minty's review against another edition
2.0
Yet another first book in a series where it feels like a LONG first chapter of a book. Wish there were more PLOT. However, nice job setting the stage and creating the world, with characters that weren't super annoying.
lynseyisreading's review against another edition
4.0
Deadpan: Oh, look. Here I am reviewing a YA Historical Fantasy book. I hardly ever do that.
Actually, just to totally throw you with a drastic change to my routine, BORN WICKED would probably be more accurately described as a Historical Paranormal, which is totally different—shut up—rather than the usual Swords & Sorcery fantasy fare that I love so well. Featuring witches, young love and a coming-of-age story, it's a slow-burner with the emphasis on the characters and their internal conflicts, more than any great showy magical abilities. A quiet, understated read with a fairly prim and proper heroine, it won't be for everyone for that reason. But for those who persevere past the slow beginning, there is a payoff to be found.
Cate Cahill, the main character, is the eldest of three sisters (witches all), who lost her mother a few years back and is now facing the prospect of, a) suddenly becoming the matriarch of the family at only 16 and having to care for her younger—and much more reckless—sisters, b) reaching the age where, in Spotswood's alternate England, she has only about six months left to choose a husband or one will be appointed to her by the Brotherhood (think zealous pseudo-priests who preach anti-magic propaganda and have become the governing body in charge of, well, everyone), and c) having to hide her magic and that of her sisters for fear of being caught by said Brotherhood, in which case she/they would be taken away, likely never to be heard from again.
So, all together, a lot to take onto young shoulders. Add to that the reappearance of a former childhood crush, and the most surprising romantic about turn, and you've got one confused young lady. Add to that the discovery of her mother's old journal, and it's a pivotal time in Cate's life, to say the very least.
BORN WICKED is one of those quiet and sneaky little stealth ninja books. You know the kind that creep up on you unsuspectingly, and you don't quite realize just how much you've been enjoying it until it suddenly STOPS? With, I might add, one motherclucking doozy of a cliffhangery ending. And then you find yourself having to curtail a temper tantrum the likes of which the world has never seen over a book that started out so unassumingly you were barely paying attention.
Okay, that last part may be an exaggeration—I have three kids, I've seen some pretty cataclysmic temper tantrums. And in the grand scheme of things, I've read worse cliffhangers, too. (The Cliffhanger-Cliffhanger double whammy from the end of Dreamfever will probably forever been the mothercluckingest of them all. The cliffhanger against which all future cliffhangers are measured and found lacking). But, I digress. And either way, it really was a "wicked" (Heh, see what I did there?) place to end things for Cate. Especially since it was such a slow starter. I felt like I'd only just got invested fully in her as a character, then poof! Finito.
Leave 'em wanting more? Maybe that works, I don't know. What I do know is instead of rushing off to Amazon to buy book two, I sort of went, "Harumph! Stoopid cliffhangers! *grumble, grumble, grumble*" and slunk off with a superior, disinterested look on my face that only one of my two cats could outdo.
Sooooo.... does that mean I'll be reading book two or not? *Sigh* Yes. Yes I probably will. Okay, so you got me, the cliffhanger ploy worked, I admit it. Happy? I was just trying to convince myself it didn't so I wouldn't look so pathetically and tragically weak, okay? Doesn't mean I have to like it, though! And I did really like the love interest she ended up with and I do really need to see her turn those Brotherhood muppets into toads or something, so yes. Star Cursed... here I come.
4 Stars ★★★★
Actually, just to totally throw you with a drastic change to my routine, BORN WICKED would probably be more accurately described as a Historical Paranormal, which is totally different—shut up—rather than the usual Swords & Sorcery fantasy fare that I love so well. Featuring witches, young love and a coming-of-age story, it's a slow-burner with the emphasis on the characters and their internal conflicts, more than any great showy magical abilities. A quiet, understated read with a fairly prim and proper heroine, it won't be for everyone for that reason. But for those who persevere past the slow beginning, there is a payoff to be found.
Cate Cahill, the main character, is the eldest of three sisters (witches all), who lost her mother a few years back and is now facing the prospect of, a) suddenly becoming the matriarch of the family at only 16 and having to care for her younger—and much more reckless—sisters, b) reaching the age where, in Spotswood's alternate England, she has only about six months left to choose a husband or one will be appointed to her by the Brotherhood (think zealous pseudo-priests who preach anti-magic propaganda and have become the governing body in charge of, well, everyone), and c) having to hide her magic and that of her sisters for fear of being caught by said Brotherhood, in which case she/they would be taken away, likely never to be heard from again.
So, all together, a lot to take onto young shoulders. Add to that the reappearance of a former childhood crush, and the most surprising romantic about turn, and you've got one confused young lady. Add to that the discovery of her mother's old journal, and it's a pivotal time in Cate's life, to say the very least.
BORN WICKED is one of those quiet and sneaky little stealth ninja books. You know the kind that creep up on you unsuspectingly, and you don't quite realize just how much you've been enjoying it until it suddenly STOPS? With, I might add, one motherclucking doozy of a cliffhangery ending. And then you find yourself having to curtail a temper tantrum the likes of which the world has never seen over a book that started out so unassumingly you were barely paying attention.
Okay, that last part may be an exaggeration—I have three kids, I've seen some pretty cataclysmic temper tantrums. And in the grand scheme of things, I've read worse cliffhangers, too. (The Cliffhanger-Cliffhanger double whammy from the end of Dreamfever will probably forever been the mothercluckingest of them all. The cliffhanger against which all future cliffhangers are measured and found lacking). But, I digress. And either way, it really was a "wicked" (Heh, see what I did there?) place to end things for Cate. Especially since it was such a slow starter. I felt like I'd only just got invested fully in her as a character, then poof! Finito.
Leave 'em wanting more? Maybe that works, I don't know. What I do know is instead of rushing off to Amazon to buy book two, I sort of went, "Harumph! Stoopid cliffhangers! *grumble, grumble, grumble*" and slunk off with a superior, disinterested look on my face that only one of my two cats could outdo.
Sooooo.... does that mean I'll be reading book two or not? *Sigh* Yes. Yes I probably will. Okay, so you got me, the cliffhanger ploy worked, I admit it. Happy? I was just trying to convince myself it didn't so I wouldn't look so pathetically and tragically weak, okay? Doesn't mean I have to like it, though! And I did really like the love interest she ended up with and I do really need to see her turn those Brotherhood muppets into toads or something, so yes. Star Cursed... here I come.
4 Stars ★★★★
edelm's review against another edition
3.0
More reviews can be found on my blog HERE.
Yet again, this is another book I have chosen because of it's popularity in the booksphere. I was particularly excited for this one, not only because I had been wanting to read a witch book for awhile, but also because of the time period it is set in. I am a huge fan of historical fiction and this book is an alternate history story. This story is set in the late 1800s, nearing the start of the early twentieth century. Putting it in context with our real history this book would be set in a time soon after the Salem witch trials as Cate states that in her grandmother's time witches were burned at the stake. As I had wanted to read a book about witches and magic for so long I had high expectations for this one, which were unfortunately not met.
The aspect that disappointed me the most in this story was, in fact, the magic, or should I say the lack of magic. For a story about witches this book has very little actual magic in it, apart from a scene near the end of the book. I would even describe the magic as quite boring - the most interesting thing to happen being a garden blooming to life or Cate moving an object through the air with difficulty. There is also very little explanation behind the magic and it appears that only women have these gifts.
So, the magic wasn't the main attribute focused on in this story, what was?...The romance (I know right, shocking!). When I picked up this book I wanted to read a book full of witchy goodness not a book about a love triangle, which happened to be the most boring "love story" I had ever read. I was not particularly enamoured with either of the love interests, one of them was purposefully made out to be a little bit sketchy and just plain boring, while the other was made out to be the nicest guy you have ever read about but again, boring.
The plot was incredibly predictable which isn't the worst thing when reading YA fiction. However, the lack of originality was the problem for me. It followed the usual plot of YA stories: female protagonist must fight against the oppressive system in order to save those she cares about. Parents are MIA, mother is dead and father is always away. The main character is involved in a love triangle, and ultimately cannot be with the one she loves because of the oppressive society she lives in and so we wait to find out what happens in the next two books to resolve this. OK, I loved Delirium and it followed a similar plot line to this, along with several other books I have enjoyed but there has always been some saving grace, such as the characters or the world-building, that has redeemed the book in my eyes. The characters in this book did not do that for me.
The three sisters are each stereotyped into one role that they play throughout the novel, leaving absolutely no room for character growth which is something I love to read about. Tess, the youngest, is the genius of the family, who is good at, literally, everything. Not only is she the most intelligent, musically gifted and the best at magic, she is also able to read people and understand their true intentions. Then we have the middle sister Maura, and being the middle sister she, of course, is the rebellious one. She is a character who is impossible to like because she causes most of the problems in the story and she is a complete and utter spoiled brat. Finally, we have Cate, the eldest, so naturally she plays the protective older sister role. She is your typical YA female protagonist who does not understand how beautiful/talented she really is. She puts everyone else in front of herself, and is the martyr of the story.
Now, before I bash this story altogether (which was not my intention but I tend to go off on rants), there was one aspect to this book that I did enjoy and that was the issue that was tackled. I love when a book, especially in YA because I feel it is quite rare, tackles serious issues. This book deals with the issues of inequality between men and women. This story is set in a time where (in real history) women lived in a patriarchal society; the women were completely controlled by men and their place was seen to be in the home. At the time the main objective of a woman was to find a husband and to be a good wife and mother. These are all aspects that feature in this story. Cate's impending intention ceremony is one such example. Cate must either have a marriage proposal or chose the Sisterhood (basically similar to the nuns) before her seventeenth birthday or the Brotherhood will chose a husband for her. Women are not allowed to run businesses and are looked upon unfavorably if they do, e.g. Finn's mother. The fear men had of women is excellently portrayed in the book. Not only were the Brotherhood afraid of the real witches they also feared women who didn't rely on men, such as women who had relationships with other women, women who ran their own business' and woman who acted too mush like men "aping" their clothing and what not. Women who "refused to submit to man's authority" were punished (quote from Maura on p.38, line 20-23). Another interesting aspect was how Spotswood refers to the Arab women as the free women of society, allowed to run businesses and wear trousers, a clear role reversal as strict Muslim women do not run business nor wear trousers and must cover up from head to toe.
While I did not love the story, and found the plot and characters unoriginal I loved the discussion on the role of women in this story and that is why I give this book a rating of 3 stars.
Yet again, this is another book I have chosen because of it's popularity in the booksphere. I was particularly excited for this one, not only because I had been wanting to read a witch book for awhile, but also because of the time period it is set in. I am a huge fan of historical fiction and this book is an alternate history story. This story is set in the late 1800s, nearing the start of the early twentieth century. Putting it in context with our real history this book would be set in a time soon after the Salem witch trials as Cate states that in her grandmother's time witches were burned at the stake. As I had wanted to read a book about witches and magic for so long I had high expectations for this one, which were unfortunately not met.
The aspect that disappointed me the most in this story was, in fact, the magic, or should I say the lack of magic. For a story about witches this book has very little actual magic in it, apart from a scene near the end of the book. I would even describe the magic as quite boring - the most interesting thing to happen being a garden blooming to life or Cate moving an object through the air with difficulty. There is also very little explanation behind the magic and it appears that only women have these gifts.
So, the magic wasn't the main attribute focused on in this story, what was?...The romance (I know right, shocking!). When I picked up this book I wanted to read a book full of witchy goodness not a book about a love triangle, which happened to be the most boring "love story" I had ever read. I was not particularly enamoured with either of the love interests, one of them was purposefully made out to be a little bit sketchy and just plain boring, while the other was made out to be the nicest guy you have ever read about but again, boring.
The plot was incredibly predictable which isn't the worst thing when reading YA fiction. However, the lack of originality was the problem for me. It followed the usual plot of YA stories: female protagonist must fight against the oppressive system in order to save those she cares about. Parents are MIA, mother is dead and father is always away. The main character is involved in a love triangle, and ultimately cannot be with the one she loves because of the oppressive society she lives in and so we wait to find out what happens in the next two books to resolve this. OK, I loved Delirium and it followed a similar plot line to this, along with several other books I have enjoyed but there has always been some saving grace, such as the characters or the world-building, that has redeemed the book in my eyes. The characters in this book did not do that for me.
The three sisters are each stereotyped into one role that they play throughout the novel, leaving absolutely no room for character growth which is something I love to read about. Tess, the youngest, is the genius of the family, who is good at, literally, everything. Not only is she the most intelligent, musically gifted and the best at magic, she is also able to read people and understand their true intentions. Then we have the middle sister Maura, and being the middle sister she, of course, is the rebellious one. She is a character who is impossible to like because she causes most of the problems in the story and she is a complete and utter spoiled brat. Finally, we have Cate, the eldest, so naturally she plays the protective older sister role. She is your typical YA female protagonist who does not understand how beautiful/talented she really is. She puts everyone else in front of herself, and is the martyr of the story.
Now, before I bash this story altogether (which was not my intention but I tend to go off on rants), there was one aspect to this book that I did enjoy and that was the issue that was tackled. I love when a book, especially in YA because I feel it is quite rare, tackles serious issues. This book deals with the issues of inequality between men and women. This story is set in a time where (in real history) women lived in a patriarchal society; the women were completely controlled by men and their place was seen to be in the home. At the time the main objective of a woman was to find a husband and to be a good wife and mother. These are all aspects that feature in this story. Cate's impending intention ceremony is one such example. Cate must either have a marriage proposal or chose the Sisterhood (basically similar to the nuns) before her seventeenth birthday or the Brotherhood will chose a husband for her. Women are not allowed to run businesses and are looked upon unfavorably if they do, e.g. Finn's mother. The fear men had of women is excellently portrayed in the book. Not only were the Brotherhood afraid of the real witches they also feared women who didn't rely on men, such as women who had relationships with other women, women who ran their own business' and woman who acted too mush like men "aping" their clothing and what not. Women who "refused to submit to man's authority" were punished (quote from Maura on p.38, line 20-23). Another interesting aspect was how Spotswood refers to the Arab women as the free women of society, allowed to run businesses and wear trousers, a clear role reversal as strict Muslim women do not run business nor wear trousers and must cover up from head to toe.
While I did not love the story, and found the plot and characters unoriginal I loved the discussion on the role of women in this story and that is why I give this book a rating of 3 stars.
erinarkin20's review against another edition
5.0
How am I going to wait for the next book.... I loved this story.
All of the characters were well written (the good and the bad). The author made me feel the conflict within Cate.....does she protect her sisters or be with the man she loves..such a hard decision. I have no words for Finn, I love him as a character. Protective, smart, handsome....just love him.
I am sad Cate wasn't given the opportunity to talk to Finn when she left and we also didn't get to see how Paul reacts (outside of a jaw clench). I am seriously waiting anxiously to see where the next book picks up and how the story progresses..I have so many questions yet to be answered (Where is Zara, what about the prophecy, how can she stand to leave Finn...Ahhh).
Read this book...really, go do it now.
All of the characters were well written (the good and the bad). The author made me feel the conflict within Cate.....does she protect her sisters or be with the man she loves..such a hard decision. I have no words for Finn, I love him as a character. Protective, smart, handsome....just love him.
I am sad Cate wasn't given the opportunity to talk to Finn when she left and we also didn't get to see how Paul reacts (outside of a jaw clench). I am seriously waiting anxiously to see where the next book picks up and how the story progresses..I have so many questions yet to be answered (Where is Zara, what about the prophecy, how can she stand to leave Finn...Ahhh).
Read this book...really, go do it now.
erinarkin20's review against another edition
5.0
Love, love, love this series and the audio just reminded me why. Now I need to revisit the next book!
erinarkin20's review against another edition
5.0
I love this series and am so sad that I can't just jump into the audio of book 2 right away....I need more. When will this happen??
sunnydee's review against another edition
5.0
Kurz-Meinung:
Sowohl inhaltlich als auch vom Schreibstil her hat mir das Buch sehr gut gefallen. Es geht hier um drei Schwestern, die Hexen sind, dies aber verstecken müssen. Es gibt die Bruderschaft, die Hexen jagt. Cate, die Protagonistin, ist die älteste der drei Schwestern und fühlt sich seit dem Tod ihrer Mutter verantwortlich für ihre Schwestern. Die Beziehung zwischen den Schwestern wirkt sehr echt. Wie die meisten Teenager sind sie sich nicht immer grün aber wenn es darauf ankommt, halten sie zusammen. Cate muss sich bald dafür entscheiden, entweder zu heiraten oder der Schwesternschaft beizutreten. Cate ist schon lange Paul, ihrem Jugendfreund, versprochen, aber dieser war einige Jahre weg und so richtig wollen von Cates Seite aus keine echten romantischen Gefühle entstehen. Dafür schlägt ihr Herz bei einem anderen Kandidaten höher. Der ist aber kein standesgemäßer Partner für Cate. Auch das alles wirkte sehr natürlich und nicht kitschig.
Die Charaktere waren sympathisch und ich fühlte sowohl bei den positiven als auch bei den negativen Emotionen mit.
Das Hörbuch hat mir wirklich ausgesprochen gut gefallen, lediglich das Ende war so gar nicht mein Fall und ein Cliffhanger. Ich habe mir die Kurzbeschreibungen der Folgebände durchgelesen und fürchte, dass es sich doch eher in eine Richtung entwickelt, die mir nicht so liegt. Daher denke ich wohl, dass ich die Reihe hiermit beenden werde.
Meine Wertung:
4,6 von 5 Sternen
Sowohl inhaltlich als auch vom Schreibstil her hat mir das Buch sehr gut gefallen. Es geht hier um drei Schwestern, die Hexen sind, dies aber verstecken müssen. Es gibt die Bruderschaft, die Hexen jagt. Cate, die Protagonistin, ist die älteste der drei Schwestern und fühlt sich seit dem Tod ihrer Mutter verantwortlich für ihre Schwestern. Die Beziehung zwischen den Schwestern wirkt sehr echt. Wie die meisten Teenager sind sie sich nicht immer grün aber wenn es darauf ankommt, halten sie zusammen. Cate muss sich bald dafür entscheiden, entweder zu heiraten oder der Schwesternschaft beizutreten. Cate ist schon lange Paul, ihrem Jugendfreund, versprochen, aber dieser war einige Jahre weg und so richtig wollen von Cates Seite aus keine echten romantischen Gefühle entstehen. Dafür schlägt ihr Herz bei einem anderen Kandidaten höher. Der ist aber kein standesgemäßer Partner für Cate. Auch das alles wirkte sehr natürlich und nicht kitschig.
Die Charaktere waren sympathisch und ich fühlte sowohl bei den positiven als auch bei den negativen Emotionen mit.
Das Hörbuch hat mir wirklich ausgesprochen gut gefallen, lediglich das Ende war so gar nicht mein Fall und ein Cliffhanger. Ich habe mir die Kurzbeschreibungen der Folgebände durchgelesen und fürchte, dass es sich doch eher in eine Richtung entwickelt, die mir nicht so liegt. Daher denke ich wohl, dass ich die Reihe hiermit beenden werde.
Meine Wertung:
4,6 von 5 Sternen
joliendelandsheer's review against another edition
4.0
I love books about witches and Born Wicked is not an exception. it may have gone a little bit slower than other books, but it didn't bother me at all. the characters were great, although I wanted to slap some of them frequently (which also often happens with books and horror movies). I will definitely read the sequel as soon as possible! :)
laurajnelson's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lexieb's review against another edition
3.0
Let me start off by saying this was not what I expected.
When I saw the premise of a novel set in the late 1800s, centered around witches, I expected it to be something ala the Gemma Doyle trilogy--set in a normal historical backdrop, with a fantasy element. That does not describe Born Wicked. Quite frankly? Born Wicked is a dystopian, all the way, from the conglomerate countries that have taken over various parts of the world to the oppressive regime and secret rebels. This was a dystopian with old speak and habits.
And as a dystopian, it was lacking in several areas. The world-building was scarce. Most of it is summed up in a few vague sentences. We get very little information about the rest of the world, or even about Cate's New England. I had a very blurry understanding of the setting, and that made it difficult to really place these events or put them in some sort of context.
Also, there was a simple lack of believability. In this novel, girls are treated like total scum. In fact, the Brotherhood's teachings center around just how awful and wicked girls inherently are, and how they must learn to be idiotic, docile creatures. Forget preaching about Heaven and Hell, charity, divine figures, belief in the Lord! All they preach about, all the time, is the wickedness of females. Girls are considered useless, foolish, and idiotic. They must either be engaged by their 17th birthday or declare their intentions to join the Sisterhood. They are meant to look pretty and sit around, holding teas and gossiping. If they act in any way that could be deemed scandalous--say, doing something other than looking pretty and gossiping--they can be convicted and sent to a mental institution or a prison ship.
And even aside from their awful treatment of the female gender, the Brotherhood restricts society as a whole; they've closed the borders, censored books, controlled the post.
But despite all of this, not once, in the past 100+ years, has their been any previous resistance. None. At least not anything the author found noteworthy. And I simply didn't find that realistic at all. The fact that no one, in over a century, had staged a rebellion against this cruel, controlling regime? I simply couldn't buy it.
Also, I was disappointed in the portrayal of the Sisterhood. In novels where there's a group trying to rise against the restrictive government, I do like when the rebellious group is portrayed as more than just the wonderful saviors. I think it's important to remember that it's not a black-and-white portrait, that there are many, many shades of gray. Except . . . with the Brotherhood and the Sisterhood, it came off as more of a black-and-black, with Cate and those close to her being the only white in sight. That was a bit of a letdown, because I think a more complex group would've been more realistic, and provided more of a moral conflict.
However, despite what it may sound like, I didn't really dislike this novel. I quite enjoyed the writing style, despite the occasional hiccup. It seemed suited to the supposed time period, and had moments of real loveliness.
I also liked the characters, for the most part. While I wish the antagonists of the novel had been given some more depth, for the most part, the characters were interesting, flawed, and fun to read about. While Cate did irritate me at times, I admired her spirit and her loyalty, and while at times I wanted to fault her for her selfish choices, I couldn't; because, honestly? In her place, I can't say I'd have done any differently. I enjoyed reading through her perspective, and I liked that her relationships with her sisters played such a crucial role in the plot.
The plot itself . . . was slow. Not much really happened until late in the novel, but despite that, it didn't really bore me. It was entertaining, even if it was fairly predictable and relied on the age-old plot device of a discovered diary. The romance was surprisingly enjoyable, despite featuring a love triangle; it really wasn't much of a triangle at all, since there's only one person Cate really has feelings for, and I quite liked him. Finn was sweet and adorable and he reads. That's a keeper, Cate. That's a keeper.
While I had many critiques for this novel, when it comes down to it, this was a fun read. It kept me interested from beginning to end, and I'm curious to see where the next novels will take us. I would recommend it to fans of the dystopian genre, or to any who just really, really adore a man who reads.
3 stars.
When I saw the premise of a novel set in the late 1800s, centered around witches, I expected it to be something ala the Gemma Doyle trilogy--set in a normal historical backdrop, with a fantasy element. That does not describe Born Wicked. Quite frankly? Born Wicked is a dystopian, all the way, from the conglomerate countries that have taken over various parts of the world to the oppressive regime and secret rebels. This was a dystopian with old speak and habits.
And as a dystopian, it was lacking in several areas. The world-building was scarce. Most of it is summed up in a few vague sentences. We get very little information about the rest of the world, or even about Cate's New England. I had a very blurry understanding of the setting, and that made it difficult to really place these events or put them in some sort of context.
Also, there was a simple lack of believability. In this novel, girls are treated like total scum. In fact, the Brotherhood's teachings center around just how awful and wicked girls inherently are, and how they must learn to be idiotic, docile creatures. Forget preaching about Heaven and Hell, charity, divine figures, belief in the Lord! All they preach about, all the time, is the wickedness of females. Girls are considered useless, foolish, and idiotic. They must either be engaged by their 17th birthday or declare their intentions to join the Sisterhood. They are meant to look pretty and sit around, holding teas and gossiping. If they act in any way that could be deemed scandalous--say, doing something other than looking pretty and gossiping--they can be convicted and sent to a mental institution or a prison ship.
And even aside from their awful treatment of the female gender, the Brotherhood restricts society as a whole; they've closed the borders, censored books, controlled the post.
But despite all of this, not once, in the past 100+ years, has their been any previous resistance. None. At least not anything the author found noteworthy. And I simply didn't find that realistic at all. The fact that no one, in over a century, had staged a rebellion against this cruel, controlling regime? I simply couldn't buy it.
Also, I was disappointed in the portrayal of the Sisterhood. In novels where there's a group trying to rise against the restrictive government, I do like when the rebellious group is portrayed as more than just the wonderful saviors. I think it's important to remember that it's not a black-and-white portrait, that there are many, many shades of gray. Except . . . with the Brotherhood and the Sisterhood, it came off as more of a black-and-black, with Cate and those close to her being the only white in sight. That was a bit of a letdown, because I think a more complex group would've been more realistic, and provided more of a moral conflict.
However, despite what it may sound like, I didn't really dislike this novel. I quite enjoyed the writing style, despite the occasional hiccup. It seemed suited to the supposed time period, and had moments of real loveliness.
I also liked the characters, for the most part. While I wish the antagonists of the novel had been given some more depth, for the most part, the characters were interesting, flawed, and fun to read about. While Cate did irritate me at times, I admired her spirit and her loyalty, and while at times I wanted to fault her for her selfish choices, I couldn't; because, honestly? In her place, I can't say I'd have done any differently. I enjoyed reading through her perspective, and I liked that her relationships with her sisters played such a crucial role in the plot.
The plot itself . . . was slow. Not much really happened until late in the novel, but despite that, it didn't really bore me. It was entertaining, even if it was fairly predictable and relied on the age-old plot device of a discovered diary. The romance was surprisingly enjoyable, despite featuring a love triangle; it really wasn't much of a triangle at all, since there's only one person Cate really has feelings for, and I quite liked him. Finn was sweet and adorable and he reads. That's a keeper, Cate. That's a keeper.
While I had many critiques for this novel, when it comes down to it, this was a fun read. It kept me interested from beginning to end, and I'm curious to see where the next novels will take us. I would recommend it to fans of the dystopian genre, or to any who just really, really adore a man who reads.
3 stars.