BLACK HEART by Holly Black Book Review
Series: Curse Workers, #3
Publication Date: April 3rd 2012 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Rating: – Exceeds Expectations |

Book Summary: In a world where Magic is illegal.

Cassel Sharpe has the most deadly ability of all. With one touch, he can transform any object – including a person – into something else entirely. And that makes him a wanted man. The Feds are willing to forgive all his past crimes if he’ll only leave his con artist family behind and go straight. But why does going straight feel so crooked?

For one thing, it means being on the opposite side of the law from Lila, the girl he loves. She’s the daughter of a mob boss and getting ready to join the family business herself. Though Cassel is pretty sure she can never love him back, he can’t stop obsessing over her. Which would be bad enough, even if her father wasn’t keeping Cassel’s mother prisoner in a posh apartment and threatening not to let her leave until she returns the priceless diamond she scammed off him years ago. Too bad she can’t remember where she put it.

The Feds say they need Cassel to get rid of a powerful man who is spinning dangerously out of control. But if they want Cassel to use his unique talent to hurt people, what separates the good guys from the bad ones? Or is everyone just out to con him?

Time is running out, and all Cassel’s magic and cleverness might not be enough to save him. With no easy answers and no one he can trust, love might be the most dangerous gamble of all.

Book Review Overview:

• Anti-climactic romance; lacked the tension between Cassel and Lila
• You will be as torn as Cassel in the debate on who’s good and who’s evil
• My least favorite of the Curseworkers series, but I was satisfied enough by this conclusion

Wait a second. I actually finished a series? With the overwhelming saturation of series in the young adult market, it’s amazing that I actually went out and finished an entire series in less than a year. That’s how you know Holly Black’s Curse Workers series is worth the time, and despite being my least favorite in the trilogy, Black still delivers a punch in BLACK HEART.

I think what makes BLACK HEART the least compelling of the Curse Workers trilogy is the fact that nothing really new to the main plot is introduced. Most of the plot components have been introduced in the second book, Red Glove, and it is in BLACK HEART where everything finally gets resolved. There are still some jaw-dropping moments that I didn’t see coming, but they had to do less with Cassel and more with the secondary characters. Now that Cassel’s secrets are all basically laid out in the open, the other reveals pale in comparison.

Unfortunately, I thought that the romance in BLACK HEART was a little bit anti-climactic. We all knew where the story line was going to go between Cassel and Lila and for me, their scenes together just lacked the tension that was present in the first two books.

By the time we get to BLACK HEART, the focus really isn’t about the romance anymore, but the overall political picture regarding Curse Workers and how Cassel plays a part in all of it. I enjoyed the contrast between the government and the mob families because I became as torn as Cassel. While the government gives the initial impression of being the good guys, they do still have the underlying motives of wanting to control Cassel. At the end of the day, there is no clear answer as to who is good and who is bad. The lines are so blurred that I spent the majority of BLACK HEART by Holly Black guessing who Cassel will ultimately give his loyalties to.

Cassel still continues to surprise me in the third book. I really never gave his character enough credit for being so clever. He is probably one of my favorite protagonists ever, due to his wit, sarcasm, charm, and cleverness. I love that no matter what, he can’t help but feel like he has to do what’s right. Cassel always tries to be a better person to make up for the things that he unknowingly has done in the past. On the other hand, he can still be pretty bad-ass whenever he feels like it.

BLACK HEART is a decent end to the Curse Workers series. There is just enough resolution for readers to feel satisfied, but at the same time there is still room to imagine what Cassel’s next adventure might be.

Other Book Reviews:
The Compulsive Reader
The Grammarian’s Reviews
The Paperback Princess

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Permalink Book Review, Four Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: Holly Black, Book: Black Heart, Genre: Romance, Genre: Urban Fantasy, Must Buy, Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry, Series: Curse Workers | 1317 words

RED GLOVE by Holly Black Book Review
Series: Curse Workers, #2
Publication Date: April 5th 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry
Rating: – Exceeds Expectations |

Book Summary: Curses and cons. Magic and the mob. In Cassel Sharpe’s world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else.

That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she’s human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila’s been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila’s love is as phony 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 Cassel to help make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can’t trust anyone—least of all, himself?

Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.

Red Glove by Holly Black Book Review Overview:

• Cassel is an entertaining protagonist
• The debate between politics and magic makes for an interesting and believable combination
• A captivating sequel that will make you keep turning the page

From the first chapter, I knew I would be hooked. It’s been a long time since I felt the urge to stay up all night reading, but RED GLOVE by Holly Black is the kind of book that will not make you regret losing sleep. At first, I thought I would be missing out on some details because I listened to White Cat instead of reading it in print. However, I was able to read through RED GLOVE by Holly Black without a problem.

Unlike most sequels out there, RED GLOVE isn’t just a filler book. There’s a substantial plot – a murder mystery, to be more specific! – that will make the reader guess from beginning to end. When Cassel’s oldest brother is murdered, Cassel makes it his priority to find out who killed him. Furthermore, federal agents have taken an interest in Cassel, and without their knowledge, they give Cassel some insight into his lost memories. In addition, there is a lot of development for the last book in the Curseworkers trilogy, but the build-up does not overshadow the plot in RED GLOVE by Holly Black.

Cassel continues to be such an entertaining protagonist to read about. I love his self-deprecating demeanor, and it makes me want to cheer him on. His character continues to fascinate me as he unlocks his missing memories and struggles to deal with them. Despite the fact that Cassel can be sometimes reckless, he always pulls through. He’s surprisingly mature and he always takes responsibility for his actions – whether or not he remembers that he did them.

Furthermore, I continue to enjoy the interpersonal relationships between all the characters. Cassel and Lila’s relationship continues to be rocky, and I am conflicted about their situation just as much as Cassel is. They continue to have great chemistry, though it can be argued that it is mostly because of the curse. Sam Yu also continues to be one of my favorite secondary characters. I love what he adds to the book, and I enjoy reading his interactions with Cassel.

The magic in RED GLOVE and the Curseworkers series continues to fascinate me. Cassel’s abilities are astounding, and I am shocked at how powerful he really is. I love that he doesn’t even realize how much he is capable of. I really like how Holly Black pulls in politics in a way to regulate the use of cursework. Adding politics into the mix makes RED GLOVE more believable because I can definitely see the government creating legislation to create a sense of control if this were to happen in real life.

Holly Black does not disappoint in her captivating sequel, RED GLOVE. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next and final book of the Curseworkers trilogy.

Other Book Reviews:
Ageless Pages Review
Demons Read Too

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Permalink Book Review, Four Stars - Author: Holly Black, Book: Red Glove, Genre: Fantasy, Genre: Urban Fantasy, Masterful World-Building, Must Buy, Page-Turner, Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry, Series: Curse Workers | 1305 words

WHITE CAT by Holly Black
Series: Curse Workers, #1
Publication Date: May 4th 2010 by Margaret K. McElderry
Rating: |

Summary: 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 mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn’t got the magic touch, 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.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts 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, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Review Overview:

• Jesse Eisenberg is a fantastic narrator, but I couldn’t help but be constantly reminded of The Social Network and Mark Zuckerberg. I think Eisenberg has such a memorable voice that it’s hard to disconnect him from his role as Zuckerberg.
• I loved the main character, Cassel Sharp. Cassel has so many flaws that make him so easy to like. He’s had such a rough childhood. He always ostracizes himself and has set up so many defense mechanisms to protect himself. I love his sarcastic humor, and I love that I get to read from his perspective!
• The world-building is fantastic. I’ve never read anything like the world of curse workers before.

Final Verdict: I enjoyed this audiobook immensely and I will definitely continue reading the series. As much as I would love to continue on audio, my library does not have it available for the Mac. I’ll have to pick up a physical copy.

The Review:

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Permalink Book Review, Four Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Audiobooks, Author: Holly Black, Book: White Cat, Genre: Fantasy, Genre: Urban Fantasy, Masterful World-Building, Must Buy, Page-Turner, Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry, Series: Curse Workers | 887 words