• Born Wicked

  • The Cahill Witch Chronicles, Book One
  • By: Jessica Spotswood
  • Narrated by: Nicole Sudhaus
  • Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (165 ratings)

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Born Wicked  By  cover art

Born Wicked

By: Jessica Spotswood
Narrated by: Nicole Sudhaus
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Publisher's summary

Blessed with a gift... cursed with a secret.

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.

©2012 Jessica Spotswood (P)2012 Penguin

Critic reviews

"A tale so captivating you don't want it to end." (Andrea Cremer, New York Times best-selling author of the Nightshade series)

"An intriguing story of witchcraft, family responsibility, and unrequited love." (Booklist)

"[T]he fate of the Cahill sisters inspires genuine dread by the time the cliffhanger ending arrives." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Born Wicked

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Good Witch Story

Would you consider the audio edition of Born Wicked to be better than the print version?

I think the audiobook really brought out the best for Born Wicked.

Any additional comments?

Born Wicked is the story of three sisters and how they deal with late 1800s-ish life after their mother, who was a witch, dies. Their mother's passing isn't something new - it happened three years ago but they're not sure how they should act in their town, which is full of witch-hunters and sentences witches to prisons and hard labor. Cate, Maura, and Tess are trying to hide what they all are - witches.

I'm not usually one for witch tales but I really, really enjoyed this book. Cate is 16 years old, the oldest of the three sisters, and while she is bossy at times I can understand her trying to fill the shoes of a motherly-role. Then there's 15 year old Maura, who suffers from the worst case of Middle Child Syndrome EVER. She's rash and bratty and thinks magic is for fun (and doesn't try to hide it). And finally baby Tess who, at only 12 years old, seems to be the strongest of them all. Cate tries her best to protect them from being revealed as witches by keeping them away from the public, but outside forces such as their nosey neighbor and a menacing new governess have different plans.

This book takes place in a time in which young girls were expected to be brought up a certain way. I was okay with the notion of the sisters having a governess who teaches them

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So Good I Went to the Library for the Next Book

This series has a second book that is not yet available in audio, sigh, but I was so addicted to the story I couldn't wait and wait to the library to get the next book. The young narrator gives life to this story and depth to the character's enchanting lives.

To enjoy this book you will need to enjoy stories of enchantment, duplicitous mystery, and a setting back in time. This is an old world tale from when witch hunts, burning, and magic ruled. Well in this story, the order of the brothers ruled with an iron clad fist. This is not a historical tale that will give light to a witches point of view in the 1800s, its fantasy brought to life in a parallel world with a similar feel to that time.

This book drew me in, hooked me, and left me yearning for so much more. You will be surprised by every twist and turn. It's too bad people can't comment on reviews, I would love to hear what everyone else thinks after they get through this amazing story.

-- Addicted both to story and narrator

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of my fave audios!

What did you like best about this story?

The killer ending!

Any additional comments?

Oh! Crap! Did that ending really just happen? What? Seriously? Now I’m extremely upset that I loaned out my copy of Star Cursed because I really want to read it…like now!

I was a little leery about starting Born Wicked because I’ve heard some pretty mixed opinions about this book. But I’m now extremely happy that I read it! And I’m now thinking that the people who had negative thoughts about this book probably didn’t end up reading the whole book because I loved it! And the ending was absolutely phenomenal! Oh, that crazy, hectic ending for sure has set the tone for the remainder of this series, and I’m thrilled. I’ll have to admit it’s a pretty big cliffhanger, but it still ended perfectly brilliantly.

The characters were all very well developed. While reading Born Wicked, I came to feel really bad for Cate (protagonist) because she was left with the burden of protecting a huge secret and taking care of her sisters at such a young age. In their world, it is very dangerous to have any magical capabilities whatsoever, and Cate and her sisters have serious magical capabilities! They’re all witches! And Cate has to try super hard to keep this fact a secret…even from their very own father!

The world that these girls live in is very disturbing and dark. It, for sure, is not a time era I would envy living in, even if I didn’t have magical capabilities.

There is a little bit of a love triangle in this one but, in my opinion, there really isn’t a competition. So I’d be shocked if Jessica Spotswood played up that love triangle in the following books.

This book was a lot of fun to read. If you like witches in a world of historical fiction, you’ll for sure love this book. And those of you who never finished this book, you need to pick it back up!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • A.
  • 12-03-12

The Handmaid's Tale Meets Mists of Avalon

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Already did recommend it to my friend. She and I are both Richelle Mead fans. I think anyone who enjoyed the Dark Swan and Vampire Academy series will love the Cahill Witch Chronicles.

What did you like best about this story?

It was honestly brilliant. It had all the courtly intrigue and marital entrapment of a Jane Austin story, the magic and ritual of Mists of Avalon and the speculative fiction and societal mirroring of Margaret Attwood's The Handmaid's Tale. It is beautifully written . It has been over a week since I finished listening and my mind is still reeling, wondering what will happen next.

What about Nicole Sudhaus’s performance did you like?

It was genuine and emotional.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I am suffer from edge-of-the-seat-itis. I can't wait for the next book Star Crossed!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Where are Books Two and Three?

Any additional comments?

This book was really good, but the story was left hanging... to be continued in Book Two, which is not available on Audible, for some reason.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

why isnt the next book available in audio yet?

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

good story but it's very disheartening to really get into a good book and then find that the 2nd book isnt available for audio.

Any additional comments?

get the rest of the series on audio

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Part 1

Am I the only reader sick to death of multiple books? Based on the thinnest of idea?

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

an interesting book

i was not sure what i was going to get but i very much enjoyed the book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So good.

I love this book. I listened to it in its entirety in one day. Nicole Sudhaus does a great job reading with emotion and Jessica Spotswood’s writing is phenomenal.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good but incomplete

The rest of the series is not available on Audible...I would have continued the series but unfortunately since it’s not on audio I unfortunately will most likely not complete:(

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