I was immediately swept away in the world created by MacCullough in the first book of what promises to be an amazing series. Tamsin feels shadowed by her older, more beautiful, more powerful sister – an emotion that is relatable to by many amongst us. What immediately sets the story apart, for me, is the fact that it is a story of dynasties. A shared history among family members who are all different from the normal, more ordinary people. Tamsin, you see, hails from a family (from generations) of witches. She was supposed to be the most powerful of them all, the most brilliant. Only…she wasn’t. In fact, she didn’t seem to have gotten any powers. This leads her to feel distinctly cast-out in a family where everyone is special. Where even the toddlers can do amazing magic. So she escapes. To a private boarding school in New York.Then enter the mysterious professor, who, in mistaking Tamsin for her sister (remember the gorgeous older, more powerful one?) sets into action events that completely change Tamsin and her perspective on who and what she is. Along the way, the reappearance of a childhood crush adds the spice of romance (he is swoon worthy, you guys) and a revelation on Tamsin’s true nature, takes the narrative from a waltz to a rapid disco. The reader will whirl from scene to scene – flung about in a miasma of emotion – reading as slow as she can to make the experience last longer and then at other times, reading as fast as she can so she find out what happens next. (Okay fine, I’m just talking about myself.)The characters are created with an exquisite ease that sets them apart as individuals rather than replicates of stereotypes often used in genre-books. The matriarch of the family has different sides to her as does the nutty relative. Everything and everyone is delightfully interwoven to present to the world a story that leaves the reader waiting (I was going to say tortured) for the next installment.I give it a resounding 5 stars. Read it!
