330 pages
urban fantasy, paranormal romance
Started 6/18/12
Finished 6/20/12
4 STARS
I got Born Wicked and four other books from the library at the same time. I was undecided as to which one to read first, so I asked my 6-year-old daughter to pick for me. She picked this book (because the girl on the cover was really pretty). It would seem my girl is sucked in by beautiful covers, just like her mom. But, in this case, it really would be ok to judge a book by its cover. Born Wicked was a nice surprise. I thought it was a modern witch tale. I was wrong.
Cate and her three sisters are without their mother, and their father works all the time. They are three young witches that live in a society in which being a witch will get you killed. So, they practice in secret when they can and put on a facade for everyone else. Cate is nearly of age where she will be required to either choose a husband or join the Sisterhood (sort of like a nunnery, but not as strict or religious). She thinks she knows what she wants to do, but then events are put into motion that challenge their entire way of life.
I was a bit confused in the beginning as to what time period we were in. Eventually, it was mentioned that it was sometime in 1899. Although the story takes place in Maine, there are other elements that are not based in fact. It was a wonderful thing, combining the real with the fantasy. And, Spotswood does it in such a way that the lines are really blurred.
I loved the character of Cate. She's a headstrong girl of 16 desperately trying to keep her family together and safe in the face of some very real danger. Most of the time, she's the modicum of propriety, even when she's seething and screaming inside. There are times when she loses her cool, but most of the time she sucks it up and deals with her precocious littlest sister and her moody middle sister just like a woman much older than her would've.
I can't wait for the continuation of Cate's story.
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