Just Finished Reading ... Sisters' Fate by Jessica Spotswood

Sisters' Fate (Cahill Witch Chronicles #3)
by Jessica Spotswood
To be published by Putnam Juvenile
on August 14, 2014

Source: bought

Synopsis from Goodreads -- edited to remove spoiler: 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 is certain she can never forgive Maura. 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.
My take: This is the final book in the Cahill Witch Chronicles and I have to say: I've really enjoyed this series!  I'd describe it as an alt-history Little Women with witches.  You can read my review of book one, Born Wicked, here, and book two, Star Cursed, here.

If you haven't read these books, or if you have a bit of series amnesia, below is my Quick and Dirty Spoiler Free Series Summary:
The Cahill Witch Chronicles follows three sisters living in New England in the late 1800s. In the alt-history world of the book, the Western United States was colonized by Indo-China, while Spain settled the South. A group of witches -- the Daughters of Persephone -- were among the original American colonists, but had to go underground as society turned against them. With the Brotherhood in charge, magic is a punishable offense, and women who are accused of witchcraft face banishment, confinement to an asylum, or death. But there's since been a prophecy about three sisters: one of them will be the most powerful witch in centuries, and one of them will be murdered by another. 

BEWARE: the review below will have major spoilers for books one and two. NO spoilers for Sisters' Fate!

As Sisters' Fate opens, Cate is despondent. Sister Cora has died, leaving the Sisterhood in the hands of the scheming Sister Inez. Even worse, Cate's jealous sister Maura has performed mind manipulation on Finn and erased his relationship with Cate from his memory.  The political tensions between the Brotherhood and the Sisterhood are higher than ever, and a deadly fever is sweeping the town. Tess is having disturbing visions, and Cate fears for her sister's sanity.

To me, the heart and soul of these books is the relationship between these three sisters, and, as the title of this final installment suggests, we finally find out what becomes of this troubled trio. Cate still can't forgive Maura, and Maura  doesn't seem sorry at all, with Tess stuck in the middle. Plus, there are still other issues to be resolved: the conflicts within the Sisterhood, the dangerous plans of the Brotherhood, Tess' developing talents, and Cate's broken heart.

I thought this book did an excellent job of interweaving political intrigue, family drama and romance. I've (sorry!) never been a huge fan of Finn, and at one point in this book it seemed like a new love interest had emerged, but I thought that the resolution of this romance managed to be both realistic and non-depressing. As for the sisters' quarrel, it had an outcome I was not expecting, but I thought it did fit the story.

If you enjoy historical fiction, witch stories, and/or sister stories and haven't yet given this series a try, I definitely recommend it.

Comments

  1. This one sounds great! I'm thinking of picking up this series and its a great review!

    Happy Reading!
    Patrick @ The Bookshelves

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  2. Well what the heck? Why didn't anyone mentioned Little Women in their reviews?! I'd have read my copies right away.

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    1. Ha -- well that's how I'd pitch it. If you read it, please let me know what you think :)

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  3. I have heard great things about this series so I really want to start it! Is this the last one in the series? You have it as #2. :)

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  4. So excited to for this! can't wait to see how it will end.

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  5. I feel so silly because i keep hearing everyone being so excited about this on on twitter and everyone has such nice things to say about it on this comment thread and then there's me...still having nto read the first book in the series *hides* I will now though, okay? okay. LOL

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  6. Jealousy....... My copy won't be here until Thursday, so I'm doing a quick skim a the first two books in preparation! :) Your review just makes me even more excited! Though, *gasp* not a fan of Finn, blasphemy! I was so PISSED at Maura at the end. It broke my heart all over the place. Fingers crossed I will feel as satisfied with the ending as you did. <3

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  7. Well, to be honest I didn't read the whole review because I haven't even started the series. I just wanted to read if you would recommend it. I added them to my TBR list. Thanks for bringing this series to my attention :)

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  8. I always wanted to read these books, but somehow I haven't gotten around to buying them. But I adore the beautiful covers. I will keep this series in mind for when I'll be in the mood for witch stories. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!

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  9. I haven't started with this series yet so I skimmed your review, but I love the sound of it from your non-spoilery blurb of the series. I'm glad you enjoyed all three books!

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  10. I haven't read the first two books in this series so I'll skip your review, but I'm really glad that you've enjoyed this one. I wanted to read Born Wicked ever since it came out only I never had time. I hope to read it soon. Great post :)

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  11. I just skimmed a bit because I need to read the sequel still, but I'm glad to see you enjoyed it. I'm curious to see how this trilogy will end!

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  12. I'm so glad to hear you loved this book and the series as a whole! I cannot wait till my preorder of this one arrives already!!

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  13. Um, "an alt-history Little Women with witches"? Yes, please. Why has no one described it like that before? I might have been persuaded to pick up my copy a lot sooner. Thanks, Jen!

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  14. You know, I liked but didn't love the first book, but I've heard so many people rave that I wonder if I was too quick to put this series aside. I'm glad you enjoyed the series as a whole and were satisfied with how it ended! I like Jessica on Twitter a whole lot.

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

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  15. I don't do much HF but have been wanting a good witch story

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  16. I read Born Wicked, and kind of liked it, but not enough to keep up with the series. I LOVE the historical fiction aspect of the book though - it is so well-written. Plus Jessica's spin on things. I may finish this series one day (hence why I didn't comment too specific about your review - I skimmed it!).

    Fantastic review, Jen!!

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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