Book Review | Sister’s Fate | Jessica Spotswood
Series: The Cahill Witch Chronicles #3
Published by Putnam Juvenile on August 14, 2014
Genres: Alternate History, Historical Fiction, paranormal YA, sisters, Witches, Young Adult
Pages: 360
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought it
Goodreads
A fever ravages New London, but with the Brotherhood sending suspected witches straight to the gallows, the Sisters are powerless against the disease. They can’t help without revealing their powers—as Cate learns when a potent display of magic turns her into the most wanted witch in all of New England.
To make matters worse, Cate has been erased from the memory of her beloved Finn. While she’s torn between protecting him from further attacks and encouraging him to fall for her all over again, she’s certain she can never forgive Maura’s betrayal. And now that Tess’s visions have taken a deadly turn, the prophecy that one Cahill sister will murder another looms ever closer to its fulfillment.
I am always going to be a big fan of witches, friends. I’m a big sucker for magic in any form, but witches for me are it. I like natural magic especially, and the Cahill sisters–Cate, Maura, and Tess–all have some kind of it. Well, at least not the magic that requires blood and body parts and snake venom (although let’s be serious, those witches are fun, too). I’ve always been invested in The Cahill Witch Chronicles series by Jessica Spotswood for the witches and the alternate history, and SISTER’S FATE was a worthy conclusion to a dark, emotional series.
I’ll try to avoid the spoilers, but things are not really looking awesome for the Cahill sisters, or the Sisterhood in general, at the beginning of SISTER’S FATE. Things are worse than ever between Cate and Maura, Finn has no memory of Cate or their feelings for one another, the Sisterhood is under new leadership, the Brotherhood is using an illness to turn the populace against witches, and hanging above everything, as ever, is the prophecy that one sister will kill another. Umm…EEP.
One thing that Jessica Spotswood has been great at for this whole series is creating this dangerous, fraught atmosphere for the Cahill sisters and their fellow witches and friends. That is amped up in SISTER’S FATE. The new leader of the Sisterhood, Sister Inez, is all about vengeance and equality at any cost. She’s manipulative and devious. Her leadership is fracturing the Sisterhood, so Cate has that precarious situation to deal with. Outside of the Sisterhood, things are deteriorating rapidly as well. The Brotherhood is not as unified as before, but they are just as cruel. Cate trying to figure out how to balance her allegiance to what she believes is right for the Sisterhood and her love for Finn and her crumbling relationship with Maura and a host of other things keeps the drama in SISTER’S FATE up.
Cate remains a tough cookie. She’s dealing with ALL THE THINGS. I liked how SISTER’S FATE managed to make the drama about EVERYTHING, not just the romance, and Cate is at the center of it all. She’s under so much pressure, but she bears it well enough all things considered. She can sometimes be a little overprotective and righteous, but as an older sister myself, albeit one who is NOT dealing with all of the things Cate has on her plate, I understood her actions.
Perhaps the biggest issue on Cate’s plate is her sisters. Tess is the oracle of the prophecy, but that knowledge is as dangerous within the Sisterhood as it is without, so there’s that. Maura is a jealous and destructive as ever and suffering from MAJOR middle child syndrome, so that’s another problem. Cate basically hates her guts for erasing Finn’s memory. The way Cate and Tess feel like they have to band together against Maura is heartbreaking, but I can’t say I wouldn’t react the same. Which is awful! They’re sisters! But between Maura’s behavior and her allegiance to Sister Inez and the knowledge that the prophecy is coming to pass sooner rather than later sets all of the sisters up for some serious heartache. Tears were shed, my friends. But I love the way Jessica Spotswood made this sister relationship so imperfect and complicated.
Of course, SISTER’S FATE also deals with the aftermath of said memory erasure. Cate and Finn were always so adorable and nerdy and sweet together, and I love them. It legit broke my heart to see Cate avoiding him and having to lie to him about their relationship to keep him safe. She runs into him a few times early on and her heartbreak over seeing him and being strangers was REAL. WAH! But I REALLY liked that Jessica Spotswood didn’t make the resolution of this something easy or magical. That would’ve felt fake and forced. I think I felt more butterflies over these two in the first two books, but I’ll always love these two.
SISTER’S FATE had all of the ingredients for great drama: danger, secrecy, manipulation, relationship complications, life-threatening situations, death, bravery, upheaval. It’s been carrying through this entire series. I’ve been a fan since book 1 and I’m sad to see things end! I loved Jessica Spotswood’s alternate history and the way she wove magic into her story. And of course I loved the characters and their relationships as well. I don’t know what else she has up her sleeve, friends, but I can’t wait for it. This series is definitely one to check out if you haven’t already.
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