Monday, November 14, 2011

Review: Always A Witch

ALWAYS A WITCH
(Once a Witch #2)
Carolyn MacCullough
Paranormal Young Adult
288 pages
Available Now
Received via NetGalley for review

Warning: Synopsis contains spoilers from Once A Witch

THE STORY
Tamsin Greene has spent her entire life thinking she's the only one in her family without a Talent; a young woman with no gift in a family full of powerful individuals. As she learned recently, she was wrong. She's got a Talent, and it's one that makes her one of the strongest witches in her family.

Tamsin's newly discovered Talent makes her the ideal candidate to Travel back in time to alter past events that will save her family in the present. A long-running feud between the Knight family and the Greene family is jeopardizing the safety of everyone Tamsin loves, and so she finds herself infiltrating the Knight household years in the past to hopefully change the future.

Tamsin learns more about the Knight family than she ever wished to while playing her role, witnessing firsthand the cruelty with which some people use their gifts and knowing she'll be on the receiving end of their wrath should they learn who she really is. She's determined to save her family though, but what she soon comes to realize is that while she might do anything to help them, it may cost her everything in the process.

MY THOUGHTS
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

26 comments:

  1. YAY! I'm so glad you liked this one, Jenny! I read the first book a while back and I thought it was just an adorable story -- and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of the second! I love Tam and Gabriel's relationship too for basically the same reasons as you! It was sweet and true, but not all-consuming. LOVED IT! :)

    Awesome review, Jenny! I'm definitely going to get a copy soon!

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  2. Agh! I can't wait to get my hands on the first one. This book habit is really starting to kill me. Awesome review Jenny!

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  3. Ok so I totally skimmed your review because I have not read the first book yet.....I bought it forever ago in the bargain bin for 99cents. You know me and my anti-witch-demon thing, but Ive heard the first book is very good with family drama and kind of falls into the same category as Harry Potter.

    And I LOVE the covers!!!!

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  4. Mimi - I really enjoy Tamsin and Gabriel, it was nice to read about a couple who wasn't constantly playing games with one another:)

    Kris - I thought both books were great, this one especially. I didn't expect what happened at the end:)

    Tina - I think you'll really like this series. Yes, they're witches, but it's not the main element and there are no demons or anything:)

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  5. I only looked over your review because I haven't read this series yet. I've wanted too, but never did because of the good buzz about it. I was just nervous that it wasn't going to be good because of all of hype. LOL! That doesn't happen too often, but for some reason it did here. What did you think? I see you liked this one, but what about the others? Is it a series I should try?

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  6. I was sad this was only two books long, but Always A Witch closed things well. I thought the family was genius for hiding Tamsin's powers because otherwise she would have grown up very conceited due to her enhance abilities. You even see hints of a much stronger self-confidence at the start of this book. And of course hiding her powers makes sense given the ending. This wasn't as good as Once A Witch but it was still very good.

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  7. I really enjoyed "Once a Witch" and completely adored Gabriel. I'm so glad you enjoyed this book! Too bad this series ends with this one as I would have loved to visit these characters again. It's such a fun world.

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  8. I haven't heard much about Once a Witch but since you rated the sequel so highly, I'll have to check it out. I like that the romance in this one is solid and doesn't have loads of drama.

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  9. I enjoyed ONCE A WITCH and was angrier then Tamsin at her family's secrets. I enjoyed the concept and the story and have been looking forward to the sequel. I liked that you pointed out relationship with Gabriel isn't "all consuming" as, 1) that's not healthy, and 2) Tamsin is a solid character in her own right and doesn't need a romance to make her more interesting.

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  10. Jen - This wasn't one of those series that blew my mind, but it's solid. Great heroine, a touch of romance, and a series of interesting problems for the witches:)

    Alison - Me too! I wouldn't mind more time with Tamsin and Gabriel. I thought it was really brilliant the way the ending of this one tied back into the beginning of book one:)

    Rummanah - I loved Gabriel too! Their relationship just seems so nice and normal - they tease one another and laugh and there's no burning desire to be around the other every moment of ever day lest they miss something vital.

    Zahdia - It was really nice to read a drama-free relationship, and their relationship just isn't the main focus at all which is refreshing sometimes:)

    Jennifer - I was too! She accepted it far quicker than I would, but who knows how I would react if it was actually my family and not hers. Couldn't agree with you more on Tamsin being solid and not needing an angst-filled romance to make me want to read more about her:)

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  11. An instantaneous connection to the MC? Yes please! This one sounds so good - but I still need to pick up the first one!! Great review, Jenny.

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  12. Oh, awesome! I'd been holding off on this one because I was worried it wouldn't live up to Once a Witch. Now I think I'm ready to pick it up! I love that the romance doesn't dominate the story. :)

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  13. Sounds really good. I need to try this series.

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  14. Dang! I still haven't read Once a Witch, but I did get it a while back for a pretty sweet deal in Amazon's Bargain Bin!

    I'm totally in love with the cover though. Did you review book one here on the blog? I can't remember. *runs off to search SS archives*

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  15. I completely need to start this series ASAP! I've had a thing for witchy type books lately!!

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  16. I still need to read Once a Witch. I'm kinda glad I didn't because it looks like I'd like to have this one right after it. I'm very curious about it now...

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  17. I haven't yet read the first one but I did hear good things about it and now, with that great review, I've got to read it. Good to hear the second is as good as the first and that the MC didn't lose any of her charm or traits that you liked in the first story.

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  18. It's not often that a sequel actually measures up, but it sounds like this one might just do so. Jenny, your reviews are flawless. I'm jealous. Great thoughts :)

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  19. Great review Jenny! I loved Always a Witch!

    Heather

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  20. I've had this book for a while now but since I haven't read bk 1, I was never really motivated to read it. Do you think I can read this one without reading the first book? (since the author summarizes the important points)

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  21. I totally agree about the romance in this book! It was great and all, but it wasn't the main focus. I was much more interested in what Tamsin was going through. (Well, almost more interested anyways. ;)) I love this series!

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  22. I wasn't a big fan of the first book but I plan on reading the sequel becuase this series has a lot of potential. I feel more confident about reading this book after your review. Will pick it up asap!

    SeeitORreadit

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  23. Another book i would choose cos of the cover ;) bad bad me! But at least it sounds good, lol

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  24. I admit I expected more from this story. I was a little disappointed that the plot was the same. Nice review.

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  25. I just gave this away last month for Trick or Treat for books---it was a HUGE draw! I can see why if you liked it too. I was a big fan of the cover--very pretty!

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  26. I liked this second book a lot, but I think I liked its predecessor more. This one was fun to read, though.

    - Asher (from Paranormal Indulgence)

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