Blog Tour: Always A Witch - Carolyn MacCullough - Gabriel Character Interview & Giveaway

Carolyn MacCullough is here today with a character interview courtesy of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for her new release, Always a Witch. Thank you for being here today, Carolyn! You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner. Enjoy!

Hi Gabriel! Thank you for being here today! 

You've known Tamsin for a long time. What did you think of her not having any "talents" like everyone else? 

 I think Tamsin is Tamsin, Talent or no Talent. She’ll always be the girl who went on a hunger strike with me the day my mom decided we were moving to California.

What is your idea of the perfect date? 

A walk through the Village in a snowstorm and then when it gets too cold, we can head into some hole in the wall dive bar where there’s always live music. I’ll stop there…

If you could have any talent other than time travel, what would you hope to have? 

Why? My Talent is actually to find things. Anything you’ve lost I can find. Even if it’s lost back in time. That’s how I figured out I can also Travel. I happen to like my Talent a lot. But…if I could choose another one, I think morphing into any animal shape would be amazing.

If Murphy's Law applied to you, which law would you most likely encounter? 

 I just want to know who Murphy really was? He must have been a miserable guy to curse us all with Murphy’s Law…

What first attracted you to Tamsin? 

And you’re asking a guy that question???

If you could do anything over, would you? 

 Sure. Lots of things. But since I can’t, I try not to even think about them.

Thank you for being here today, Gabriel and Carolyn! 

Carolyn MacCullough can be found on her website.

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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.

Synopsis taken from goodreads.

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Giveaway

Carolyn MacCullough has graciously provided Lost For Words with a copy of Always a Witch to giveaway. 

Thank you, Carolyn! 

Giveaway is US only. 

Giveaway will end November 9, 2011. 

Please fill out this FORM to enter. Comments, while appreciated, won't be counted as entries. 

Thank you! =)

Always a Witch - Carolyn MacCullough - Blog Tour Review

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.

Synopsis taken from goodreads.

Title: Always a Witch (Sequel to Once a Witch)

Author: Carolyn MacCullough

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Witches, Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Clarion Books

Publication Date: August 1, 2011

Format: Hardcover

Source: Received from publicist. Many thanks goes to Thomas Allen & Son for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. 

Blog Tour: Teen Book Scene blog tour. You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner located below the review.

Look for it: Amazon, Book Depository

My rating: 5/5

Tamsin Greene once believed she was an ordinary girl in an extraordinary family. Now, she alone has the power to change the future for her family as they are plagued by the evil and illustrious Knight family. With Tamsin's talent, she can do almost everything. Well, except for time travelling to the past and getting back to the present time; but she won't let a little thing like time travel stop her from fulfilling her destiny. 

I fell in love with Once A Witch when I read it last year, and Always a Witch lived up to my expectations completely. The loving familial bond between Tamsin and her family is still there, and a certain scene involving the fridge, poisoned sugary confections, and a well-known song all make an appearance which will have the reader laughing along at the crazy antics that happen in the Greene family. This of course, is before Tamsin realizes just what she has to do to save her family from certain destruction. But, as with the first novel, Tamsin doesn't let her fear stop her. She jumps at the chance to fix things, as she wants to take care of her family. Sure, she's impetuous. Especially when there's that pesky thing called time travel involved. Not knowing what will happen is part of the charm, and she will make it home somehow. At least she hopes she will. You have to commend her for her bravery there. She willingly puts her life on the line for her family, and she might not have thought through every aspect, but she is smart and decides that she will figure things out as they play out. 

Gabriel is her male counter-part and love interest. He is a lot fun, and he complements Tamsin perfectly. He is level-headed, has a good sense of humour, and cares for Tamsin deeply. He is perfect for her, especially since he has grown up with her family and has a talent or two of his own. He also has a penchant for looking out for Tamsin, which helps when she realizes she might not have thought through every aspect of her plans. 

With a plot full of twists and turns, and evil villains around every corner, you will be holding your breath, hoping that Tamsin will survive long enough to save her family. The added background from her last foray into time travel helps as well as she meets certain members from the Knight family for the second time, but really it's the first time for them. This leads to a few moments of panic on her part, until she realizes that their future selves know her, not their present selves. 

All in all, a worthy follow-up to Once A Witch. Always a Witch will keep you spell-bound while Tamsin tries to find her family, and the evil Knight family in the past. Will she succeed where her family has failed in the past? One won't know until the conclusion, and even then certain events come full circle from the first book to this one, leaving the reader with an "aha!" moment. I would definitely recommend Always a Witch. Love, laughter, and family will always be a drawing card for me. Mix in a notoriously evil, rival family and hi-jinks will ensue. 

Once A Witch - Carolyn MacCullough

"Your daughter will be one of the most powerful we have ever seen in this family. She will be a beacon for us all."

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and on the day that she was born, her grandmother proclaimed she would be one of the most Talented among them.
But Tamsin's magic never showed up.
Now, seventeen years later, she spends 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's 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 than 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 that it could destroy them all.
In a spellbinding display of storytelling, Carolyn MacCullough interweaves witchcraft, romance, and time travel in a fantasy that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.

Title: Once A Witch
Author: Carolyn MacCullough
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Witches, Time Travel
Publisher: Clarion Books
My Rating: 5/5

This was a really interesting read. I say "interesting" tongue in cheek because I really love the following sentences from the book.

"He adjusts his glasses on the bridge of his nose and says, "Interesting is one of the most banal words in the English language. What does it mean, really?"
My smile freezes in place. "It means I don't have anything better to say so interesting comes in handy."" pg. 9

I loved Tamsin's character. She is not an outcast, but she feels like she's the odd one out in her family. They all have Talents and she doesn't have any. She doesn't want to be surrounded by people that she'll never be like (she doesn't want their pity), so she manages to convince her parents to send her to boarding school in Manhattan, hoping that at least there she will "fit in".
I love her love interest/friend Gabriel. His character complements hers beautifully. The whole book just flows so well together. I really didn't want it to end, and I found that the ending leaves it open for another book. I hope that there is a sequel because I really love this cast of characters. I love how family oriented she really is at heart, and how she interacts with her aunts, uncles, grandmother, cousins, (and relatives from the past). This book kept me interested throughout and it really kept me riveted to the pages. I hated the fact that it had to end. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is such a good read! The cover is also really beautiful too! I loved it!


This book counts toward the 2010 100+ Reading Challenge over at J. Kaye's book blog.