If you haven’t read Once a Witch, a stellar book, I strongly recommend that you do so before possibly spoiling some big plot points by reading the synopsis of Always a Witch!
Final warning… You can always read my review of Once a Witch here instead...
Tamsin Greene is struggling with the new knowledge that she is indeed Talented. After spending her whole life feeling ordinary among a family of generations of Talented individuals, she had forced herself to accept her fate and embrace her “normal” life – that is, when she’s away from her family, where she had felt painfully out of place.
But now, since the conclusion of Once a Witch, Tamsin is facing not only her new abilities but also the uneasiness of those in her family that don’t particularly care for her Talent. Guess she’s doomed to be an outcast.
Plus, the knowledge that her grandmother’s prophecy says she’ll soon be forced to make a crucial, terrible decision that will affect her family forever haunts her. Can’t she just study for school?
Then, when Alistair Knight, her new enemy, figures out a way to travel back to the Victorian-age to destroy her family in the past and destroy their future – Tamsin figures it’s her responsibility to fix things. Unwilling to risk the life of her boyfriend or family, she goes alone without them knowing.
But now she’s stranded, pretending (ridiculously) to be a lady’s maid in the household of the evil Knight family – the Greene family’s lifelong antagonist. She’s under the cruel, watchful eye of the legendary matron La Spider. Tamsin only has limited time to stop Alistair Knight from altering the past in a horrific way…
And finding a way back home.
At first I was really worried about not having reread Once a Witch before reading Always a Witch. I’ll admit it was difficult recalling all the characters and various plot lines, without that refresher. If you’re able to reread first, I’d always recommend it. Sadly, I don’t have the luxury of time.
Quickly, though, the eccentric, one-of-a-kind Greene family makes its mark and reminds me of the awesomeness that is Carolyn MacCullough’s world. Then when the high stakes danger that Always a Witch provides causes Tamsin to time travel to 1887, I found the novel to be deliciously both hilarious and suspenseful. There was a relatable fear of chamber pots!
Always a Witch has an urban, down to earth relativity to it throughout and a brisk, fun pace that kept me constantly entertained, involved, and nervous. It’s truly a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat with thrills, shocking twists, and charmingly unobtrusive romance.
Here, I feel, we have an excellent end to a great duet of novels, and an overall excellent story!
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