January 30, 2012

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



9 comments:

  1. this seems like a really good book, I'd love to check it out!

    Arandamarie1992@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great review! I really enjoy it. LOL on the part about shaking Cate sometimes I feel like doing the same.
    I definitely need to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, amazing review. So intrigued and cannot wait to get my hands on this!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've been anxiously awaiting this one! :) Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I really want to read this, awesome review!
    I love that it has a Dystopian aspect to it, and plot twists are definitely a plus for me. I like to be surprised from time to time.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love your review! I have been wanting this book since I read the first review on it. But I disagree with you on the cover. That cover . . is GORGEOUS! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love this review! I can not wait to read this book! I hope you don't mind but I linked this one up for you at my site so you'd get the point!

    ♥Melissa

    ReplyDelete
  8. +JMJ+

    It sounds great! =) I'm not crazy to read about yet another YA love triangle (I was so over this trend last dang century, but I'm pleased to find out that the heroine doesn't let romance distract her from her duties to her family.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I absolutely loved this book!! I came by you're review of it earlier and went and bought it, and LOVED it!! Thanks so much for the awesome review! :D

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for the comment, I love and appreciate each and every one! As of March 2012, The Non Reluctant Reader is an awards-free zone. I'm honored to be considered, but do not currently have the time to pass the award on. Comments are the best award I can receive though! If the comment requires a reply, please be sure to check back for one. If it is a feature/meme leave a link to your post and I will stop by and comment if I get the chance!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
 
Blog Design by Imagination Designs all images from the Under the Dappled Shadows kit by Lorie Davison