Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

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"Blessed with a gift..."cursed" with a secret."


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.

Is Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood another case of gorgeous cover masking a dull and insipid story? I'm so glad to report that it was anything but! Like the Cahill girls, the fetching exterior belied a surprising and clever interior. Once I read Missie of The Unread Reader's enthusiastic review, I had no qualms purchasing then finishing Born Wicked that same night - that's how enjoyable it was!

Everything about Born Wicked engaged me: the alternative historical setting, the characters, the plot, the writing. Set in turn-of-the-century New World where witches once were powerful but were overthrown by the Brotherhood, girls are now watched and circumscribed within society's very narrow demands of them. At the age of 17, they must either marry or become cloistered within the convent-like order of the Sisters. Pity any girl who manifests (or is accused of having) any kind of magical ability - she is seized, tried unfairly, and thrown into a prison asylum, where she will likely live the rest of her days.

In this world, magic is equated with feminism and female sexuality alike. The oppressive religion is founded upon fear and suppression of feminine power. Nothing new or subtle about this idea but I am very curious as to how Spotswood will run with this through the course of the series.

"The Brothers are afraid the witches will rise up again someday, Mother said, so they loathe the idea of powerful women.  We are not permitted to study and got to university as men do, or to take up professions...Women are not normally granted permits to run businesses.


"The Sisterhood is held up as an alternative to marriage, and an honorable one.  They do  the charitable work of the Brotherhood: serving as governesses and nurses, visiting the sick and dying, and feeding the poor.  But no one in Chatham has actually joined them in years.  The notion of spending my life studying scriptures or teaching orphan girls is odious.  I'm fairly certain I'd murder my pupils."

Although Born Wicked is told from eldest and most responsible sister Cate's point of view, Maura and Tess, her younger sisters, are both equally as richly layered and individual as our heroine. I could easily envision future installments being told from their perspectives and each story being just as strong as this first. By the end of the book, Spotswood has given each of them, as well as other minor characters some great, revelatory scenes.

And that's probably most of the reason why I enjoyed Born Wicked immensely - I was constantly surprised. In reading the last chapter, I was in authentic suspense about how the novel was going to end. I knew it was a series and so there would be a cliffhanger (and it is a good one!). The ending did not let down; it was complicated and true to the characters and theme of the series - and absolutely made me vow to read the next one as soon as it comes out!






Enter to win Born Wicked, The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice, The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay, or Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen, here!  Ends 2/24, 8:00 pm PST.