Author: Jessica Spotswood
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Published: 2. 7. 12.
Pages: 330
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Summary: 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.

My Thoughts: There are no words to describe what I'm feeling right now after finishing this book. Well, there are but some are a bit trashy. Let me try to break this down a little more, so it's not so blunt.

Right After Finishing:
WHAT A HORRIBLE WAY TO END THE BOOK!!
WOW THAT STORY WAS INTRIGUING!
HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!
FINN!! *swoony face*
GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!
AAAAAAGH.

Where to begin? I was really drawn to the subject of this story. Witch sisters in a historical setting. I Loved Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle and so I was really excited for this one. I was happy with what I read and it hooked me but I was also disappointed in some ways. I'm not even sure how to say everything I want to say here. So I'll break this down into two parts. Spoiler Free, and Spoiler Full.

Spoiler Free Review(if you haven't read the  book):
Ever since the beautiful cover and premise caught my eye I have wanted to read this. And I honestly wasn't to disappointed. I enjoyed Cate's story. A lot was going wrong for her and for the most part she felt with it pretty well. But I'm going to point out that hs'es really indecisive. She seemed to keep coming to the realization that shed needed to so something, but she never did and it got worse. This happens a few times. That was one of the character flaws I found.

I felt like the Historical Setting for this book was good and nice but I also felt like it took me a while to gauge where they were. I did figure it out, but maybe I was just slow. Jessica's writing was also good. I felt like it was smooth and well done but beside that point there were times that I felt were rushed and so I was confuzzled a bit.

I would have liked more magic and more Tess but was happy with that I got. Though, speaking of the magic it wasn't as big as I thought it would be. Most of the book was dealing around not doing magic and the romance aspect. Speaking of Romance...



 Finn was fantastic. Cate did not deserve him. And she totally didn't realize what she had. That's why he's mine. I liked him even better than Cate herself. He had the most depth of everyone! He wasn't one of those cases where it's Love At First Hot Guy. Or whatever. I really wanted to get to know him better. So yes I approve of Finn. Yay Jessica! Good boy there. I'm not sure what else I can say with out spoiling a lot. The story was interesting I enjoyed it. THE COVER IS GORGEOUS. I dare you to say otherwise.

I liked the tension. But the buildup didn't seem to be as big as could be. I didn't feel the tension of the problem was a serious. I want to know what happens to the sisters, but honestly I'm so shocked by the ending I have to find out more. I'll give you one hint: It's dealing with Finn. So yes. Finn is the driving power for me.

Honestly though, it was good and I'd probably still recommend it. Despite all the itty-bitty plot points I pick out. It's just my writing side driving me nuts.

So if you've read the book, read on for my spoiler review.

Spoiler Full Review(if you have read the book):

So it starts out with our MC Cate wishing her mom was here. Because she and her sisters have a secret. They're witches. No one else knows this and it's getting harder to hide. Throughout this book it's a struggle to hide. New feelings and developments happen and things slip. But Cate is always worrying and trying to contain her sisters. And she's told over and over again how I could do this and given options but Cate has a little bit of the "I-Can-Do-It-All-Myself." And sometimes that gets aggravating. She's described as an independent character but seriously? Sometimes she didn't even TAKE action. There were some moments but that's not the word I would normally choose to describe a character like her.

K, let's take the Prophecy and all things witch related. I felt like a lot of it was in the shadows and didn't get answered by the end of the book. and the magic wasn't even as developed. The book is about witches so give us the Witches baby! Yes, it's true that in the setting, witches are a bad thing, but we need more to happen. When the prophecy is finally discovered this is a worry that Cate and her sisters Maura and Tess might be the ones. Then Cate never does anything but worry. She needs to FIGURE IT OUT! Everyone keeps saying they probably are and things keep changing and stuff but it's never definite and not definite sets are taken to protect her sisters. I don't feel like anything happened on that level. COME ON. Give us more.

Maura and Tess were actually really good side characters. Tess is my favorite. After Finn. I want to find out more about her since there were definetly some things left unanswered the most with her. Maura was all emotion. I understood where it all came from. Cate did have that over-protective-aspect-so-I-don't-notice-my-sisters-and-what's-right-in-front-of-me. That was something she had to over come but I felt that a lot of it was sudden. One thing that bugged me in relationship to her sisters was that she doesn't want her sisters to do magic and keep it col, because of the prophecy. She tells them not to and stuff but they don't listen. Partly because she never tells them WHY. Gosh. They should know! They might actually obey or listen to you. It didn't help your relationships at all by not.

Because of this over-protectiveness that Cate has with her sisters it was apart of most of her decisions. Make some yourself Cate. Think about what you want. I want to get to know you better than just some over-protective sister. So when she totally goes against her intended decisions and bases it off part of a end-of-thebok threat it drove me NUTS.

I think I'm done screaming about what I didn't like. It sounds like a lot, but I will honestly say that I did really enjoy read this. I did keep me hooked late at night wanting to see how it ended. I really ready for book two now to see what all HAPPENS with this plot and how things work out for FINN. Poor guy.

Content: Mild-Moderate
(There is a smattering of Deity references throughout and a few instances of "D-word". In the beginning there are references to witches in the past being homosexual. This is not an issue until the very end when we find out that Maura who didn't have anyone, developed this "love" for the governess and ends up kissing her. I didn't need that. It might be just me but it's seriously annoys me when these things are sprung on you at the end of a book. Also, Cate wondered slightly what Finn looked like Naked and what it would be liked married and sharing Finns, and in another instance, Pauls bed. Some kissing with a little heat. Mentions hands on arms, chest, back, hip and hair)





This review is 100% from Inky's brain, and use of this review without consent is prohibited.