the ever-shifting history of the war between her family and the Knights while augmenting the magical and emotional elements beyond what we experienced in book one. For those of us who read Once A Witch months before finally making our way to the sequel, Ms. MacCullough does a beautiful job of working details from the previous book into the narrative flow without it being blatantly obvious we’re being g...more Always a Witch is an extremely well-executed sequel, delving us deeper into Tamsin’s world and the ever-shifting history of the war between her family and the Knights while augmenting the magical and emotional elements beyond what we experienced in book one. For those of us who read Once A Witch months before finally making our way to the sequel, Ms. MacCullough does a beautiful job of working details from the previous book into the narrative flow without it being blatantly obvious we’re being given a summary of a book we’ve already read, highlighting the most important parts for us so that our enjoyment of this second installment is at its highest. We are immediately tossed into the middle of magic, time travel, murder, and sacrifice, side by side with a young woman who is so much more than her Talent would define her as.

Tamsin is someone we instantaneously connected with in the first book, her outcast status amidst those who should have accepted her unconditionally making us defensive and protective of her as we all struggled to find footing when her world was turned upside down. Now, as perhaps the most powerful witch in her family, we find Tamsin to be much the same girl, her newfound Talent not robbing her of any of the traits we loved so much initially. She’s fiercely loyal to her family despite her lingering hurt over their deliberate withholding of information that would have changed her entire life had she known about it earlier, Traveling alone to the past to single-handedly save the Greene family past, present, and future. She stays cool and collected in the face of the horrors her family’s enemy proves capable of, always thinking, always planning, and always protecting friend and foe alike.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this series is the lack of an all-consuming romance. Tamsin’s relationship with Gabriel is solid, the drama stemming not from conflicted feelings or the addition of a new romantic player, but rather from some rather extraordinary tests that prove how deep their loyalty to one another runs. Their connection is very much secondary to challenges Tamsin faces as a maid in the Knight household, allowing us a respite from teenage angst as our focus remains unwavering on how Tamsin is going to wield the pen that will rewrite the history of her family. A beautifully unexpected twist awaits us at the end, one that answers some of the whys of her family’s behavior from the beginning but leaves us taken aback nonetheless, and we walk away from this read infinitely proud of a young woman we’ve learned never to underestimate in the two books we’ve spent with her.

Rating:4/5 (less)

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Nov 02, 2011 Lilly rated it 4 of 5 stars

If i could, I would give this book a rating of 3.5. I really looked forward to reading this after "Once a Witch."

*SPOILER ALERT*

Picking up from where "Once a Witch" left off, in this one, more is at stake as the Greene famliy's very existence is threaten as Alister travels back in time to warn the sinister Knights of what their future is like when the Greenes strips them of their Talents. Tamsin also travels back in hopes of saving her family and comvincing her ancestors of the Knights' betraya...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Bailey (IB Book Blogging) rated it 5 of 5 stars

ALWAYS A WITCH is a brilliant sequel to ONCE A WITCH. Our favorite characters are back, and the story continues with Alistair's evil schemes that Tamsin has to try to prevent. The moments between Tamsin and Gabriel are as sweet as ever and their relationship always manages to bring a smile to my face. Oh, and let's not forget Rowena, Tamsin's sister, who is a total bridezilla. Tamsin sure has her hands full in this one!

Tamsin is one of my favorite protagonist. Her unique voice never fails to shi...more

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Oct 10, 2011 kari rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, ya

Well, now I kind of wish that I hadn't wished for a sequel to Once a Witch. I hate to say it, but nothing much happens in this one until the very end and the evil person is eliminated off-screen and without any fanfare. Although there are plenty of other evil people, I'm not sure that the villain should meet his end without it being shown. That feels like it's unfinished in some way.
Also, most of what I enjoyed in the first book is completely missing here. There is very little interaction betwee...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Reading Teen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let me just say... I REALLY LOVE THIS SERIES! They are quick reads but full of fantasy and magic! I enjoy the time traveling back to the 1800's and I loved all the characters. The book is plenty full of detail and the author does a wonderful job of explaining what 1800's New York looked like. Tamsin is my favorite character. She is smart, witty and a great witch. Gabriel, her boyfriend is protective, funny and very nice lookin'. He is also a great wizard! He wasn't in this book as much as I woul...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars

This sequel to "Once a Witch", which I rated and reviewed recently, was as wonderful as the first book. In this story Tamsin Greene must fulfill her destiny and sacrifice her life to save the entire Greene family. Told by her grandmother that she will be forced to make a crucial decision, Tamsin chooses to go back in time to the Victorian era where she faces the evil Knight family in order to change history. Trapped in the 18th century with no way home, Tamsin gets a position as lady's maid in t...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

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...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Laurie rated it 3 of 5 stars

‘Always a Witch’ is the sequel to ‘Once a Witch’, but despite having not read that book I had no problem understanding what this volume was about. MacCullough weaves the backstory deftly into this story in small bits and pieces, never hitting the reader over the head with it. ‘Always a Witch’ stands on its own just fine.

This YA novel features Tamsin Greene, a teenage witch who has just recently gained her powers after a lifetime of being the only ‘Talentless’ one in the family. There is a new t...more

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Jul 08, 2011 Whatchyareading added it

Shelves: caitlin, fantasy, series, young-adult

Warning: This review might include a few spoilers if you have not read Once a Witch yet.

I read Once a Witch awhile ago. It feels like YEARS ago, but I can still remember that amazing feeling I had upon reading it. It was one of those books I felt had been written for me. Once a witch was exactly what I wanted to read and at the end I was pretty much dying for a sequel. So, when Christine informed me that Always a Witch was available on NetGalley, I jumped for joy and spazzed out a bit…while at w...more Warning: This review might include a few spoilers if you have not read Once a Witch yet.

I read Once a Witch awhile ago. It feels like YEARS ago, but I can still remember that amazing feeling I had upon reading it. It was one of those books I felt had been written for me. Once a witch was exactly what I wanted to read and at the end I was pretty much dying for a sequel. So, when Christine informed me that Always a Witch was available on NetGalley, I jumped for joy and spazzed out a bit…while at work…people at work think I’m a little strange.

This book was riveting. As you can tell by my other reviews on this site, I love books about witches. I will almost always read them, even if they look like they’re going to be horrible. And I knew this one wasn’t going to be horrible. And it blew my expectations out of the water. It wrapped up all the loose threads in such a neat manner, the ending left me feeling complete with the story in a way that I haven’t felt about any book in a long while. It was one of those perfect endings where everything to do with the plot was all wrapped up but you could tell the characters still had lives to live, still had problems to face.

I love the two main themes, the two worlds this book is about. On one side, there’s the fantasy setting, with magical Talents and time-travel, and spells and on the other, there is this complicated family dynamic. A family that is full of drama and problems and prejudices. And love. Tamsin’s family feels so real in this book, it reminds me of my own complicated, extended family with all of our eccentricities and oddness, though unfortunately my family isn’t a coven of witches, despite my wishes otherwise. And, even though we see less of Tamsin with her immediate family in this book then in the previous, you can feel how their influence effects every decision she makes, in both good and bad ways.

I wish I could spoil the end, because the end showcases this perfectly. Tamsin’s struggle to be accepted by her family throughout both books is brought to such a conclusion, and is so seamlessly woven into the climax of the story, that I can’t believe I didn’t see it coming. Especially with the titles of the books and the character arc Tamsin takes. It’s just so perfect it gives me chills.

This book is all about a choice that Tamsin has to make. And it isn’t clear until the very moment of it what that choice will be exactly. And when it happens, when I saw what Tamsin chose for herself and her family, well, I was very proud of her. And also sad for her.

I was glad Gabriel was there and would always know what had happened. For the first half or so of the book I was worried we weren’t going to see as much of Gabriel, whom I loved in the first book. I was very happy when he showed up again. And then I was doubly happy for his presence at the end. I just can’t get over the ending. It’s been almost a year since I read this book and the ending still makes my heartstrings clench. It was so…final. Which is awesome from a storytelling point of view, I’m sure I can’t be the only persona little sick of the cliffhanger endings we’ve been getting lately, but at the same time, I want to know more of Tamsin’s story.

But I guess that’s the mark of a good book. Feeling complete with the characters, but also needing more of them.

As an aside, there was this one point in the book where some of the characters lure a young boy into their house (not as creepy as it sounds) with the promise of a slice of cake. When he gets there, of course, there is no cake and I couldn’t help but think, “The cake is a lie!” And I laughed uproariously for a good five minutes. It was just such a perfect reference, especially because I don’t think the author intended it to be.

Reviewed at WhatchYAreading on July 4, 2011.(less)

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Mar 20, 2011 cecilia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: blue-covers

Always A Witch was a pleasant surprise, considering how lukewarm my reaction had been for Once A Witch. Carolyn MacCullough definitely packed Book the Second with more action, more suspense, more oomph that I was literally biting my nails as Tamsin races through time to save her family from destruction.

The Greene family didn't make much of an appearance this time around. Rather, their rival - the Knight family - gets showcased as Tamsin infiltrates their household in hopes of preventing Alistair...more

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Feb 24, 2011 Mathew rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just finished reading Carolyn MacCullough “Always a Witch” I have to say that I really enjoyed this book as well as the whole series. For a YA series it really catches you and holds on. Tamsin the main character in the series is a believable if a little neurotic in some ways makes you root for her. You want to see her succeeded in her exploits even if at times you groan because you know what she is about to do is only going to make things worse in the long run. But the story really pulls you i...more

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