Bookanista Thursday: The Curse Workers Trilogy

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6/14/2012 // Reading

It’s that time again … Bookanista Thursday! This week I’m talking about The Curse Workers trilogy (White Cat, Red Glove, and Black Heart) by Holly Black.

I read White Cat when it first came out, and immediately loved everything about the book … from the boy POV to the world of the curse workers to the twists and turns. And then there was the ending. Wow what a cliffhanger. (The bane of my existence!)

When Red Glove was released, I felt like I’d need to read White Cat again … but I didn’t have the time. And I also worried that it would end on another cliffhanger, so I decided to hold out for Black Heart.

Of course once all three books were out I sort of scratched my head and thought, when am I going to have time to dedicate to reading three books?

Cabo.

A trip to Cabo is a great time to read. Especially when it’s five days and the only people going are you and your husband! I read in the airport. I read on the plane. I read at the house. I read at the pool. I did not read on the fishing boat, even though I wanted to. There was just a significant chance I’d vomit over the side.

And thus, I raced through all three novels in less than four days. Yep. That’s how good they are!

So what did I love most?

  • The characters. Holly does an amazing job of bringing each of these unique characters to like. Even if I didn’t like a particular girl (*ahem*) I still identified and empathized with her.
  • The world. I completely fell in love with the world Holly built. It wasn’t just this alternate version of our reality – it was every individual setting. From the school campus to Cassel’s mother’s house with all of the hoarding.
  • The intrigue. Each of the books are filled with twists and turns and intrigue. It definitely kept me entranced through the very last page of the very last book.

Goodreads Synopsis:

White Cat:

The first in a trilogy, this gritty, fast-paced fantasy is rife with the unexpected. Cassel comes from a shady, magical family of con artists and grifters. He doesn’t fit in at home or at school, so he’s used to feeling like an outsider. He’s also used to feeling guilty—he killed his best friend, Lila, years ago.

But when Cassel begins to have strange dreams about a white cat, and people around him are losing their memories, he starts to wonder what really happened to Lila. In his search for answers, he discovers a wicked plot for power that seems certain to succeed. But Cassel has other ideas—and a plan to con the conmen.

Red Glove:

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?

Black Heart:

Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy.

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love.

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