A historical fantasy YA novel by Jessica Spotswood, first in The Cahill Witch Chronicles series.
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.
Tropes:
- Anti-Magical Faction: The Brotherhood
- Bad Powers, Good People: Some of the witches' abilities can be used for evil. In theory. The sisters never do that.
- Ban on Magic: The Brotherhood enforces this.
- Hot Witch: Many of the witches in the novel are quite nice to look at.
- Mama Bear: Cate is very protective of her sisters.
- Witch Hunt: Literally, in this case. The Brotherhood does this all the time.
- Emotional Powers: While experienced witches usually can control their magic, strong emotions can cause young witches to do magic unintentionally, which makes it hard for the three protagonists to keep their powers secret.
- White Magic: The Cahill girls were born with their magic, there is no contract with evil involved anywhere. They only use it for good, too. (And sometimes for mundane, rather neutral things.)
- Unrequited Love: The neighbour boy Paul is in love with Cate, who is more interested in Finn. There's also Maura's crush on their governess/teacher.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: The last resort of witches who have been caught doing magic. Has limited applicability.
