From the Publisher
A 2011 ALA Popular Paperbacks Title
"[MacCullough] has created an enormously sympathetic character in Tamsin, whose itchy relationship with her family will resonate with teens struggling to define themselves. Characters, setting, conflict—all develop nicely to create a light urban fantasy that goes down easy and will have readers asking for its sequel."—Kirkus Reviews "With the glut of contemporary romantic supernatural tales, this will be popular, but the action, drama, and great potential for compelling sequels set it apart from the crowd."—Booklist "MacCullough's writing is evocative without distracting from her story; readers will identify with Tam's desire to create a space away from parental expectations and take comfort that even extraordinary families make mistakes."—Publishers Weekly
VOYA
- Cheryl Clark
Seventeen-year-old Tamsin Greene comes from a family of witches, each gifted with a unique Talent. When Tamsin was born, her grandmother declared that she would be "one of the most powerful" witches in their family, but so far, that prediction has fallen flat. Tamsin's Talent never appeared, and she is resentful of her family, especially of her perfect older sister Rowena and feels like a misfit in her own home. One day Tamsin is working at her family's bookstore/magic shop when a handsome New York University professor comes in asking for help in finding a lost family heirloom. Tamsin jumps at the chance to show her family what she can do, and along with her estranged—and handsome— friend Gabriel, she soon finds herself on a quest through time that will unveil family secrets, ancient dangers, and ultimately Tamsin's true place in her family. The theme of teenage self-discovery, specifically of latent magic powers, is certainly nothing new to young adult novels, but MacCullough's novel adds value to the genre with its page-turning plot, likeable characters, and nascent romance. Teens will identify with the sibling rivalry and underlying love in Tamsin's relationship with her sister Rowena. Especially noteworthy and refreshing is the novel's positive portrayal of family and community. The book will appeal to teen readers who enjoy stories with romance, magic, or time travel, along with hardcore fantasy aficionados, and it is appropriate for all young adult collections. Reviewer: Cheryl Clark
Children's Literature
- Claudia Mills
At Tamsin Greene's birth seventeen years ago, her grandmother prophesized that Tamsin would be one of the most powerful witches in the history of their family. But Tamsin's eighth birthday, the milestone by which her distinctive Talent should have appeared, comes and goes, leaving her apparently Talentless and bitterly jealous of her extremely Talented, not to mention perfect, older sister, Rowena. So when Tamsin, home from the feigned normalcy of her boarding school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, is given a chance to impersonate Rowena and help a charismatic stranger in his quest to recover a lost object crucial for his own ancestral past, Tamsin leaps at the chance, only to find that she is both more desperately endangered—and more prodigiously Talented—than she ever dreamed. Some of the motivations driving Tamsin's story are unclear: if she believes she indeed has no Talent, why would she think she could help Alistair Callum in his quest? If she is able to help him only by drawing on the Talents of handsome and doting Gabriel, why would this provide her any satisfaction? And what exactly is at stake for her in the climactic scene of the book when she faces her "terrible choice"? Plot quibbles aside, MacCullough poignantly depicts the painful sibling rivalry between Tamsin and Rowena in an atmospheric, engrossing story that should resonate with anyone who has ever felt a misfit in her family, yearning for recognition and vindication. Reviewer: Claudia Mills, Ph.D.
School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up—It's hard to be the only normal one in a family in which everyone has a Talent that allows them to do such things as disappear, control the weather, read the future, or turn people to stone. Tamsin is bitter that she does not have a magical gift and dreams of the day she can move far away. So when a mysterious Scottish stranger, Alistair, shows up at her family's bookstore and assumes that the 17-year-old is her very Talented sister, Rowena, Tamsin jumps at the chance to help him find the family heirloom for which he is searching. She enlists the help of her childhood friend, Gabriel, who has recently reappeared in her life. Tamsin and Gabriel travel through time to find what sinister Alistair wants, and in doing so they will set in motion a chain of events that could mean the destruction of her family. Although Tamsin is a well-rounded character, the other people in the book are fairly one-dimensional. What is lacking in character development, though, is made up for in plot. This is an exciting book, and readers will be captivated until the very end. With a fairly easy reading level, an exciting story, and an edgier heroine (Tamsin drinks and smokes), this book is a good choice to hand to older reluctant readers.—Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO
Kirkus Reviews
Growing up Talentless in a family of witches has been hard on Tamsin, particularly since her older, perfect sister Rowena oozes Talent. When a mysterious, handsome stranger mistakes her for Rowena and asks her to "find" something his family lost, is it so awful that she doesn't correct him and accepts the challenge? Well, yes, of course. Her very Talented childhood friend Gabriel has moved back from the West Coast to attend Juilliard, and, in addition to being totally hot, he's willing to help her. Together Gabriel and Tamsin Travel to the past to recover the lost object, an action that lands Rowena in the clutches of the stranger and threatens Tamsin's whole family-and the rest of humanity to boot. While MacCullough's setup and plot may not shake the world with their originality, she has created an enormously sympathetic character in Tamsin, whose itchy relationship with her family will resonate with teens struggling to define themselves. Characters, setting, conflict-all develop nicely to create a light urban fantasy that goes down easy and will have readers asking for its sequel. (Fantasy. 12 & up)
