Always a Witch

Title: Always a Witch (Sequel to Once a Witch)
Author: Carolyn MacCullough
Source: Purchased

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.

My Take:

I was very disappointed with this book. BUMMER! I really did enjoy the first book, Once a Witch. Much like my blog posts 99% of the time, Always a Witch seemed to have no real "meaty" parts to it. I'm normally just too scared I'm going to babble and say too much. MacCullough finished the story for Tamsin and gave us closure, but I just thought the filling between the beginning and the ending was just too convenient. She definitely could have babbled and said too much at times so it might have interested me more.

And that ending?!?! WTF? I don't understand the wink and the "Ah". Am I that clueless? Did I miss something big that would tell me what the heck that is supposed to mean? She's a beacon for them all. Ooooookkkkaaaaay. 

My Rating:

After enjoying Once a Witch so much, Always a Witch really let me down.

When the Sea is Rising Red Review

Title: When the Sea is Rising Red
Author: Cat Hellisen
Source: Borrowed from my Library

Goodreads Summary:

After seventeen-year-old Felicita’s dearest friend, Ilven, kills herself to escape an arranged marriage, Felicita chooses freedom over privilege. She fakes her own death and leaves her sheltered life as one of Pelimburg’s magical elite behind. Living in the slums, scrubbing dishes for a living, she falls for charismatic Dash while also becoming fascinated with vampire Jannik. Then something shocking washes up on the beach: Ilven's death has called out of the sea a dangerous, wild magic. Felicita must decide whether her loyalties lie with the family she abandoned . . . or with those who would twist this dark power to destroy Pelimburg's caste system, and the whole city along with it.  

 My Take:
Well, here goes my first actual review on the blog that is not 4 or 5 Mickeys. Unfortunately, it's not even 3 Mickeys.

When the Red Sea is Rising really just fell flat for me. I'm not sure if I'll be able to explain why, but it did and I'll try.

It took me over half of the book to finally understand the world and caste system that were created. Still at the end, places were still being tossed into the story.

There was no real character development for me. No character that I fell in love with, such as I do, in every book I read. I didn't even get a connection with the main character, Felicita.

By the end of the book, I was honestly thinking, "All of this because of a suicide?"

I would like to give Cat Hellisen another attempt with her next novel, but her debut just didn't knock it out of the ballpark for me.


My Rating:

When the Sea is Rising Red just fell flat for me, unfortunately.

 When the Sea is Rising Red satisfies a portion of the StandAlone Reading Challenge.