Library Mosaic: Author: Jessica Spotswood

Showing posts with label Author: Jessica Spotswood. Show all posts

Friday, August 24, 2012

Interview with Jessica Spotswood about the Cahill Witch Chronicles

Interview with Jessica Spotswood about the Cahill Witch Chronicles

Jessica Spotswood kindly answer a few of my questions about The Cahill Witch Chronicles.
I hope you enjoy this interview!

Thank you, Jessica!

1 – What inspired you to start writing The Cahill Witch Chronicles Series?

I had a dream about three sisters who were fighting over a magical locket. There’s no magical locket in BW, but the idea of writing about sisters with a complicated magical inheritance stuck. I’m one of three sisters myself, so I’m familiar with the complicated mix of love and sibling rivalry.

2 – I know this isn’t exactly a fair question but we need to know: are you Team Finn or Team Paul? :P For those fans of the book that are still unsure which team they support, how would you describe the guys?

I’m definitely Team Finn. I think Cate knows her own heart; by the end of the book, the love triangle is over. Let’s see: I’d describe Paul as a charming, flirtatious, handsome architect and a best friend turned suitor. And I’d describe Finn as an awkward, clever, loyal bookseller turned gardener.

3 – There are tough female characters in Born Wicked. In your opinion, what makes a great and strong heroine?

Thank you! It was really important to me to write about girls who are strong and independent and smart, because those are the kind of women in my own life. To me, a strong heroine is a girl who is passionate about something (besides a boy), who has dreams and pursues them, and has important, interesting relationships in her life beyond romance (though I do love writing the romance).

4- Is there something we might not know about the series or the characters that you can tell us?

Hmm. Well, two secrets from STAR CURSED: one of my favorite scenes is actually a book-burning and another is a make-out scene in a library! As for character secrets – Elena isn’t as evil as you might think she is at the end of BORN WICKED.

5 – Star Cursed, the second book in the series, will be released next year. What can you let us know about it?

STAR CURSED will be out in June 2013. There isn’t an official synopsis, but I’m afraid things are only going to get worse before they get better for Cate and her sisters! The Cahill girls will learn more about their magical heritage and what’s expected of them in the coming war between the Brotherhood and the witches. As usual, they’ll be divided about how to handle the responsibilities they’re faced with. They’ll finally get to meet their godmother, Zara Roth. There will be scandalous romantic trysts, new friends, political uprisings, and heartbreaking betrayals!

You can find Jessica at:
Official Website

Review - Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles 01) by Jessica Spotswood

Title and Author: Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles 01) by Jessica Spotswood

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Publication Date: January 25th, 2012

Paperback/Hardcover: 330

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Summary:

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.

Review:

I’ll go ahead and start this review by saying I’m not a big fan of witches but I still loved Born Wicked. The story had me hooked from the start and I couldn’t stop reading until the end.

Born Wicked is the story of the Cahill sisters, 3 girls who area anything but ordinary. In a time a society where girls were expected to be proper girls and witches were haunted down and killed, Cate Cahill and her sisters are considered to be eccentric. No one knows just how eccentric they really are, though. All three sisters are withes and much to Cate’s dismay and worry she finds out they are the center of a prophecy that could change everything. If that wasn’t enough Cate finds herself torn between two boys she cares about while having to learn how to juggle tea parties and the attention of the Brotherhood.

Cate is a wonderful main character and it was easy to like and relate to her. She is very protective of her sisters and is willing to do anything to keep them safe, including giving up her chance to be happy. She’s strong and determined and very intelligent.

Cate’s sisters are very different from her. While Tess, the younger sister, is sweet, intelligent and mature, Maura is extremely rebellious and stubborn.

Even though I liked Paul and though he was an interesting character, Finn was the one that won my heart. He’s sweet, intelligent, accepting and protective.

The romance in this book was amazing. Finn works in a bookstore but he also becomes the Cahill’s gardener for some extra cash. Cate loves her flowers and as she hovers around Finn to make sure he doesn’t do anything wrong they slowly fall in love. There are several sweet moments between them and I loved the fact Finn was so accepting of Cate and didn’t care if she ever acted in some less than ladylike way.

Even though she clearly has feeling for Finn, Cate finds herself divided between him and Paul, her childhood friend, who has become a charming man and asks her to marry him.

Love triangles bother me sometimes but this one didn’t. It is very well-written and the romance develops in such a way the reader is able to understand why Cate is torn between the two boys, even though it is obvious who she’s truly in love with.

I really enjoyed the way the story developed and how Cate was forced to make several important decisions that might change everything for her family and all the society. There are a few twists and turns that made the story even more interesting and gripping. As we learn more about the prophecy, the brotherhood and the sisterhood, the pace of the story picks up, making the reader want to keep turn pages right until the end.

As you can tell, I really enjoyed this book. Born Wicked is a very well-written and fast-paced story with wonderful characters and an even better love story. There’s a little something for everyone in this book: action, mystery, romance, intrigue and a little bit of history and mythology.

The book ends in a cliffhanger that left me wishing for more. I can’t wait for the next book in the series now.

If you’re a Young Adult, Paranormal fan you should definitely pick this book up.

Rating: Somewhere Between Worth Your Time and Must Read (4 ½ Stars)

Bookdepository

Goodreads

Thursday, August 23, 2012

What People Are Saying - The Cahill Witch Chronicles by Jessica Spotswood

In case you haven't come across this series before, here's what a few book bloggers and reviewers are saying about Jessica Spotswood and her books.

Praise for Jessica Spotswood and Born Wicked

"I think Spotswood's writing is very fluid and sophisticated; it also has a kind of lyrical quality to it that I thought was lovely."

-Michelle @ Fabbity Fab Book Reviews

""The best part of the book had to be the characters. All of them. They were so three dimensional and rounded that I understood everyone's motives. Cate's sisters were amazing, especially Tess! The three witches are like Charmed meets Little Women. For that reason alone, I would recommend this book"

-Krista @ Nawanda Files

"I found Born Wicked to be a unique read; I don’t think I have read anything else quite like it. Jessica Spotswood took the usual paranormal tropes and twisted them up into something new and wonderfully compelling. YA tropes that normally drive me nuts kept me firmly engaged in the story, wondering what would happen next. The character development kept me enthralled, too."

-Julie @ Manga Maniac Cafe

"Born Wicked is the enchanting, romantic, tragic story of Cate Cahill, one of the bravest heroines I’ve ever encountered. Witchery, romance, scandals and history packed in an engrossing YA novel."

-Precious @ Fragments of Life

Book Series: The Cahill Witch Chronicles by Jessica Spotswood

This week the book series I chose to be featured is the Cahill Witch Chronicles by Jessica Spotswood.

Watch out ofr posts like an interview with Jessica and a giveaway.

Books:

Title and Author: Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles 01)

Publisher: Putnam Juveline

Publication Date: January 25th 2012

Paperback/Hardcover: 330

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

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.

Upcoming: