Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Reading Level: Ages 12 and up

Paperback: 312 Pages

Publisher: Graphia

ISBN-13: 978-0547417301

My Rating: 4/5

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and on the day she was born her grandmother proclaimed her to be the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. No, seventeen years later, she spend most of her time at boarding school in Manhattan, where she can at least pretend to be normal. But during the summers, she's forced to return home and work at her family's bookstore/magic shop. One night a handsome young professor from New York University arrives in the shop and mistakes Tamsin for her extremely Talented older sister. For once, it's Tamsin who is being looked at with awe and admiration, and before she can stop herself, she agrees to find a family heirloom for him that was lost more than a century ago. But the search-and the stranger-prove to be more sinister that they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the past sins of her family, and unleash a power so strong and so vengeful, it could destroy them all.

When I first started reading 'Once a Witch' I thought it wasn't going to be a book that I enjoyed but boy was I wrong! I liked it a lot...actually more than a lot. It had so many different elements in it that made it such a great read. It had witches, (obviously) magic, sibling rivalry, a blossoming romance and lets not all forget the unforgettable bad guy! I only gave 'Once a Witch' a 4 out of 5 because it started off really slow for me an it took me a little while to get into. It has a slow beginning, at least for me. Sometimes the sheer epicness of a book can overshadow a few flaws but this book wasn't one of those.

'Once a Witch' tells the story of a young girl named Tamsin. She finds herself to be the black sheep of her family because they all have a Talent and she does not. She was born Talent less and no one lets her forget it....well at least her sister Rowena doesn't! She lives in New York City where she attends school but travels home on weekends to visit her family and help out at their bookstore; and that is where she meets Alistair. A little white lie because a monstrosity and soon Tamsin's world is completely upside down!

If you can read through the slow beginning (which I highly suggest) 'Once a Witch' is absolutely incredible! It's written very well and thought out. There aren't any inadequacies and the way MacCullough wrote the book makes you want to keep on reading! If you haven't had the chance to read 'Once a Witch' yet, I suggest you do! I'm glad it's part of my collection and I will definitely be getting the second one.