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White Cat (Curse Workers #1)

by Holly Black (Goodreads Author)

3.94 · rating details · 7,746 ratings · 1,615 reviews

The first in a trilogy, this gritty, fast-paced fantasy is rife with the unexpected. Cassel comes from a shady, magical family of con artists and grifters. He doesn't fit in at home or at school, so he's used to feeling like an outsider. He's also used to feeling guilty--he killed his best friend, Lila, years ago.

But when Cassel begins to have strange dreams about a white

...more

Hardcover, 310 pages

Published May 4th 2010 by Margaret K. McElderry

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Sep 02, 2011

Maja rated it

Shelves: readalong, ya, all-the-right-choices, favorites, male-pov, reviewed-in-2011

4.5 stars
Holly Black, where have you been my whole life?

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.

But what happens when you are forced to doubt every single memory that makes you who you are?!

This book has definitely made it to my ‘top ten young adult books’ list. It came at the right time a...more

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Aug 16, 2011

Cara rated it

Recommended to Cara by: Tori

Shelves: recommended-to-me, 2011, male-protagonist, paranormal, series, sibilings

If any of you are like me you are/were put off by the cover. It looks creepy, right? A guy with leather gloves holding a cat? How unappealing is that? Well after reading the book I know this cover fits the book completely, and the creepiness is probably part of the point. And the cover gives it a mafia feel, which is central to the whole order of the curse workers.

Anyways onto what's beyond the cover. Cassel at the moment is attending a private school, trying to forget some horrendou...moreIf any of you are like me you are/were put off by the cover. It looks creepy, right? A guy with leather gloves holding a cat? How unappealing is that? Well after reading the book I know this cover fits the book completely, and the creepiness is probably part of the point. And the cover gives it a mafia feel, which is central to the whole order of the curse workers.

Anyways onto what's beyond the cover. Cassel at the moment is attending a private school, trying to forget some horrendous memories that are haunting him. He also is trying to ignore the fact that he has no curse (or gift depending on who you are asking). He feels like an outsider wherever he goes, whether it is in his family or among his classmates. Cassel comes from a family of curse workers who can bring luck, manipulate emotions, physically hurt people, kill them, all just with a touch of a hand, hence why people in this society wear gloves. Cassel has to go back to live with his family now because of a nightly episode he had at school, and now that he's back he has a feeling things aren't what they seem; especially now that he keeps seeing a white cat...

People who know me know that I really like reading about sibling relationships, and this book was no different. I like to read about good relationships, but this one shows how complicated and twisted they can become. You can feel Cassel's seeking for a closer relationship with his older brothers, but can't seem to find out how to do that when they always are hiding things from him. Out of the two brothers, Phillip and Barron, I can't help but feel like Barron is the saddest of the characters of the whole book.

The book has a dark tone to it, which makes sense because Cassel is struggling to feel normal at all cost. Surrounding him is shady secrets and deeds and even though he doesn't want to be, he can't help feeling that he falls into the same vicious cycle. Black does a good job of describing the surroundings without the story’s pace getting bogged down. I could feel myself itching and cringing when you read Cassel's description of his house and the contrast you see in other places. The whole concept of curse workers is the strongest aspect of the book. How the community is glorified and vilified at the same time. At the center of all this is Cassel who is not your typical protagonist. He's not perfect at all really, but I get where he's coming from. Though the character of Cassel feels three-dimensional I felt like we didn't get to know all the characters, but since it is a series I'm hoping the other books will expand on that.

Now for why I couldn't give the book five stars, and basically it came down to one character. I can't reveal who it is, but suffice to say it's a girl and she gets on my nerves. Other than that though I'm eager to read Red Glove because as per usual the book leaves you at a lurch. Oh why do authors like to torture us so?
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Sep 19, 2011

Giselle rated it

· review of another edition

It's safe to say that it's not the cover that attracted me to this book. I was actually quite surprised to see its many great reviews. Yes, I'm a book judger. Oh well. I picked this up as an audiobook and actually liked it a lot.

Some people are born as workers in Cassel's world. Workers can "work" people with their hands. By touching someone, they can alter their memory, kill, give good luck, bad luck. You name it. Cassel is the only one in his family who is not a worker. He'...more

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May 26, 2010

Emilie rated it

Shelves: 10, mythic-fiction, ya

white cat has a really fun film noir feel to it. reminiscent of many film noir protagonists, cassel is wandering around missing pieces of his own memory and trying to figure out who he is, what is real, and who he can trust as he works to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

white cat is a dark urban fantasy with mystery and adventure which takes place in an alternate contemporary united states in which magic is a part of the accepted and shared reality. and magic workers, or curse ...morewhite cat has a really fun film noir feel to it. reminiscent of many film noir protagonists, cassel is wandering around missing pieces of his own memory and trying to figure out who he is, what is real, and who he can trust as he works to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

white cat is a dark urban fantasy with mystery and adventure which takes place in an alternate contemporary united states in which magic is a part of the accepted and shared reality. and magic workers, or curse workers, as they are called in the book, are considered criminals. because curse work has been illegal since the 1920s, most curse workers now work for crime families. cassel's shifting sense of himself is central to the story.

it's well written, though lacking in subtlety. though white cat is the first book in a series, the book can be read as a stand alone. i figured out the mysteries, but still found the way they played out engaging.

Cassel is a lonely, smart, self aware, wounded, frightened adolescent who has been taught that the only way to navigate the world is through con games, which translates to a combination of secrets, lies, charm and cleverness. Cassel is a double outsider. within his family, he is the only one born without the talent to do magic, so he is the only one that is not a worker. at school, where very few of the kids are workers or related to workers, he is an outsider because he is perceived as not normal or okay because of his proximity to the worker way of life.

curse workers can affect luck, dreams, emotions, can steal our memories, can change our very dreams, can kill us, can change us all through a moments touch of finger skin. because of this, everyone must always wear gloves because touch is so dangerous. i think that this is an interesting part of the transmission of magic too, and an interesting way of making literal the way we have the potential to change or touch each other.

in this world, when a worker performs magic, that worker experiences blowback, a reaction to the magic they've done, a kind of balancing thing that relates to some magical theory i've read but i've never seen it as a part of a system of magic in a fantasy novel before. i find it interesting partly as it speaks of responsibility and consequence in relationship to magic and to any form of creating change and it implies a complexity about the nature of reality, our ability to manifest changes in reality as well as a complexity in the self.

what i found most compelling is the theme of the relationship between identity and memory.
the idea that if we do something and we don't remember it about ourselves, that if something isn't a part of the story we tell ourselves about who we are, does that and how does that change who we *really* are and how we act and think.

does changing our memory change who we are, and if changing our idea of ourselves changes who we are and how we are, what does this say about our identity. this is what i loved most about the book, and i wish she'd explored these themes more.

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Nov 08, 2011

Tatiana rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Tatiana by: Emily May

Shelves: 2011, ala-ya-2011, series-in-progress-still-like, urban-fantasy

Well, well, well. Color me surprised. Just when I decided never to read another Holly Black work again (due to our seemingly conflicting ideas about what good writing is), Emily's review of White Cat convinced me to give the author one final try. And, who knew, I really, really liked it. Actually, this book is one of the strongest YA UF novels I've ever read. I am not exactly sure what made Black change her writing style so drastically, but I won't be complaining. Somehow her characters are no l...more

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Aug 05, 2010

Jillian -always aspiring- rated it

Recommends it for: People willing to read something that mixes old and new ideas into one engaging story

Shelves: out-of-the-box-ideas, covers-i-love, favorite-books, couldn-t-stop-reading-it, swoon-worthy-book-crushes, heroes-i-love-and-respect, 2010-reads

Now, I'm going to be honest. I've never seen the appeal behind shows such as The Sopranos or even movies like The Godfather. They're just not my cup of tea. Thus, if you had tried to sell me White Cat by comparing it to The Sopranos, I would have told you, "No, thanks."

Enter Holly Black, imaginative writer behind books like Tithe (and its companion and sequel) and co-author of The Spiderwick Chronicles. Now, I liked her Faerie books, but they didn't 'wow' me as much as ...more

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May 30, 2011

Catie rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, read-in-2011, series, ya

3 1/2 stars

I don’t know why I expected this book to be bad. Maybe I’ve read enough paranormal YA’s to have overload trauma flashbacks whenever the genre comes up. But guess what? This one is actually good! Chalk this one up as another triumph for goodreads recommendations.

I find the fantasy world that she builds here to be very compelling and intricate, and since the main character starts out the book very much out of the loop, the details are allowed to assemble and ...more3 1/2 stars

I don’t know why I expected this book to be bad. Maybe I’ve read enough paranormal YA’s to have overload trauma flashbacks whenever the genre comes up. But guess what? This one is actually good! Chalk this one up as another triumph for goodreads recommendations.

I find the fantasy world that she builds here to be very compelling and intricate, and since the main character starts out the book very much out of the loop, the details are allowed to assemble and grow slowly and organically with nary an infodump in sight. This is a world where “curse-workers” (ie, magic users) are living underground, with the threat of the government jailing them, or abusing their powers. Cassel is a member of a long line of curse-workers, and his two older brothers work for the Zacharov family, using their abilities to further the mafia’s illegal ends. Cassel has always been the odd man out as the only member of his family to be born without powers, but following in his mother's footsteps he has become an accomplished con man. When he starts sleep walking at his boarding school and having detailed dreams involving a white cat, memories from his past begin to surface, including a traumatic incident with a girl that he loved.

The main character is a bit naïve to begin with, and slow to catch on to what’s really going on. This is all very understandable, once the full scope of his history is revealed…but it didn’t stop me from wanting to shout “DUH!!” at the big reveal scene. Still, he more than makes up for his initial guileless innocence in the end. I am hoping for a more ruthless, crafty Cassel in the second book. *Crosses fingers for no guilty agonizing over misdeeds.*

I did also spend the large part of this book wishing that it would be darker and grittier – more like the mafia from The Departed and less like the hapless mobsters from The Goonies. I think that this can also be attributed to Cassel’s initial innocence. By the end of this thing, there’s drinking, con artistry, death, and blowback. “Blowback” has to be one of my favorite elements of this book: all curse workers suffer from the magic that they perform. So for example, Cassel’s grandfather the death worker has blackened nubs of fingers, as they slowly die every time he takes a life. And, there’s a compelling piece of info about blowback at the end of the book that I can’t wait to find out more about.

There’s a little romance here that I actually found a bit heartrending and not sickening at all! (That's kind of big for me.) There’s even a teensy preemie of a love triangle. It’s not annoying, but I still hope that it never grows legs. I love Cassel’s nerdy cohorts from school, Sam and Daneca. I hope we see more of them.

Perfect Musical Pairing

The Dears – I Fell Deep

I’m pretty sure that all the best indie rock bands come from Canada. I guess it’s the least they can do to make up for Justin Bieber. This song makes me think about Cassel’s relationship with his brothers, and his slow awakening and rebellion.
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Dec 09, 2011

Janina rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, young-adult-fiction, male-pov, books-i-own, high-expectations, cool-cats, mystery-thriller-suspense, read-in-2011, older-ya-vibe

Okay. This book has the word “cat“ in its title. How could I ever hesitate to read it?

Simply put, I was rather less enamoured of Holly Black's Modern Faerie Tales series and actually couldn't see myself picking up another one of her books. I had given her two chances, and she hadn't convinced me. Don't get me wrong, Tithe and Ironside certainly weren't bad, but I'm normally looking for something better than not bad. Positive reviews abound made me look closer into White Cat, though. ...moreOkay. This book has the word “cat“ in its title. How could I ever hesitate to read it?

Simply put, I was rather less enamoured of Holly Black's Modern Faerie Tales series and actually couldn't see myself picking up another one of her books. I had given her two chances, and she hadn't convinced me. Don't get me wrong, Tithe and Ironside certainly weren't bad, but I'm normally looking for something better than not bad. Positive reviews abound made me look closer into White Cat, though. And I didn't regret it.

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers, magicians wielding their power by touch. Curse work is illegal, so basically, Cassel also comes from a family of criminals. His mom can work emotions (and doesn't hesitate to use this talent to her advantage), his grandfather death – only Cassel can't work anything. Yet, there is something mysterious going on with him. He keeps dreaming of a white cat and a girl he once knew but tried to erase from his memory. He sleepwalks. He can feel that there is something wrong, but nobody will talk to him about it …

This story is fresh and new. It is set in a world that is so similar to ours, yet strikingly different in certain aspects and features a main character that is broken, feels left out, clearly shows criminal talent, but never crosses the border into unlikable. There are clans of curse workers dominating the underground – reminiscent of the mafia – and a family that definitely deserves to be called problematic: A mother in jail, two brothers associated the most feared worker in the whole country and more than one skeleton in the closet. And on top of all that, there is a very special cat.

I loved this book's atmosphere. In parts, it had something of an old black-and-white movie, quiet and mysterious – gentlemen with leather gloves pulling out guns, secret meetings in dark places. Yet, it was also firmly rooted in the modern world. Cassel's friends from school added a certain light-heartedness to the story and Cassel's subtle humour in general really suited me. I just immensely liked his character and felt extremely close to him despite our many differences.
Additionally, Black never felt the need to explain her world to me. It was just there the way it was, and she left it to me to figure things out. I love to be introduced to a new setting that way and hate nothing more than detailed explanations as to why certain things are the way they are. It makes me feel like I'm not taken seriously as a reader.

All in all, a series I look forward to continuing. This book was full of surprises and unforeseeable twists, shady villains and sometimes even shadier allies. It is definitely one of those stories where you can't trust anybody to tell you the truth (not even the narrator), but I for my part really enjoyed the suspense this created.

You can also find this review on my new blog, Janina reads :). (less)

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Feb 03, 2012

Heather rated it

Shelves: 2012, a-to-z-challenge-2012, ya

Meh. Time has been kind to my opinion of White Cat, but I’m still not over the moon for it as so many other readers/reviewers seem to be. I can’t really put my finger on what’s missing, there’s just this general hum of something lacking. Given that, I suppose I can only provide my pros and cons list and let you readers decide for yourself.

Strong points:
1. The concept. It’s unique, interesting, and really, never before seen in YA UF, which makes it fun and fresh.
2. Cassel...more

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Nov 29, 2011

Kelly rated it

Shelves: i-haz-dis, this-makes-meh-happeh

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A transformation worker? Cassel? No. I totally didn't haven't that figured out from the start.

But you know what? I don't even care that it was predictable. 'Coz this book was awesome.The whole curse-working, glove-wearing, butt-kicking bad ass-ery made me SO HAPPY.

I love that Cassel isn't really a good guy. I love that just when you thought he was about to get his happy ending, his awesome fucked-up family went and screwed it up for him. I love the brillia...more

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Aug 29, 2010

David Purse rated it

Here is the link to my review on YA Book Reads -

http://yabookreads.com/blog/2010/08/21/w...

Enjoy =]

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Oct 26, 2011

Emily May rated it

Shelves: young-adult, urban-fantasy, read-in-2011

4.5 stars

I really, really enjoyed pretty much everything about this book. An exciting mystery, memorable characters and a touch of magic... I can't express how excited I am about reading Red Glove as soon as possible.

Holly Black is an author that never really did anything for me before. I gave up on Tithe after reading just one chapter, and her Spiderwick Chronicles weren't bad children's books but they didn't really stand out from the masses either. White Cat was completely ...more

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May 20, 2010

Natalie (Mindful Musings) rated it

The first thing I have to say is that I'm surprised by just how much I enjoyed White Cat. I'd previously read (and reviewed) Holly Black's Modern Faerie Tale series, and while they were entertaining, I felt like they ranked pretty close to the average level when compared to all of the YA books I read.

White Cat provides a little something more. It's deeper and deals with darker themes. Black's writing style is good, but I've always thought that. What stood out to me in White Cat was t...more

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May 30, 2010

DarkHeart "Vehngeance" rated it

Shelves: young-adult, 2010

Holly Black's writing isn't for everyone, but I adore her ability to wrap the darker aspects of real life into her world of make believe. I love that things aren't easy for her characters, that life is complicated and the choices they make have repercussions.

I loved the idea of curse workers and a world where you're only safe from them by the virtue of gloves they wear. Additionally, I like that the book's protagonist, Cassell, is a male - as I only have a handful of male POVs in m...more

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Jul 21, 2011

Jahlia ( (the lovely abnix, thing 10 Evil 1)) rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everybody

Recommended to Jahlia ( (the lovely abnix, thing 10 Evil 1)) by: The fact that I had to grab something fast

Shelves: favorites, i-wish-i-owned-this

This book is lovely, I loved it. Some would say that this is a step down from the Tithe series, but I disagree. I adored this far more than Tithe and I only had one problem with this book.

THE BEGINNING WAS SO FREAKIN BORING.
Oh yes, it was very, very, very boring in the beginning. It seemed to drag and eventually, I became so uninterested that I put it aside for a while and read many other books. But then, the Library receipt glared at me. Reminding me of the horrors and torturo...more

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Aug 14, 2011

Kim rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: book-club, fantasy, teen

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 21, 2011

İlkim rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fantasy, favorites, books-i-own

Kesinlikle çok orijinal bir kurgu. İşlenmesi de güzel. Ama sonunda Cassel'e bir hayli acıdım, acaba ikinci kitapta ne olacak çok merak ediyorum..

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Apr 12, 2011

Shannon rated it

Shelves: favorites, reviews

Read #1
Started on April 8, 2011
Finished on April 12, 2011

Well played, Holly Black, well played.

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Sep 11, 2011

Brandy rated it

SINOPSIS TRADUCIDA:
Cassel proviene de una familia de trabajadores "malditos" -personas que tienen el poder de cambiar sus emociones, sus recuerdos, su suerte, al mínimo contacto de sus manos. Y puesto que todo eso es ilegal, son mafiosos o estafadores. A excepción de Cassel. Él no tiene el "toque" mágico, así que es un extraño, un chico normal en una familia extraña. Sólo tienes que pasar por alto un pequeño detalle - que mató a su mejor amiga, Lila, hace tres años.
...moreSINOPSIS TRADUCIDA:
Cassel proviene de una familia de trabajadores "malditos" -personas que tienen el poder de cambiar sus emociones, sus recuerdos, su suerte, al mínimo contacto de sus manos. Y puesto que todo eso es ilegal, son mafiosos o estafadores. A excepción de Cassel. Él no tiene el "toque" mágico, así que es un extraño, un chico normal en una familia extraña. Sólo tienes que pasar por alto un pequeño detalle - que mató a su mejor amiga, Lila, hace tres años.
Desde entonces, Cassel ha construido cuidadosamente una fachada de normalidad para mezclarse entre la multitud. Sin embargo, su fachada se empieza a desmoronar cuando comienza a caminar dormido de noche, impulsado por sueños aterradores sobre un gato blanco que quiere decirle algo. Y darse cuenta de otras cosas inquietantes, incluyendo el extraño comportamiento de sus dos hermanos. Están guardando secretos y se encuentra atrapado en una misteriosa trama. Cassel comienza a sospechar que es parte de una gran estafa, y empieza a preguntarse lo que realmente sucedió con Lila. ¿Podría estar viva todavía? Para averiguarlo, Cassel tendrá que acercarse a los estafadores.
Holly Black ha creado una apasionante historia de mafiosos y magia negra donde un solo toque puede llevar el amor - o la muerte - y los sueños pueden ser más reales que los recuerdos.

OPINION PERSONAL:
Si te lees la sinopsis ya puedes dar por leído el libro porque te cuenta toda la trama de principio a fin.
Y es tal cual aparece. Después de enamorarme tanto de la portada como del título que me parecen de lo más atractivo, me puse a leerlo y la escritura de Holly Black se me hizo lenta, pesada y aburrida.
Tanto que a unas 60 páginas del principio pasé de todo e hice lo que no se debe hacer, leer los últimos capítulos descubriendo la "sorpresa" (que se intuye en la sinopsis).
Mi "estreno" con esta autora no habría podido salir peor. Tras salir vencida por las técnicas de marketing me enfrenté a una narrativa lenta como ella sola, que intenta crear una atmósfera de suspense y misterio y lo único que me provocó fueron bostezos y desánimo. A las pocas páginas me importaba muy poco lo que le pasara al protagonista....(less)

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Aug 11, 2011

Maureen E rated it

Shelves: fantasy, simply-superb, young-adult

by Holly Black

Opening line--"I wake up barefoot, standing on cold slate tiles."

Okay, I really loved this book. It wasn't one of the pivotal reading experiences of my life, but it was smart, fun, and since I finished I've been thinking about it a lot, drawing comparisons to other books and generally marvelling at its awesomeness.

So here's the premise: In a world where working curses, or any sort of magic (but that seems synonymous with curses) is il...more

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Oct 11, 2011

Heather rated it

Recommends it for: Middle school and up

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 see...moreWOW! 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 unlikable. 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.

Heather in not so sunny Sandwich
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May 30, 2011

Lindsay rated it

Shelves: all-time-favorites, books-i-own, cover-lust

I can think of one word that sums up my feelings for this book: Delicious. Addictive. Strange. Evil. Twisted. Amazing. Okay, so that's more than one word but come on! Holly Black captured my heart with her Tithe series and I'm so mad at myself for waiting so long to read this book because she made me fall in love again.

Its been a long time since I've read a book that's impossible to put down. Everything was exciting and emotional and I not only love that in books, but I miss it too....moreI can think of one word that sums up my feelings for this book: Delicious. Addictive. Strange. Evil. Twisted. Amazing. Okay, so that's more than one word but come on! Holly Black captured my heart with her Tithe series and I'm so mad at myself for waiting so long to read this book because she made me fall in love again.

Its been a long time since I've read a book that's impossible to put down. Everything was exciting and emotional and I not only love that in books, but I miss it too. A book that can capture my attention for hours on end is truly a masterpiece (especially because I have the attention span of a fly.)

The world of the curse workers is brilliant. Dreams, memories, emotions, death, luck, transformations, its all so original. Usually, too much world building puts readers off but White Cat had just the perfect touch. It makes you want to live in their world but at the same time avoid it because of the danger, which there was plenty of.

Cassel...I absolutely loved him. There's just something about his personality which I love. There aren't enough YA novels from guy's perspectives out there. He went through so much sh*t as a kid but finding out the mysteries to his past - even though it was pretty obvious - was definitely interesting.

(view spoiler)

I loved seeing Cassel's brothers Philip and Barron in this book. After all the three go through, it just goes to show how far people will go to protect their families. People are desperate. I could definitely see the humane side of everyone in the book.

Overall, I L-O-V-E-D this book to death. I am dying to get my hands on Red Glove (I think that's the sequel's name but if its not...oops).

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars(less)

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Aug 02, 2010

Seesen9 rated it

Shelves: spectacular-cover, young-adult, worth-rereading, favorites, wish-list

More like 3.5 ★.

I struggled with this one. The beginning was promising, but is slowly became boring and unrealistic. I just couldn´t relate to Cassel or anyone else. It seemed to me that he just acts like he does (lying, stealing, deceiving) because he´s from a worker family and he wants to resemble them, although he isn’t worker himself. There were some brilliant ideas, they were just buried under layers of dull and unnecessary cons, sometimes even predictable. I almost ended up on 2★...more

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Apr 16, 2010

Emma rated it

Hands can become dangerous weapons with the right training. But what if the lightest touch was enough? What if a finger placed on bare skin could change a person's luck? What if it could make a person fall in love? What if it could transform them? What if it could steal a memory? What if a single, slight touch was enough to kill?

In a world where curse magic is real a bare hand is more dangerous than any weapon.

Working is illegal, of course, but that doesn't make it go awa...more

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May 23, 2011

Krys rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, medium-length-book, arcs, own, con-artists-thieves, witches-wizards-magic-themed, urban-dark-fantasy-paranormal, first-person-narrative, read-in-2010, series-i-love

This is my first time reading Holly Black... well, her young adult books anyway. I picked up White Cat yesterday and read it in two quick sittings. It was really absorbing.

The premise is pretty good. In the world Black creates magic was outlawed with prohibition years back and is now controlled by the mafia. In the hands of skilled con-artists Curse Working can be a real asset to the job. Cassel comes from such a family. He is the only one who is not able to work curses and, as a re...moreThis is my first time reading Holly Black... well, her young adult books anyway. I picked up White Cat yesterday and read it in two quick sittings. It was really absorbing.

The premise is pretty good. In the world Black creates magic was outlawed with prohibition years back and is now controlled by the mafia. In the hands of skilled con-artists Curse Working can be a real asset to the job. Cassel comes from such a family. He is the only one who is not able to work curses and, as a result, feels he has to make up by being a great con-artist without it. With his Father dead, his mother in jail for Emotion working, his brothers in their own sordid games and his Grandfather a skilled former Death Worker for one of the biggest Mafia don in the country Cassel has a lot of ground to cover.

Cassel has one great secret though. Three years ago Cassel killed the girl he was in love with, but he doesn't remember how. Riddled with guilt he tries to adapt to a "normal" life... but normal is relative when your dreams are haunted by the girl you killed. One night finds him on the roof of his school with dreams of a white cat chasing his heels. When the incident lands Cassel suspended he begins to analyze what his dreams mean and why he can't remember Lila's murder.

I like reading Holly Black. I really like her style. The prose is very simple but she knows how to create so much with just a few well chosen words. It's very sensual when it needs to be too... her description I mean. She masters adjectives and profound imagery with as little syllables as possible... I like it. She is almost leaving out things intentionally to let your imagination fill in the blanks. Very refreshing. It's nice to have an author who let's the audience fill in the world.

Besides that, I really liked the world. Illegal Magic? Brilliant. Simple... and brilliant. The rest of the world fleshes itself out around this idea. I also love whenever YA authors use male protagonists in their books...which doesn't happen nearly as often as I would like. The lion's share of main characters are largely female. I doesn't change a lot, but the dynamic feels skewed in a way that I like.

Overall 4.5 out of 5. I very much want to read the next one.

-review courtesy of www.bibliopunkk.net (less)

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Jul 02, 2011

Stacia ~ platonic rated it

Recommends it for: Fans of Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

Shelves: young-adult, favorites

4.5 stars. What a fun surprise this book turned out to be. I was expecting a standard formula PNR, written in the gritty style that Holly Black seems to possess. White Cat was about as far removed from the typical angsty YA formula PNR as any other genre would be.

I loved the curse worker world that Ms. Black built. I loved that the main character was a male, which isn't as common in the PNR genre. I especially loved the mafia family vibe that this book was putting out. Nothing abo...more

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Oct 25, 2011

El Templo de las Mil Puertas added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 22-eltemplo, no-solo-para-adultos

"Cassel Sharpe tiene diecisiete años y asiste al colegio Wallingford. No tiene muchos amigos, pero se las apaña. Además, siempre saca algo de dinero como corredor de apuestas entre los estudiantes. En definitiva, es un chico… normal. El problema es precisamente ese: que no es un trabajador de maldiciones como el resto de su familia. Su madre, ahora encarcelada, es capaz de alterar las emociones con el leve roce del dedo en la piel de alguien. Su hermano Barron puede modificar la suerte ...more"Cassel Sharpe tiene diecisiete años y asiste al colegio Wallingford. No tiene muchos amigos, pero se las apaña. Además, siempre saca algo de dinero como corredor de apuestas entre los estudiantes. En definitiva, es un chico… normal. El problema es precisamente ese: que no es un trabajador de maldiciones como el resto de su familia. Su madre, ahora encarcelada, es capaz de alterar las emociones con el leve roce del dedo en la piel de alguien. Su hermano Barron puede modificar la suerte a placer; Phillip es capaz de partir piernas y brazos con una caricia como trabajador físico y su abuelo… su abuelo puede matar con sólo tocar a la víctima. Con este panorama, ¿cómo quieren que se sienta integrado? Pero la anodina vida de Cassel da un giro radical cuando una noche se despierta, en lo alto de un tejado, a punto de saltar. En seguida comprende que, o bien ha hecho todo el recorrido sonámbulo o bien, la opción más probable, se encontraba bajo el influjo de una maldición. A partir de ese momento dará comienzo una cuenta atrás para averiguar quién puede estar detrás del fallido crimen, cuál será su siguiente movimiento… y si tiene algo que ver con la chica que asesinó con frialdad a los catorce años y cuyo cuerpo su familia le ayudó a esconder. Gata blanca es el primer volumen de la saga de Los trabajadores de Maldiciones (The Curse Workers). Mientras que en Estados Unidos se publica en un sello juvenil, aquí es Plaza y Janés quien lo edita. No es difícil comprender las razones. A pesar de ser una novela atractiva, con un protagonista joven y cargada de misterio, el ritmo es irregular y a veces la acción se ralentiza a favor de la profundización en los personajes. En cualquier caso, la ambientación es soberbia, al igual que la recreación de la Historia con la existencia de los trabajadores, cuidada hasta el último detalle, y las relaciones entre los familiares del protagonista. Sigue leyendo en http://www.eltemplodelasmilpuertas.com"(less)

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Feb 05, 2012

ǝnígmǝ rated it

I really like this book, I do. The characters were pretty cool and their abilities were awesome. It wasn’t too much power for too many people – I especially adore the whole concept of ‘blowback.’

And here comes the horrible ‘but’. It was great and all BUT – there, I said it – the world itself. I mean, I’m just thrown into Cassel’s world where, what? People use magic? It’s illegal in the States, or something? It’s not in Australia? People in South Korea are shot because they’re a Curs...more

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Jan 18, 2012

Myeve123 rated it

I read the first scene in Book 2, and that sold me into reading this book. Messed up family, three brothers, sibling rivalry, a son's relationship with emotionally unstable mom, oh, I love this kind of angst.

My response after reading this book: wow, here's male teenage angst without the whining and excessive emo. I feel the tension (or is it the angst? :D) thorough the book. I also like how the romance / love interest plays out in this book. The ending (and Book 2's ending, for that...more

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Jan 14, 2012

Book & Sensibility rated it

I first came across Holly Black while reading Cassandra Clare. Clare and Black are often on tour together and even edit each others work. Plus characters from Black's Valiant series appear in The Mortal Instruments and Jace Wayland is even mentioned in this book.

So, when I picked up White Cat in audio book form I expected to find something similar to the Mortal Instruments--White Cat was anything but that. Instead it is a high-octane fantasy heist novel sprinkled with family drama.
...moreI first came across Holly Black while reading Cassandra Clare. Clare and Black are often on tour together and even edit each others work. Plus characters from Black's Valiant series appear in The Mortal Instruments and Jace Wayland is even mentioned in this book.

So, when I picked up White Cat in audio book form I expected to find something similar to the Mortal Instruments--White Cat was anything but that. Instead it is a high-octane fantasy heist novel sprinkled with family drama.

Cassel Sharpe comes from a family of curseworkers, individuals who have the special ability to "curse" others in things such as luck and death. In a world where curse working and crime go hand-in-hand, dark family secrets rise to the surface and Cassel's life is turned on its head. Soon he finds himself caught up in the biggest con-game of his life, all because of one white cat.

Black does an amazing job of crafting the world in which Cassel lives. She creates a slight alternative history that does not overbear the plot or force itself into the setting of the novel, it flowed so naturally it makes you think it could have actually happen. She allows the characters to speak and define themselves. We get to know them for what they do and say not because of a shimmering eyes or perfect hair.

The novel does follow a few cliches associated with con jobs, which includes trying to misdirect the audience to give an exciting pay-off. While this might work on TV it made the end of the novel confusing and a caused a few plot holes to stick out.

The novel does go a bit dark and there were a few nightmare fueled moments, but you can usually catch them in time to glance over it.

I really liked the audio book for this, it's a short one with only 6 discs, but Jesse Eisenberg gives a great performance. I would defintly recommend it for someone who wants to get into audio books.

If you are a fan of heist dramedys like Leverage, Ocean's Thirteen or The Italian job I think you will enjoy this book. I also found this book to be very similar to All These Things I've Done with the mention of crime families, alternate history and family drama.

For all you Holly Black fans, is there some inside joke about coffee in Holly Black novels ? Because she mentions coffe in at least evey chapter and their is a picture of coffe on her website ? Anyone ?

Curse Workers 2, Red Glove is out now, but this story could certainly stand on its own.(less)

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About Holly Black

Holly Black is a best-selling author of contemporary fantasy novels for kids, teens, and adults. She is the author of the Modern Faerie Tale series (Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside), The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), and The Good Neighbors graphic novels (with Ted Naifeh). She is also the co-editor of three anthologies, Geektastic (with Cecil Castellucci), Zombies vs. Unicorns (with J...more

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