Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Always a Witch
    Always a Witch
    Always a Witch
    Ebook269 pages5 hours

    Always a Witch

    By Carolyn MacCullough

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    In the second novel of this “fantastic urban fantasy series,” a teenage witch must travel back in time to save her family from ruin (Cassandra Clare, New York Times bestselling author of City of Bones).
     
    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 her family forever. 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 fateful choice she must make.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateAug 1, 2011
    ISBN9780547534183
    Always a Witch
    Author

    Carolyn MacCullough

    Carolyn MacCullough is the author of the young adult urban fantasy Once a Witch and three other YA novels. Born and raised in Connecticut, she has lived in Sicily, Scotland, and even the wilds of New Jersey before settling down in Brooklyn where she now lives with her husband and daughter. In addition to writing, she also teaches creative writing at NYU and The New School.

    Related to Always a Witch

    Titles in the series (1)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    YA Fantasy For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      “Wicked Fox” Is An Engrossing – If Convoluted – YA Fantasy

      Aug 22, 2019

      Kat Cho’s debut novel “Wicked Fox” is a little complicated, but the poignantly rendered family relationships and fantasy drama are worth the ride.

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Man I Should Have Married

      Dec 29, 2019

      The Man I Should Have Married
      11 min read

    • Article

      Learning To Let Go

      Jun 14, 2023

      Learning To Let Go
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Space Between Us

      Oct 9, 2019

      The Space Between Us
      8 min read

    • Article

      A PRECIOUS Moment In Time

      Jun 17, 2019

      There’s something about Lambrook Hall that always draws me back and I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been here. I don’t really care if it’s hundreds, to be honest. I can’t resist it. I’m in the dining room again now. Not the ballroom or the lib

      6 min read

    • Article

      Wilding

      Nov 3, 2022

      Wilding
      8 min read

    • Article

      Blackberries

      Apr 5, 2023

      Blackberries
      24 min read

    • Article

      Now That I’ve Arrived

      Dec 30, 2020

      Now That I’ve Arrived
      5 min read

    • Article

      Heave’s Whisky

      Feb 27, 2024

      Heave’s Whisky
      7 min read

    • Article

      Yellow Is the Color of Choices

      Dec 10, 2023

      For whatever reason, when she sees me each weekend, Megan still hugs me like when she was five. Her skinny arms wrap around my waist, and her eyes squeeze tight like she’s absorbing me into her skin. This is both heartening and heart-wrenching. I wan

      13 min read

    • Article

      The Leather Coat

      Apr 4, 2024

      The Leather Coat
      6 min read

    • Article

      TOWN & COUNTRY

      Jun 1, 2022

      TOWN & COUNTRY
      3 min read

    • Article

      Ongoingness

      Apr 21, 2022

      Ongoingness
      8 min read

    • Article

      Proverbs Of A Faceless Time

      Dec 1, 2023

      Proverbs Of A Faceless Time
      9 min read

    • Article

      Longer on Moon

      Sep 22, 2022

      Longer on Moon
      19 min read

    • Article

      Rising Sign

      Feb 4, 2021

      Rising Sign
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Eulogy

      Jul 13, 2022

      The Eulogy
      7 min read

    • Article

      Search and Destroy

      Oct 24, 2017

      My daughter has bugs living in her hair. It is my job to kill them. The post Search and Destroy appeared first on Guernica.

      7 min read

    • Article

      Book Extract

      Jan 20, 2020

      My year off was also interesting, in that I didn’t feel any less loved, or cherished, or wanted. Why? Because my life is already rich with soulmates, and I got the chance to behold that. You don’t have to shag someone for them to be a soulmate. We do

      7 min read

    • Article

      Enough of THE OLD!

      May 16, 2021

      I recently took up my doctor’s kind offer of a flu shot. Last year was the first time I’d ever had one. But though I tend not to catch the flu and don’t like having needles stuck in me, it seemed the sensible thing to do now that I’ve reached an age

      2 min read

    • Article

      That Particular Sunday

      Jul 6, 2023

      That Particular Sunday
      26 min read

    • Article

      Six Sonnets

      Jan 1, 2021

      Goldenrod, I could say, you know, everybody wants somethingfrom me, but, well, everybody wants something and nobody wantsnothing from me, goldenrod, towhead, beast. Goldenrod, you packthe meadows like gold-plated sardines. I have heart palpitationsbu

      3 min read

    • Article

      Four Poems

      Nov 1, 2022

      Day after Thanksgiving. I give thanks for Eveto beat the rush of appreciating hernext year and let her sleep inuntil three hundred o’clock.Thank you light on the mountainfor being my star on cloudy nights.Thank you all the guns I’ve never ownedand ki

      6 min read

    • Article

      When Naming Isn’t Enough

      Aug 31, 2018

      When Naming Isn’t Enough
      16 min read

    • Article

      “Apparently Life Goes On ...”

      Jan 29, 2023

      “Apparently Life Goes On ...”
      7 min read

    • Article

      Runaway Bride

      Aug 21, 2023

      It’s definitely a mistake to have worn the dress to the airport. Alana knows that the second she walks past the terminal’s Wetherspoons – rammed at 5.30am – and is greeted by a chorus of “Lost your groom, love?” by a bunch of drunk stags in matching

      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Always a Witch

    4/5

    125 ratings28 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      An enjoyable read, especially if you're interested in time travel. A lot of this book takes place in the late 1800's with Tamsin "undercover". An interesting ending revolving about what price for the greater good.
    • 4/5
      I started this series with Once a Witch, and rather enjoyed it. It wasn't your run-of-the-mill witch story and I liked that. Tamsin is the sole Talent-less witch in her family, and it kind of grates on her.

      Well, it would, wouldn't it?

      I rather relate, being the least talented of my piano-genius sisters.

      Anyway, Tamsin finds out later that she is NOT Talent-less, but is quite powerful. It leads to adventures, saving the day, and discovering true love.

      Woo!

      Then we come to Always a Witch. The title makes a huge amount of sense now that I've finished. I'm not going to give away the ending, have no fear. It's a great ending though, just you wait.

      Tamsin faces choices this time that will alter her life forever. She discovers who she really is, instead of who she thought she was. Her choices could change the course of history and the future, which is pretty daunting when you think about it.

      I like that we get to see her growth through the two books. I really came to like her as a character. She's strong, and yet vulnerable at the same time.

      The plot is great, carrying on where we left off the first time. It flows nicely and has lots of nice twists to keep one entertained.

      All in all, a great read. Really enjoyed it, and readers of YA Paranormal will like it too.

      It gets a 'drool worthy' rating from me.
    • 4/5
      First have to say I love the cover of this book.

      Ok so Always a Witch continues from Book one Once a Witch.

      Brilliant sequel, we get to see all the characters from book one and the story continues. We get to see more of Gabrille and Tamsin now a couple makes you happy inside knowing they are together.

      In the first book Tasmin discovered her 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.

      What more can I say but read the book if you enjoy y/a pnr/uf.


    • 4/5
      Tamsin Greene, reluctant and newly-discovered witch, is back in the sequel to MacCullough's Once a Witch to try and prevent her family from being destroyed by Alistair Knight and his scheming family. For this, Tamsin must travel back to the 19th century and infiltrate the Knight's ranks to prevent Alistair from passing his knowledge of the future onto his ancestors. Determined to both save her family and make the correct choice in a prophesied terribly difficult decision, Tamsin must rely on her just-found Talent and New York City smarts to try and defeat the Knight's once and for all.

      I found I liked Always a Witch much more than its predecessor (and I liked Once a Witch). The suspense was ripe throughout most of the story and the new characters were mostly deliciously evil - which always makes for a fun read. Tamsin seemed to grow as a character as she faced situations on her own and made some tough decisions. Also, the wonderful Gabriel is back!

      On the whole, I suggest this book, but would recommend reading Once a Witch first!
    • 4/5
      Before reading the review, be warned that this is the second in a series and you shouldn't read on unless you've read the first, don't want to read either but like reading reviews, or love spoilers (for the first book, not this one). I completely adored Once a Witch and the same is true of the sequel, even though it broke my heart a little bit. The resolution of the story made perfect sense and, though I saw it coming and knew it needed to happen, I really did not want it to happen that way.

      Tamsin never smoked again, a thing I complained about in my review for the first book, so it really was just that one scene. This pretty much cements my belief that she may have been a sm0ker in an early draft and that one scene missed getting cut. Thank goodness she's not actually a smoker or I would probably have to hate her. Which I don't want to do, because she is so delightfully sarcastic, as all of the best heroines are.

      I still really love the Talents. They remind me of people's powers on the Heroes television show. It's so much fun to find out what everyone can do. Tamsin definitely has the coolest power, sort of Peter Petrelli-ish. My one complaint here is that when Tamsin's going back to the past to save the whole family, they don't all line up and throw their power at her three time so that she can be well-armed for the coming battle. It's not like she takes their powers forever, as evidenced by Aunt Beatrice still being able to freeze kids at the end of book one. Stupid family is stupid.

      For those who loved Once a Witch, you will not be disappointed in Always a Witch. It has magic, action, suspense, nineteenth century drama and romance. Always a Witch is coming out August 1. Get yourself a copy!

      P.S. I like the cover. However, who on earth is that supposed to be? Jessica? Tamsin has curly hair, like the girl on the cover of book one. Sigh.
    • 3/5
      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. Her Grandmother knew that Tamsin would have to sacrafice her own talent; stopping others from using their talent on her, so she wanted her to learn to live without having one. Her family still could have treated her more kindly. Her dad was obnoxious.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 Countless 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.
    • 4/5
      Always a Witch is the sequel to Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough. If you’re unfamiliar with the first novel, think Harry Potter—only opposite. Instead of finding out that you have magical powers after growing up with a bunch of ordinary people, Tamsin has grown up in a family of extraordinary witches and she has no magical powers to speak of (or so she thought).Since Tamsin has discovered that she does in fact have powers—and put the future of her family at risk with her time travel misadventures, Tamsin must find a way to fix it all. Tamsin travels back to old New York and attempts to correct the mistakes she made in Once a Witch.Always a Witch was a really fast read, and while it was light on the romance that made the first book special, the time travel and adventure more than make up for the sparse appearances of Gabriel. While the story did have a strong conclusion, I’m hoping that another novel is in the works. I’m not quite ready to leave Tamsin’s world behind and I really want to read more of Carolyn MacCullough’s beautiful writing.
    • 5/5
      After enjoying "Once A Witch" I was very eager to read the follow up "Always A Witch". I have to say I liked the sequel even better than the first book, which is quite unusual. The two books are about Tamsin Greene, a teenager who comes from an extended family of witches who all have different talents. Tamsin's aunt can touch people and `freeze' them. Tamsin's sister can persuade people by issuing commands to do so. Her boyfriend Gabriel can find anything. When Tamsin was born, her grandmother announced her to be the greatest witch the family had ever known, but unfortunately those powers didn't develop...until the events described in "Once A Witch". "Once A Witch" does give us a conclusion but it leads right into another, even bigger issue that must be resolved for good in "Always A Witch". To resolve this dilemma, Tamsin must travel back in time to the late 1800's. She has to stop the events that led to her family being used horribly by another Witch family.I loved the entire back in time portion of the book, which honestly was about 80% of the novel. It was handled beautifully and realistically (as possible!). The villains were truly creepy and sadistic. There is true danger and horrifying consequences if things go wrong. There were several shockers along the way than only added to the odds being stacked against Tamsin. I think Tamsin is a strong character and I enjoyed her as the lead character. Gabriel was adorable and I like that he called Tamsin out on some of her behaviors and isn't afraid to stand up for himself. He also fits in so well with Tamsin's quirky family and he felt like he belonged with them every bit as much as Tamsin does. I was vaguely disappointed that we didn't get anything more out of the relationship between Tamsin and her overbearing sister. This is only a two book series but the story does end well, even if things aren't ideal. That in my opinion is just realistic. Not everything can end up being perfect especially when you face such odds. Above all I am glad to read a magical tale where there is a definite consequence to having powers. I just really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it. I will be looking for future novels by this author.
    • 4/5
      Book Title: Always a WitchAuthor: Carolyn MacculloughPublished By: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (August 1, 2011)Genre: SupernaturalRecommended Age: 13+Reviewed By: Emily Tuley / AngelsCryHavocBlog Reviewed For: Great Minds Think Aloud Literary CommunityRating: 4 RavensThe 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.
    • 3/5
      I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review. I read the first book and the first was OK but I was curious to see where this story would go from here. It wasn't bad. I was a tad disappointed in the end. We meet Tamsin in the first book as an ordinary girl and we end with an ordinary girl. It's disappointing. This book also sees time traveling as well just like the first. This time though she's trying to save her family from a rival family and Tamsin decides to make the ultimate sacrifice. This was an OK book. I just feel as if most of it was quite rushed which made it a tad disappointing.
    • 4/5
      Not as awesome as the first one, but I still really liked it a lot. The time travel really kicked the action up a notch in this.
    • 5/5
      *****This review may contain spoilers if you didn't do what I told you to previously and read Once a Witch. Continue at your own risk.**** Now, whereas I did not like Tamsin in Once a Witch, I'm loving her in this one. Not only is she looking out for herself, her family and their fate, but she's looking out for the servants in the Knight household and the poor urchins they experiment on. While Once a Witch went back and forth between light and dark, Always a Witch reads like a horror story. The Knight family, is bent on practicing the darker magics. And they don't care about spilling human blood to do it. Humans are considered beneath them and therefore if they kill one or two dozen for the cause, so be it. What do they want? Immortality.Tamsin travels back in time without Gabriel, time affects those without her powers and he could die if he gets trapped back in time. She has to beat Alistair Knight back in time before he can warn the Knights of what the Greene family did to their powers. Now here, she did go off a little half assed if you ask me because once again, she didn't know where the Greene family lived before she went back in time. That would have been my first place to visit. And I would have known the names of my ancestors so they would believe me. Had some piece of information or heirloom so they could identify me. But there's a big reason she can't ask where they lived or find out names and again in a round about way it has to do with Alistair Knight. So she basically hits the late 1800's blind. Dressed in a working girl's uniform and that's about it. She was smart enough to look in the attic at home for a uniform or dress so she'd look the part and found some money as well.Tamsin of course, snoops and gets caught, but now with her awesome powers, she thinks she's invincible. Not! Once again, Gabriel comes to her rescue. And her great, great grandfather.There are lots of mysteries and betrayals in this book and just when you think you've got it figured out, the loophole closes and there's no way out. Gabriel is just as admirable in this book as in the last one and still, my favorite character, but as I said, Tamsin is a lot less whiney and more take charge in this one.At the end, as things turn around, Tamsin suffers a terrible loss and becomes the ultimate heroine to me! She totally makes up for her mistakes in Once a Witch, and who knows, maybe it was fated for this to all happen this way anyway.I really enjoyed this novel. I love time travel novels and most of this one takes place in the past. There is a lot of sleuthing and sneaking around, second guessing, a lot of surprising defeats and some very realistic hopelessness. As to whether there is a happy ending, you'll need to read it, but I happily and highly recommend this book and the series.
    • 4/5
      This book is what it is, it starts right where it left off with the first one. I enjoyed this book.
    • 4/5
      This book started right where it left off and another adventure began. Only this time, Tamsin must make choice that can change the fate of her family's entire future.One thing I enjoyed about this book is the great plot line the reader gets to go on. Tamsin is thrown back in time, trying to save her family. I like watching Tamsin go back in time and play a different person. I loved watching a character time travel!! I guess it because I always dreamed of time traveling as well. Tamsin is really good at playing different roles in order to get where she needed to be. She also learned many new secrets about not only the Knight family, but her family as well.In this book, I felt as though Tamsin didn't grow up as well as she soon. She still lacked trust in Gabriel and always went off doing things on her own. Granted, it was her choice that is important, but there is nothing wrong with a little help.Overall, I felt like this book wasn't as good as the first one. They are still going through the same thing, fighting the Knight family, learning secrets, learning talents, etc. I was really hoping for more of new adventure instead of a repeated one. I wanted more twists, more secrets, and more love! Though the ending was tied up nicely, I am somewhat disappointed in the lack of adventure.
    • 5/5
      I am such a huge fan of witches. I know I say this all the time in reviews, but seriously, they blow vampires and werewolves and all of that other stuff out of the water. Especially when they’re written in an original and interesting way. Just like in Once a Witch, and this book, Always a Witch.Once a Witch was a bit of a roller coaster, which I loved. There was action, magic, adventure, time-travel, romance – it had everything. So I’m very pleased that we got all that from Always a Witch, and even more. I love historical fiction, and most of Always a Witch takes place in the late 1800s, so that’s was definitely an added bonus while reading.A lot of books do a ton of backstory at the beginning of the second book, and Always a Witch didn’t do that. There was a short prologue thing and then it sort of just jumped right into the story, which I loved.I love the originality in this series. It’s definitely witchcraft, but Carolyn MacCullough doesn’t call it witchcraft per say – it’s Talents. Each member of the family has a specific talent they can do (mind control, freezing, shooting fire, etc), but it’s written way more eloquently than that.Overall, I loved Always a Witch. I thought it was a great follow-up to Once a Witch, with a very bittersweet ending. I don’t know if Always a Witch is the final book in the series, but if so, it ends just as it needs to, although I would absolutely read more from this world. I definitely recommend checking out this series if you haven’t already – it’s a lot of fun with unexpected twists.
    • 3/5
      ‘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 threat from the rival Knight clan to her family, one that can only be dealt with by traveling back in time- again. She undertakes this task alone, to spare anyone else the bad effects of time travel. This time, she goes to the Victorian era and becomes a ladies maid in the Knight household. Along with trying to head off the problem facing her family, Tamsin discovers something else wicked going on in the Knight household. While the Greene family of witches has no use for humans, they chose to simply ignore them. The Knights, on the other hand, see humans as playthings and lab rats. Can she deal with both of these problems by herself? Will she survive the terrifying and heartbreaking decision she must make? There is plenty happening in this book; after a kind of slow start that revolves around Tamsin’s sister’s impending wedding, there is almost no breathing room. Even though the book clocks in at almost 300 pages, it seems rushed. This is probably deliberate, but it doesn’t leave enough time for the characters to get fully fleshed out. We see Tamsin better than anyone else, of course, but even she doesn’t seem quite real and solid. The other characters- Tamsin’s boyfriend, the Knights, her grandmother- are action figures without a great deal behind the action. I think this book would be well liked by very early teens, but older people may well be disappointed by this. I enjoyed it, but felt it could have been much better.
    • 4/5
      Tamsin Greene who was raised in a family with Talents but without any of her own has discovered that she has Talents. Now she must travel back in time to stop the evil Knight family from destroying her family in the past. Most of the story takes place in New York City in 1887 when Tamsin gets a job as a maid in the Knight house.
    • 4/5
      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. The sage advice of 'Once a Witch, Always a Witch' could just save all that she holds dear.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.
    • 5/5
      Suspenseful, and beautifully crafted.In this installment of the Witch series, we learn more about the mysterious Knight family and the Greenes.I loved Tamsin in the first installment, but I absolutely fell in love with her spunk, dry wit, and bravery in this book. We see her going through a lot of different things here, and we watch her grow. She's moving away for college, she has a boyfriend and she finally knows what her talent is, and how to harness that power. I think what I liked most was that she wasn't simpering and pathetic. The story wasn't based entirely around some kind of forbidden love where the female protagonist turns into a slobbering dog, pretty much. The face that she had a boyfriend wasn't completely rubbed into your face the entire time.I was surprised and pleased at the imagery described in the past and the traveling. I do wish there had been more character building in Jessica Knight's character. Why was she going against the way she was raised? What's her talent? She seemed to be on the "good" side of things, so I would have liked to see a bit more building of her character in this book.I wouldn't read this installment without having read the first one beforehand. You'd be able to understand it, but not with as much clarity as if you had read the first one. All in all, I loved it. I hope that Ms. MacCullough writes another installment.
    • 4/5
      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 from changing the past to affect the future. Seeing the infamous Knight family in action - especially on the cusp of their powers - was truly a delight to see, even though Liam's goals were pretty dastardly.I'm not sure if there will be any continuation to this series (I'm not sure what cute, catchy title Book the Third could even be!), given the future-changing ending that Ms. MacCullough leaves us with. This leaves me with regret since Tamsin, Gabriel, and family have earned their places in my heart - but really, what an satisfying conclusion that Always A Witch gives us!On a sidenote, what a GORGEOUS cover! I'm not sure how it falls into the story since there is no major gown-wearing story arc, but I still love the cover model's wistful pose!
    • 4/5
      Always a Witch is the fast-paced sequel to author Carolyn MacCullough's 2009 debut, Once A Witch. After enjoying virtually everything about Always a Witch, I was eager to get my hands on the sequel. However, if you haven't read Once a Witch, I highly recommend picking it up before launching into Always a Witch, because you'll be more than lost if you haven't read it.Always a Witch picks up right after the gripping, edge-of-your-seat conclusion of Once a Witch. Now that Tamsin Greene, daughter of a powerful witch family has discovered that she actually has a magical Talent (and not just any Talent, but one of the most powerful and crucial Talents in her family's history), she's begun to realize her importance. Not only does she have to deal with a chilling prophecy from her grandmother, but when Tamsin discovers that her family's nemesis, Alistair Knight has gone back in time to destroy her family, she's got to do some more time jumping (you'd think this would cause more of a dilemma to so much time travel) to Victorian-era New York, where she goes undercover as a maid in the Knight family mansion.As fast-paced and magical as Once a Witch, Always a Witch is a fantastic, fabulous sequel that's as riveting and enjoyable as the first. Tamsin is a wonderful, realistic protagonist that readers will want to cheer for. The historical aspect of the novel is also well done, as MacCullough paints a lush portrait of Victorian-era New York and seamlessly weaves together history, magic and mystery in a well-paced tale that's a delightful read.For me, the only tiny issue with this book is that is feels much the same as the first book (especially with the time jumping), but since it's such a great read, I can't complain too much. Other than that, Always a Witch does feel a little short. It's just under 300 pages (which seems a tiny bit slim for the price) and goes by so quickly it also feels like a blur. Still, optimal for teen readers and fans of YA fantasy/paranormal fiction.
    • 5/5
      What an awesome sequel! I really wish this series didn`t have to end! :( But at least I got to read and review it for you guys, right? :)My Summary: The book starts off with Tam and Rowena in another arguement (go figure!). Tam hasn`t purchased her maid of honour`s dress for Rowena`s wedding yet, which makes Rowena kinda angry (understatement). They go back to the house, were a few days later, Rowena asks one of the many Greene cousins to use her Talent and turn Tam`s dress the correct colour for the wedding, which is in 3 days. Their cousin refuses, telling them that she doesn`t want to use her Talent around Tamsin in case Tam tries to take it. Tam (understandibly) is kinda hurt by this and storms up to her room.A few hours later, Tamsin hears voices coming from the library. Puzzled, she leaves her room to check it out. What she finds, though, confuses her more than ever: her drunk uncle Morris is questioning Old Aunt Beatrice about a certain night in 1939 - the night Tam and Gabe Travelled back in time.When Tam confronts her uncle, something crazy happens - a mysterious stranger steps out of her uncle`s body, kisses her full on the mouth, then disappears - but not before delivering a cryptic message concerning Gabe and the future of the entire Greene family.Tam realizes she only has one choice - to Travel back in time and eradicate the threat of the Knight family once and for all. But once she`s there, Tam realizes exactly what kind of sacrifice shes going to gave to make to keep her family safe.`I don`t know if I`ve ever mentioned this, but I LOVE historical fiction, and mixing it with a paranormal plot? You had me at hello, basically. And you know what else?! The fact that this book is the sequel to Once a Witch just made it 234094732709438 times better.ANYWAYS. A few things I really enjoyed about this book: Tam`s voice remains as snarky and hilarious as it was in the original, and Gabriel (although we don`t see as much of him in this book) is still just as awesome as he was before. I also really liked the fact that Tam decided she had to go alone in order to protect everyone - and the fact that she actually empathized with someone who she should`ve seen as `the enemy`. It really added some humanity and relate-ability to her character. I reaaaally liked the secondary characters in this one - they added an extra layer to the story. My faves were probably Cook and Jessica, although Thom was really great too!Final Thoughts: This was one of my favourite series of the past two years. I definitely recommend both Once a Witch and Always a Witch to anyone who`s been in a little bit of a paranormal rut lately. Check them out! If you don`t like them, you have my permission to trash me in your review ;D
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book. More than Once a Witch, the first in the dualogy, though I did enjoy that one also. I really liked the world of contemporary magic MacCullough created. The Talents that the Greene and Knight families possess were awesome. The way the magic worked and intereacted, also cool. Tamsin's abilities I especially liked. The story had a good pace. An interesting plot. Great characters. I loved Tam and Gabriel's relationship. (Though I wouldn't have minded a few more kisses). And Tam's relationship with her family, though imperfect, was very relatable. The Greene's as a family, though a good family, are not The Good Family. They're concerned with themselves, not necessarily with people outside of their circle. Which I liked because they weren't painted as saints. I mean, who is? Though I must say that it was serendipitous that Tamsin just happened to be where she needed to be to overhear important conversations. It didn't happen just once, but three times. And she never got caught easedropping. Which worked well for the plot and kept it moving. I just found it implausible, but it didn't really bother me, just made me smile. I did guess the decision that Tam would have to make, though it happened in such a different way than I expected. It was rather cool. But also sad. The book ended abruptly. Tamsin and Gabriel return home and all we get are two pages with just a glimpse of how things are, then it's over. I was disappointed, I wanted more of a conclusion. I wanted to see how things had changed.
    • 4/5
      Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCulloughThis is the second book in this series and Tamsin and her honey Gabriel are back with some time traveling action and adventure, wrapped up with a lilttle witchy romance to get us excited for more! I really enjoyed this book. I liked this one better than the first. Tamsin isn't as annoying to me in this book. She seems to have gained some confidence and probably being with Gabriel has helped some too.I really liked the Greene family and the strong character of Tamsin's grandmother. Although, I would have loved to slap Tamsin's sister a couple of times. Good lord is she annoying!The time traveling is very exciting and I loved how the story develops. I enjoyed the fact that Tamsin becomes employed by the King family and we get to see the enemy up close. Very clever.I love how the story gets wrapped up in the end, and a lot of things from the first book now make sense. I can't say anymore without ruining the ending, so I will just leave it at that!I definitely recommend this one and I give it 3 1/2 STARS.I got this ARC from NetGalley. Thanks!
    • 4/5
      Tamsin is back and this story picks up where the last one left off. She understands her Talent & has finally received the family initiation rites. Everything seems fine ... until a someone from the past makes an impossible trip into Tamsin's family home, setting off a series of events that requires Tamsin to make another trip into the past to save the future of her family.MacCullough provides us with another wonderful adventure with Tamsin Greene. She sets course on an adventure that will fulfill her role as the beacon of her family, a role her grandmother predicted at her birth. Tamsin is a little more mature in this installment, although her interaction with Rowena still shows some adolescent sibling rivalry. In this story, she time travels back to before the Domani is created and ends up working for the Knight family. We learn more background about both the Knights and the Greenes, and MacCullough does a good job of not making the either family 'good' or 'evil' in its entirety. Tamsin must find a way to stop Alistair from warning the Knights about the Domani before it can be created. She is placed in a position where she must make a difficult decision in order to save the future of her family. The story is very entertaining and well-written. The characters are flawed and enjoyable. This story, however, seems to wrap things up neatly at the end. It would be nice to read more about Tamsin in the future.
    • 4/5
      Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough Early Review By Moirae the fates book reviews.This is the sequel to Once a Witch. Always a Witch, picks up right where Once a Witch left off. In this book, we get all the answers that we wanted in book one. I must say, that I liked this book a lot more then the first. I found this one to be much faster paced and the book was a bit darker then the first.Tam has to find a way to fix the problem that the Greene family was left with in book one. The Knight family remains their rivals in the story. What I really liked was how much Tam grows as a person and how her character develops into an even more independent and strong woman. Which is really important to have a strong female lead in a YA book. Gabriel and Tams relationship blooms even more in this installment then it did in the first. We learned in book one that Traveling was not allowed, but we didn’t fully understand why. In Always a witch we learn more about Traveling and the repercussions that is can have. We also get to see Tam grow more into her Talent and she learns how to use it and the full effect it can have. The character development as a whole carried on more in this book I think then it did in the first one. Which is understandable. I found the dialog in this one witty. I really enjoyed it and it felt real. It didn’t feel like the author was grasping at straws which is great. I really enjoyed this book!Overall rating: **** 4 out of 5 stars highly recommended. Cover art:I really liked the cover art to this one. The dress is amazing and the use of blue is absolutely beautiful.What parents need to know:There is no sexual content in this book. Obtained from the publisher.
    • 4/5
      This is the second novel in MacCullough’s Witch series featuring Tamsin Greene and is a fun book filled with action, suspense and some extremely lovable characters. While this novel doesn’t add a lot of depth the magical world it creates, we are instead drawn to the characters. From the first moment I was drawn to Tamsin, a witch who has gone most of her life not knowing that she had a Talent or magical power. She is feisty with a sarcastic wit, often speaking before thinking, but she is also extremely giving. It is obvious that she loves her family and would do anything to protect those she cares for as seen by putting herself in danger repeatedly in the family’s past to preserve their futures. Her family is also quite endearing. They are eccentric and add a nice levity to the first few chapters of the novel showing us why Tamsin would be willing to protect them so vigorously. We are also introduced to Gabriel, her boyfriend, who is able to Travel in time and locate whatever he is looking for. He captures the heart early on in his devotedness towards Tamsin and his desire to be by her side through whatever peril she finds herself in. Alternately, the villains of the story are no less well written or interesting. Instead we are shown behind otherwise closed doors seeing the family as they are in their varying degrees of wickedness. We see the charm of Liam, the love of Jessica and the pure loathsomeness of La Spider. We also see the sacrifices they make towards one another, most evident in Alistair giving up his talents to further Liam’s experiments into blood magic. This is to allow his family to overtake the Greenes before they can bind their magic. The story itself is well written mixing past and present effortlessly. While not overtaking the novel with descriptions on the New York of another century we are still made to feel the era through the language and settings of the novel. Also the pace of the story has a nice cadence integrating action and suspense as well as drama keeping the reader wanting to know more and pushing through the chapters. I was extremely impressed at the flow of the novel as well. Often first person point of views become hindered in hashing all the little details, but this author did a marvelous job at giving just enough of the characters thoughts and emotions without bogging down the story in pointless details. While the characterization and plot of the novel were wonderful, I was most captured by the themes running throughout of family. All the families, good and evil, are close knit and work together to achieve their goals regardless of the morality of them. For me, this was the most captivating piece of the story, the sacrifices that we make for those we love and I feel this it is a wonderful theme for teens and readers of all ages. We often take our families for granted too often, especially in our youth while trying to find our independence. But, the main character Tamsin is able to create her identity despite feeling like an outcast within her family and yet still be a close member of it loving and being loved in return. Overall, for me this was a nice story that kept me interested. However, if you haven’t read the first novel in the series as I hadn’t, it is a little tough sorting out past events and getting a grip on the aspect of Travel and the feud between the two families. I highly suggest reading the first novel Once a Witch to make reading this one a bit simpler. If it is anything like this one, you won’t be disappointed.
    • 4/5
      This book continues with Tamsin realizing that the King Family is still trying to make trouble for the Greene's. She has to travel back in time to try and stop them. I enjoyed reading about the sacrifice's that had to be made and the solution that Tamsin has to come up with. I never expected the ending but it put the book in the right place. The only thing I would have liked better is seeing more of Tamsin and Gabriel at the end of the book and to find out what happens with them.

    Book preview

    Always a Witch - Carolyn MacCullough

    m&ebook_preview_excerpt.html\]u+RIhUIĢ%\G"U&{=3h pso!JJܝG}SBu ]^y瘫Ck&͹zOWޅSsxqc..>⩩xq]{s]+,c'C&U8|Cģ*<O5TCO7Wf<~Lsc;_i+ﯫKȺ`p+~ W]ֱ:I?fSu!N|6Gl jG~ZB c?.]½4綺DG|ՐQohz{cġ+(AE+]1ƐS<ӥo3Ǐ߹k xjS1Bxb]"F̝@{Vӓ>F~F)a>v]5]R&IQ54B6w]Gj 9,2z,O|nqO{^675R?E4nCSg2t_u?7!x&c C8G3m+yU>,d2#ƍRrKֻ1-k nrd TxH)Vu33,BO{q\9}{g96U?A%ӌ6#uhϼF86V0uX~]4CycjG4<*w{2ׂE{?Wv/k»W?`0I# Syǘecw8(Œnx>/@h'Zq;&Zp0O-MS4c >2-sexfLY w<0)^CG[;/b o]vmkc2`sM %洛4D)h[&6nrKȎcNyB+5tNQ6~T.=Ԇr%tCaH-"j7EB;azMFZ8Qh9Ĉu EM13$&qhx5LAx-ϓ%KGn uЅ\V!?e˗i]9 !i-bI0plxp -сo_chʋp"@t%.W @m67<0I&.(i6JlC+:U|m-Tjg, }<x;{Դz%mݕܲs󸱩/HkBSÈCv,Y xeF iNEdxc:(-\W>Ϗ,&iɬB?̣VCpl6~|@.Sehʹ{D}? |3}Q?V˧BqBjJ*+M@ \<b _hf~Qy22a=,.ux@8ƚ8)=נS a-0? X?Ѿ}B ؛zY(oCr?djw{Xo끈!OdM!#U~#l#0p <U,tcL\ѝ,iJz`|UQSHy͝d) q-,0_^L>^-[q 透=LR ĥVn rRb*6J 3DfVar>>!sjC MHԴ[_R\07ӪLwS= &T(#m*74A+U4agcD~ j.BE86 YmPwBtclRR`lS]rdyB.|- |h5IHӊ3#;^JA;x4 IX <_"!;92l &yl(n>ੁzKm{f{O  i])t~:LF|eG]:Oii oނߞ@z^ \n*V9V!"to%3{¯G1/" ĜXdFQNT[1[4SQ삅0#ߧqcXF! `D ~+cBc4 >0cuvC4+5 q %J4kBS¡Nj?.i1B5lm--ȸGFRZ^mHgL!|J𳟯XPEpTKl&[8Sn*k0N5Jq s8mranOnv౑<i(UT+k|;^r4}30n`3~ : WPWF(|8ʒ/hNueiD`uhv~2VV2d¥mYB6g1-JmBknO/՚b HBmzq ^C5j^8ln!. Y6ħ3) Mma&ޑ[WFW-l Q8 Cף`M@U;uϪW& o$)ho{`!7_ vJje8eگR! pSc'[#T9rhjq -(:2bdUY*q+Xp":g{hsc+>TTJZE,5c-[eLdc ij00R߇9"=?UG1E]  h& @sXBփ=}ZdƝ`Eqr^'E†K3EWǂjD`= L;9{^>0GuŲ!˝Q{+%512vzwGxBIy94~!U:yH2ZاphPXacpp/rKj4l#kX[EMCj.2@-5Ww4~ [sc5WqM-_ s)Ȋ/ @( |0,Zd:;d&@ zߤt]`w^0%Dv !6loNRX¢iz[f汶S)m BLel;+^BCP=m[χ'%~;6VF,N11f>=f'0o4e:f\G%8YdES"( fN /g6>K[o&}ڹ+DEJ2>$`1o222֓/YEUwda|z%}vLC }g0V1:Tش] mE7\ТoYˣl. Eeb9y=IrE?N 4;q|evyq/m:r!CK%uofD%_71dʐrCɁ҃Z`^жYU0P 8X2iUl>#N*-JgN܌.P Sx.oÝ48P%mT1vE4Ž7әLV!s!.Zz.cs;a_f14)&!bŽFDJ^ʭM-{|2 Z0Z\fTZQK eމ #݂]hW[e5W#IX5jH> `x-mnI1*ZUg}~WQt;((P9=F n46 |[N>$j"ku~A,qH'6ЉB%q$0Ԕan$ #8C ! xr8b|SflRϘҵIzOTr/XwHշlcjnb_죥9 k5Pq$,3UzFn(zO_tq s'6XԦܻVc4vE$֪ @5Ք}Qik#ٹ\휦^E=Ҙ1wHtg;ۨ$::b@ăe9r[NAqBxXMH;OY|ޖ2iwuoY94^$[2> IU67s=^|b!`_kw:^)cSsguX -u)(YIY+0FU<fmk +lM3ph ~K7/xP(bYBmнVY8y aO+PbAn ~-,'(ih7,{tbHvL_H!Q e )p,0[2X/Aa [:Z%*H pm"'714lˈ&T7z_vz?c1bYhml5SQcujW:6u<úRډfU&8p87AJS 6ݳ\)_0pSWb4TT}2RZ>̊95&|%"9goQXmϮ2-tT^XR-L^[y|pI7(T}bioG'Uƶe<TM 2$0շIB%Ao[?`N4=PkF0 AXN9̄Ii0٨Tq$7(ǥ#dڎ?I[bd=D gaLtQ? s[/k /؏5[wlN:e$[i1+Ό[ I{PDωMej~u7V:$j6*DY,G:64PF$GIVe94kM! DAx%̭maZ&EQ2B \ L:p;E7*-gAB/BmC4]ji(ez+L*vKM%}V[&p[wMdl|*(t~æoMVh鬀4M|Լ62WocOr@D(gy2դ hGY596@ Fז12&%ƹ' U7Ւn\56X 7LK6B ,)|o9(H˰蟁rbS'g%j*p<* Yd9jNuT(/ǖ2ɤxt1~2ޏ GHR-MK݂$Tk-qnHj! OYMަ>I$y! -\='~ KNjhz1vܡa :mJ56 m&c㽒z,^ɋ弞:VS"&/B_N}J5d\o_ lbÍz(A1ז$EXkYK տt!tU2b,MMZoΗ(gGL*@Hf1z礣5_1!{Q<.KOtVGmW ^]xq#9؀it&|r}N-ډ-YׇsMU`Ծ=d.65xyOD@7OQkٟɆ*j'rQv5*O|I6Ǣ!b-bF^Y 0J[F&oS\>EV T{_O:愴hl!ZXҭڈyНl$8d% !VxQjz*i 7\Z(\z.jfб
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1