White Cat - Holly Black

Title: White Cat
Series: Curse Workers #1
Author: Holly Black
My Rating: B

Summary:

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:

I read this a while back and am just now reviewing it. I have to say, it still scares me a little bit in White Cat how they can CHANGE people into other things. I think Black did an amazing job with writing this book.
Cassel's character is perfect. For a scam-artist anyway. I mean, he IS a scammer. But, I don't blame him for what he does. Everyone has to live, right? ;)
Lila is a stubborn girl, but I can see why she is the way she is. Her father isn't really a good example for her, but what can she do? You can't pick who your parents are, so you have to do with what you have.
I admit I didn't start this book until the last possible moment, I wasn't all that excited about reading it. I mean, the genre just didn't seem like one I'd really get into. I read paranormal romance, yes, but magic and wizards and stuff, it's not my favorite thing to read about. I do enjoy some of the books though.
I was actually shocked to find out that I couldn't sleep at night because I was wondering what would happen next and who would do what next. It was rather exhausting to go to bed and just THINK about it.
I will definitely read this fast-pacing and truly unique series to the end!

Don't worry, you can always read the next book in this must-read series: