Book Review: Born Wicked

Title:  Born Wicked
Author:  Jessica Spotswood
Where I got it:  From the library

Amazon Summary:
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.

My Thoughts:
I have been looking forward to Born Wicked since I saw it was coming out - it sounded amazing and did not disappoint!

The Cahill sisters are witches trying to hide their powers in a completely male dominated, woman hating society.  Everything is about how woman should not have education, power, or essentially a single thought in their pretty little heads.  Cringe, shudder, barf.

Cate in particular is not the type of girl that's appreciated in this culture, witch or not.  And she's doing her best to protect her sisters and honor her promise to take care of them that she made to their mother before she died.  Unfortunately, her efforts have kept the girls pretty secluded, and inadvertently drawn more attention than they've avoided.  When Cate finds out that they may also be the fulfillment of a scary prophesy, her decisions become even more important.

Aside from cool witchy powers, this book explores the decisions we all make on a daily basis without questioning or thinking about them, and how those decisions are often influenced by the needs of others around us.  This is an excellent depiction of how sometimes what we want isn't the right decision for the people we care about, no matter how hard we try to make it so.  The conflict was incredibly realistic, and completely drew me in til the very last page.  I cannot wait for the next book!