Book Review: Born Wicked

  

Author: Jessica Spotswood

Release Date: February 7, 2012

Publisher: Putnam Juvenille

This cover coincides so well with the book. They both have such a vintage and chic feel about them and of course there is nothing wrong with that! The flowers that stand out so brightly on the front of the cover depict Cate Cahill, the main character, and her personality so well. The Sepia colors are perfect for highlighting the bright colors that accentuate the girl’s face!!

Ok, so I loved, loved, loved this book! I am a fanatic for Historical Fiction novels and this one definitely held my attention for hours on end. It was set in a small, quaint New England town in the 1800’s called Chatham (isn’t that such a cozy name?) The house that the Cahill sisters and their father reside in sounds like your typical remote Victorian Manor that is complete with twirling ivy vines and bustling rosebushes right outside the front door. However, the town of Chatham is not quite so pleasant. It is forcibly governed by a group of elder men known as the Brotherhood. They see to it that no type of witchcraft or other supernatural happenings take place within the town. The women in Chatham have until they are seventeen years old to make one of two decisions. 1. Marry and eligible suitor or 2. Join the Sisterhood. Neither of these sound very appealing to Cate Cahill at first. She just wants a sure way to know that her sisters will be safe. She uncovers many secrets as the pages turn, which constantly kept me hanging on edge.

As I stated before this book centers around our main character, and the eldest sister, Cate Cahill. Let me just say that you all will love little Miss Cate! She has become quite an independent woman after the death of her mother and the frequent absence of her father leaves her in complete care of her younger sisters, Maura and Tess. She struggles daily trying to protect her sisters and herself from falling into the grasp of the Brotherhood, which mean preserving their magic because it is a deep secret that no young woman wants to carry around in Chatham. I love Cate so much because she is always thinking of her sisters and what is best for them, while denying her own magical talents. She even denies herself the pleasure of an amazing love triangle with Paul and Finn :)

Cate is just so passionate about so many things like her sisters, her gardening skills, and protecting the secret that her mother left her with. I found myself constantly wanting to comfort her. She draws nearer and dearer to one of her two suitors, but I won’t spoil that now!! I will tell you that my favorite suitor is Finn Belastra (but that is not to say that he is the winning man, you will just have to find out for yourself). He was a bright young man who was considered lower class in the town and his family was looked down upon. He never really let it bother him and that is why I loved him even more.

As an English major, I just have to say that the imagery in this book was amazing. Whenever Jessica Spotswood describes a scene, boy does she give you every detail you need! I felt like I was often walking with Paul and Cate in the garden and smelling the same flowers or joining the sisters over a cup of raspberry tea in the parlor. So much of their world was put into color for me and I loved it!

The only thing that I can really find to complain about within this book what the constant over exaggeration of the threat that the Brotherhood imposed on Cate and her family. I felt like, as the reader, I was constantly being reminded of how awful it would be if Cate and her sisters were found out as witches. I felt like yelling at the pages, “Ok, I get it already!!” Other than that it was a great read which I finished in two days and I strongly recommend to anyone who wants to journey with Cate Cahill!! Leave any questions and comments below :)