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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Book Review: White Cat by Holly Black

White Cat (Curse Workers, #1)

Goodreads

Published May 11, 2010

“The easiest lies to tell are the ones you want to be true.”

Synopsis:White Cat (Curse Workers, #1)

Cassel comes from a family of Curse Workers - people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all criminals. Many become mobsters and con artists. But not Cassel. He hasn't got magic, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail - he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Cassel has carefully built up a facade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his facade starts to crumble when he finds himself sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen

About the Author:

Holly Black Holly Black is a best-selling author of contemporary fantasy novels for kids, teens, and adults. She is the author of the Modern Faerie Tale series (Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside), The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), and The Good Neighbors graphic novels (with Ted Naifeh). She is also the co-editor of three anthologies, Geektastic (with Cecil Castellucci), Zombies vs. Unicorns (with Justine Larbalestier), and Welcome to Bordertown (with Ellen Kushner). Her most recent works are The Poison Eaters and Other Stories, a collection of short fiction, and The Curse Worker series (White Cat, Red Glove, and Black Heart). She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Theo, in a house with a secret library.

Follow Holly Black on Twitter!

http://www.blackholly.com/

White Cat (Curse Workers, #1)

 My Rating: 5 of 5 stars false 
(5 bomb-diggity stars!)

I really, really, really like this book.Tis AMAZING! For starters it is completely original and engrossing. From the very beginning  I felt pulled into this world. The pacing is perfect for the piece-by-piece style Holly Black uses. As the story progresses you keep learning more and more until finally all the pieces come together. Holly Black has a gift for unveiling details in a way that gives you just enough to keep going, but never enough to remove your uncertainty. This woman knows how to build suspense and keep it. She hooks you and keeps your eyes glued to every single word.

I like that this book doesn’t have those summary explanations that can sometimes feel out of place. Things are explained in a realistic manner. It is easy to believe that the narrator is taking the time to think about these things and what you are reading is not just thrown in there for your benefit. Trust me, nothing is ever just thrown at you.

I like that the narrator is a guy. Holly Black really manages to capture his voice. Like all the characters in this novel, Cassel is complicated. Things are not easy for him or for those around him. Trust is not something you can give out on a whim. All of the characters are carefully crafted and realistically complex.

White Cat is not one of those happy-go-lucky novels. It is not afraid to go to a dark place and that for me made it a great read. Things are more realistic this way. I couldn’t escape the pull of the words. I read them and was hooked.

Overall, I consider this a must read. It is original, exciting, and wonderfully written.

I am so happy I decided to read it!

In conclusion, I absolutely MUST READ THE SEQUEL!!!!

Red Glove, here I come!

Red Glove was published April 5th 2011. Good, because I would not want to wait for it to come out! I need it stat.

Red Glove (Curse Workers, #2)Red Glove (Curse Workers #2)

Red Glove (Curse Workers #2)

Note: I know this review has been a cover fest, but it’s just that these books have the best covers ever! They are to die for! I want to collect them all!

2 comments:

  1. Great review! I have heard good things about this book but have been hesitant to pick it up because I wan't a huge fan of her Modern Faerie Tale series. I think I might have to give this book a shot thought.

    Teresa @ Readers Live A Thousand Lives

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks! I too was a bit hesitant to pick it up. I really liked the male voice and the progressive way we learn about the world she created. It's a bit different, but it's the kind of different I really enjoyed. Thanks for the comment!

    ReplyDelete

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