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theliterarysewist's review
4.0
Good light hearted reading. The writing was a bit disjointed though. I found myself feeling like I was missing something and kept going back to see if my eyes/brain skipped something but it just wasn't there.
rai's review
2.0
This is a book that finally picks up the pace about half way through the book. But overall, there is only about one chapter that has content that truly interests me.
While at first I didn't understand exactly what the idea of time travel was that they were using, it ending being something that I find agreeable.
At the same time, it reads too much like a boring history text book for part. It spends a good chunk of time in the middle just explaining everything you didn't know before. The dissemination of information could have been handled better.
There is just too much that is weak in this novel. While it touches on elements that I enjoyed, there was just too much empty or under-developed for me really to enjoy it as a whole.
While at first I didn't understand exactly what the idea of time travel was that they were using, it ending being something that I find agreeable.
At the same time, it reads too much like a boring history text book for part. It spends a good chunk of time in the middle just explaining everything you didn't know before. The dissemination of information could have been handled better.
There is just too much that is weak in this novel. While it touches on elements that I enjoyed, there was just too much empty or under-developed for me really to enjoy it as a whole.
the_sassy_bookworm's review
4.0
This was a quick, but very good read! I am a sucker for a good witch story and this didn't disappoint. My only complaint is that the book was to short and left a lot of loose ends, but I assume there will be a sequel, maybe a series(?) coming out in the future.
lindagomes's review
4.0
Gostei muito! Lê-se rápido e não tem momentos aborrecidos. É o tipo de livro que se lê todo de seguida. Só tenho pena de não ter tido tempo para o ler todo de uma vez. Recomendo :)
mariakazantzi's review
4.0
Give me to read a book with time traveling and you can take my soul! The journeys to the past and the mysteries of time and space have always excited me as the presence of a hero in the past is needed in order for some things to happen and in the same time one mistake can jeopardize the future. So, naturally, I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that the heroes were traveling back in time!
But the time travel isn't the only reason I count "Once a witch" among my favorite books of the last year. The way Carolyn MacCullough writes is unique, she isn't hurrying to tell the story of Tasmin,on the contrary she devotes time in the presentation of the characters, of the environment in which they live, and as a result we quickly sympathize with them and we read the story with greater interest.
A teenager who tries to prove that she is worthy to her family, a charming but dangerous stranger, a friend from the past and an object with great power is the recipe for a terrible mess that I suggest you read!
But the time travel isn't the only reason I count "Once a witch" among my favorite books of the last year. The way Carolyn MacCullough writes is unique, she isn't hurrying to tell the story of Tasmin,on the contrary she devotes time in the presentation of the characters, of the environment in which they live, and as a result we quickly sympathize with them and we read the story with greater interest.
A teenager who tries to prove that she is worthy to her family, a charming but dangerous stranger, a friend from the past and an object with great power is the recipe for a terrible mess that I suggest you read!
lorny's review
4.0
The best adjective I can come up with to describe Once a Witch would have to be adventurous. Tamsin travels through time more than once, she commutes to and from boarding school, and between all that traveling, she has to put up with her crazy family and solve a mystery. Phew! Once a Witch is very busy, but Carolyn MacCullough manages to write in a way that makes the multitude of characters and various plotlines manageable.
My favorite aspect of the book would have to be Tamsin. She’s a smart aleck, she’s got a cynical outlook on life, and she does whatever the heck she wants. Her personality made reading her story quite entertaining, and definitely made her feel more realistic. Because Tamsin was raised as an outsider, her moodiness and constant sarcasm really make a lot of sense.
Another part of Once a Witch that I liked was its fantasy feel. Because of Tamsin’s big family and the time traveling, the book just felt magical! It didn’t have that feeling of still being grounded in the real world, which I enjoyed! Carolyn MacCullough’s writing contributed to the fairy-tale quality of Once a Witch; her writing wasn’t super hip (no excessive cursing, not too much slang), so it felt distant from today’s world. This sounds like an insult, but it isn’t! I enjoyed MacCullough’s style of writing; it was a nice change of pace.
Once a Witch was an amazing ride, and I enjoyed every bit of it. It reminded me a little bit of Nikki Christina Hoffman’s A Fistful of Sky (the talented family and a talent-less protagonist), which was great, since I had really enjoyed that book as well. I’d recommend Once a Witch to fantasy lovers, and people who like to read about crazy families and their secrets.
My favorite aspect of the book would have to be Tamsin. She’s a smart aleck, she’s got a cynical outlook on life, and she does whatever the heck she wants. Her personality made reading her story quite entertaining, and definitely made her feel more realistic. Because Tamsin was raised as an outsider, her moodiness and constant sarcasm really make a lot of sense.
Another part of Once a Witch that I liked was its fantasy feel. Because of Tamsin’s big family and the time traveling, the book just felt magical! It didn’t have that feeling of still being grounded in the real world, which I enjoyed! Carolyn MacCullough’s writing contributed to the fairy-tale quality of Once a Witch; her writing wasn’t super hip (no excessive cursing, not too much slang), so it felt distant from today’s world. This sounds like an insult, but it isn’t! I enjoyed MacCullough’s style of writing; it was a nice change of pace.
Once a Witch was an amazing ride, and I enjoyed every bit of it. It reminded me a little bit of Nikki Christina Hoffman’s A Fistful of Sky (the talented family and a talent-less protagonist), which was great, since I had really enjoyed that book as well. I’d recommend Once a Witch to fantasy lovers, and people who like to read about crazy families and their secrets.
emmalynn's review
4.0
Very pleasant, easy reading. I fell in love with Tamsin (so to speak) very early in : she's strong (even when she doesn't know it), she's funny, sarcastic, she has a big heart and she's a witch. My kind of girl.
I really enjoyed the storyline as well, quite a few twists but nothing too convoluted.
As usual in such series, the ending wasn't 100% satisfying though: they want you to read the second volume (and yes, I want to read it too) so they will never tie all loose ends in book 1. Ah well, I can deal with that!
Oh and because we all know how much it matters to me : the cover is SUPER pretty and very glossy!
I really enjoyed the storyline as well, quite a few twists but nothing too convoluted.
As usual in such series, the ending wasn't 100% satisfying though: they want you to read the second volume (and yes, I want to read it too) so they will never tie all loose ends in book 1. Ah well, I can deal with that!
Oh and because we all know how much it matters to me : the cover is SUPER pretty and very glossy!
missmanda's review
4.0
Very good read. Really enjoyable first book of the series. LOVED the main character, you will want her to be happy and have good things happen. It always thrills me to find a character I can identify with and care about. Great writing. Good story. All over a good read.
relytolley's review
4.0
Everyone in her family has a Talent, except for Tamsin. She's clever, sassy, and seventeen, but simply cannot compare to her stunningly beautiful, charming, older sister, Rowena. Tamsin isn't a witch, like everyone else she's related to. She struggles with that fact since her eight birthday party when her Talent never manifested. As a disappointment to her family, she adopts an outsider identity which most readers can relate to. She escapes the familiar witchy commune in search of normalcy--a Manhattan boarding school. She leads a normal life of sneaking cigarettes, studying for SATs, and brandishing fake I.D.s to enter clubs and drink beer, until, one day, her older sister Rowena, is not herself.
After handsome, older Alistair Callum walks into her grandmother's bookshop, Tamsin accepts the task of locating a lost object for Callum. The project sends her back in time to 1939 and 1887 where she encounters several ancestors. As her true Talent dawns, she must preserve not just her sister's life, but her kinfolks’ way of life.
Tamsin’s tale illustrates the universality of unrealized talents and their uniqueness and the importance of family. MacCullough's writing is sophisticated, captivating, and promises cross-over appeal to adults. The occasional sexual innuendo, stealthily smokes cigarettes, and normal teen rebellion is nothing shocking. MacCullough surely casts a spell on readers; I reluctantly put Once a Witch down two or three times and am still smiling at certain lines, like this one, "She gave me a fleeting smile, a lip spasm, really..." (75) Her storytelling is brisk and packed with action. The open-ended resolution promises more installments of Tamsin’s adventures.
Strongly recommended.
After handsome, older Alistair Callum walks into her grandmother's bookshop, Tamsin accepts the task of locating a lost object for Callum. The project sends her back in time to 1939 and 1887 where she encounters several ancestors. As her true Talent dawns, she must preserve not just her sister's life, but her kinfolks’ way of life.
Tamsin’s tale illustrates the universality of unrealized talents and their uniqueness and the importance of family. MacCullough's writing is sophisticated, captivating, and promises cross-over appeal to adults. The occasional sexual innuendo, stealthily smokes cigarettes, and normal teen rebellion is nothing shocking. MacCullough surely casts a spell on readers; I reluctantly put Once a Witch down two or three times and am still smiling at certain lines, like this one, "She gave me a fleeting smile, a lip spasm, really..." (75) Her storytelling is brisk and packed with action. The open-ended resolution promises more installments of Tamsin’s adventures.
Strongly recommended.