Review: ALWAYS A WITCH by Carolyn MacCullough

I read ONCE A WITCH when it first came out (what seems like forever ago), and was lucky enough to receive this next installment as an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.  I shouldn't have waited so long to read it, because it was not hard at all to dive back into Tamsin's story.

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.

In this adventure, Tam basically has to go it alone.  Since her Talent allows her to fend off harms, Tam is the only one who can risk an extended stay in the past -- for anyone else, a few days is all they can take before they die.  So Tam ditches Gabe (poor boy!) and ventures back to the past to save her family.  This is sort of mixed bag because on the one hand I loved that Tam was so courageous and had to work things out on her own.  On the other hand, it meant no real development of the love story with Gabe (and I do love a good romance).  

Other than missin' some kissin' the book had me thoroughly engrossed.  The plot is quick and kept me flipping the pages.  To be honest, I didn't remember much about Once a Witch, but I didn't feel lost in this one either, which was awesome.  The author gives us enough backstory so that everything makes perfect sense, even if your memory isn't picture perfect.  And once I got a splash of the colorful Greene family, I remembered why I enjoyed the electric bunch of witches so much the first time around.

Despite how engrossing the entire novel was, my favorite part was the ending.  Not because it all turns out roses (that's not the case), but because of how vulnerably human Tamsin appears.  Throughout she's forced to be courageous and strong, but in the end, the consequences of her decision come bearing down on her. I loved that even though she did the right thing, she wasn't completely selfless about it and still had some regrets (that's as much as I can say without giving away spoilers).  But I thought that was awesome and made Tamsin even more three-dimensional.

On my Greek coin rating system, I give this one 3 out of 4 coins -- a URA* rating.  If you love a good mystery and some powerful magic, you should really enjoy Always a Witch.

Happy Debut YA Book Birthday

 Ok - so I missed a week, but I'm back and ready to celebrate.  Who's with me?!?!  Let's give a huge shout out to this debut YA novelist celebrating her first ever book birthdays:

August 18th:
Sign Language by Amy Ackley (this book won the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for YA Fiction)
Inspired by the loss of her father and two close friends to cancer, Sign Language tells the story of twelve-year-old Abby North. Her first hint that something is wrong with her dad is the scar that appears on his stomach after he goes in for kidney surgery. Soon, the thing she calls "It" has a real name: cancer. Before, her biggest concerns were her annoying brother, the crush unaware of her existence, and her changing feelings for her best friend, Spence. Now, her mother cries in the shower, her father is exhausted, and nothing is normal anymore. Nancy Werlin said the novel "tells its story beautifully and movingly, and it earns its hopeful ending. Ackley is without question a talented writer."

Friday Update

I've been out of touch for awhile and even missed my happy debut book birthday feature on Tuesday.  A thousand apologies, but I assure you, I did have a good excuse: VACATION.

Although I'd planned on being back in time to do my book birthday post, we had to unexpectedly change our travel dates at the last minute.  It turns out that when you leave the country, your husband's passport cannot have expired two months ago.  Figuring that out on a Friday night when you're supposed to travel on Sunday sort of put a wrinkle in our plans.  But never fear -- passport expediting service to the rescue.  Two flight changes, a two-night stay at the Biltmore and more money than I care to think about, we had a new passport in hand by Wednesday morning and made a 10:10 am Wednesday morning flight.  (A particularly huge thank you to FedEx, who really does deliver it's 8am packages prior to 8 am -- I don't know how they do that.)

I'm sure there's a story thread in there somewhere.  I picked up some more threads on the trip too.  One of our fellow tourists managed to get stuck on a zip-line twice (requiring rescue from a guide) and then was the only person who flipped off her inner tube in the "rapids." I'm thinking that's a great opportunity for a girl to meet her hunky rescuer??

Of course, I didn't do too much thinking about writing, since I read basically the whole time I was gone. I started with Hope Collier's The Willows: Haven, then read Always a Witch, Hourglass and Moonglass.  I'm glad to say I was pleasantly entertained by them all.  Now I just need to get my rear in gear and post reviews!

And then there were the views.  Who could possibly think too hard about anything when you're looking at this?  *Sigh*  When can I go back?  (This is the Almond Beach Resort in Hopkins, Belize.)

Happy weekend, everyone!

Review: CHIME by Franny Billingsley

I moved this one to the top of my TBR pile after hearing that it was the #1 book that editors at BEA said they wished they'd published themselves this year.  Since I think that speaks volumes about the novel, I dove in.

Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.

Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.

Let me start off by saying that this novel is wholly unlike anything I've read before.  It's a historical novel, set in the early twentieth century, so the speech and customs were a little foreign, but the writing was absolutely stunning.  Take these lines for example:

"Wine and bread. This has always seemed rather ghoulish to me, as though one were smearing the threshold with Puree of Christ."

"She spoke in a dark-river sort of voice, as though her throat were filled with dusk."

"The sun was orange and setting fast. Its reflection oozed up and down the river in thick marmalade ripples."

And then there are the main characters.  Briony has some quirks, more than a her fair-share of self-hatred, and a quick tongue.  She's convinced she's a witch, and her belief in her own evil persists long after readers know it can't possibly be true.  Briony's twin sister, Rosy, is basically certifiable, but in a totally believable way. The pair of them make such a delightfully new combination, you just want to keep reading on about them.

And then enters Eldric. Readers will love him from the start. He's intuitive, sensitive, and a bad-boy in all the best sorts of ways.  He makes "fidgets," which are little trinkets out of old scrap he finds lying around.  I think I'd absolutely melt if I was 18 and a 22 year old boy-man (as Briony calls him), fidgeted me a charm for my necklace.  So sweet!

The book took me a little bit to get into from a sense of world-building.  The characters drew me in instantly, but the paranormal elements were so new, that I wasn't always sure what was what.  There are all sorts of creatures that live in Briony's swap -- the Boogy Man, the Dead Hand, Dark Muses, etc. -- and to ward them off, one has to carry a Bible Ball.  So yeah, it took me a little while to grasp all of what was going on.

My only real critique of the book is that I wish it had moved a little faster toward the climax.  The first half of the novel seemed to take awhile, and then I flew through the second half.  It became one of those books that you just can't put down, I only wish that'd happened a bit sooner.  Also, while I saw one of the ending revelations coming for the better part of the book, the more shocking revelation caught me completely off guard.  I love being surprised like that!

So, overall, I give Chime 4 Greek coins -- an OMG! rating.  This is NOT your typical paranormal romance novel and if you're looking to break out of the mold and try something new (heavy on the historical side), I definitely recommend you pick up this novel.

Happy Debut YA Book Birthday

This Tuesday, I am on vacation from my computer.  I apologize in advance for not responding to your comments, but it doesn't mean you still shouldn't rejoice over the book birthdays of these debut YA novelists.

August 1 --
Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter
"The Luxe" meets the ancient world in the extraordinary story of Cleopatra's daughter.
Selene has grown up in a palace on the Nile with her parents, Cleopatra & Mark Antony--the most brilliant, powerful rulers on earth. But the jealous Roman Emperor Octavianus wants Egypt for himself, & when war finally comes, Selene faces the loss of all she's ever loved. Forced to build a new life in Octavianus's household in Rome, she finds herself torn between two young men and two possible destinies--until she reaches out to claim her own.

This stunning novel brings to life the personalities & passions of one of the greatest dramas in history, & offers a wonderful new heroine in Selene.


Populazzi by Elise Allen

Cara has never been one of those girls: confident, self-possessed, and always ready with the perfect thing to say. A girl at the very top of the popularity tower. One of the Populazzi.
Now, junior year could change everything. Cara’s moving to a new school, and her best friend urges her to seize the moment—with the help of the Ladder. Its rungs are relationships, and if Cara transforms into the perfect girlfriend for guys ever-higher on the tower, she’ll reach the ultimate goal: Supreme Populazzi.
The Ladder seems like a lighthearted social experiment, a straight climb up, but it quickly becomes gnarled and twisted. And when everything goes wrong, only the most audacious act Cara can think of has a chance of setting things even a little bit right.


August 2 --
The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. 
 
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. 
 
And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget. 


Dark Parties by Sara Grant

Sixteen-year-old Neva has been trapped since birth. She was born and raised under the Protectosphere, in an isolated nation ruled by fear, lies, and xenophobia. A shield "protects" them from the outside world, but also locks the citizens inside. But there's nothing left on the outside, ever since the world collapsed from violent warfare. Or so the government says...

Neva and her best friend Sanna believe the government is lying and stage a "dark party" to recruit members for their underground rebellion. But as Neva begins to uncover the truth, she realizes she must question everything she's ever known, including the people she loves the most.

Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik (note: Claire has written other novels and non-fiction, but this is her first YA)

Will Elise’s love life be an epic win or an epic fail?

At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:
As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school—not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.
As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn’t exactly on everyone’s must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.
When Elise’s beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince’s best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

The Mostly True Story of Jack by Kelly Barnhill (Kelly's prior published works are non-fiction)

When Jack is sent to Hazelwood, Iowa, to live with his crazy aunt and uncle, he expects a summer of boredom. Little does he know that the people of Hazelwood have been waiting for him for a long time. . . .

When he arrives, three astonishing things happen: First, he makes friends-not imaginary friends but actual friends. Second, he is beaten up by the town bully; the bullies at home always ignored him. Third, the richest man in town begins to plot Jack's imminent, and hopefully painful, demise. It's up to Jack to figure out why suddenly everyone cares so much about him. Back home he was practically, well, invisible.
The Mostly True Story of Jack is a tale of magic, friendship, and sacrifice. It's about things broken and things put back together. Above all, it's about finding a place to belong.