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.
There are a number of young adult novels out currently that are focused on the idea of witchcraft, for example the Beautiful Creatures series, Libba Bray’s Great and Terrible Beauty trilogy, and many more. Jessica Spotswood’s Born Wicked has all the right things to make it a successful debut into the Young Adult market. There’s a love triangle (kind of), a strong female main character, the supernatural element, and the evils of staying within the confines of society and straying from society.
First and foremost, I want to state that I love the historical aspect of this novel, but even with all the details of late 19th century society (that I’ve read in other novels) there wasn’t much that held my interest through the first half of the book. In fact, it wasn’t until the friendship between Finn and Cate was blossoming that I actually grew interested.
Cate’s voice is relatively strong, and the reader is definitely privy to all the turmoil within her concerning her decision about magic and between the Sisterhood and a marriage. I do love that there is a relatively new concept of a Brotherhood and Sisterhood controlling the religion and marriages in a society is fascinating. However, the stereotypical idea that men have all of the power is not uncommon in a tale set in the late 1800s, but I would have liked it had the women in the novel had more agency.
I’m not sure what kept me from putting this book down toward the middle (let’s be honest, it was probably the adorably dorky Finn), but I can’t say I was disappointed in the novel because I had no expectations. I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t love it. Overall, it is a somewhat average foray into Young Adult literature, but I can’t fault Spotswood for that. She followed every guideline for success in the YA field.
I’m going to give Born Wicked 3 Bards. It wasn’t bad enough to garner less than that, but it did not earn more. I will read the subsequent installments in this series, because I firmly believe that Spotswood can improve her story. (I hope they have the same cover photographer, though. It is gorgeous!)
Moving! 