The Fiction Enthusiast: Review: White Cat (Curse Workers #1) by Holly Black

Title: White Cat (Curse Workers #1)
Author: Holly Black
Release Date: 5/4/2010
Number of pages: 320
Reading Level: Young Adult

Received from Simon & Schuster

Description 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.

My Thoughts:

White Cat is an exciting addition to Young Adult fiction. I am thrilled to see another series featuring a teenage boy as the protagonist. I rarely read books told from a male’s perspective so when I do it’s such a refreshing change.

I was completely engrossed while I read White Cat. Holly Black wove a creative and fascinating world. She addresses the issue of discrimination against a person because of something that isn’t within their control. In this case it’s discrimination against people who are born with the ability to perform curse work. It’s a new release all young adult fans should check out and a series I’ll definitely continue. I enjoyed spending time with Cassel. He is struggling with the guilt of murdering Lila and trying to cope with the death of his father and his mother’s incarceration. Throughout the book we see Cassel’s desire for a normal family and life. Things I’m sure most teens (and even some adults) can relate to no matter where their families fall on the normal spectrum. Cassel is definitely going on my list of favorite fictional characters. The ending of White Cat sets the story up perfectly for the next book without leaving the reader hanging. I’ll be anxiously awaiting more adventures with Cassel.

The Curse Workers Website

White Cat Trailer