Born Wicked
Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles, #1)by Jessica Spotswood
Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship--or an early grave.Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with six months to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate stars scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood -- not even from each other. (goodreads.com)
This book had me at "witches". Those of you who have been reading my blog for ever and ever already know of my deep, unyielding love of all things witchy. Witches in New England? I'm there, yo!Born Wicked is a 2012 Debut Young Adult novel which I would categorize as Historical Fantasy. I wasn't so certain that I would like the book as much as I ended up liking it when it began. I was sort of on the fence about whether or not I liked Cate and cared at all about what she and her sisters were up to. Of course Cate grew on me as I progressed further into the story and I also became much more interested in the plot. I didn't trust anyone in this book, with good reason! No one seems to be trustworthy at all (except maybe Finn) and everyone has a secret to hide!One thing I found about the book was that it seemed more like it was written for Middle Grade readers more than YA ones. There was something about the storytelling (not a bad thing) that just felt much more MG to me. Sure, Cate is almost seventeen and has to announce her intention to either marry (at 17) or join the Sisterhood, and there are a couple of kisses, but otherwise, it just had a much younger feel to it. I don't consider this a bad thing at all, mind you, because I tend to love the MG style of writing more than YA. It seems more magical and fairy-tale-ish and I LOVE that about a book.The only other slightly negative (but not negative) comment I have is that I didn't get as much of a "historical" feel as I was reading. There's a style of writing and way of describing things that can really make a book feel like you've travelled through time. I got that feeling when I read Kat, Incorrigible last year (an actual MG story) but I didn't get it often while reading Born Wicked. This was something that seemed to flip-flop during the reading experience. It didn't take away from the story though, so I didn't really think about it much until after I'd finished the book and started telling my friend Monkey about it.Once I got to the final handful of chapters in Born Wicked I could not put the book down for a second! I knew as I approached the end pages that I was going to be cursing the YEARLONG WAIT for the next book. Sure enough... Curse you, Year Long Wait!! *shakes fist* I am extremely curious as to where this story is going. Cate's decision (though not a total surprise) was still quite the coup and I want to know what happens to her and her sisters next.Lastly, I'd like to award the author and/or publisher with a Gold Star! for their ability to title a series with something other than the name of the first book. *Applause!* Being able to refer to this series as "The Cahill Witch Chronicles" makes me stupid happy.Born Wicked is a 2012 Debut not to miss - especially if you love witches like I do!The Cahill Witch Chronicles