Review: Red Glove

By Holly Black
Available now from Simon & Schuster
Review copy
Read my review of WHITE CAT

Cassel Sharpe and his friends return in the second installment of the Curse Workers series. This time, the mysteries afoot are ones Cassel has already solved. (Or mostly solved.) The Feds want Cassel to find out who Zacharov's wetworks man is. They're interested in one murder in particular, one that Cassel has a personal interest in. He needs to give them an answer, not just to protect himself, but also to protect their number one suspect and his love interest: Lila.

I loved RED GLOVE as much as I loved WHITE CAT. I was pleased to see that most of the book took place at Cassel's snooty private school. I loved his friends and their willingness to help him out at WHITE CAT's denoument. They also prove that Cassel doesn't have a monopoly on secrets. One of them is hiding something rather important, in fact. (Do you know how hard it is to review a book about cons? I'm afraid to give away any information in case it's too much information.)

Also like WHITE CAT, Holly Black ripped my heart out just as I thought everything was going to turn out perfectly. This time the heart-ripping was tempered by a bit of, "Okay, that was your fault, Cassel." Still, this series better end happy. Cassel is earning his happy ending.

Cassel has more control of events in RED GLOVE. He's not scrambling around trying to find out what's going on. He's trying to figure out how to handle the various people who want control of him. (That group includes the Feds, Zacharov, and a rival crime family.)

If you didn't like WHITE CAT, you probably won't like RED GLOVE. The characters haven't fundamentally changed. Cassel will never be entirely a good guy. Lila will never be a good girl. I love the world Black has created, where every magic user has few opportunities aside from crime. I like the discussions of workers' rights. I like the crazy plots.

But why does Black insist on ripping my heart out at the end every time?

Review: White Cat

By Holly Black
Available now from Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon and Schuster)
Review copy



Clever as the devil and twice as pretty.

I love Holly Black's Modern Tales of Faerie, so I was ridiculously excited when the first book of The Curse Workers showed up at my door. Fortunately, Black delivered a fast and clever story. (She did, however, use the ending to rip out my heart and grind it with a stiletto heel. Why do I not have the second book already to ease the ache in my soul?)

Cassel Sharpe lives in a world where some people - known as curse workers - can use an ability on you if they just touch you with their hands. His grandfather, in fact, can kill you that way. Generally, people don't take their gloves off. While Cassel himself is powerless, he comes from a talented family that uses their abilities to run cons. One night, Cassel wakes up on the roof of his dorm, chasing a white cat. He's removed from the dorm and sent to live with his family, where he quickly realizes his brothers Phillip and Anton are up to something.

For all that the family dynamics are strange - the mother is in jail, Phillip's wife is forgetful, and you can't quite tell whose side Grandad is on, it works. These are the people Cassel grew up with, and it shows in his personality and tactics. It's just part of the tight, coherent tapestry that Black weaves in WHITE CAT.

I love the world Black has created. It's just as dangerous as her interpretation of faerie, and Cassel needs his wits in order to survive in it. I adore the flashbacks to his relationship with Lila - his best friend, whom he killed three years ago. It's extremely sexy, in a kinky sort of way. (Not that I think the younger kids who read WHITE CAT will pick up on that.)

Pretty much, WHITE CAT has it all. A varied cast of interesting characters (including Cassel's school friends), an intriguing world, and a twisted plot that just keeps moving faster and faster until the ridiculously cool denoument. Black took full control of my emotions right up until the aforementioned ending where she ripped out my heart. But, since she's as evil as some of her characters, she made it feel good.

Also, check out the trailer by the talented Vania. The ending of the trailer is less heart-wrenching, but shows that it's criminal they covered up the model's face with the title treatment.