16 February 2013

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!

12 comments:

  1. Yup, I'm with you on this. I actually dnf-ed it a while back, it was just too boring, as you said, and I had so many interesting books around. I admire you for finishing it. :)

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    1. Haha, I felt bad DNF-ing it so I kept going. I almost ending up skimming, though.

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  2. Oh man, so disappointing! I'm still going to try it out, though, but I was expecting more action and less love-triangle :( And if there is a romance, at least make it exciting enough! Bummer!

    Mel@thedailyprophecy.

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    1. I hope you like it more than I did, Mel! It was a very cliché romance between Cate and Finn. T'was awful.

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  3. Sad to hear you didn't like it because I really really liked it, but oh well, every one is entitled to their own opinions. I haven't actually read too many witch books, so I'm not sure that I could recommend anything.

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    1. I'm glad you liked it, Natalie! I know lots of other people have :)

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  4. oh my god.. I am so sad that you didn't enjoy Born Wicked. I am currently reading it and almost done with it and am enjoying it so much! I thought Cate was very selfless and i love that in a character.

    Have you tried the sweep series by cate tiernan? because i believe those are my favorite witch novels EVER

    - Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf

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    1. I'm so glad you're liking it! A lot of people have told me that they liked this one. Eh, I thought she was selfless to the point of, well, boring me to death. XD

      I have! Well, I've read the first four or five books, and that was YEARS ago. I'm going to have to pick them up and do a reread because I remember loving them!

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  5. I agree with you that it is hard to find a great YA Witch story. But I agree with Maji I just finished it and really enjoyed it. I am sorry you didn't like it. I think the way Jessica leads up it book 2 should have more magic to it. Great review and thank you for your honesty :)

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    1. I agree, there will probably be more magic in the second book. It's just a shame there wasn't a lot at the end of this one to make it go off with a bang! Thanks Kristen :)

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  6. I'm really glad to hear you say this because I got the book from the library and it took me forever to read the first few chapters so I just returned it. Glad I didn't spend more time trying to get into it!

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  7. Aw, I'm sorry this one didn't work for you! It's actually one of my favorites from last year. I agree that it's not very exciting, but I loved it anyway! There was just something about it that drew me in. :)

    Angie @ Pinkindle Reads & Reviews

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