Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Margaret K. McElderry Books (2010), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 320 pages
Description
When Cassel Sharpe discovers that his older brothers have used him to carry out their criminal schemes and then stolen his memories, he figures out a way to turn their evil machinations against them.
User reviews
LibraryThing member msjessie
I LOVE THIS BOOK! I normally try to refrain from all-caps declarations of love (exception: Christian Bale), but it is unavoidable and White Cate is worthy of them. This was a quick read but I had so much fun with Cassel that I immediately bought book two, Red Glove, literally right after I finished
Cassel was a strong, unique, male voice with a genuinely compelling and individual tale. This was just... so fun to read; an effortless reading experience as well- the pages flip by without even noticing. I loved the slow reveal of both the history of the 'dab hands' as well as Cassel's own personal evolutionary arc.This isn't a character or a world that you want to leave - both characters and world make an impression and it is a very favorable one. This is a lol-worthy novel, largely due to Cassel himself. He exhibits the trademark teenage self-deprecation and hatred, but unlike most teens, Cassel has the unhappy history to back up his darker emotions. He's quick, and smart but humanly and believably flawed, lonely kid. He uses a complex system of bets on other people's daily lives to feel as if he has some measure of control, as well as to feel like he has a life of his own. Cassel is easily the highpoint of the entire novel, through all his ups, downs, and quotable moments. (“She says that what you did was a cry for help." "It was," I say. "That's why I was yelling 'Heeeelp!' I don't really go in for subtlety.”) If he is occasionally a bit too. . . naiive. . at the expense of pacing and plotting, I'll take that bargain. He's a very relatable and often introspective character for a male teen (“We are, largely, who we remember ourselves to be. That's why habits are so hard to break. If we know ourselves to be liars, we expect not to tell the truth. If we think of ourselves as honest, we try harder.” and “The easiest lies to tell are the ones you want to be true.”) but it works, it genuinely does.
Everything is not perfect here, despite my overwhelming love for the first in the inventive and fun Curse Worker's series - Holly Black is a talented and humorous storyteller, but her expertise doesn't encompass all there is to White Cat. For a novel about con men and deception, several of the twists and turns taken throughout are thoroughly predictable and/or transparent. Not all reveals and outcomes are predicted but some are rather obvious from the get-go. Black takes care to show and not tell with her prose, but her foreshadowing could use some work. This is a novel that isn't full of surprises but one that leads you to a conclusion and then turns that predicted conclusion on its head. It's rather nicely done and impressive on the author's part. I wish that the Mafia families here had more bite and shows of power - I never quite bought the danger of the threat of the Zacharov family, for example. A larger focus on those in charge of the criminal curseworkers would be appreciated.
I was never bored while reading White Cat. On the contrary, I was constantly entertained by this fucked up family dynamic, the first I've seen to really match The Chronicles of Amber in the level of lies, manipulation, outright betrayal and felonies attempted. This is a series made of the winning mix of mafia and magic - intriguing in its conception and execution, filled with complex characters and just plain fun. I read this in early March and I think it will remain one of my favorite novels for the entire year.
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the final page of this. It's addictive - an all-male POV ya novel that's entirely credible and authentic in its voice, set amid a unique and compelling plotline within a magically-infused world. Fast-moving and nearly unputdownable, this is the book newcomers should try for this author. After starting and DNFing the first Spiderwick novel early last year, I was nowhere close to expecting the level of reaction that White Cat caused within me - this is one that has rocketed up to be among my favorite YA novels of recent years. Cassel was a strong, unique, male voice with a genuinely compelling and individual tale. This was just... so fun to read; an effortless reading experience as well- the pages flip by without even noticing. I loved the slow reveal of both the history of the 'dab hands' as well as Cassel's own personal evolutionary arc.This isn't a character or a world that you want to leave - both characters and world make an impression and it is a very favorable one. This is a lol-worthy novel, largely due to Cassel himself. He exhibits the trademark teenage self-deprecation and hatred, but unlike most teens, Cassel has the unhappy history to back up his darker emotions. He's quick, and smart but humanly and believably flawed, lonely kid. He uses a complex system of bets on other people's daily lives to feel as if he has some measure of control, as well as to feel like he has a life of his own. Cassel is easily the highpoint of the entire novel, through all his ups, downs, and quotable moments. (“She says that what you did was a cry for help." "It was," I say. "That's why I was yelling 'Heeeelp!' I don't really go in for subtlety.”) If he is occasionally a bit too. . . naiive. . at the expense of pacing and plotting, I'll take that bargain. He's a very relatable and often introspective character for a male teen (“We are, largely, who we remember ourselves to be. That's why habits are so hard to break. If we know ourselves to be liars, we expect not to tell the truth. If we think of ourselves as honest, we try harder.” and “The easiest lies to tell are the ones you want to be true.”) but it works, it genuinely does.
Everything is not perfect here, despite my overwhelming love for the first in the inventive and fun Curse Worker's series - Holly Black is a talented and humorous storyteller, but her expertise doesn't encompass all there is to White Cat. For a novel about con men and deception, several of the twists and turns taken throughout are thoroughly predictable and/or transparent. Not all reveals and outcomes are predicted but some are rather obvious from the get-go. Black takes care to show and not tell with her prose, but her foreshadowing could use some work. This is a novel that isn't full of surprises but one that leads you to a conclusion and then turns that predicted conclusion on its head. It's rather nicely done and impressive on the author's part. I wish that the Mafia families here had more bite and shows of power - I never quite bought the danger of the threat of the Zacharov family, for example. A larger focus on those in charge of the criminal curseworkers would be appreciated.
I was never bored while reading White Cat. On the contrary, I was constantly entertained by this fucked up family dynamic, the first I've seen to really match The Chronicles of Amber in the level of lies, manipulation, outright betrayal and felonies attempted. This is a series made of the winning mix of mafia and magic - intriguing in its conception and execution, filled with complex characters and just plain fun. I read this in early March and I think it will remain one of my favorite novels for the entire year.
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LibraryThing member renkellym
I enjoyed White Cat so much that I’m putting it in my list of top YA books. Yeah, it’s that good. I think the reasons I enjoyed it so much were as follows: it’s not about a pathetic girl; there are no vampires/werewolves; the main character is a villain. Score one for the bad guys!
Upon
Upon
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recently reading Holly Black’s Tithe, and upon not enjoying it as much as I did in middle school, I was a bit wary of White Cat. But the story was solid, the characters were awesome, and I read through it in two days. Holly Black’s writing has definitely matured, and I’m glad I decided to read White Cat after all. Show Less
LibraryThing member IceyBooks
If you love books that are full of suspense and danger, White Cat by Holly Black will not disappoint. How many books do you know of that start with a sleepwalking boy named Cassel Sharpe?
Everything was unique. The fact that Holly Black took the normal world and added 'workers' to it made it even
Everyone wears gloves. Because you never know who's a worker and who isn't. Workers can 'work' you by placing their bare hand on your unprotected skin. They can change your emotions, bring you good or bad luck, change your memories, and some of them can even kill you. The rarest of all workers, is a transformation worker, one who has the capability to transform a living person into stone.
But Cassel is the odd one. Both his parents are workers, and from his two brothers, he's the only one who isn't a worker. But still, things are weird. There's this cat, who appears in his dreams and sounds just like his best friend, who's dead. Who he killed. And his brothers are acting weird. And the fact that he doesn't remember anything...
Something's up. And Cassel Sharpe may not be a worker, but he is a clever seventeen-year-old.
I loved everything about this book, especially Cassel. I liked being able to see how his clever mind came up with all these cons, and the way he had to 'outsmart the conmen'. Overall, White Cat was awesome, in an awesome way.
This cover is really inviting. The leather jacket and leather gloves make it a definite pick-me-up for me. The suspense from the book clearly leaks onto the cover.
Everything was unique. The fact that Holly Black took the normal world and added 'workers' to it made it even
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more awesome. Everyone wears gloves. Because you never know who's a worker and who isn't. Workers can 'work' you by placing their bare hand on your unprotected skin. They can change your emotions, bring you good or bad luck, change your memories, and some of them can even kill you. The rarest of all workers, is a transformation worker, one who has the capability to transform a living person into stone.
But Cassel is the odd one. Both his parents are workers, and from his two brothers, he's the only one who isn't a worker. But still, things are weird. There's this cat, who appears in his dreams and sounds just like his best friend, who's dead. Who he killed. And his brothers are acting weird. And the fact that he doesn't remember anything...
Something's up. And Cassel Sharpe may not be a worker, but he is a clever seventeen-year-old.
I loved everything about this book, especially Cassel. I liked being able to see how his clever mind came up with all these cons, and the way he had to 'outsmart the conmen'. Overall, White Cat was awesome, in an awesome way.
This cover is really inviting. The leather jacket and leather gloves make it a definite pick-me-up for me. The suspense from the book clearly leaks onto the cover.
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LibraryThing member terriko
An interesting world, where some people possess the ability to curse others by touching them, an ability they have been banned from using by the government. Cassel isn't a curse worker, but the rest of his family is, and to fit in he's become an adept con-man. But slowly, he's realizing that the
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biggest con in his life isn't one he's running... Show Less
LibraryThing member HarkiQuinn
Con men, the magic and murder, oh my! I absolutely adored this book and I feel foolish for not having discovered this series (and Holly Black) sooner.
Cassel's family is just like your average family; his mother can alter a person's emotions, his brother can alter memories, and his other brother can
This story was all kinds of amazing! I loved the aspect of cursing people being illegal (workers must wear gloves to ensure that they don't curse others). Although it's deemed illegal, that obviously doesn't mean that people no longer practice it, in fact there are advocates for curseworkers. The novel continuously built up until the "big reveal" which kept me glued to the edge of my seat! I love when the author gives little information throughout the book that seems random until the climax, that's writing and story telling at its best!
All of the characters were complex and interesting. I didn't know how to react to Cassel's family of curseworkers. They're all so manipulative and have ties to the mobster. Despite their manipulative ways they care for each other and most importantly, they care about Cass. Cass himself is an interesting character, he is extremely likable and determined to do the right thing. The Barron family is definitely one of the most interesting families that I have read about this year; I mean who else can top a grandfather with decayed fingertips who can kill you with one simple touch.
The writing was flawless and I felt like I was transported into Cass's world. I loved the interactions between Cass and his classmates and I enjoyed seeing him react to his curseworking family.
The White Cat was a great start to this series. With memorable characters and a twist that will surprise you, I can't wait to continue this series!
Cassel's family is just like your average family; his mother can alter a person's emotions, his brother can alter memories, and his other brother can
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change a person's luck. Everyone can work a curse except for Cassel who is prone to sleepwalking and dreaming of a murder he committed three years back. Everything changes when he finds a white cat in his dorm room, and his brothers begin to act more strangely than usual.This story was all kinds of amazing! I loved the aspect of cursing people being illegal (workers must wear gloves to ensure that they don't curse others). Although it's deemed illegal, that obviously doesn't mean that people no longer practice it, in fact there are advocates for curseworkers. The novel continuously built up until the "big reveal" which kept me glued to the edge of my seat! I love when the author gives little information throughout the book that seems random until the climax, that's writing and story telling at its best!
All of the characters were complex and interesting. I didn't know how to react to Cassel's family of curseworkers. They're all so manipulative and have ties to the mobster. Despite their manipulative ways they care for each other and most importantly, they care about Cass. Cass himself is an interesting character, he is extremely likable and determined to do the right thing. The Barron family is definitely one of the most interesting families that I have read about this year; I mean who else can top a grandfather with decayed fingertips who can kill you with one simple touch.
The writing was flawless and I felt like I was transported into Cass's world. I loved the interactions between Cass and his classmates and I enjoyed seeing him react to his curseworking family.
The White Cat was a great start to this series. With memorable characters and a twist that will surprise you, I can't wait to continue this series!
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LibraryThing member Carmin_Lynn
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
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.
I found this book to be quite interesting. Nothing is as it seems. Everybody has to wear gloves all the time to protect themselves from being cursed. I think it is a highly entralling mystery novel.
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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.
I found this book to be quite interesting. Nothing is as it seems. Everybody has to wear gloves all the time to protect themselves from being cursed. I think it is a highly entralling mystery novel.
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LibraryThing member bibliojunkies
Not all addictions are bad in my opinion. If it weren’t for my addiction with all things Cassandra Clare, I would not have known to read White Cat, written by Ms. Clare’s author BFF, Holly Black.
It unfortunately took me a while to get to this one. I know, I know. But there are so many books and
Cassel Sharpe is the youngest in a family of Curse Workers. Unfortunately for Cassel(or fortunately depending on who you may be talking to in this fabulous alternate world that Holly Black has created), he did not inherit any curse worker abilities. What he has learned from his family is to be an excellent grifter. And thank goodness too. If it wasn’t for his side-business of swindling the rich kids at his boarding school, he probably couldn’t afford to stay there. But his student status is in jeopardy when he finds himself inexplicably sleepwalking on the roof of his dorm. From that point, Cassel quickly begins unraveling a plot that has been in the works for years and begins to realize that he just might be the one being conned.
There was one thing I did not like about this book. As the reader, you figure out what is going on long before Cassel does. Now don’t let this dissuade you from reading the book. There is a good reason as to why Cassel doesn’t figure it out. But it would have been nice to have been in suspense a bit longer.
What did I like? Oh gee, let me see. One, this is the first YA novel I have read that is written in the first person and from a male perspective. It was fun getting know a male character this way. Two, Cassel is darn loveable! Three, I love the whole family of cons storyline. In a lot of ways Cassel reminds me of a young Neil Caffrey. And what girl doesn’t love a little Neil? And four, Holly Black’s alternate reality took urban fantasy to a whole new level for me.
If you haven’t done so yet, please read this book. It is original and lots of fun. You won’t be disappointed.
Nat
Bibliojunkies.blogspot.com
It unfortunately took me a while to get to this one. I know, I know. But there are so many books and
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so little time. What is a 30 going on 13 year old supposed to do? Well, I finally remedied this problem and picked up White Cat at the local library. And boy do I wish I had read it sooner. What a fun ride!Cassel Sharpe is the youngest in a family of Curse Workers. Unfortunately for Cassel(or fortunately depending on who you may be talking to in this fabulous alternate world that Holly Black has created), he did not inherit any curse worker abilities. What he has learned from his family is to be an excellent grifter. And thank goodness too. If it wasn’t for his side-business of swindling the rich kids at his boarding school, he probably couldn’t afford to stay there. But his student status is in jeopardy when he finds himself inexplicably sleepwalking on the roof of his dorm. From that point, Cassel quickly begins unraveling a plot that has been in the works for years and begins to realize that he just might be the one being conned.
There was one thing I did not like about this book. As the reader, you figure out what is going on long before Cassel does. Now don’t let this dissuade you from reading the book. There is a good reason as to why Cassel doesn’t figure it out. But it would have been nice to have been in suspense a bit longer.
What did I like? Oh gee, let me see. One, this is the first YA novel I have read that is written in the first person and from a male perspective. It was fun getting know a male character this way. Two, Cassel is darn loveable! Three, I love the whole family of cons storyline. In a lot of ways Cassel reminds me of a young Neil Caffrey. And what girl doesn’t love a little Neil? And four, Holly Black’s alternate reality took urban fantasy to a whole new level for me.
If you haven’t done so yet, please read this book. It is original and lots of fun. You won’t be disappointed.
Nat
Bibliojunkies.blogspot.com
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LibraryThing member theepicrat
Holy smokes, there was a lot to digest in WHITE CAT - and the ending, dear Readers, is one surprise of the bittersweet sort! Betrayal, con artists, quirky friends, mysterious cat - Holly Black has the recipe to keep us in awesome suspense! I got a little confused about the curse-working, but I
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think that it's starting to make sense now. Definitely keeping an eye out for RED GLOVE when it comes out! Show Less
LibraryThing member quigui
Meet Cassel. High School student in the prestigious Wallingford private school, with a lot of friends (or so he thinks), running his own betting scheme, and member of a criminal family. He tries to appear normal. In fact, everything he does is a façade, just pretend, a long con to get people to do
Until he finds himself on the rooftop of the school. During the night. In his boxer shorts. With no way of getting out of there without help. Any semblance of normalcy is lost, and soon enough he is suspended from school because there is no way to know if he was only sleepwalking or had been cursed.
White Cat is clearly YA. That much was clear from the start. And I was kind of dreading that, but thought of the name on the cover and persevered. I mean, the other books by Holly Black I had read were also YA, and I liked them. And, well, I liked White Cat. But…
Let’s start with the good things. Holly Black writing has this strange power of sucking me in even if I’m set on not liking the story. There’s a mixture of good plot and mystery that makes me turn page after page to know what happens next. And in this case the plot was quite good, a bit of mob story meets magic meets YA.
The mystery however, while nice, was not exactly a mystery. Nothing really surprised me there. Not who dunnit, nor the stuff about the white cat, nor any of the other little mysteries. Predictable, and would have been really boring had the writing been worse.
I liked the characters, I really did. But I loved the minor ones: Sam, Cassel’s roommate and Daneca, his friend. And Grampa. Although they get enough screen time, I wish they had a bit more. I really liked the parts they were in and got a bit curious about them.
And now for the bad things. I say again, White Cat is clearly YA. Had it been longer and targeted to more adult audiences, I would have loved it to bits. There were things hinted at, that if they were to be expanded and explored would make this book awesome. The fact that everyone wears gloves and skin touch is something intimate and a bit perverse. That the History of this series is an alternate one to ours, only with curse workers, and that they are victims of discrimination and prejudice, but are also, on most of the cases, the worst criminals. There are undertones of dystopia that I would love to see developed.
So, White Cat is a nice book, entertaining and gripping. But there was a glimpse of something great that disappointed me more than it would had it just been missing. Let’s hope that Red Glove, the second on the series is better.
Also at Spoilers and Nuts
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what he wants and to like him.Until he finds himself on the rooftop of the school. During the night. In his boxer shorts. With no way of getting out of there without help. Any semblance of normalcy is lost, and soon enough he is suspended from school because there is no way to know if he was only sleepwalking or had been cursed.
White Cat is clearly YA. That much was clear from the start. And I was kind of dreading that, but thought of the name on the cover and persevered. I mean, the other books by Holly Black I had read were also YA, and I liked them. And, well, I liked White Cat. But…
Let’s start with the good things. Holly Black writing has this strange power of sucking me in even if I’m set on not liking the story. There’s a mixture of good plot and mystery that makes me turn page after page to know what happens next. And in this case the plot was quite good, a bit of mob story meets magic meets YA.
The mystery however, while nice, was not exactly a mystery. Nothing really surprised me there. Not who dunnit, nor the stuff about the white cat, nor any of the other little mysteries. Predictable, and would have been really boring had the writing been worse.
I liked the characters, I really did. But I loved the minor ones: Sam, Cassel’s roommate and Daneca, his friend. And Grampa. Although they get enough screen time, I wish they had a bit more. I really liked the parts they were in and got a bit curious about them.
And now for the bad things. I say again, White Cat is clearly YA. Had it been longer and targeted to more adult audiences, I would have loved it to bits. There were things hinted at, that if they were to be expanded and explored would make this book awesome. The fact that everyone wears gloves and skin touch is something intimate and a bit perverse. That the History of this series is an alternate one to ours, only with curse workers, and that they are victims of discrimination and prejudice, but are also, on most of the cases, the worst criminals. There are undertones of dystopia that I would love to see developed.
So, White Cat is a nice book, entertaining and gripping. But there was a glimpse of something great that disappointed me more than it would had it just been missing. Let’s hope that Red Glove, the second on the series is better.
Also at Spoilers and Nuts
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LibraryThing member katiedoll
In this magnificently crafted world unlike any other, magic is portrayed as a well-known weapon among the characters of the book and is used to instill a sense of mob and crime, making White Cat one of the most unique novels I’ve ever read.
Admittedly, this was my first Holly Black novel, but it
Cassel was such an entertaining protagonist. He’s witty and sarcastic and definitely a smartass, but as the story deepens and we learn more about his history with Lila, a girl that he believes he had murdered, his layers kind of strip away and he comes more serious. More determined. Not only does Holly Black write amazing worlds, she also does a pretty nifty job with the characters she puts in them.
The only thing I can really complain about was that after awhile, it did start to become confusing. A lot of different names and memories are thrown at you, so if you’re not really focused on the book, you’re going to be scrambling to flip pages back to figure out what you missed.
Overall, I really enjoyed White Cat. The Curse Workers world is one that I can’t wait to dive back into, especially with the sudden, and somewhat bizarre, ending that the first book left us with. This is a new kind of paranormal and a new twist on magic, so I definitely recommend it!
Admittedly, this was my first Holly Black novel, but it
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certainly won’t be my last. White Cat was a fast-paced mystery that very much reminds me of the crime investigation shows that I grew up watching as a kid. Clues are unraveled and things are foreshadowed and everything weaves together to make an extremely enthralling book that never bored me.Cassel was such an entertaining protagonist. He’s witty and sarcastic and definitely a smartass, but as the story deepens and we learn more about his history with Lila, a girl that he believes he had murdered, his layers kind of strip away and he comes more serious. More determined. Not only does Holly Black write amazing worlds, she also does a pretty nifty job with the characters she puts in them.
The only thing I can really complain about was that after awhile, it did start to become confusing. A lot of different names and memories are thrown at you, so if you’re not really focused on the book, you’re going to be scrambling to flip pages back to figure out what you missed.
Overall, I really enjoyed White Cat. The Curse Workers world is one that I can’t wait to dive back into, especially with the sudden, and somewhat bizarre, ending that the first book left us with. This is a new kind of paranormal and a new twist on magic, so I definitely recommend it!
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LibraryThing member kayceel
I really enjoyed this unusual take on the supernatural! Cassel is a teenager in a world where curseworkers - people who can influence dreams, erase memories, manipulate emotion and more through skin on skin contact - are mistrusted so much that everyone wears gloves and most curseworkers work as
The world-building here is fantastic - at no point did I feel as though Black was laying out the rules, history, world, etc. for the reader, yet I got a very clear idea of it. She works it in wonderfully and easily. Cassel's an interesting character - tough yet wary, wanting to be separate from his criminal family (his mother's currently in jail, soon to be released; brothers working for a powerful crime family), yet still caring for them. Cassel makes a very important discovery and must pull the ultimate con on his own family, who taught him 'the con,' which gets wonderfully intense!
A fascinating, smart and exciting read - recommended!
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con-artists. Cassel comes from a family of illegal curseworkers, but has tried to distance himself as much as possible, especially since he is without curseworking ability. When he starts sleepwalking and dreaming of an eerie white cat, he begins to suspect that his older brothers, both involved with a criminal family, are working him.The world-building here is fantastic - at no point did I feel as though Black was laying out the rules, history, world, etc. for the reader, yet I got a very clear idea of it. She works it in wonderfully and easily. Cassel's an interesting character - tough yet wary, wanting to be separate from his criminal family (his mother's currently in jail, soon to be released; brothers working for a powerful crime family), yet still caring for them. Cassel makes a very important discovery and must pull the ultimate con on his own family, who taught him 'the con,' which gets wonderfully intense!
A fascinating, smart and exciting read - recommended!
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LibraryThing member SusanKayeQuinn
Outstanding! Extremely well written and compelling, Holly Black crafts a world of gangster magic workers that sucks you right in. I love that this is from a teen boy point-of-view, as well.
LibraryThing member hrose2931
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
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.(Summary From Goodreads)
WOW! This was such a great book! I haven't read any of Holly Black's other books. They are waiting patiently in my TBR stack. They'll be moving to the top. But the ideas in this book are totally original and mind blowing.
The first page of the book, first paragraph hooks you. "I wake up barefoot, standing on cold slate tiles. Looking dizzily down. I suck in a breath of icy air. Above me are stars. Below me, the bronze statue of Colonel Wallingford makes me realize I'm seeing the quad from the peak of Smythe Hall, my dorm." Now, if a boy sleep walking climbing to the peak of a roof in the cold, obviously barefoot doesn't get your attention, I don't know what will. It sure gets the school's attention and he's suspended. They don't want the liability. They think he was trying to kill himself, though he is the one that called for help.
That's how we meet Cassel Sharpe on the roof of his dorm trying to figure out how to get down without calling for help. He comes from a family of workers, though he himself is not a worker. Workers are people with talents that vary from being able to give people luck to killing them with a simple touch of their fingers. That's why everyone wears gloves. Cassel is trying to fit in, yet he doesn't know how to be normal, so he does what he sees other people do. Except he had to run the con. He's a bookie. But that seems to make him more popular than not.
Cassel's family is and odd assortment of characters. His oldest brother Phillip is married and has a son. He thinks Phillip is a body worker, a touch of a bare finger can break something and knows he works for one of the biggest crime families on the East coast. Eventually most of the workers do end up working for the crime families because no one else wants them. Cassel's father is dead. If it was mentioned how, I don't remember. His mother is in jail for working a millionaire, making him believe he loved her and giving her thousands of dollars. She got caught but her case is up for appeal. His middle brother Barron is a memory worker and is going to Law school at Princeton. And his Granddad lives in Carney. He was a deathworker. One touch from him and you're dead. But, there are repercussions from curse work. Something called blowback, sort of like instant karma, and Granddad's fingers are almost all dead, blackened and rotted. But his gloves hide it.
Cassel and his Granddad , after Cassel is suspended, go to his family home and clean it out. It sounds like the worst case of Hoarders from t.v. Apparently nothing has ever been thrown away. It takes days to clean everything out. In the meantime, Cassel is still sleep walking and seeing a white cat in all his dreams. The same one that is living in the barn behind his house. Cassel starts to mistrust his brothers but doesn't know which one is using him and begins to doubt himself and his memories. He still dreams and thinks the white cat has something to do with his sleep walking. He is haunted by the grin he had on his face when he killed Lila. Then he visits Barron's apartment and sees all the reminders of his memories, the blowback from memory work is losing your own memories. Cassel gets charms against losing his memory, just in case and puts them someplace they aren't easily discovered. When he begins to unravel the truth he finds out the horror of what's been really going on. He also finds he actually has friends he can count on when he needs them. He has to work with them to pull the biggest con yet. But the final pages tell the real truth about the con.
The story is told in first person from Cassel's point of view. He's so likable and tragic. I just wanted to hold him, as a mom, and tell him everything would be okay, that all was forgiven. His mom, though she really seems to love him, doesn't seem to be that type. She gives him a gift he'd rather not have. It's heartbreaking when he finds out. She belongs in jail in my opinion.
Phillip and Barron are thoroughly unlikeable. They are detestable. You don't know much about them, except Phillip is working his own wife. Enough said. I don't know how or why, but Cassel overhears his Granddad and Phillip talking about it.
Granddad is the only one that seems to have Cassel's best interest at heart, but he's only partly in on things so he can only help so far. And Cassel is so confused, he doesn't know who to trust.
It is a great read, maybe a little slow in the beginning, but once it speeds up, you won't be able to put it down. The world Holly Black created of Curse Workers is so creative, the idea that everyone has to wear gloves and there's legislation being put to vote that everyone has to be tested to see if they are a worker, but the government won't use the information. Even we know that isn't true. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
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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.(Summary From Goodreads)
WOW! This was such a great book! I haven't read any of Holly Black's other books. They are waiting patiently in my TBR stack. They'll be moving to the top. But the ideas in this book are totally original and mind blowing.
The first page of the book, first paragraph hooks you. "I wake up barefoot, standing on cold slate tiles. Looking dizzily down. I suck in a breath of icy air. Above me are stars. Below me, the bronze statue of Colonel Wallingford makes me realize I'm seeing the quad from the peak of Smythe Hall, my dorm." Now, if a boy sleep walking climbing to the peak of a roof in the cold, obviously barefoot doesn't get your attention, I don't know what will. It sure gets the school's attention and he's suspended. They don't want the liability. They think he was trying to kill himself, though he is the one that called for help.
That's how we meet Cassel Sharpe on the roof of his dorm trying to figure out how to get down without calling for help. He comes from a family of workers, though he himself is not a worker. Workers are people with talents that vary from being able to give people luck to killing them with a simple touch of their fingers. That's why everyone wears gloves. Cassel is trying to fit in, yet he doesn't know how to be normal, so he does what he sees other people do. Except he had to run the con. He's a bookie. But that seems to make him more popular than not.
Cassel's family is and odd assortment of characters. His oldest brother Phillip is married and has a son. He thinks Phillip is a body worker, a touch of a bare finger can break something and knows he works for one of the biggest crime families on the East coast. Eventually most of the workers do end up working for the crime families because no one else wants them. Cassel's father is dead. If it was mentioned how, I don't remember. His mother is in jail for working a millionaire, making him believe he loved her and giving her thousands of dollars. She got caught but her case is up for appeal. His middle brother Barron is a memory worker and is going to Law school at Princeton. And his Granddad lives in Carney. He was a deathworker. One touch from him and you're dead. But, there are repercussions from curse work. Something called blowback, sort of like instant karma, and Granddad's fingers are almost all dead, blackened and rotted. But his gloves hide it.
Cassel and his Granddad , after Cassel is suspended, go to his family home and clean it out. It sounds like the worst case of Hoarders from t.v. Apparently nothing has ever been thrown away. It takes days to clean everything out. In the meantime, Cassel is still sleep walking and seeing a white cat in all his dreams. The same one that is living in the barn behind his house. Cassel starts to mistrust his brothers but doesn't know which one is using him and begins to doubt himself and his memories. He still dreams and thinks the white cat has something to do with his sleep walking. He is haunted by the grin he had on his face when he killed Lila. Then he visits Barron's apartment and sees all the reminders of his memories, the blowback from memory work is losing your own memories. Cassel gets charms against losing his memory, just in case and puts them someplace they aren't easily discovered. When he begins to unravel the truth he finds out the horror of what's been really going on. He also finds he actually has friends he can count on when he needs them. He has to work with them to pull the biggest con yet. But the final pages tell the real truth about the con.
The story is told in first person from Cassel's point of view. He's so likable and tragic. I just wanted to hold him, as a mom, and tell him everything would be okay, that all was forgiven. His mom, though she really seems to love him, doesn't seem to be that type. She gives him a gift he'd rather not have. It's heartbreaking when he finds out. She belongs in jail in my opinion.
Phillip and Barron are thoroughly unlikeable. They are detestable. You don't know much about them, except Phillip is working his own wife. Enough said. I don't know how or why, but Cassel overhears his Granddad and Phillip talking about it.
Granddad is the only one that seems to have Cassel's best interest at heart, but he's only partly in on things so he can only help so far. And Cassel is so confused, he doesn't know who to trust.
It is a great read, maybe a little slow in the beginning, but once it speeds up, you won't be able to put it down. The world Holly Black created of Curse Workers is so creative, the idea that everyone has to wear gloves and there's legislation being put to vote that everyone has to be tested to see if they are a worker, but the government won't use the information. Even we know that isn't true. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
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LibraryThing member AmyLynn
This book blew me away. I’ve been waiting for Black’s new series since Ironside came out two years ago. Let me start with this: Holly Black does not disappoint.
I always read critically when a female author writes a male character. Cassel is not the troubled boy who needs a girl to save him.
Another strength was Cassel not doing what he is told. Instead of going off alone, he takes his friends Sam and Daneca with him on his missions, using their strengths instead of trying to be a hero. This strikes me as another example of Black’s amazing characterization skills. When faced with a mafia that can curse you, I wouldn’t want to fight them alone. I also liked the way their strengths and weaknesses are addressed.
I can’t guarantee that mystery fans will love this book, but once I finished, I went out and bought some Raymond Chandler. If you like magical mysteries like The Dresden Files, pick up White Cat.
I always read critically when a female author writes a male character. Cassel is not the troubled boy who needs a girl to save him.
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Instead, he’s a troubled boy because he didn’t save a girl. The guilt and tension over his murder shades the book beautifully. The motivation to not lose control shapes his decisions as he slowly unravels the night he killed his girlfriend.Another strength was Cassel not doing what he is told. Instead of going off alone, he takes his friends Sam and Daneca with him on his missions, using their strengths instead of trying to be a hero. This strikes me as another example of Black’s amazing characterization skills. When faced with a mafia that can curse you, I wouldn’t want to fight them alone. I also liked the way their strengths and weaknesses are addressed.
I can’t guarantee that mystery fans will love this book, but once I finished, I went out and bought some Raymond Chandler. If you like magical mysteries like The Dresden Files, pick up White Cat.
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LibraryThing member shojo_a
Darn it. I just typed up a whole review and it got erased. Well, here we go again.
It's kind of funny that I have to type it up again from memory, when this book deals so much with memory and memories and how they can and can't be trusted.
There's something about Holly Black's books that are so
Not because it was an easy story, but because I wanted to know what happened next. Cassel's voice drew me in from the very first chapter, he was a hero I wanted to spend time with and get to know. I loved all the details of the book, the complex worldbuilding that blended in the curse workers history with real world history, the way the curse working was described side by side with explanations of real life cons work. I guess that makes it a shining example of its genre. The magic worked in so smoothly with the ordinary. I loved the way it dealt with love and family and memory and trust, and how ultimately unrealiable it can all be.
All the big reveals blew me a way every time, had me exclaiming outloud, "Holy shit!" and "Oh my god!", the way it all fell into place every time.
I can't wait for the next book, not because the book ended on a cliff hanging - it could work as a stand alone - but because I'm anxious to get back to Cassel and his world.
It's kind of funny that I have to type it up again from memory, when this book deals so much with memory and memories and how they can and can't be trusted.
There's something about Holly Black's books that are so
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compulsively readable to me. Once I finished two of her books in two days - one day for each book. I finished this book in two days, although in actually, it probably only took me about 4 hours to read it cover to cover.Not because it was an easy story, but because I wanted to know what happened next. Cassel's voice drew me in from the very first chapter, he was a hero I wanted to spend time with and get to know. I loved all the details of the book, the complex worldbuilding that blended in the curse workers history with real world history, the way the curse working was described side by side with explanations of real life cons work. I guess that makes it a shining example of its genre. The magic worked in so smoothly with the ordinary. I loved the way it dealt with love and family and memory and trust, and how ultimately unrealiable it can all be.
All the big reveals blew me a way every time, had me exclaiming outloud, "Holy shit!" and "Oh my god!", the way it all fell into place every time.
I can't wait for the next book, not because the book ended on a cliff hanging - it could work as a stand alone - but because I'm anxious to get back to Cassel and his world.
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LibraryThing member C.Ibarra
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
I was completely engrossed while I read White Cat. Holly Black
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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. Show Less
LibraryThing member Wosret
Amazing start to a new trilogy by my favourite author. I love the world she's created. She's included all kinds of details that I would never have thought of. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
LibraryThing member jmchshannon
Dark and tension-filled, White Cat banishes the teen angst that typifies young adult literature. In its stead is a delightfully sinister life-and-death struggle about life in a world that is just like our own, with extremely subtle albeit massive differences. It is a refreshing change from the more
Ms. Black is masterful at generating sympathy for Cassel. He is mature beyond his years, even though his age is undetermined. As Cassel struggles to uncover the mysteries, the reader is left trying to uncover the mysterious new world where everyone wears gloves, the naked hand is cause for terror, and the threat of mob families hangs over everyone and everything. Just as the reader gets comfortable with this new world and with Cassel as the hero, Ms. Black springs new information on Cassel that shakes the reader's faith in him to its core. It is a delicious twist that, while not necessarily completely surprising, is still shocking enough to have the reader questioning everything read to that point. This twist gets to the very heart of the story and problems Cassel faces. Better yet, it raises questions that everyone should ask at themselves at some point in time. Just how foolproof is our memory? Can we truly trust it? Should we? How does this extend to words on a page? Just what does it mean to trust?
In all, Ms. Black has created a world of subtlety, where growing up appears to hold the same drama, mood swings, and issues that teens everywhere face. Underneath that shallow surface lies a world much more sinister and dangerous than one can initially fathom. White Cat contains mystery and danger, questions about human nature, and a cast of memorable characters that will quickly make it popular among fans of young adult literature everywhere.
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fluffy fare I typically find in this genre. Ms. Black is masterful at generating sympathy for Cassel. He is mature beyond his years, even though his age is undetermined. As Cassel struggles to uncover the mysteries, the reader is left trying to uncover the mysterious new world where everyone wears gloves, the naked hand is cause for terror, and the threat of mob families hangs over everyone and everything. Just as the reader gets comfortable with this new world and with Cassel as the hero, Ms. Black springs new information on Cassel that shakes the reader's faith in him to its core. It is a delicious twist that, while not necessarily completely surprising, is still shocking enough to have the reader questioning everything read to that point. This twist gets to the very heart of the story and problems Cassel faces. Better yet, it raises questions that everyone should ask at themselves at some point in time. Just how foolproof is our memory? Can we truly trust it? Should we? How does this extend to words on a page? Just what does it mean to trust?
In all, Ms. Black has created a world of subtlety, where growing up appears to hold the same drama, mood swings, and issues that teens everywhere face. Underneath that shallow surface lies a world much more sinister and dangerous than one can initially fathom. White Cat contains mystery and danger, questions about human nature, and a cast of memorable characters that will quickly make it popular among fans of young adult literature everywhere.
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LibraryThing member sarahwriter
I think this is Holly Black's best book yet. Fantastic premise--magic workers as mid-level con artists and Mafiosi, with curses that hurt both the receiver and the giver. Tremendously appealing characters. Harry Potter meets The Sopranos. And what Holly Black knows about cons really scares me.
LibraryThing member titania86
Cassel Sharpe comes from a family of curse workers. These people can manipulate people or things, such as luck, emotion, death, transformation, among others. Only a fraction of a percent of people in America has these abilities. Using their powers is illegal, so most of these workers are either con
I have never read a book by Holly Black because her books just never appealed to me for some reason. Now I'm kicking myself because White Cat is so good that it is easily one of my favorite young adult books. Cassel Sharpe is a great protagonist. He's smart, clever, and cynical, but at his core, he's a good person. Although the reader knows at the outset that he has committed a horrible crime, Holly Black manages to make him a sympathetic and relatable character. I really feel for him and the hard situation with his family. It's a horrible thing when you don't belong anywhere and you can't even trust the people closest to you. Cassel is a very different main character than is typical than most young adult novels.
The alternate universe in this book is utterly unique and detailed. I've never read another book quite like it. I really liked that the reader is just thrown into a world almost like the one we live, but slightly different, without any initial explanations. Then things begin to unfold and make sense as you go along. This device is very similar to many adult science fiction books. If you're looking for a paranormal romance story, you won't find it here. This world is flawed and gritty. It's a place where the endings aren't happy and the people are flawed. The stark realism makes this story hit me harder than most young adult novels out there. The story is suspenseful, breathtaking, and infuriating at points. Some plot twists were predictable, but others seemed to slap me across the face out being so very unexpected. I really enjoyed trying to sort out the truth alongside Cassel.
I highly recommend White Cat to just about everyone and I am going to be one of the first to buy the next in the series. Before that, I need to go out and read the rest of her books as soon as possible.
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artists or in the mafia. This includes all of Cassel's immediately family, except for him. He has no powers, the odd one out in his family. He is still involved in crime, including killing his best friend (and mafia princess) Lila three years ago. While his mother is in jail, he tries to lead a relatively normal life and create an identity for himself separate from his family. Until he has a dream that a white cat ate his tongue and he chases it down, only to wake up on the roof of his dorm with no way of getting down. He is temporarily kicked out of school only to be plunged into the craziness that is his family once more. He knows that his brothers are keeping things from him. How can he figure out anything when he doesn't even know if his own memories are real?I have never read a book by Holly Black because her books just never appealed to me for some reason. Now I'm kicking myself because White Cat is so good that it is easily one of my favorite young adult books. Cassel Sharpe is a great protagonist. He's smart, clever, and cynical, but at his core, he's a good person. Although the reader knows at the outset that he has committed a horrible crime, Holly Black manages to make him a sympathetic and relatable character. I really feel for him and the hard situation with his family. It's a horrible thing when you don't belong anywhere and you can't even trust the people closest to you. Cassel is a very different main character than is typical than most young adult novels.
The alternate universe in this book is utterly unique and detailed. I've never read another book quite like it. I really liked that the reader is just thrown into a world almost like the one we live, but slightly different, without any initial explanations. Then things begin to unfold and make sense as you go along. This device is very similar to many adult science fiction books. If you're looking for a paranormal romance story, you won't find it here. This world is flawed and gritty. It's a place where the endings aren't happy and the people are flawed. The stark realism makes this story hit me harder than most young adult novels out there. The story is suspenseful, breathtaking, and infuriating at points. Some plot twists were predictable, but others seemed to slap me across the face out being so very unexpected. I really enjoyed trying to sort out the truth alongside Cassel.
I highly recommend White Cat to just about everyone and I am going to be one of the first to buy the next in the series. Before that, I need to go out and read the rest of her books as soon as possible.
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LibraryThing member krau0098
I got an advanced reading copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program. I was really excited to read this book because I am a huge Holly Black fan. I loved Black's Modern Fairy Tale series, loved the Spiderwick Chronicles and have enjoyed her graphic novel series The Good Neighbors. This book
Cassel comes from a family of curse workers, but is not a Curse Worker himself. Curse workers can do things and specialize in a single area (emotions, physical, memory, dreams, transformation). Cassel's family is involved with the Curse Worker equivalent of the Mafia. When Cassel start having disturbing dreams and begins to be trailed by a white cat, he starts thinking that things are not what they seem to be. He begins to worry that his brothers are keeping secrets from him and are more deeply involved in the Curse Worker Mafia than he originally thought. He need to figure out what is going on before his dreams end up killing him.
I am not sure what I expected from this book, but whatever I expected, this book wasn't it. The majority of this book is about conning people, confidence schemes, and the Mafia. There is magic involved (in Cursing) but it is overshadowed by all the political maneuvering and scheming. So, if you are into reading about Mafia type setups and con-men then this is the book for you.
I usually find Black's characters very engaging, but that was not the case in this book. It's very hard to like Cassel or to feel bad for him. He states many times that he is not a nice person, and even in his ignorance, he isn't. His friends are in the story only a small amount, and as such aren't well defined. His brothers are flat-out jerks. Even the girl from his past, Lila, is not a character that you can really like.
The plot was fine and moved along at a fast clip. There are a number of twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing. Some of the twists at the end of the book are humorous and ironic. The writing style was very readable, but lacked description. The writing style was also more simplistic than I am used to from Black's previous works, at least along the lines of complexity and description.
I did find the world with Curse Workers included to be interesting. I found the concept of "blowback" every time you work a curse to be interesting. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of background given on Curse Workers and how they interact with the rest of the world. Some politics behind Curse Working are discussed but not in great detail. I have a feeling that this is going to be visited in a lot more depth in future novels in this series.
Overall this was an okay book. The plot and magic system were interesting; I thought characterization and writing were only so-so. This has potential to become a really interesting series in future books, but this book left me uncertain as to whether or not I will actually read more books in this series. The concept of Curse Workers itself is creative and intriguing; it just wasn't pulled off in a very exciting way and in general the book left me kind of bored. Definitely not one of Black's best efforts. I would check out either her Modern Fairy Tale series or The Spiderwick Chronicles first.
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was okay, but not nearly as engaging as I was hoping for.Cassel comes from a family of curse workers, but is not a Curse Worker himself. Curse workers can do things and specialize in a single area (emotions, physical, memory, dreams, transformation). Cassel's family is involved with the Curse Worker equivalent of the Mafia. When Cassel start having disturbing dreams and begins to be trailed by a white cat, he starts thinking that things are not what they seem to be. He begins to worry that his brothers are keeping secrets from him and are more deeply involved in the Curse Worker Mafia than he originally thought. He need to figure out what is going on before his dreams end up killing him.
I am not sure what I expected from this book, but whatever I expected, this book wasn't it. The majority of this book is about conning people, confidence schemes, and the Mafia. There is magic involved (in Cursing) but it is overshadowed by all the political maneuvering and scheming. So, if you are into reading about Mafia type setups and con-men then this is the book for you.
I usually find Black's characters very engaging, but that was not the case in this book. It's very hard to like Cassel or to feel bad for him. He states many times that he is not a nice person, and even in his ignorance, he isn't. His friends are in the story only a small amount, and as such aren't well defined. His brothers are flat-out jerks. Even the girl from his past, Lila, is not a character that you can really like.
The plot was fine and moved along at a fast clip. There are a number of twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing. Some of the twists at the end of the book are humorous and ironic. The writing style was very readable, but lacked description. The writing style was also more simplistic than I am used to from Black's previous works, at least along the lines of complexity and description.
I did find the world with Curse Workers included to be interesting. I found the concept of "blowback" every time you work a curse to be interesting. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of background given on Curse Workers and how they interact with the rest of the world. Some politics behind Curse Working are discussed but not in great detail. I have a feeling that this is going to be visited in a lot more depth in future novels in this series.
Overall this was an okay book. The plot and magic system were interesting; I thought characterization and writing were only so-so. This has potential to become a really interesting series in future books, but this book left me uncertain as to whether or not I will actually read more books in this series. The concept of Curse Workers itself is creative and intriguing; it just wasn't pulled off in a very exciting way and in general the book left me kind of bored. Definitely not one of Black's best efforts. I would check out either her Modern Fairy Tale series or The Spiderwick Chronicles first.
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LibraryThing member pacey1927
Well I certainly haven't read a book with this concept before. It was definitely unsettling. Cassel is a young adult attending a private school in an alternate reality USA. There have always been curse workers, people born with the power to steal memories, bring luck, transform humans, or even
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kill. Once such workers were adored and found glory but now they are talked about behind their backs and many are marked as criminals (which as Cassel points out in the book, THEY ARE). Cassel himself is living with self loathing and confusion because he remembers killing Lila, his best friend but he can't remember why. This book teaches us a lot about cons and how they work. The whole plot of this book is a huge con. At first I didn't think I liked "White Cat" at all. I didn't understand the history and I didn't understand any of the paranormal aspects. Again this is partly due to the fact it is such a unique concept but it is also because a lot of information isn't explained until later on...or on a need to know basis. I don't care for this, and especially in this story, it would have helped to have some more background given earlier. But by the time I was not quite halfway in I was hooked. I wanted to know about the white cat, and about Cassel's brothers. I were sure they would end up being really good guys but I was still fairly suprised by the twists at the end of the book. This is a book where not everyone is a decent person, in fact often you can't decide who is on the good or bad side of things. (In a world like this can there even be a good or bad side? Can things be that black and white?). I really enjoyed the scene where Cassel and friends con the animal shelter and I really like Cassel's grandfather. I really, really dislike Cassel's mother but I think that is Black's intention. The book is rather unsettling and I thought the climax was nuts but the very ending was just creepy. It has got to be a lead in to the next Curse Worker book. On and off through the book I was on the fence but this is no way a reflection on the author who does fabulous job of plotting and writing a well-crafted and intriguing story. Kudos for her for not taking any easy outs with this book, like I said, it is unsettling. I am probably invested enough to read the next book. Show Less
LibraryThing member kraaivrouw
I haven't read anything by Holly Black before and now I'm wondering how I missed her because this book is pretty cool. For one thing, it combines crime families and prep school. For another, it's a young adult book with a paranormal twist, but it doesn't have vampires or angels or werewolves or
Cassel, our hero, is your basic teenage boy (I like that, too) - a non-worker in a family of workers with ties to the Russian mob. His parents were grifters. His brother is muscle. His grandfather was a death worker who has half his fingers blown off from curse blowback. Cassel doesn't really know who or what he is, he just knows that he killed his best friend and nothing's been the same since. Things get really weird when he wakes up on the roof of his dorm where he's been chasing a white cat in his dreams. Or has he?
Thanks to the publisher for the advance copy of this book. I'll be interested to read the next one in what looks to be a promising series.
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some other predator rewritten to sparkle at us (hell, that alone recommends it). Instead Black has begun building a world where a substantial portion of the planet are curse workers - they can change something about you just by touching you with their bare hands.Cassel, our hero, is your basic teenage boy (I like that, too) - a non-worker in a family of workers with ties to the Russian mob. His parents were grifters. His brother is muscle. His grandfather was a death worker who has half his fingers blown off from curse blowback. Cassel doesn't really know who or what he is, he just knows that he killed his best friend and nothing's been the same since. Things get really weird when he wakes up on the roof of his dorm where he's been chasing a white cat in his dreams. Or has he?
Thanks to the publisher for the advance copy of this book. I'll be interested to read the next one in what looks to be a promising series.
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LibraryThing member macygma
Wow! I wish they'd written books like this when I was 14! Holly Black just kicks it with White Cat - the story of a family of Curse workers in a land where such talents are both prized and hated. Cassel is the only one in his family who isn't gifted. His oldest brother, Phillip, does "physical
Cassell is surrounded by this crew of family and is kept under control by them with one thing: when he was 14, he killed his best friend, Lila. Lila just happened to be the daughter of the biggest crime family on the East Coast. They think she was stolen away by another crime syndicate, not diusposed of by Phillip and Barron. Into this mess we fall as Cassell, on page one, finds himself up on the roof of his dormitory. He was following a white cat in his dreams, he thinks. The faculty of his very expensive, very elite boarding school is not amused and they send him home with Phillip until he talks to a psychiatrist. They think half of his problem is that he can't work curses. As if.
Cassell and Grandad work together to clean up Cassel's mother's house. She wil lbe out of prison soon and they hope she will agree to live there. The things they find(including a barnful of cats) start Cassel remembering the time he was 14. Remembering Lila. How she died. He realizes his brothers are totallay out of control and that they must be stopped. But how? They are curse workers and he isn't. Can Cassel find the one thing that will stop his brothers? This books won't let itself be put down until this question is answered. And the answer will left you thinking you should have seen it coming all along.
An excellent tale of growing up, facing your worst fears and one that will make you go read everything that Holly Black has ever written. Trust me!
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work" causing bones to break which is very handy when convicing people they really don't want to cross you. Phillip's wife, Maura, hears screaming angels all day long. Brother Barron is a memory worker - he can change your memories in the blink of an eye, but is losinghis own in the process. Granddad was a death worker, and has lost all the fingers on one had because of it. When you are an enforcer for the Mob, you do a lot of death work. And then there is Cassel's mother, the con of the world, who believes too solidly in her cons and forgets who she is.Cassell is surrounded by this crew of family and is kept under control by them with one thing: when he was 14, he killed his best friend, Lila. Lila just happened to be the daughter of the biggest crime family on the East Coast. They think she was stolen away by another crime syndicate, not diusposed of by Phillip and Barron. Into this mess we fall as Cassell, on page one, finds himself up on the roof of his dormitory. He was following a white cat in his dreams, he thinks. The faculty of his very expensive, very elite boarding school is not amused and they send him home with Phillip until he talks to a psychiatrist. They think half of his problem is that he can't work curses. As if.
Cassell and Grandad work together to clean up Cassel's mother's house. She wil lbe out of prison soon and they hope she will agree to live there. The things they find(including a barnful of cats) start Cassel remembering the time he was 14. Remembering Lila. How she died. He realizes his brothers are totallay out of control and that they must be stopped. But how? They are curse workers and he isn't. Can Cassel find the one thing that will stop his brothers? This books won't let itself be put down until this question is answered. And the answer will left you thinking you should have seen it coming all along.
An excellent tale of growing up, facing your worst fears and one that will make you go read everything that Holly Black has ever written. Trust me!
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LibraryThing member CatheOlson
Everyone in Cassel's family is a "worker" except him . . . and it makes him feel left out and different. That and the fact that he murdered his best friend. But things aren't always what the seem--a white cat in his dreams seems to be trying to tell him something and Cassel's brothers are behaving
I found this book a little confusing at first--trying to understand the terminology in Cassel's world--but that's common with fantasy books and I caught on soon enough. The story wasn't particularly original but was told well. I would have liked to see more of the con-man side that Cassel supposedly has because it seems he wouldn't be such a misfit if he used it more often. I enjoyed the twists that the story took and think teens will like it. I'd recommend it for Twilight fans, but I think boys will enjoy this much more than that series because the romance, though there is just a bit, is not the main part of the story.
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strangely. I found this book a little confusing at first--trying to understand the terminology in Cassel's world--but that's common with fantasy books and I caught on soon enough. The story wasn't particularly original but was told well. I would have liked to see more of the con-man side that Cassel supposedly has because it seems he wouldn't be such a misfit if he used it more often. I enjoyed the twists that the story took and think teens will like it. I'd recommend it for Twilight fans, but I think boys will enjoy this much more than that series because the romance, though there is just a bit, is not the main part of the story.
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Awards
Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction (Finalist — 2010)
Massachusetts Book Award (Must-Read (Longlist) — 2011)
Locus Recommended Reading (Young Adult Book — 2010)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2011)
Original publication date
2010-05-04
Physical description
320 p.; 8.44 inches
ISBN
1416963960 / 9781416963967