Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Published: August 2011

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Pages: 288

Copy Provided by: NetGalley

Summary: Goodreads

Summary:

The adventures of Tam and Gabriel continue with more time travel, Talents, spy work, and of course, the evil Knights.

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 nature of her fateful choice.
 
Review:
 
I was lucky enough to nab this title from NetGalley.  I had only ever seen the cover and didn't know much about the story.  It wasn't until I was a few pages in that I realized that this was the second book in a series.  I thought I'd give it a try anyway and much to my surprise, Ms. MacCullough did a great job of giving me background from the first title but did not reveal enough to spoil Book 1 - Once a Witch.  I'd like to go back and read the first book once my TBR pile isn't as high.
 
So let's talk plot and interest.  I loved Always a Witch it had such an interesting storyline with witches who developed Talents.  Tam was a doll and she had the most interesting talent of all.  I was curious about Tam and Gabriel's relationship but it just leaves something to look forward to when I dive into Once a Witch.


For me, the story was steady and kept me interested right from the beginning. The characters were intriguing and there were lots of subplots.  The ending also took a twist that I wasn't expecting.  I'd be all in for a Book #3 if Ms. MacCullough continued with Tam and her family.  Two thumbs up for me with this read!