Once A Witch By Carolyn MacCullough

Once A Witch is about a teenage girl named Tamsin, who feels like a loner inside her own family. For Tamsin comes from a long line of witches and is the first to not have any Talent (Talents are magical powers). Her grandmother once told everyone the day Tamsin was born that she will be the most powerful their family has ever seen. Unfortunately, for Tamsin, that wasn't true. Or is it?

Tamsin escapes from her family to attend a prep school in New York City. She'll do anything for some form of normalcy in her not so normal life. And it's not until a stranger/professor from NYU comes in, seaking Tamsin's help, that she truly finds her role in the family. Turns out, the stranger isn't who he claims to be...and Tamsin's family have been keeping secrets that will change her life as she knows it.

I adored this novel. Two of my favorite characters in this novel are Agatha (Tamsin's witty roommate/best friend) and her long lost not-so-cousin Gabriel. The banter between the 3 of them is hilarious! Truly reminds me of how my friends and I were in high school. And the romance between Tamsin and Gabriel? One word : MAGICAL!

There's drama, mystery, a battle of good vs evil, and magic! The story comes off bit slow, at first. But as the story kept unfolding, I found myself craving more and more. The last 50 or so pages were spectacular. And the ending leaves room for a much needed sequel.

I recommend this to Harry Potter fans. While I will always think nothing will ever be as good as Harry Potter, this will certainly fulfill those hunger pangs we all felt when the series ended.