Scan barcode
A review by karablong
Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
4.0
This book is wonderful. The characters are wonderful. The prose is wonderful -- not too wordy or lengthy, but enough to give that Victorian air without feeling like you are drowning in metaphors and allusions. The pacing is great.
---- slightly spoiler-y ------
Before I read the book, I did scour the review section and the main thing that put people off from the book was the love triangle. I would have to argue that the love triangle is so predominate for two reasons. First and foremost, Cate's love for Finn surpassed whatever she was feeling for Paul. Personally I couldn't give a rat's ass about the love story in this novel because Cate's love for her sisters took over. The romance was a subplot that tied in toward the end nicely, but the main relationship focus here was between Cate and her sisters. It's a book about sister witches.
Although the love triangle was pointless and Finn vs Paul shouldn't have been a thing. Like really? One could have been totally platonic and given Cate the support she needed without the romantic entanglements. But I guess in an alternate US history universe.... can't escape that draw of using romantic suspense.
---- end slight spoilers ------
Mainly, I do agree with everything that Khanh (Clowns, Nightmares, and Bunnies)'s review stated. It's incredibly diverse with female characters, from Sachi to Elena (which works in this alternate setting). There is female support, fight, love -- this book is so feminist that it surprises you. To have a setting where girls are seen as inherently wicked and that the Brotherhood cracks down and makes sure all the females are submissive, it's wonderful to read from page to page how all these girls are fighting the system in their own way. Sure most of the females we end up meeting are (SPOILERS), but it's a great novel about female empowerment, education, and oppression, use of diversity, and interesting side-characters are are not written off as just another character.
As far as the whole "I don't want to be a witch" trope is concerned, in a setting where the controlling group, the Brotherhood, has said that all witchery is wicked and arrests, etc. etc. it was interesting to read (and not annoying whatsoever) Cate have those teachings actually sink in, while being juxtaposed with Maura, Rory, and Sachi -- then have Tess be the middle factor. Spotswood knows how to balance out her characters but make sure they aren't just there to be a foil, each character compliments and butts at the right points to make all these relationships seem real while also never really showing one girl as more "evil" than the other because the big bad for all of them is the Brotherhood and the ideals of the society.
This was longwinded and probably all over the place.
---- slightly spoiler-y ------
Before I read the book, I did scour the review section and the main thing that put people off from the book was the love triangle. I would have to argue that the love triangle is so predominate for two reasons. First and foremost, Cate's love for Finn surpassed whatever she was feeling for Paul. Personally I couldn't give a rat's ass about the love story in this novel because Cate's love for her sisters took over. The romance was a subplot that tied in toward the end nicely, but the main relationship focus here was between Cate and her sisters. It's a book about sister witches.
Although the love triangle was pointless and Finn vs Paul shouldn't have been a thing. Like really? One could have been totally platonic and given Cate the support she needed without the romantic entanglements. But I guess in an alternate US history universe.... can't escape that draw of using romantic suspense.
---- end slight spoilers ------
Mainly, I do agree with everything that Khanh (Clowns, Nightmares, and Bunnies)'s review stated. It's incredibly diverse with female characters, from Sachi to Elena (which works in this alternate setting). There is female support, fight, love -- this book is so feminist that it surprises you. To have a setting where girls are seen as inherently wicked and that the Brotherhood cracks down and makes sure all the females are submissive, it's wonderful to read from page to page how all these girls are fighting the system in their own way. Sure most of the females we end up meeting are (SPOILERS), but it's a great novel about female empowerment, education, and oppression, use of diversity, and interesting side-characters are are not written off as just another character.
As far as the whole "I don't want to be a witch" trope is concerned, in a setting where the controlling group, the Brotherhood, has said that all witchery is wicked and arrests, etc. etc. it was interesting to read (and not annoying whatsoever) Cate have those teachings actually sink in, while being juxtaposed with Maura, Rory, and Sachi -- then have Tess be the middle factor. Spotswood knows how to balance out her characters but make sure they aren't just there to be a foil, each character compliments and butts at the right points to make all these relationships seem real while also never really showing one girl as more "evil" than the other because the big bad for all of them is the Brotherhood and the ideals of the society.
This was longwinded and probably all over the place.