Once A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Amazon.com:

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will 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 sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.

I found the premise of this book very interesting but in the end it didn't exactly shine for me.
I loved the character of Tamsin and her family of witches. She's never had a Talent so she's given up trying to shine until one day someone asks for her help...

For the most part I enjoyed her family. Especially in some of the scenes where her grandmother and other relatives are much younger. Those scenes sparkled for me. I found her sister Rowena rather hard to deal with though, yes, it wasn't really her fault but it doesn't mean I couldn't have enjoyed those passages more.

The scenes I liked best were Tamsin being a regular girl hanging out with her roommate in NYC or hanging out with childhood friend, Gabriel, learning about Talent. I had some trouble with the scenes dealing with Talent towards the ending especially and about the family heirloom in question. It could have been just me but some things didn't really make sense to me. It seems like it was left open for a sequel which might help elaborate on some of my confusion but I don't know. Some things were a bit fuzzy for me that probably shouldn't have been.

Overall, this book wasn't exactly for me but I would be interested to see where this story continues in the next book.

Once A Witch will be released September 14th
Genre: Young Adult
2.5/5 Stars
ARC provided by Amazon Vine