Mini Reviews & Giveaway: The Curse Workers series by Holly Black

White Cat (Curse Workers #1) by Holly Black
Narrated by Jesse Eisenberg
Publisher: Listening Library
Publication date: May 11th 2010
Length: 6 hrs 41 minutes
My rating: 3.5 stars 

 

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 façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade 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 outcon the conmen.

White Cat, the first book in the Curse Workers took me a little to get into but once I did, I found it an addictive story. 

Cassel is part of a Curse Worker family; each with a different ability to affect a person with one touch.  His mother can affect emotions, and his brother Philip can manipulate a person’s body, and Barron can influence a person’s luck. All of them have abilities except for him.  He’s always felt left out and a little less for not being one of them.  The one thing that sets Cassel apart is the fact that he killed his best friend and first love, Lila, three years ago and he doesn’t know why. 

I felt bad for Cassel as the story begins. He tries to wipe out his memory by being a normal high school student but fails miserably.  The story takes off as Cassel’s memories start to unravel, and he starts digging into the secrets of the past.  His family has been less than truthful about events, using and abusing him.  As I discovered what his mother and brothers did to him I was ticked for Cassel!  His mother is a complete piece of work, although her manipulations were without malice at least; can’t say the same about the brothers, in my opinion. 

I was slowly hooked into this story which is basically an unraveling mystery, with an unrequited love underneath it all.  The only thing that bugged me a bit was the time it took Cassel to figure out things that seemed quite obvious to me.  The romance was not at the forefront of the story but always sort of there because of the place it occupies in Cassel’s mind, but I loved it.  All full of longing.  *sigh*

Everything came together and played out brilliantly in the end, and I loved Cassel’s cleverness. That ending!  Let’s just say I wanted to choke Cassel’s mother!

I listened to the audio version of this and I thought Jesse Eisenberg’s voice fit Cassel’s character well.

 

Red Glove (Curse Workers #2) by Holly Black
Narrated by Jesse Eisenberg
Publisher: Listening Library
Length: 7 hrs 5 minutes
Publication date: May 10th 2011
My rating: 4 stars 

Curses and Cons. Magic and the Mob.

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. 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.

***If you haven’t read White Cat, DO NOT read any further.  SPOILERS ahead****

Red Glove picks up after Cassel finds out his whole life and memories have been a lie constructed by his crooked brothers and well-meaning mother. 

You’d think that finding out you’re the rarest form of Curse Workers would be wonderful, but unfortunately this just multiplies Cassel’s problems when both the mob and government want to get their hooks into him.  When a family member is murdered, the Feds put big-time pressure on Cassel to join them and spy on Lila’s mob family.

Lila isn’t dead but the barrier between them is bigger than ever. Cassel’s mother working Lila to believe she loves Cassel makes it impossible to act on his feelings for her. Her feelings are a lie and manufactured.  Yet, he’s tempted because he’s been in love with Lila for so long.  The romance was filled with such longing, and I found myself wanting Cassel to just give in, dang it! 

Her skin is soft and scorchingly hot after the cool night air.  Her leg twines around mine. It feels so good, I have to choke back a gasp.  It’s so easy.  Wrong, but easy.

Even more exciting and addictive than the first, I was captivated by Holly Black’s dark world of cons, mobsters, and murderers.  

Black Heart (Curse Workers #2) by Holly Black
Narrated by Jesse Eisenber
Publisher: Listening Library

Length: 6 hrs 33 minutes
Publication date: April 10th 2012
My rating: 5 stars 

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 netirely. And that makes him a wanted man. The Feds are willing to forgive all his past crimes if he'll only leabe 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.

Black Heart was my favorite of the series.  Everything is amped up: the pressure and danger of Cassel’s choices, the love and hate between Lila and him, and even Daneca and Sam’s relationship had drama.  I was nervous and fascinated about how it all would work out.

With Cassel’s choices narrowed, it looks like he’ll be forced into a life he doesn’t want, either from the control of the Feds or of a crime family.  I desperately wanted him to figure a way around all of this or at least to work it out so that he had the upper hand.  Of course Holly Black cleverly solved every problem, without making it too tidy to be believable. 

I also wanted his HEA with Lila! Cassel just needed to catch a break.  I will say that for being a YA, Ms. Black manages to write some seriously passionate scenes!  All that built up longing makes for a lusty and lovely payoff!

If I have to die tomorrow when the Feds come for me, then this is the last request of my heart. This. The sight of lashes brushing her cheek as her eyes flutter closed. The pulse in her throat. Her breath in my mouth. This.

From the main and secondary characters to the romance nothing is perfect, but everything is perfectly flawed.  Holly Black exceeded my expectations, and I fell in love with this quirky and dark story. 

 

I loved this series so I’m giving away your choice of one book from the series: White Cat or Red Glove or Black Heart. Simply fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win.  The giveaway is INTERNATIONAL as long as The Book Depository ships to you.  Click HERE for a list of countries.

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