Born Wicked - Jessica Spotswood

Release Date: February 7
Number of pages: 330
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

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.

When I first started reading Born Wicked, I thought that this was a book I wouldn't enjoy. I love Harry Potter but I was rather skeptical of another book related to magic. But I gave Born Wicked a chance and I loved it! The book starts off rather slowly, such that it took me some time to read the first few chapters. But in awhile Born Wicked turned into a fast-paced enthralling book which you couldn't put down even if you wanted to. Result: I read it in 3 hours! 


Even if Spotswood's writing wasn't amazing or the characters so great, the plot would pay everything off. Three sisters and a prophecy that could change the course of history! The story takes place in 1890 in New England. After being in the power of the witches for 150 years, the Brotherhood takes over New England and makes every witch disappear. The ones who are still living, live in fear of being discovered and sent to Harwood.Cate and her two sisters are witches and they leave in constant fear of being discovered by the Brotherhood. After her mother died, Cate was left with the task of keeping their witchcraft a secret. 


Cate was by far my favorite character in this book. I loved her from the start and she just kept getting better and better. I can't wait to read how she will grow more as a character and a witch in the next book. She is still has some faults, which only make her the more interesting. Replacing her mother is a really difficult task, so it doesn't come as a surprise that Cate is rather a more serious and grown-up character. She is the buzzkiller when it comes to her sisters doing magic. But by the end of the book she learns to accept magic a lot more.
Maura was a spoiled and a pain through the book. I didn't like her and would rather do a tric of disappearance on her! But I do get her side a bit, she is a witch and accepts it, so she will rather do magic then keep it in like she were a normal girl. And Tess comes as a second favorite character of mine. Rather quiet and observant but still a sweetheart. Hopefully she will have a bigger role to play in the next books.


The romance was amazing. Totally unexpected, as there were two love interests. In the beginning Cate mentions Paul, a childhood friend, who is coming to town. But Finn Belastra is the one who steals her heart. He is so sweet but with the description in the book not really my type. But I don't know how Jessica Spotswood did it but in the end I wished I had a Finn Belastra! 


Born Wicked exceeded my expectations and if the next book were to come out tomorrow, I would camp outside the store to read it first! This book finished rather sad with a small cliffhanger turning the story upside down which left me even more eager to read the next one. This book even brought something fresh with it: the sisterly relationship between the three sisters. It has been a long time since I've read a book which centers also in the relationship between sisters than only in the relationship with the boy.