Born Wicked

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
Release Date ~ 2/7/12
Format ~ ARC
Publisher ~ Putnam
Source ~ ATWT
Rating ~ 5/5

Summary: A Great and Terrible Beauty meets Cassandra Clare in this spellbinding fantasy 
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 only six months left 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 starts 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.

My Review: When I came across Born Wicked, I expected to find a fun and interesting paranormal read. I found much more then that!
   
     One thing I loved about this book was Cate. I don't think I've ever read about someone more selfless then Cate Cahill. She cared so much about her sisters, and went to all means necessary to keep them safe. Sometimes I wanted to pick her up and shake her, yelling "YOU NEED TO LOOK AFTER YOURSELF TOO, CATE!!!". That's probably the way you'll feel when you read the ending (which was such a tearjerker). This was the part I was pleasantly surprised about- because in lots of books the main character is like "I'll look after you guys forever, I love you guys so much" then a love interest comes along and she'll abandon her family and fun off to be with him. Fortunately, is not the case in this book.

    Spottswood had a beautiful and elegant way of writing that moved the story along in a perfect tone. Though some parts were a bit more interesting then others, it wasn't all "boringness, boringness, boringness, then a chapter filled with awesomeness", it was a steady pace that always kept me entertained and enthralled.

   Another part of Born Wicked I loved was the genre mixing. There was of course the paranormal part of the novel, which was of course the biggest. But there was also a steampunk aspect and a dystopian aspect. The steampunk because a lot of history had been changed, and dystopian, because it was 1890 in New England, and instead of being ruled by the US Government, they were ruled by "The Brotherhood", a group of religious tyrants who treated women like cattle. Though some people might be taken bake because of genre mix, I enjoyed it! Think about it, it has something for everyone... you like paranormal? Read this! You like steampunk? Read this! You like dystopian? Read this! You like a good book? Read this!

    I loved the mythology that surrounded the witches. There was so much to learn about them, there was just as much depth as Harry Potter. I love all the plot twists about the witches. You never knew who the actual villain was. Obviously The Brotherhood, but were some of the witches also corrupt?

    The side-characters in this book were one of the best part. I loved Cate's sisters, especially, the youngest Tess, because she was so clever. I also really liked the two love interests, especially Finn. The villains were the so much fun to hate!

     Born Wicked is one of the best paranormal books I've ever read. Starting counting down the days till February 7th, because then one of the best books you'll ever read comes out then, and you're not going to want to wait any longer!

 

5/5 Stars!

Cover Comments: One of the best covers I've ever seen! I love the mix of gold, green and brown, and the flowers really stand out!

This book counts in the following reading challenge:
2012 Debut Author Challenge: 3
2012 Paranormal Reading Challenge; 1
2012 Witches and Witchcraft Reading Challenge: 1
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 4
2012 Steampunk Reading Challenge:1
2012 1st in a Series Reading Challenge: 4