Born Wicked, by Jessica Spotswood

(4.5/5 stars)
(Probably my favorite cover of 2013- look at this beauty!)

Ugh, I need this sequel like I need air! But like really, it was that good. It reminded me a lot of Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series (one of my all time favorite series) in all the best ways and right now, I find myself making annoying grabby hands towards anything or anyone who can provide me with Star Cursed. I've reached a new low, kiddos. The end made me gasp out loud (ask my roommates and they can attest to that), and I thoroughly appreciate the reason for that. Anyway, I got the opportunity to meet Jessica at the Nimrod Conference for Readers and Writers in October, so that's where I first picked up Born Wicked. Jessica is absolutely awesome and she gave a really great talk on relationships in YA Fiction. In short, she said that writers should aspire to write healthy relationships since so many people are influenced by what they read, and that love triangles aren't necessarily an evil thing because they can be done right and tastefully (more on that later).

What I liked: I loved the story, there was something absolutely captivating about it. The world that Jessica creates is reminiscent to other witch stories but it still manages to be original and stand out. The characters are well done and believable, and I adore Finn (the bookkeeper's son, obviously he was going to win my love). Now, on to the love triangle. Yes, there is a small love triangle in Born Wicked, but it really boils down to what path Cate wants to choose for her future. She's not choosing a boy, necessarily, she's choosing who she wants to be and what life she wants for herself. And the boy she does choose in the end, respects her as a person and loves her for her flaws.

What I didn't like: Okay, so for the first part of the book, I had a really hard time placing everything geographically and into a specific time period. It doesn't take away from the story or anything so I wasn't horribly bothered by it and got over it quickly. I also didn't like how Cate continued to believe the Brother's opinion about women and magic for most of the book (but at the end she realizes what's really going on), but I feel like all of that is going to be super huge in the next two books. There's a revolution coming and I hope the Brothers are taken down!

So now I'm really looking forward to reading the next two books in the series (here's looking at you mom, Keeper of the Christmas List) and I think you should all run out and read this book as soon as humanly possible. You won't be disappointed.

-Annie