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reader4evr's review against another edition
3.0
I saw a description of this book "A Great and Terrible Beauty meets Cassandra Clare in this spellbinding fantasy" and I totally agree. I was thinking of A great and terrible beauty throughout this entire book.
Ever since I saw the cover of this book, I have been dying to read it therefore I had high expectations for it. While it lived up to my expectations I feel in some aspects I didn't like some parts. Towards the end of the story, I had a lot of moments were I gasped out loud because I wasn't expectation certain things to happen that did. I wish that happened throughout the book instead of at the end.
I really liked Cate. I thought she was a strong main character and I loved her relationship with her younger sisters. I love how she chose to go into the Sisterhood at the end instead of marrying Finn because she wanted to help her sisters. That is a true relationship that I like that continued in the story and stayed true. And I loved the chemistry between Cate and Finn. After watching a review on YouTube, I understand why she said she now says that closets are steamy ;-)
I knew that this book was historical fiction but I don't even remembering the story actually saying what time period it was until about a quarter of the way through the book.
I will probably read on in the series.
Ever since I saw the cover of this book, I have been dying to read it therefore I had high expectations for it. While it lived up to my expectations I feel in some aspects I didn't like some parts. Towards the end of the story, I had a lot of moments were I gasped out loud because I wasn't expectation certain things to happen that did. I wish that happened throughout the book instead of at the end.
I really liked Cate. I thought she was a strong main character and I loved her relationship with her younger sisters. I love how she chose to go into the Sisterhood at the end instead of marrying Finn because she wanted to help her sisters. That is a true relationship that I like that continued in the story and stayed true. And I loved the chemistry between Cate and Finn. After watching a review on YouTube, I understand why she said she now says that closets are steamy ;-)
I knew that this book was historical fiction but I don't even remembering the story actually saying what time period it was until about a quarter of the way through the book.
I will probably read on in the series.
bookph1le's review against another edition
4.0
It can be very difficult to review a book like this. After all, I didn't immediately warm to it. That's not to say that I disliked it, because I didn't. Instead, it was the kind of book that snuck up on me, one that I was feeling kind of neutral about until I suddenly realized how much I loved it. Some minor spoilers ahead.
I'm not sure exactly what I expected from this book, but it turned out to be more literary and thoughtful than I imagined, and that may be why it took me a little while to get into it. The description made me think it would open on a very adventurous note, but it took some time for the action to build. This wasn't a bad thing, but I can see how it might not work in the book's favor, if readers aren't hooked and lose interest. But giving up on the book would be a mistake, because it offers a huge reward.
Hands down, my favorite thing about this book is Cate. I love that she had sharp edges that made me frustrated with her at times. Her flaws made her so convincing as a character, and her struggles were very compelling. I like that she sometimes messed up in very big ways. I like that she did something so odious that it actually made me protest out loud--and I'm sure it will come back to bite her at some point. But even though she did a terrible thing, it made sense to me that she would do it, and that's what made her so convincing a character. I felt as if I knew her and knew what she was like. I loved that she was so fiercely independent and determined to make her own choices rather than let circumstances dictate her actions. It means that bad things happen as a consequence, and those consequences give the book real weight.
The cast of characters in general is fantastic. None of them are entirely predictable, and they were all distinct individuals with their own motives and reasons for doing what they did. At no point did any of them seem like mere plot devices. They not only had their own unique personalities, they also all provoked different reactions from me.
Another thing I admired about this book was how much it made me think. I was surprised by how feminist its message struck me, because that can be sadly rare in YA lit. Though men play key roles, Cate doesn't allow any of them to interfere with the things that mattered most to her, which I thought was fantastic. I loved that Cate was true to herself and her own principles, no matter what. Yet, what was truly great about this message was that, rather than set up a clear man versus woman dichotomy, the issue is very complicated. The men aren't all evil. Some are complacent. And the women aren't all good. Many of them seem to have agendas of their own that are less than savory, and I liked that Cate walked a fine line. Rather than naively accept what she is told, she is determined to figure out the motivations behind the actions.
One weak point in the book for me, though, was the romance. While I loved that Cate chose a man who loved her as she was, thorns and all, I felt like their falling in love happened a little too fast. Still, it can also be unfortunately rare for YA lit to present the heroine with a love interest who doesn't infantalize her or try to control her, so I loved that this wasn't the case in this book. Add to this that he actually sees her as an equal and you have an almost perfect romance. Almost.
The last third or so accelerates to breakneck speed, and I was glued to the book, desperate to see what happens, only to find the mother of all cliffhangers. Book, you did not just go and end like that, did you? Not after you played at all my emotions! I am now waiting for book two with bated breath.
I'm not sure exactly what I expected from this book, but it turned out to be more literary and thoughtful than I imagined, and that may be why it took me a little while to get into it. The description made me think it would open on a very adventurous note, but it took some time for the action to build. This wasn't a bad thing, but I can see how it might not work in the book's favor, if readers aren't hooked and lose interest. But giving up on the book would be a mistake, because it offers a huge reward.
Hands down, my favorite thing about this book is Cate. I love that she had sharp edges that made me frustrated with her at times. Her flaws made her so convincing as a character, and her struggles were very compelling. I like that she sometimes messed up in very big ways. I like that she did something so odious that it actually made me protest out loud--and I'm sure it will come back to bite her at some point. But even though she did a terrible thing, it made sense to me that she would do it, and that's what made her so convincing a character. I felt as if I knew her and knew what she was like. I loved that she was so fiercely independent and determined to make her own choices rather than let circumstances dictate her actions. It means that bad things happen as a consequence, and those consequences give the book real weight.
The cast of characters in general is fantastic. None of them are entirely predictable, and they were all distinct individuals with their own motives and reasons for doing what they did. At no point did any of them seem like mere plot devices. They not only had their own unique personalities, they also all provoked different reactions from me.
Another thing I admired about this book was how much it made me think. I was surprised by how feminist its message struck me, because that can be sadly rare in YA lit. Though men play key roles, Cate doesn't allow any of them to interfere with the things that mattered most to her, which I thought was fantastic. I loved that Cate was true to herself and her own principles, no matter what. Yet, what was truly great about this message was that, rather than set up a clear man versus woman dichotomy, the issue is very complicated. The men aren't all evil. Some are complacent. And the women aren't all good. Many of them seem to have agendas of their own that are less than savory, and I liked that Cate walked a fine line. Rather than naively accept what she is told, she is determined to figure out the motivations behind the actions.
One weak point in the book for me, though, was the romance. While I loved that Cate chose a man who loved her as she was, thorns and all, I felt like their falling in love happened a little too fast. Still, it can also be unfortunately rare for YA lit to present the heroine with a love interest who doesn't infantalize her or try to control her, so I loved that this wasn't the case in this book. Add to this that he actually sees her as an equal and you have an almost perfect romance. Almost.
The last third or so accelerates to breakneck speed, and I was glued to the book, desperate to see what happens, only to find the mother of all cliffhangers. Book, you did not just go and end like that, did you? Not after you played at all my emotions! I am now waiting for book two with bated breath.
nenolove's review against another edition
5.0
Omg Omg!! NOOOOO!!! I must read the next one! Can't wait!! COME OUT FASTER!!! >:(
goodem9199's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely fantastic. One of my favorites so far this year. I am on the Cahill bandwagon in a big way!
roseleaf24's review against another edition
4.0
Cate has huge responsibility on her shoulders: when her mother died, she promised that she would protect her younger sisters. This means keeping their secret safe; the Cahill girls are witches. The Brotherhood rules with a strong hand, and witchcraft is illegal and feared. Cate is nearing the age when she must declare her intention to marry Paul, her longtime best friend, or join the Sisterhood. She can't decide which will keep her family safer. Her decision is made more complicated by a romance with Finn Belastra, who is an inappropriate match and beneath her station, and a prophecy that makes her secret more important and more difficult to keep.
This was an engaging read with rich detail and vibrant characters. I love the Cahill witches and can't wait to read the next book in the series!
I did, though, feel that the inclusion of romantic relationships between women on lists of the ways that women were oppressed politicized the issue, especially since there is no revelation as to how male homosexuality is treated in this society. This made this storyline more of a statement to me than a natural part of the story.
This was an engaging read with rich detail and vibrant characters. I love the Cahill witches and can't wait to read the next book in the series!
I did, though, feel that the inclusion of romantic relationships between women on lists of the ways that women were oppressed politicized the issue, especially since there is no revelation as to how male homosexuality is treated in this society. This made this storyline more of a statement to me than a natural part of the story.
stephxsu's review against another edition
2.0
There’s no good way for me to start this review except to just come straight out and say that this book disappointed me. With a pretty cover and interesting premise but lacking in world-building, solid pacing, and full characterization, BORN WICKED seems to exemplify all that is characteristic of recently published YA that are big hits but technically weak. So what follows is probably going to be more of a what-not-to-do essay for YA writers, and I hope to God that future writers and publishers will take these points into consideration before publishing their books.
So let’s begin by going down that list, I guess. BORN WICKED claims to take place in an alternate history of the world, but unless your copy of the book came with the Editor’s Note saying so, it’s extremely difficult to figure out the “rules” of said world. BORN WICKED is set in an alternate world where New England is religiously oppressed and women dream of someday going to “Dubai” and engaging in freedom of expression. All of these similarities-but-differences beg the question: so where in the course of Earth’s history did things change? Only that is never explained in the book. There is no explanation of any “turning points” that led to this alternate course of history. Instead we simply have proper nouns like Dubai and New London and Mexico and the Indo-China War with no anchors in our own history. We have details like dress shapes and vague descriptions of architecture but the details seem to be a jumbled mix of Victorian, American Colonial, and Asian history.
Look. If you want to write a fantasy, then just make up different names and say that your inspiration came from the Salem Witch Trials. Dune is often said to be an allegory of the Middle East oil crisis, but it’s not set in the Middle East of our world, is it? If you want to write a story that has its roots in our world, then you damn well better explain in the story how your fictional setting came about. People seem to be confused about how to world-build different genres. For the record, science fiction, dystopian, and alternate-history settings require MORE world-building than fantasy, because they are a what-if regarding a possible different future or past track that we could take. Science fiction, dystopian, and alternate-history settings must, if anything, read like contemporary fiction: the world in the story must be completely natural for readers.
I think I’ve said enough about that one subject. Moving on.
Some people think it’s a good thing that the last several chapters of a 300-plus-page book are dramatic and full of startling revelations and villains going BOOM and protagonists agonizing over difficult decisions that they must make in a pinch of a moment. This is not a good thing. It means that the pacing is uneven and that the rest of the book up until the last few dramatic chapters either drag painfully or could have been condensed into a few chapters without losing anything. You don’t sell a 300-plus-page book by saying, oh my goodness, but just wait until you get to page 300. Page 300?! No. The first 300 pages need to be tight. They need to be informative. They need to ensnare the reader. The last few chapters CANNOT justify the first several hundred pages. I don’t find the last few dramatic chapters of a book to ever justify the amount of time I spent dragging myself through the first several hundred pages.
And finally, characterization. Writers, minor characters deserve almost the same amount of thought and development you give to major characters. Consider that, if they were real (which is kind of the point of writing fiction: to make everything feel as real and believable as possible, no matter your intention for doing so), minor characters could and should have the potential to be protagonists of their own stories somewhere out there. All of the characters in BORN WICKED are kind of jumbled together in my mind. No one stands out. The Biggest and Baddest Villains are Completely Opaque-Black Badddd, but nearly everyone else’s natures and backstories seem to be able to be summarized in just two sentences each. If you want your characters—and thus, essentially, your story—to be memorable for readers, this is not the way to go.
BORN WICKED is probably not better or worse than most of the other hyped YA out there, but, coming at the end of a looooong line of other hyped YA that display the same problems, it has, unfortunately, been forced to bear the brunt of my frustration with recent YA. BORN WICKED really isn’t bad, depending on what standards you have. If you’ve found yourself enjoying most of the YA bestsellers of the past year or so, then BORN WICKED will be your cup of tea. If you are looking for standout YA that elevate the genre, though, it may be best not to have too high expectations for this book. I’m going to get off the computer and go hit some walls now.
So let’s begin by going down that list, I guess. BORN WICKED claims to take place in an alternate history of the world, but unless your copy of the book came with the Editor’s Note saying so, it’s extremely difficult to figure out the “rules” of said world. BORN WICKED is set in an alternate world where New England is religiously oppressed and women dream of someday going to “Dubai” and engaging in freedom of expression. All of these similarities-but-differences beg the question: so where in the course of Earth’s history did things change? Only that is never explained in the book. There is no explanation of any “turning points” that led to this alternate course of history. Instead we simply have proper nouns like Dubai and New London and Mexico and the Indo-China War with no anchors in our own history. We have details like dress shapes and vague descriptions of architecture but the details seem to be a jumbled mix of Victorian, American Colonial, and Asian history.
Look. If you want to write a fantasy, then just make up different names and say that your inspiration came from the Salem Witch Trials. Dune is often said to be an allegory of the Middle East oil crisis, but it’s not set in the Middle East of our world, is it? If you want to write a story that has its roots in our world, then you damn well better explain in the story how your fictional setting came about. People seem to be confused about how to world-build different genres. For the record, science fiction, dystopian, and alternate-history settings require MORE world-building than fantasy, because they are a what-if regarding a possible different future or past track that we could take. Science fiction, dystopian, and alternate-history settings must, if anything, read like contemporary fiction: the world in the story must be completely natural for readers.
I think I’ve said enough about that one subject. Moving on.
Some people think it’s a good thing that the last several chapters of a 300-plus-page book are dramatic and full of startling revelations and villains going BOOM and protagonists agonizing over difficult decisions that they must make in a pinch of a moment. This is not a good thing. It means that the pacing is uneven and that the rest of the book up until the last few dramatic chapters either drag painfully or could have been condensed into a few chapters without losing anything. You don’t sell a 300-plus-page book by saying, oh my goodness, but just wait until you get to page 300. Page 300?! No. The first 300 pages need to be tight. They need to be informative. They need to ensnare the reader. The last few chapters CANNOT justify the first several hundred pages. I don’t find the last few dramatic chapters of a book to ever justify the amount of time I spent dragging myself through the first several hundred pages.
And finally, characterization. Writers, minor characters deserve almost the same amount of thought and development you give to major characters. Consider that, if they were real (which is kind of the point of writing fiction: to make everything feel as real and believable as possible, no matter your intention for doing so), minor characters could and should have the potential to be protagonists of their own stories somewhere out there. All of the characters in BORN WICKED are kind of jumbled together in my mind. No one stands out. The Biggest and Baddest Villains are Completely Opaque-Black Badddd, but nearly everyone else’s natures and backstories seem to be able to be summarized in just two sentences each. If you want your characters—and thus, essentially, your story—to be memorable for readers, this is not the way to go.
BORN WICKED is probably not better or worse than most of the other hyped YA out there, but, coming at the end of a looooong line of other hyped YA that display the same problems, it has, unfortunately, been forced to bear the brunt of my frustration with recent YA. BORN WICKED really isn’t bad, depending on what standards you have. If you’ve found yourself enjoying most of the YA bestsellers of the past year or so, then BORN WICKED will be your cup of tea. If you are looking for standout YA that elevate the genre, though, it may be best not to have too high expectations for this book. I’m going to get off the computer and go hit some walls now.
thehutonfowlslegs's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
max77_6's review against another edition
5.0
The twists at the end were very unexpected, and I loved every minute of this
tippyloohoo's review against another edition
4.0
The Cahill sisters are thought of as a bit eccentric. Not a good thing in a town that sees any kind of deviation from polite society as a sign of witchcraft. But what are they supposed to do? Their mother died years ago leaving them with a father who cares more about books than raising three daughters; he's not home enough to teach them anything anyway. It's up to Cate, the eldest daughter, to take care of her sisters. She made a promise to her mother and she is dead set on keeping it, no matter what. So when her father highers a governess to teach the girls while he is away things become complicated. The Cahill girls are not average. They really are witches and they need to keep it a secret. But how can they. It seems all of the sudden everyone is interested in them. For the first time they are attending teas, Cate has men asking for her hand; and a good thing too, she only has a short time before she has to either pick a husband or join the Sisterhood. Which choice will keep her sisters safe?
When Cate finds her mother's diary she learns that she and her sisters may very well be part of a prophesy that could lead to the witches rising to power again, or to their doom, she realizes they are all in danger. She can't trust anyone. Not the Sisterhood, not her friends, not even her own sisters. Because if the prophecy is true then one of them will die and it will be at the hand of her sister.
Born Wicked is the first book in The Cahill Witch Chronicles by first time author Jessica Spotswood.
I absolutely loved this book. I alternated between not being able to put it down and having to do just that because I was so engrossed with the story that I was getting really upset. Books about witches are my second favorite, right after books about vampires, and this is one of the best I have read. I had some pretty intense Born Wicked related dreams after reading it. It was pretty awesome!.
When Cate finds her mother's diary she learns that she and her sisters may very well be part of a prophesy that could lead to the witches rising to power again, or to their doom, she realizes they are all in danger. She can't trust anyone. Not the Sisterhood, not her friends, not even her own sisters. Because if the prophecy is true then one of them will die and it will be at the hand of her sister.
Born Wicked is the first book in The Cahill Witch Chronicles by first time author Jessica Spotswood.
I absolutely loved this book. I alternated between not being able to put it down and having to do just that because I was so engrossed with the story that I was getting really upset. Books about witches are my second favorite, right after books about vampires, and this is one of the best I have read. I had some pretty intense Born Wicked related dreams after reading it. It was pretty awesome!.