Thursday, January 30, 2014

#Review: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Jessica Spotswood wielded her magic pen and out came a debut novel she can be proud of. Endangered witches, a sweet romance in a depressive historical setting and some strong female characters to boot is some of the things packed into this novel. 



Sixteen year old Cate rules the Cahill household after her mother died three years ago. A hard enough task on its own, but extremly difficult when Cate and her two younger sisters are all smart young women and witches.

In a socity where women is denied knowledge and power by The Brotherhood the Cahill sisters true nature must remain a secret. If they are discovered then it's Harwood asylum, or worse, next. An additional challenge is coming up for Cate; at seventeen she has to decide on a suitor and get married or she will be forced by The Brotherhood to join The Sisterhood.


Born Wicked was a fast and fun read - a perfect blend of historical fiction, kissing and magic. Jessica Spotswood knows how to entertain and she has done a good job by mixing up an alternative reality with history. I could tell that she had done research on the late Victorian-Era and that the story was influenced by the Salem witch trials.

The setting is perfect, New England in the late 1800' early 1900's, I believe. It is in the same area where the witch trials took place in the 17th century. A place where the supernatural was something they believed in and feared.

What I loved the most about this novel was all the strong female characters in a puritanical world, a world were women were being suppressed. It really upsets me to think about the fact that some places in this world this is not fiction, places where women still is far from being seen as a mans equal still exists.



The main character Cate was a refreshing change from a great deal other YA heroines, they sometimes seems to be lacign a bit in the intelligence department when it comes to making important decisions. And here comes the trait I loved the most about Cate, she asks for help and she confides in people. That is admirable, one cannot tackle every problem out there alone. Admitting that one isn't Superman/women is a character strength, non of us are perfect.

Oh, also, there is a few excellent kissing scenes here to get those butterflies in your stomach fluttering about.

Now I need to hit The Book Depository and order up the next two installments in this trilogy(I am pre-ordering the third one as I am pretty sure it will be worth the read).


    Jessica Spotswood
    Photo:  Anne Chan
    • got caught reading under her desk in fifth grade
    • is married and living in Washington DC
    • has a cat named Monkey
    • is a full-time author
    • loves Earl Grey tea and Snow Patrol
    Check out Jessica Spotswood's bio for more information.

    Have you read Born Wicked? What did you think of it? Feel free to add a link to your review of this novel in the comment section and I'll stop by your blog to read and comment your review.

    Haven't read Born Wicked? Is it on your wishlist perhaps or are you considering it after having read my review?

    1 comment:

    1. I loved this book, it was just a great piece of storytelling, can't wait to see where she takes the story in the next two books!!
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    Thank you for sharing your thoughts =)