Review: Red Glove - Holly Black

Curses and Cons
Magic and the Mob

In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, but now he knows the truth - he's the most powerful curse worker around. He can transform anything - or anyone - into something else. That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Now she's back, but she's been cursed to love him. If Lila's love is as false as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe anything she says or does.

When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit him to help find the killer. But the mob wants Cassel too - they know how valuable he could be to them. He will have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. Where can he turn when he can't trust anyone - least of all, himself?

The Curse Workers Series:
White Cat
Red Glove
Black Heart

Visit Holly Black's website for more information

Review:
The cat is out of the bag and Cassel now knows he is a Worker, he also knows that his brothers have been manipulating him for years forcing him to do unspeakable things and then tampering with his memory so he won't remember what he has done. He still doesn't have his memory back but he has a pretty good idea of what he was forced to do and it doesn't sit well with him. His relationship with his older brothers is more rocky than ever and it takes everything Cassel has got just to act normal around them, his mother is out of jail and up to her old tricks and the girl he loves has been cursed to love him so there is no hope of pursuing any kind of relationship with her. Yes, Cassel's life pretty much sucks right now and that was before one of his brothers was murdered and the government decided to try and turn him into a snitch. Now Cassel is in a very difficult position, he doesn't want to join the Zacharov crime syndicate but that doesn't mean he wants to become a police informant either. Unfortunately neither side is giving him much of an option & it's going to take all of Cassel's wits just to stay alive and out of trouble.

As much as I loved White Cat I think I enjoyed Red Glove even more, the story is really cleverly woven together and it is difficult to see how Cassel will manage to keep himself out of prison. He is forced to deal with his crazy family members and it seems like everyone wants something from him, his mum wants him to help with her latest cons and his brothers see him as an easy route into the syndicates. The only family member I trust to have his back is his Grandad but he has been kept in the dark about so many things that Cassel can't really turn to him for help. It has been great to see Cassel slowly building his friendships with Daneca and Sam though, he has come to trust them both and finally starts to open up a little and share some of his secrets. It's great to know that he has a couple of people who have his back, he is in desperate need of some allies considering all the things he has going against him right now.

I hated seeing how distraught he is over his relationship with Lila, he cares about her so deeply but now that his mother has cursed Lila to love him he is unable to trust her feelings or act on their mutual attraction without feeling incredibly guilty. It's quite disturbing that his mother doesn't even see what she did wrong and that more than anything shows just how twisted her abilities are. I thought things between the two of them were handled really well, I loved that Cassel was honest with Lila about what had been done to her and I was glad that he didn't take advantage of her. It was sad to see them so far apart though and I really hope they can find some way through it in the final book. It's difficult because I do have trouble connecting to Lila at times and her goals seem so different to Cassel's but I feel that after everything they've both been through they deserve some kind of happy ending. I'm just not sure if they can find it together or not.

Red Glove is a brilliant book, one that focuses on the murder of Cassel's brother and who was behind it but there is so much more to it than that. There are some fantastic twists and I enjoyed getting to continue exploring the world Holly Black has created. I eat up anything about the Workers and the consequences they have for using their abilities, I always prefer when magic has a price and that is definitely the case here. It's rare that I pick up the final book in a trilogy without even a vague idea of what to expect but I honestly can't even guess at what is in store for Cassel in Black Heart and that makes me even more desperate to read it.

Source: Purchased

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Review: White Cat - Holly Black

Cassel is cursed

No-one at home is ever going to forget that Cassel is a killer. No-one at home is ever going to forget that he isn't a magic worker. And now he is being haunted by a white cat . . .

Cassel's family are magic workers. Ever since magic was prohibited in 1929 magic workers have been driven underground and into crime. His grand-dad is a black-fingered death-dealer, his mother is in prison and his brothers detest him as the only one of their family who can't do magic. But there is a secret at the centre of Cassel's family and he's about to inherit it. It's terrifying and that's the truth.

White Cat is the sensational new novel of a changed world and the price we have to pay for magic from the internationally bestselling author of The Spiderwick Chronicles.


The Curse Workers Series:
White Cat
Red Glove
Black Heart

Visit Holly Black's website for more information

Review:
People have been telling me to read White Cat for years but for some reason it had never quite reached the top of my to read pile. The only reason I'm not kicking myself now is that the entire trilogy is already available so I'm going to be able to binge on the whole series without having that horrible year long wait in between instalments! I finally know what all the fuss is about and White Cat is without a doubt a brilliant start to the Curse Workers series. I'm excited to spend more time in this world with Cassel and his family.

You've probably already read a million reviews for this series, in fact you've probably already read these books for yourself, but if you're one of the few people who has yet to discover this world then you're really missing out. Holly Black has created a world that is slightly different to our own, one where certain people are born with magical abilities. People with these abilities are known as Curse Workers and there are a range of different powers that Workers may have, anything from being able to give people luck, invade people's dreams, change their memories and emotions or even physically hurt or kill them. These powers usually run in families so although each family member may have a different ability it is unusual to be born to two Workers and not be a Worker yourself. Because of their abilities Workers are highly prized by the criminal underworld, the most powerful families have control and other Workers are often sought out to work for them.

Cassel is an anomaly, his family have all been Workers for generations, his grandfather, mother and both of his brothers all have strong abilities but Cassel has never been able to work curses. Because of that he is treated as an outsider by the others, they see him as someone who needs protecting and they refuse to share details of their abilities or the jobs that they undertake for the Zacharov crime syndicate. Cassel has never had a normal life, he may not have magic but he is a skilled con artist and has often helped his mother scam unsuspecting marks out of their money. Scamming comes as naturally to him as breathing but it also keeps him at a distance from others and ever since a terrible accident when he was a child he has never let anyone close enough to become his friend. He is about to uncover a secret though, one so terrible that it will tear his world apart and he's going to have to find some allies quickly if he wants to find a way out.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed Holly Black's world building, the idea of Curse Workers is absolutely fascinating and I loved the fact that using their abilities has major repercussions for them. The characters are all fantastic (and how rare is it to find a male lead in YA?) and I was kept on the edge of my seat by the constant plot twists. I don't really want to say too much about what happens but trust me you'll never guess how things will turn out! The story is fast paced and I didn't want to put it down. As a side note I ended up listening to the audiobook and the narrator (Jesse Eisenberg) is absolutely brilliant and he really helps bring the characters to life. I have to admit I'm a bit of a sporadic audiobook listener, I usually get distracted and find I stopped listening 10 minutes ago and now have no idea what is happening in the story but that didn't happen here and I kept making excuses to listen for a just few more minutes.

If you haven't already started this series then I can't recommend it highly enough. I ordered copies of both Red Glove and Black Heart before I'd even finished with White Cat and I can't wait to finish the series.

Source: Received from Orion in exchange for an honest review

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