Audiobook Review: Born Wicked

Born Wicked (Cahill Witch Chronicles, 1) by Jessica Spotswood, read by Nicole Sudhaus, February 7, 2012. Time: 8 Hr. 55 Min. Source: Publisher.

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.

First Sentence:

Our mother was a witch, too, but she hid it better. 

Story

Born wicked was one of those books that you think will be awesome, but are afraid to actually give it a chance. In my case, I wanted to read or listen to it-because it sounded interesting- but was afraid that I wouldn't like it. I ended up loving it.

Ms spotswood's writing and the way the story unravels with more layers then one first expected is what makes Born Wicked such a fascinating read. I also enjoyed how the more you found out about the world, as well, as the how and why of the way things were. It was definitely nice the way she slowly unveiled the story behind the fall of the witches and the uprising of the brotherhood and how it affects Cate and her sisters.
The one thing I am most looking forward to in the next book is finding out is more on what makes the Cahill girls so special and how the end of Born Wicked will play into the next book.

Cate was definitely a likeable character because she had the dubious honour of trying to keep her sisters from catching the eye of the brotherhood, while still trying to figure out just what she wanted. even though at times she annoyed me with her lack of direction and indecisiveness, I still found her to be a capable character who slowly came into her own as the book progressed.
Moura, was the most infuriating character in the entire book.
Finn is the one character that I felt got the short end of the stick in this book and by the time I finsihed listening to it, I just wanted to give the poor dude a hug.

What I liked the most about Born Wicked would have to be the interaction between Cate and her sisters. I thought that Ms. Spotswood did brilliant job depicting the ups and downs of a relationship between sisters, especially when the sisters were at their worst. There are not many authors that can write a convincing clashing of the wills between sisters, yet Ms. Spotswood does exactly that with the friction between Cate and Maura over their future.

The only thing I did not like about Born Wicked would have to be the Brotherhood. Goodness, they were tyrannical, power hungry fiends. The thing that made me dislike them so-other than that they are evil- is that they were totally subscribed to the whole double-standard and how the girls were not allowed to do something while they themselves could, as well, as the fact that they then turned around and used that as motive to get rid of certain problems. So, while I may not have liked how they acted, it is definitely one of things that makes this such a great read. The Brotherhood was a good/bad thing in the book because they made an excellent antagonist for the characters.

Narration

The Narrator, Nicole Sudhaus, did an excellent job of narrating Born Wicked. I loved how she seemed to capture Cate's voice and personality so easily. This was one of the rare times were the reading was so spot on, that I was pulled into the story in the first track of the book.

What really sold me on Ms Sudhaus' reading would have to be the scenes of drama between Cate and one of her sisters. I thought she did really well when it came to voicing their argument with each other.

While I found Ms. Sudhaus' reading to pretty much impeccable, I do feel that she kind of missed the mark when it came to the occasional male voice. Generally, I don't enjoy listening to narrators trying to do the opposite sex (some times it just does not work for me).

Final Verdict: Born Wicked was a refreshing tale with new twist on historical book about witches.

Born Wicked earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.