Title: White Cat (Curse Workers, #1)
Author: Holly Black
Publication Date: May 4, 2010
Pages: 310
Genre: Paranormal
Rating:
Synopsis from Goodreads: 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. Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love — or death — and your dreams might be more real than your memories.
Review: Without a doubt, my favorite book of 2011...so far. White Cat is an unbelievable read that adds something to the paranormal spectrum that I never could have imagined. Every minuscule detail, character, and circumstance is related to this incredibly intricate plot. This books plot line gives new meaning to the saying, there's no such thing as coincidences.
Cassel, poor disillusioned Cassel comes from a family of "workers" these could be compared to that of a witch or warlock, except for the fact that the workers in Holly Black's White Cat's are specialized in specific things. As in there may be a memory worker who can transform or delete memories, or an emotion worker who can change the emotions of people. And Cassel is the only one in the family who is not a worker. Besides being the family leper, Cassel also has a secret buried that only his family knows about. He is a murderer. More specifically, he murdered his best friend when he was little. And that has torn him up to the point where he has accepted the fact that he is not a good person, so he decides to run with that. But when his sleepwalking "habit" gets him kicked out of school and having to move back in with his family, things take a turn for the bad...I mean the murderous mob assassination scheme bad.
Right from the beginning of the book I loved Cassal. It was so hard to imagine him killing anybody, let alone his best friend who he happened to be in love with. Sure, he is a master con artist, but that doesn't necessarily constitute murderer...does it. Cassal was one of my favorite characters in a long time. He is definitely a force to be reckoned with. He is so clever, what he figures out, what he is able to piece together from nothing more than a little evidence and a strong hunch, is unbelievable. With the schemes he comes up with, he would be a perfect candidate to work for the CIA or the Russian Mafia...scratch that last one.
The whole book is a mystery unraveling in itself, and you can tell that every little bitty moment, and detail of the book is just building until Holly Black springs up some major shockers.
I don't remember ever getting so into a book as I have this one in a very long time. It is just phenomenal. Something that I guarantee you have not heard of. And did I mention how clever I think Cassal is, you will be shocked with the things he is able to come up with. One thing that sort of made me sad in the beginning of the book is that I thought that Cassal was going to go through this whole journey all on his own. I was so happy when Holly Black gave him some backup in his journey, and I ended up loving the supporting characters as much as Cassel!
In the end, to say I recommend this book would most definitely be the understatement of the year. I am forcing you to relinquish all of your preferences when it comes to books, to me; and go and read this book immediately!!!
Recommendations: EVERYONE MUST READ THIS BOOK. It has everything a person could want in a book and more!!!
Overall: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Entertainment: 5/5
Ending: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
4:48 PM
Chioma
Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn't . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.With exquisite illustrations by acclaimed artist Ana Juan, Fairyland lives up to the sensation it created when the author first posted it online. For readers of all ages who love the charm of Alice in Wonderland and the soul of The Golden Compass, here is a reading experience unto itself: unforgettable, and so very beautiful.
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