Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
The Cahill Witch Chronicles #1
Release Date: February 7, 2013
Publisher: Puffin
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads Stars: 2
Rating: Bland

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. - Goodreads

I have yet to find a YA novel about witches that I can actually connect with. For the most part, all of the witch novels I have tried so far have been boring and have had little substance. Born Wicked in particular focusses on the romantic aspect, rather than on the sisters' actual powers, since the sisters are meant to be hiding them.


I really liked the author's take on New England. The world building was actually pretty good, and if the correct thought had been put into it, I think the Brothers going after witches could have been quite exciting. Unfortunately it fell rather flat because the main character, Cate, wasn't making any new discoveries that mattered. She wasn't doing much of anything.

The whole book was very boring. I was quite excited by the beginning because a lot of people liked this book, and I really liked the world the book was set in. If you're looking for action, then you should pass on this. I was hoping for some witchy action and some awesome magical showdowns, like Charmed, but instead this was as dull as Bonnie Bennett's (non existent) storyline in seasons two and three of TVD.

Cate was a dull main character to read about. Was she rebellious? No. Was she making an impact on people's lives, or her town? No. Was she at all interesting? No. Does she do awesome things with her powers? No. Is she a special snowflake? N-Yes! I honestly cannot think of one moment where I was rooting for Cate. All she did was whine and worry and think about boys. It was very cliché, and very grating.

There is a slight love triangle. One guy wants to propose to Cate before her time is up, but Cate likes Finn, the gardener. I didn't care for either romance because it was BORING. That's really the theme of this book. During the romantic scenes I was falling asleep. In fact, I was falling asleep throughout most of the book, but the romantic scenes were the most boring of all of them. At least there was a tiny bit of drama and world building in the other scenes.

I wouldn't recommend Born Wicked because... well, because it's dull. I won't continue reading the series, because I feel like if the first book didn't have any action then the second one won't either. And I am sorry this review isn't very in-depth. It's just I have nothing to talk about!