
Let's talk premise. I love, love, love it. Alternate history, witchcraft, and STAKES. So much is at stake in these books--the relationship between the three sisters, their lives, their entire way of living! Spotswood sets this up so, so well. She begins with the sisters' lives in their small town, and slowly expands the story to include other local girls who are oppressed by the Brotherhood, a resistance, family secrets, the effects of the prophecy, and she throws in a surprisingly swoony love interest in the form of gardener Finn Belastra to keep things hot.
The world building is skillfully done. The ruling religious order was eery and very realistic. Sexism is maddeningly strong in the Cahill sisters' lives, but the women, witches or not, are certainly not passive. The nuances of how women rebel against this sexism were fascinating, and drew me in completely. I loved the cultural diversity that Spotswood envisions in her alternate world; racial and ethnic diversity is strong, and acknowledged. Other countries are much more progressive than religious New England, and you can sense the desire for this society to grow and evolve even under all of the Brotherhood oppression.
This book moves briskly, with a few inevitable (but delightful!) twists that poke fun at traditional Chosen Ones tropes. The sisters disagree and grow alarmingly more estranged, leading them to make life-changing decisions in order to preserve their secrets. The momentum of the plot takes the reader right up to the cliffhanger ending, so be warned--you'll want Star Cursed on hand the moment you finish!
Book purchased at my indie.
2 comments:
I'm glad you brought up this book, because I also was not grabbed by the cover and I didn't quite get the premise. But thanks to your review, I'm interested in this book now.
It was sad this series fell under the radar.
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