White Cat by Holly Black (Epub)

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⭐ So I’m writing this for people like me since there are so many 5 star reviews. I bought this book because Holly Black has written some of my favorite books (and characters!) This is not one of them You know how sometimes you’ll read a book and love the characters so much that rereading it is like hanging out with some of your favorite people? Well, this book is nothing like that. Cassell, our main character, has two brothers who are cruel, manipulative and abusive. Their mother is a flake and a narcissist, and our boy Cassell is a sad sack. (We’re told several times that he is beautiful but virtually every girl in his high school is blind to this????) Cassell has been in love with/obsessed with a girl since he was 9. And what a girl! Lila is a spoiled mafia princess who is treacherous, vicious and a bully. Can’t get enough of that, right? I read all the way to the end hoping against hope that our hero would run across a decent person somewhere and dump this collection of a-holes. But it never happens. I judge books on 3 things, so here is the summary… Writing is perfectly okay. Ms Black is a consistently solid writer. Plot is okay. It is complex, though I never felt that urgency to hurry up and turn the page to find out what happens next. Characters, yeah, well there’s the rub. The brothers are awful. Mom is worthless. Cassell is a doofus, and Lila should have been drowned at birth. In fairness I should add that Granddad is decent and so are the friends from school. They don’t make up for all the rest though. From the descriptions of books 2 & 3, this theme will continue, so I will be giving them a hard pass.I try to leave a review with a recommendation, and that is really easy here. Read almost anything else by Holly Black. Read The Ironside Trilogy. Read The Folk of the Air Trilogy. Seriously, so much fun and magic too.One last thing: boys can be victims of abuse too. I wouldn’t have liked reading about a girl being treated like crap. Didn’t like this either.

⭐ “Marks forget that whenever something’s too good to be true, that’s because it’s a con.”I must be living under a rock.Last January I went a little crazy and read (or at least I thought I did at the time…) every Holly Black book that existed.To my eternal chagrin I realized this book existed by a random group I am a part of on Facebook.And after staring at this book on Goodreads completely baffled on how I missed an entire series of books I immediately bought this one on Amazon and got started.Unlike most Holly Black books it didn’t immediately hook me.It was a bit confusing. I couldn’t figure out what time period this book took place, if it was in an urban fantasy or an alternate reality urban fantasy (it’s this one- everything in the world is basically the same but with a history and past of magic “workers” and this magic system has direct political and social consequences), and the magic system just seemed like an giant headache.But everything eventually (thank god) gets explained and by the time you finish book one- the world and its complex system of “workers” – people with specific magical abilities who can only access their powers if they touch someone or something with their bare hand – and “non-workers” – ordinary folk – make sense.Our main character Cassel comes from a crime family and has a complicated relationship with his older brothers and mom (who is currently serving time in jail for a con-gone-wrong). He is a bookie, a thief, a con artist, tells so many lies that he has trouble keeping track of all of them, and is so completely adorable you just want to give him a hug.Despite his criminal proclivity he is really just a sweet kid and I loved watching him trying to unravel the mysteries surrounding his crazy “night-walking” episode.But perhaps the best element in this book though is the crime families and mobsters.Generally speaking most fantasy novels focus more on elements of high fantasy – Kingdoms, magical beings, magic systems, and courtly political intrigue.So whenever a fantasy book focuses on political intrigue between crime families I almost can’t help but love it. There is something so interesting seeing the dynamic between shady backgrounds and magical powers.I can’t wait to read book two and see what crazy schemes Cassel and his family cook up next!

⭐ I don’t do reviews– but I have thoroughly enjoyed these books, so much! The characters are very likeable and imperfect and relatable. Holly crafts a tale and builds it around us as we go– without a whole bunch of outside narration. You figure it out as you read along.Clever and well crafted, these stories just held my interest and I could not wait to see what happened next. I am sorry that this series was only 3 books long. There might be more here, if she chooses to revisit Cassell.Well done.

⭐ This was my first Holly Black book. And I loved it. The complete series is great. The story, the characters, the plot, everything is perfect. I would love this story in a movie.In an alternate universe there are people with certain gifts “the workers” and we meet Cassel. He is a 17 year old boy and we meet his family. All of them are workers but Cassel. At least that’s what it looks like. Then you find out the reason of his dreams and the meaning of the white cat. Interesting, smart and easy to read.

⭐ *SPOILER FREEWow, just wow! I had heard so many amazing things about White Cat, but I have been having a hard time getting into Y.A. and ended up waiting so long to finally read it. I was lucky enough to get a chance to read Red Glove through the Simon & Schuster Galley Grab program and decided that it was about time I buckled down and read White Cat and I am happy to say I loved it!Cassel is the only “normal” person, if you can consider an expert con-man normal, from a family of Curse Workers. Because he doesn’t really fit in into his own family, Cassel has spent his whole life trying to blend in. However, knowing that three years before he killed the girl he loved, doesn’t really help. When one night he wakes up on the ledge of the roof of his school, he realizes that there is something very wrong and all signs point to a conspiracy created by the people he should be able to trust the most in the world.White Cat is the first book in an incredible series by Holly Black. Holly has created an amazing world full of lovable criminals and lies that you can’t help but be fascinated by. Cassel is not your regular leading man, however you can’t help but feel drawn to his charm and awkwardness at times. He is the last person you’d consider a hero, but with so many deception in his world, he is definitely not the worst choice.White Cat is a brilliant book that took me completely off guard and made me fall in love with a con-man and his friends. If you enjoy Paranormal Y.A. and haven’t read White Cat, I totally recommend it!Originally Posted at Welcome to Larissa’s Bookish Life

⭐ I love Holly Black as an author. She has a great imagination. This book and the series is a new twist on the old concept of gypsies-like people with knacks and curses or hexes. In this case, she calls them curses. It showcases the issue of the government getting involved when some people a different or a talent that others don’t. Should it be banned or taxed or eliminated? Do only gangsters and hoodlums practice or apply their curse? This book is about a young somewhat troubled teen as been beating himself up because unlike his brothers, he thinks it doesn’t not have the family gifts. Everyone has to wear gloves so others won’t accidentally get “cursed” I enjoyed this books and the next two in the series.

⭐ Quick and Easy Read. I love trilogies – why? Because if the author has already put out it’s going to be a trilogy you know as a reader that you are going to get some closure, and hopefully pretty soon.I love Holly Black’s writing style – it’s simple and to the point. That’s what makes her books so enjoyable to read for me. (I absolutely adored her Modern Faerie Tales trilogy – Tithe, Valiant & Ironside.)White Cat starts off with action – Cassel pretty much hanging from the roof of his school house dormitory. How he got there – he followed a white cat. It builds from there building a very interesting alternate world where magic is real and done by those known as curseworkers. To work their magic on you they have to be touching you skin to skin. Thus, everyone wears gloves constantly. (Bet Jenny Pox wishes she lived in this world.)I love Cas. Even though he’s the black sheep in his family he has developed a great personality. The take on his family is so twisted and yet fascinating It really makes you think – who in your family could you really trust – and what sort of twisted people your loved ones might be if they had such powers and would they use them on you?PROS: Character building, Cas inner dialogue is great especially the one at the end! Relationships between characters were built very well. Also, you have to love how Cas makes money. Plot twists done well enough that I didn’t figure out everything right away.CONS: Too convenient the way information was given about curse working. Also, a little bit too predictable at the end.

⭐ Have you ever felt like you were the one unimportant, ordinary person out of the entire group of extraordinary people? In a world where curse workers are feared and “working” (curses) are illegal, imagine being born into a family of curse workers but being the only one not to be a worker. In Holly Black’s White Cat, Cassel has the unfortunate life of being born into a family filled with criminals who just happen to be curse workers, but his only talent is being a pretty good con artist.People are so scared about being worked by a curse worker they all wear gloves and won’t touch bare hands. Because curse work is illegal, most workers are criminals and get absorbed by the local crime families to do their dirty work. Since he isn’t a worker in a family of thugs and workers, Cassel just wants a normal life away from the business. He sees his normal prep school as salvation from the family business. But when he is found on the roof in the middle of the night after having sleepwalked out of his bedroom window, the school won’t let him return. Forced to return home to his crazy hitman grandfather, his two shifty brothers, and with his mother currently doing time in prison, Cassel tries to live life as normally as possible.That might be possible if he could get it out of his head how he murdered the girl he loved, Lila, daughter and heir to the rival crime family. His memory is spotty on exactly what happened and why he did it, but all he can remember is all that blood and his family helping him hide the crime and the body. As he spends more time with his family, it becomes clear that something strange is happening. His brother Barron seems to be losing his memory and someone has clearly worked his brother Phillip’s wife. As Cassel digs a little deeper, he discovers his memory of the night he killed Lila might not be so clear after all. Fearing he has been worked, Cassel takes steps to assure he can’t be worked anymore. In doing so, he might discover the truth about his family that he never, ever wanted to know. But you know what they say? The truth will set you free!The idea of a supernatural mafia is a pretty cool concept! This is like “Sopranos” meets “X-Men”! And the government’s move to make curse working illegal has only made them all flee to illegal venues for their craft where mob families collect them like tchotchkes. Cassel’s character was a perfect mix of a product of a family full of criminals (he ran book at his prep school) and wanting a normal life (desperate to return to his life away from his worker family). He was clearly torn between his two worlds, a feeling I am sure many teens can relate to (although probably not in the supernatural killer way, of course). I would love to see the parallels our kids could find between their own lives and Cassel’s life.This was an intriguing start to a series that would appeal to any fan of supernatural/paranormal stories. There isn’t much romance, although the hint of its possibility to come is out there. The story ends well, but clearly continues in the remainder of the trilogy, so you can read the one book or continue on if you wish. It is also relatively clean for a variety of ages, although it might appeal to a middle school/junior high group rather than much older students. I am interested to see where the rest of the series goes!

⭐ It all started with a dream of a white cat. The cat that led me up onto the roof at Wallingford, the boarding school that I attend. A roof that I woke up on needing rescue where I had apparently sleepwalked following that darn cat.Actually, no. It started with a murder. One that happened years ago. My best friend Lila was killed when I was fourteen. She was the daughter of the head of the Zacharov family. A family that controlled everything and had death workers, like my grandfather, on their payroll. She was also my brother’s girlfriend.Oh, yeah. And did I forget to mention it? I was the one who killed her.My name is Cassel Sharpe and I am the only non curse worker in a family of workers. My mother, an emotional worker – one who by a simple touch can alter anyone’s emotions – taught me early on how pull a con. And I thought I was pretty good at it.I had a nice thing going at school. I managed to stay out of too much trouble while earning money as a bookie. But once I was caught sleepwalking it all fell apart. Wallingford was not too keen on betting on the odds that I wouldn’t sleepwalk again and injure myself in the process. And so for the time being I was O.U.T.Why did I start sleepwalking again? And what exactly was that white cat trying to tell me in the dream? Was I cursed?Ahhh…if it weren’t for that white cat. But, you know what they say, once the genie is out of the bottle…***White Cat is such an incredibly creative and utterly unique story. The whole premise of the curse workers being these magical and yet feared people that are aligned with criminals and con artists gives this story a dark undercurrent. And the political element adds another dimension that will likely continue in future books.Author Holly Black is such an inventive writer. She has once again created a world that mimics reality with just a few tweaks. Instead of faeries we now have these characters who, with just the slightest touch of their finger, can bring luck, erase memory, transform or even kill. But not without consequence.In White Cat we follow Cassel Sharpe as he tries to figure out why he has begun sleepwalking again and what his dreams are trying to tell him. And when moving back into the house his parents used to live in only creates more questions, Cassel must use what skills he has for the con in order to get answers and get his life back.Cassel Sharpe is very likable, off-beat enough to be interesting, flawed enough to be relatable and sweet, but sarcastic enough to be a very appealing character.This story is a must read for, well, everyone. It has mystery, backstabbing, plotting, secrets, betrayals and a little bit of love.

⭐ (Review originally published at ReadBreatheRelax.com)Cassel Sharpe isn’t your regular hero. His family is full of curse workers who can change emotions, alter memories or even kill with the touch of their bare hands. The only person who’s not a curse worker is Cassel. Aside from coping with his lack of “working” abilities and his guilt over his best friend’s death (a murder he thinks he was involved in), Cassel’s just a regular con artist kid.In a nutshell, what I loved best about this book was Cassel. He’s a witty, clever trouble maker. Like Tris from Divergent , Cassel’s not a noble hero who’s completely selfless. He has vices. I mean, with his family who can blame him? His mom uses her emotion-working abilities to con rich men out of money, and his brother Philip works as a hit man for Zacharov, the head of a crime mafia.Although Cassel can’t work curses, he’s well-versed in the art of the con. Like running an underground betting pool at his snooty private school. Yet, Cassel’s “wrongness” is so right.He longs to be a valued member of his family, which equates to being a curse worker, but he also dreams of being just a normal kid. And in that struggle, Cassel and his crazy curse-working family shine. I really rooted for him- even though he lied, cheated and stole.I was totally engaged in every sentence of every page because I was dying to find out what would happen next to this crazy con artist kid. How would he talk his way out of trouble this time? Could he discover what happened to his murdered friend, Lila?Some of the ways Black makes this story so fun and relatable:- The book is told from Cassel’s perspective- The world in this story is highly anti-curse worker, which gives the feeling of wanting to stick it to the man- Darker parts are lightened with Cassel’s endless sarcasm and humor- A sense of danger, mystery and power surrounds curse workingAlthough some books have a very clear YA-aimed audience, some stories deal with themes that people of any age can identify with. White Cat is definitely one of those books. Cassel deals with issues like rejection, family drama and feeling like an outsider- plus, he struggles with jealousy, betrayal and unrequited love.These are universal ideas that are presented in a way that both an 80-year-old and an 18-year-old would find interesting. Cassel’s story is one that is both foreign and familiar. He’s surrounded by crime and chaos, yet he’s just a regular senior in high school who’s trying to find his way.I also appreciated Black’s ability to surprise. She doesn’t fall into cliched plot traps. A lot of exciting action and mystery take place that I not only failed to predict but totally blind-sided me. I love that!After you read a couple hundred books, sometimes you can feel like you’ve “read it all” and can’t be surprised by a book’s twists and turns. Black keeps things fresh. Even if I did see something coming, Black put a new spin on it that made it seem new all over again. (I know I’m being vague, but I really hate spoilers!)Black’s writing is just amazing. She has of sinking her literary claws into readers and never letting go.Like here, at the end of the 1st chapter:”For me, the curse is a crutch, but the con is everything. It was my mother who taught me that if you’re going to screw someone over- with magic and wit or with alone- you have to know the mark better than he knows himself. The first thing you have to do is gain his confidence. Charm him. Just be sure he thinks he’s smarter than you are. Then you- or, ideally, your partner, suggest the score. …Being a con artist means thinking that you’re smarter than everyone else and that you’re thought of everything. That you can get away with anything. That you can con anyone. I wish I could say that I don’t think about the con when I deal with people, but the difference between me and my mother is that I don’t con myself.”OVERALLWhite Cat is a must-read. I LOVED this book!! I gobbled it up and couldn’t get enough. I’m almost finished devouring Red Glove (Curse Workers, Book 2) . Do yourself a favor and read the first (free!) chapter on publisher’s website. I dare you to resist buying White Cat after you’re finished!

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