Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Tamsin feels out of place in her own family. All of them have magical talents and, at her birth, her grandmother claimed that she would be one of the most powerful witches they'd ever seen. Except that she's never had a Talent. Instead, she's going to a boarding school in Manhattan and trying to pretend that she's a normal teenager. But while she's home, working in the family bookstore, a professor mistakes her for Tamsin's extremely Talented older sister, Rowena and she doesn't correct him. Instead, she agrees to track down a family heirloom, lost more than a century before. But it turns out that the request is not so simple; Tamsin will learn more about herself, her magic, and her family on her quest. The story concludes in Always a Witch.

For the most part I really enjoyed this story. At times, the plot seemed a little convoluted, but generally the characters were well developed and it was easy to like Tamsin and sympathize with her situation. Also, I did like the way that everything tied up neatly at the end of the second book. I would recommend these books to fantasy fans who enjoy books about magic in the real world, or time travel.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: the Dark Mirror series, Immortal Beloved, Now You See It, or Unfamiliar Magic

My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Savannah's having a rough time after her boyfriend, Hunter, dumps her for her older sister, Jane. Things should have been looking up when she gets three wishes from a fairy godmother, except that she gets stuck with Chrissy - and she's only a "fair" godmother because she only made average grades in fairy godmother school. Chrissy's misunderstandings send Savannah back to the Middle Ages, first as Cinderella, then as Snow White. As if that isn't bad enough, her third wish sends Tristan - her current crush - to the Middle Ages where he is faced with a series of life-threatening challenges. Now Savannah must figure out how to get both of them back to modern times...and survive her godmother's "help."

This book was a fun change from the usual "fairy godmother" stories and put a bit of a spin on the retelling of the fairy tales into which Savannah is thrust. I personally found the prologue material (including the narrative from Chrissy, correspondence from her teachers, etc.) to be a little tedious even though it does provide some context, but I enjoyed the story once I got to the main narrative. I also liked the way that the story mixed some Middle Ages realism with various aspects of magic. I would recommend this to fantasy fans who enjoy slightly-twisted fairy tales, or stories about magic in the real world.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: The Prophecy, Dark Lord of Derkholm, The Frog Princess, or A Kiss in Time

Steel by Carrie Vaughn

After losing an important fencing competition, Jill starts to rethink her future and what she wants out of life. While her family is on vacation in the Bahamas, she finds an old, corroded spear tip in the sand and puts it in her pocket. But when it sends her back in time, she ends up on an actual pirate ship and has to sign on as a crew member. Pirate life is less glamorous that she expected - and dangerous, as she finds herself holding a live rapier for the first time. But Jill is determined to get home one way or another, if only she can figure out how...

I enjoyed this story and it was a fairly quick read. The characters and settings are very realistic, but not entirely predictable. I would recommend this to fantasy fans of all ages who enjoy stories about pirates, time travel, or strong female characters.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: A Posse of Princesses, Young Warriors, The Two Princesses of Bamarre, or Rampant

The Dark Mirror Series by M. J. Putney

In the first book, Dark Mirror, Victoria Mansfield (Tory) discovers that she has a strong magical talent. For a girl in a noble English family in 1804, it means that Tory is suddenly an outcast and her family can be tainted by association. She is immediately sent to Lackland Academy, a school devoted to "curing" students of their magical abilities. Although Tory initially wants nothing more than to lose her talents and return home, she pledges to join a secret society of students who are learning to strengthen their powers instead of suppressing them when she finds out that they are doing it in order to protect England from an invasion by Napoleon. When Tory accidentally stumbles into a time-traveling mirror and ends up in WWII England, her powers are even more important to a modern war that threatens the British coast. Tory becomes friends with a family in 1940s England, and, over the course of the next two books -- Dark Passage and Dark Destiny -- she and some of her classmates team up with teens from the future; deep friendships and romances develop as they engage in a desperate fight to keep England safe during the wars of both time periods.

I really enjoyed this series; the first book started out a little slowly, but once I got about halfway through I had trouble putting them down until I finished all three. Although the books are only loosely based on historical events, the plots are fast-paced and not entirely predictable, with good characterization, as well. I would absolutely recommend this series to fantasy fans who enjoy historical fiction or romance in their books.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Cecelia and Kate (series), The Elemental Masters series, A Kiss in Time, or Bewitching Season

The Guardians of Time Trilogy by Marianne Curley

In the first book of the trilogy, the named, Ethan has a secret; although he works hard to fit in as an ordinary high school boy, in his spare time, he is a member of the Guardians of Time. Lathenia, the goddess of Chaos, and her followers are constantly attempting to change history so that she can take over the universe; her brother, Lorian, supports the efforts of the Guard to keep the balance of power - and history - as it is. Ethan has been a member of the Guard from a young age and has done well enough that he has advanced rapidly in the rankes. Now he faces his greatest challeng: training his new apprentice, Isabel. Time is short as the agents of Chaos step up their attacks. Ethan, Isabel, and all of the Guard must reach deep within and learn to use their talents and work together if they have any hope of maintaining history.

The story continues in the dark; the Guard has managed to hold their own and thwart Lathenia's plans, but now she strikes back by banishing Arkarian (Ethan's mentor) to an underworld lost in darkness and full of soulless creatures. Ethan, Isabel, and the others want to do whatever is necessary to rescue him, but Lorian has forbidden in. The race is on to find a way to reach Arkarian before it is too late and without losing all that they have worked for.

In the final book, the key, the Guard is scrambling to keep ahead of Lethenia's plans. The battle against Chaos is more desperate than ever but matters are made worse by the suspicions and distrust within the midst of the Guard. The time of the Prophecy regarding the Named and the final battle between dark and light is finally coming to pass.


Each book is told by a different pair of characters which gives it an interesting depth of perspective. The basic premise is fairly common - good vs. evil - but the story does a good job of giving it a unique edge by affecting history as a way of affecting the outcome. Overall, I enjoyed the characters and plots, although some bits were rather predictable. There were only two things that bothered me; the writing seemed a little off occasionally, as if there were inconsistencies in the tenses (but for the most part, this was fairly minor). The second issue was that the ending is really abrupt. I was actually confused at first when I turned the page and realized that there was no more text. The finale is somewhat artistic, but not satisfying at all. I would still recommend this series to readers who enjoy reading about time travel, but with the caveat that anyone who needs a really complete and happy ending probably out to skip this one.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: The Lightning Theif, The "Minds" series, or Dark Lord of Derkholm