Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

White Cat (Curse Workers #1)

by Holly Black (Goodreads Author)

3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 · rating details · 15,665 ratings · 2,446 reviews

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 criminals. Many become mobsters and con artists. But not Cassel. He hasn't got magic, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore...more

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published May 4th 2010 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

YA Books of 2010 & 2011 I'm LIVING to read!!

46th out of 1,073 books — 6,103 voters

YA Novels of 2010

70th out of 611 books — 2,644 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Sep 02, 2011 Maja rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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 and it was just what I needed: angst-free a...more

like 58 likes · see review

Nov 08, 2011 Tatiana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Tatiana by: Emily May

Shelves: 2011, ala-ya-2011, urban-fantasy, b, series-finished-good

As seen on The Readventurer

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. Some...more

like 47 likes · see review

Dec 09, 2011 Janina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, young-adult-fiction, male-pov, on-my-shelf, cats, mystery-thriller-suspense, read-in-2011, series-finished

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. And I didn't...more 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. 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.(less)

like 22 likes · see review

Mar 30, 2012 Emily May rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-na, paranormal-uf, 2011, coverly-love

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 different, I was ad...more

like 24 likes · see review

May 05, 2013 Kristalia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, annoying-characters, young-adult, boooooooring

Final rating: ★★/★★★★★

description

“The thing is that it’s really hard to stop discrimination when something’s illegal,” the girl says. “I mean, everybody thinks of workers as being criminals. Like, people use the word ‘worker’ to mean
criminals. And, well, if we work a work, even once, we are criminals. So most of us are, because we had to figure it out somehow and that was usually by making something happen.”
“And there are lots of workers who never do anything bad. They go to weddings and hospitals and g

...more

like 12 likes · see review

Aug 16, 2011 Cara rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 horrendous memories t...more 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 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?
(less)

like 10 likes · see review

Jun 03, 2012 ☆Jessie☆ (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, supernatural-fiction, owned-copy, nook-books, best-of-2012, lol-worthy, coverlove, excessive-fangirl-alert, reviewed, 2012-reviews, 2012-reads, this-is-how-to-write-a-series, ssh-ssh-family-secrets, we-are-all-mad-here, five-stars-for-you-glen-coco, pure-entertainment

Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

I LOVE THIS BOOK! I normally try to refrain from all-caps declarations of love (exception: Christian Bale), but it is unavoidable and White Cat 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 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 pl...more Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

I LOVE THIS BOOK! I normally try to refrain from all-caps declarations of love (exception: Christian Bale), but it is unavoidable and White Cat 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 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.

(less)

like 8 likes · see review

Sep 19, 2011 Giselle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal

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's been getting these...more

like 16 likes · see review

Sep 19, 2011 Bonnie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy, ya, read-in-2011, full-of-wonderful, owned-book

4.5 stars

The Storyline
Cassel was born into a family of curse workers; however, he’s the outsider of the family… the one born without magic. Not to say he’s perfect…he’s become quite the con man at school and plus he did kill his best friend Lila and has lived with the guilt for the past 3 years. While at school he begins having dreams where he’s visited by a white cat that obviously wants to tell him something but Cassel isn’t paying that much attention… I mean it is just a dream, right? And the...more 4.5 stars

The Storyline
Cassel was born into a family of curse workers; however, he’s the outsider of the family… the one born without magic. Not to say he’s perfect…he’s become quite the con man at school and plus he did kill his best friend Lila and has lived with the guilt for the past 3 years. While at school he begins having dreams where he’s visited by a white cat that obviously wants to tell him something but Cassel isn’t paying that much attention… I mean it is just a dream, right? And there's something stirring within his own family but he's kept out of it because he isn't one of them. Everyone's keeping him in the dark and as he realizes they've been lying to him, he starts determining what exactly they've been keeping from him.

The Family
I found this whole aspect to be quite sad, yet a vital part of explaining why Cassel is who he is. His mother is in prison for ‘working’ a man into giving her thousands of dollars. His brother Phillip pretty much works for the mob because he has the power to break bones and hurt people simply with the touch of his finger. His brother Barron is the one he’s most close with but throughout the novel they grow distant. Cassel is literally the outsider in the family and is left out from all conversations regarding curse work because he’s technically not one of them.

My Thoughts
This is one brilliantly original novel and I loved it! I read this quickly and loved every minute of it. The characters were great, I loved the overall sense of humor, and the overall story is just completely unique that I couldn’t help but fall in head first. Cassel was my favorite character. I loved his sense of humor, I loved how he handled his own business, I loved how he wasn’t your typical whiny teenage boy, but I also loved that he came across as completely unpretentious. Quite rare, I’ve found, in YA novels that the characters in the end feel as if they were real people (regardless of all the magic involved.)

Overall
Well I’m starting Red Glove right away if that’s any indication. :)

Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!(less)

like 7 likes · see review

Apr 29, 2011 Lucy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal, favorites, thieves, better-than-i-expected, great-world-building

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It's always so much more difficult to review a book I like. With a bad book I can pick out these things that are universally bang my head off a desk bad. Bad writing just leaps off the page and starts poking you in the eyes until you go running off to goodreads to warn your friends off. I'm really enjoying the Curse Workers series and I'm going to do my best to let you all know why because it deserves the good buzz. It is, however, one of those books that I can love while acknowledging it might...more It's always so much more difficult to review a book I like. With a bad book I can pick out these things that are universally bang my head off a desk bad. Bad writing just leaps off the page and starts poking you in the eyes until you go running off to goodreads to warn your friends off. I'm really enjoying the Curse Workers series and I'm going to do my best to let you all know why because it deserves the good buzz. It is, however, one of those books that I can love while acknowledging it might not be universally well-received.

1. Unique World Building. Holly Black created an alternate universe with the Curse Workers series, meaning Cassel's world is essentially our world with a few altered aspects. After a lot of hidden world, where supernatural coexists right along our world without us knowing it, the Curse Workers is like finding something new and shiny in a box of junk you almost threw out.

Everyone in Cassel's world wears gloves. A small percentage of the population has the ability to work magic with the touch of their hands and in a gesture meant to safeguard everyone, gloves became the norm. The people with these abilities have a very specific range of things they can do. There are luck, physical, dream, memory, death, emotion, and transformation workers. Depending on whichever you are, you could for example manipulate someone's luck right before a test, giving them a slight edge or you can go the other way. There's also consequences for this magic called blowback. It's well thought out and developed.

Curse workers are a bit like J.K. Rowling's wizards in that they can be born to people who are not curse workers and that a normal person can be born into a curse working family. Our protagonist, Cassel, was born into a curse working family, which comes with a stereotype. Curse working was made illegal circa prohibition era in the United States. Curse workers were put in labor camps and kept separate from the rest of the population. It was a situation that bred criminal activity and distrust between the two groups. Unfortunately for Cassel, he was born without a gift. He's an outsider in his own family and no one ever really lets him forget it. He's left out of the loop on a lot of stuff because he's not a worker.

Overall, I found the world building dynamic and interesting so two thumbs up there.

2. Excellent Narrative Voice. Cassel was an amazing character to step into this world with and his story is interesting. I can't even count off how many narrators I hated and got stuck with for two more books, but I never felt that way about Cassel. Black wrote an authentic teenage boy voice. The moral crossroads he faces felt like they were approached with the right age with the right mindset. It never felt like I was reading something written by a 30-something year old woman. I had Cassel in my head completely and I freaking liked him. He walked a thin line between wanting to protect his family and wanting as much distance as possible -- essentially perfectly teenage stuff.

My only gripe about Cassel was his name. Yeah, I'm calling out the Mary Sue naming despite my otherwise love. I want to forgive it because this is an alternate universe and there are a few weird names, but the name is up there in suck with 'Bella Swan.'

3. Enchanting, Stark Prose. Someone else might find annoying repetition in here somewhere (i.e. Twilight's marble skin), but I didn't find anything that drove me crazy. The scene setting and descriptive work was never overwhelming or too abundant and yet I always had a clear idea of Cassel's environment and the people around him. There was no insane clothing inventory or paragraph long wall paper descriptions. You got what you needed and were given a little room to fill in the rest in your head. It was perfect writing telepathy. I knew what she meant and she didn't beat me over the head with it. The dialogue was witty and natural. I feel like I'm on the verge of making out with this book the more I go on about it.

4. Actual Character Development. You know how we get through four volumes of Twilight and Bella Swan becomes Bella Cullen without a lot of growth or changes? Essentially you take the character from the first book and toss a pound of glitter on her and you've got the character from the fourth book. Well, Cassel grows up across all these pages. He's figuring out who he is and how to resolve that with who his family happen to be. He knows what he wants on page one and what he wants at the end of the book is not the exact same thing. Take note, YA authors, that's called a journey.

5. Love Interest. It was amazingly well set up. It's chock full of angst and it is the prerequisite filled, but it was filled with care, not just a tossing in of a stock romantic counterpart. I'm a little jaded so when I was reading it I took guesses at who the big love would be. Exgirlfriend? Maybeee! Annoying girl? Possibly. When I got my answer I was delighted!

Guys. Stop looking at me that way. I know I don't toss around the word delight often, but it totally happens. Sometimes I am happy and not filled with rage when reading a book.

I know a lot of the things I loved about White Cat are subjective and they might not necessarily be for everyone, but if you're exhausted with toxic romances and abusive leads who are supposed to be hot, try Cassel. He was worth every moment I spent with him. On a side note, I didn't like the Tithe series by Black. I'm not into fairies either way, but I do think her writing has evolved, which is also something I appreciate. (Sort of the complete opposite of Cassandra Clare.)(less)

like 9 likes · see review

May 08, 2013 Brandi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

So you know when you hit that stride where no matter what book you pick, it ends up just sucking? Such is the place I found myself in, again, when a friend peeked through my TBR list and pointed out a few Sure Things for me to check out. Thank the Lord for Goodreads recommendations! I was intrigued by this book after seeing a few reviews pop up I put it on my list, and promptly forgot about it. I always have that head-desk moment after reading a book that I had been putting off and realize how m...more So you know when you hit that stride where no matter what book you pick, it ends up just sucking? Such is the place I found myself in, again, when a friend peeked through my TBR list and pointed out a few Sure Things for me to check out. Thank the Lord for Goodreads recommendations! I was intrigued by this book after seeing a few reviews pop up I put it on my list, and promptly forgot about it. I always have that head-desk moment after reading a book that I had been putting off and realize how much time I had wasted with the newly loved characters!

Anyway, so this wasn't like anything I can remember reading (at the moment). The story is about a family of curse workers, meaning they have the magical ability to manipulate x, y, or z in a person. Be it luck, emotion, death, or transformation just to name a few. Cassel is the only one in his family that can't work curses and his 2 older brothers (along with his mother and grandfather) make a show of saying how he has to be protected, and left out of "secret worker meetings" and what not. He is the outsider in his mob-like family and has found ways to compensate by being spectacular at reading people. As the story unfolds we learn that not only does Cassel have some serious skeletons in his closet, but he isn't the man he thought he was.

This was a book that demanded my attention and refused to be put off by anything as mundane as taking care of my kids (before I get hate mail, I'm obvious exaggerating this. My kids were given food and water whilst locked in the dog kennel, so all was well). I have a weakness for well written first person stories, and Holly Black sure knows her stuff! I probably would have given this 5 stars actually, but for the fact that I felt the climax was a bit rushed, and I have some lingering questions.

What the hell was it that Phillip wanted Cassel to say to his wife? What did she remember? What was it that his grandpa said he wanted to speak to him, and the guest in his bedroom, before his very annoying mother called? I just would have liked a bit more of something during the party/bathroom scenes. I'm not sure what, just that I wanted more of it.

All in all this is a book I would happily recommend to my fellow lovers of all things magical, and those who want that book that isn't the same as everything else. I can't wait to read Red Glove (even though that one will be a $10 book instead of the awesome $3 that this was).(less)

like 6 likes · see review

May 26, 2010 Emilie rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 workers, as...more 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 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.

(less)

like 9 likes · see review

Oct 18, 2012 Maggie added it · review of another edition

Recommended to Maggie by: Flannery

Shelves: 2012, notable-asian-character

Audiobook rating: 2 stars.

This is the second book of The Readventurer Challenge and... it didn't work for me. I'm not giving White Cat an official goodreads rating because the narration didn't hold my attention enough for me to completely follow the story. This is now my 7th or 8th audiobook, and I love listening to them, but Jesse Eisenberg and I just didn't mesh well together. And I'm not a virgin and I can drive! TMI?

The premise of mafia controlled curse workers sounded like The Godfather me...more

like 8 likes · see review

Aug 05, 2010 Jillian -always aspiring- rated it 4 of 5 stars 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, couldn-t-stop-reading-it, swoon-worthy-book-crushes, heroes-i-love-and-respect, 2010-reads, reviewed

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 I thought they would (sinc...more

like 30 likes · see review

May 30, 2011 Catie rated it 4 of 5 stars · 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 grow slowly and organically...more 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 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.
(less)

like 12 likes · see review

Feb 03, 2012 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 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. He makes for an interes...more

like 7 likes · see review

Nov 29, 2011 Kelly-Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 brilliant cons going down. And I realise I'm gu...more

like 8 likes · see review

Aug 21, 2011 İlkim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fantasy, 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..

like 4 likes · see review

May 20, 2010 Natalie (Mindful Musings) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nook, special-powers, own-arc, male-mc, urban-fantasy, young-adult

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 the main char...more

like 4 likes · see review

May 30, 2010 DarkHeart "Vehngeance" rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 my YA library,...more

like 7 likes · see review

Apr 23, 2012 Bernardo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, coverlust, fantasy, so-hilarious-my-jaw-came-unhinged, loved-it-to-bits, magically-delicious, orgasming-so-hard-i-can-t-even, paranormal-stuff, perfection, romance, ya, whodunit

Honestly, when books are this good, there's nothing left to say except...

This book made me so happy I jizzed in my fucking pants. Not even joking. I fucking did.

like 5 likes · see review

Aug 14, 2011 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club, fantasy, young-adult, andre-norton-nominee, female-author, 2010s, 2010, book-club-scifi-and-fantasy

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

like 4 likes · see review

May 05, 2013 Erin Hartshorn rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved the blend of mystery, con, and magic; the feel of loving and hating family and not knowing what to do about it; the challenge of trying to figure out what was going on before Cassell did; the marvelous way Black used misdirection even while Cassell is telling us what he's doing, so we miss bits and pieces; the world-building that creates a world almost identical to our own, with cell phones and Internet and everything else to make us feel at home -- but where the significant detail of ev...more

like 1 like · see review

Apr 12, 2011 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, reviews

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

Well played, Holly Black, well played.

like 6 likes · see review

Sep 11, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal-romance-urban-fantasy

I had a lot of trepidation starting this book despite all of the glowing reviews from my Goodreads friends (and people I follow). Let's face it. My track record with YA paranormal books has been less than stellar, and my experience with male characters written by female authors has been even worse. But I was desperate to read a good YA paranormal story and this one was one of the highest rated among my friends. I'm so glad I put my reservations aside because White Cat was a fantastic read.

The n...more I had a lot of trepidation starting this book despite all of the glowing reviews from my Goodreads friends (and people I follow). Let's face it. My track record with YA paranormal books has been less than stellar, and my experience with male characters written by female authors has been even worse. But I was desperate to read a good YA paranormal story and this one was one of the highest rated among my friends. I'm so glad I put my reservations aside because White Cat was a fantastic read.

The novel takes place in an alternate reality where some people (known as Curseworkers) are born with special abilities that allow them to influence emotions, manipulate memories, control dreams, change luck, transform objects and people, and kill, all with a single touch. Cassel, the protagonist, feels like an outsider both in his family, because he's the only non-worker, and at his boarding school due to his family's involvement with organized crime. His attempts at fitting in at school are foiled when he begins having strange dreams about a white cat, which leads him to investigate the murder of his best friend, Lila, which he committed three years earlier.

There are a lot of things to praise about White Cat from the dark, timeless atmosphere, to the male-sounding protagonist, to Black's handling of issues of prejudice, to the three dimensional and varied characterization, to the romance, which was full of suspense and not completely obvious. It's also clear that Black did her research on organized crime and antisocial behavior. Either that or she was a con artist in a former life. I could spend pages gushing about all of these things, but instead I'll focus on what stood out for me most about this series, the magic system. I applaud Holly Black for creating consequences for using magic, and for making the severity of the consequences proportional to the magnitude of power and the frequency of use. This creates a realism that other stories with magic lack, and it avoids the world building issue faced by other authors of why the supernatural beings are marginalized.

I was really impressed by nearly ever aspect of this novel including world building, characterization, and plot. This is a series I'll definitely continue on with.(less)

like 4 likes · see review

May 10, 2012 Kaila rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, fantasy, young-adult, urban-fantasy

This review is available on my blog, Stumptown Books.

Not much information is given as to the nature of the magic in this book, and even by the end I was still a little fuzzy on it. Basically there are some special people in the world, around the lines of 1% of the population if I remember correctly, who are able to "Work" certain types of magic if they can touch you or an object. A Luck Worker, for example, can touch you (only with fingers as far as I know) and cause either bad or good luck. Bec...more This review is available on my blog, Stumptown Books.

Not much information is given as to the nature of the magic in this book, and even by the end I was still a little fuzzy on it. Basically there are some special people in the world, around the lines of 1% of the population if I remember correctly, who are able to "Work" certain types of magic if they can touch you or an object. A Luck Worker, for example, can touch you (only with fingers as far as I know) and cause either bad or good luck. Because of this, gloves are all the rage and you're basically required to wear them. It would be like not wearing pants if you don't have gloves on. I like this idea but then she mentions even infants have to have gloves on because otherwise they could Work accidentally and that left me with a strange and vaguely uncomfortable feeling. Nevertheless, the concept is great and I was interested from the get go, but it ended up falling a little flat for me.

I'm not familiar with Holly Black's work but the writing and characters are pretty strong in this, and according to other reviewers on Goodreads, this is a huge improvement over her past novels. I was intrigued from the beginning for where the story was going to go. Time has been kinder to my opinion than I was upon immediately setting it down - now all I remember is that it was fast paced and action packed, but my notes belie those emotions. I was rather bored by the sides characters and the constant act of questioning a memory for realness or not grew exhausting.

There's something about running elaborate cons that I obviously find intriguing because whenever there's a conman in a book nowadays I always love him. Maybe because I'm a terrible actor and too honest for my own good? Hah, sure, let's go with that. At any rate, the cons were always hilarious and I loved that she came up with them.

Overall, I'm left with a pretty "meh" feeling about this one. I really wanted to like it, but it was just ok for me. I might check out the sequels but I'm not going to go out of my way to possess them.(less)

like 1 like · see review

Mar 14, 2012 Tabitha the Pabkins rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1st-in-series, own, dark-fantasy, paranormal, urban, young-adult, noir

Quick and Easy Read. I love trilogies – why? Because if the author has already put out it’s going to be a trilogy you know as a reader that you are going to get some closure, and hopefully pretty soon.

I love Holly Black’s writing style – it’s simple and to the point. That’s what makes her books so enjoyable to read for me. (I absolutely adored her Modern Faerie Tales trilogy – Tithe, Valiant & Ironside.)

White Cat starts off with action – Cassel pretty much hanging from the roof of his schoo...more

like 1 like · see review

Jul 21, 2011 Jahlia ((thing 10 Evil 1)) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everybody

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

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

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 torturous fines I would h...more

like 2 likes · see review

Jun 26, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: surprisingly-good

Hm...White Cat.

Usually the saying it "don't judge a book by its cover" but for this book I think another saying applies.

"Don't judge a book by its title."

And that's excatly what you have to do to be able to actually pick this book up and read it.

Whenever I would see this book in various bookstores I would always stare at it, kind of confused as to why the book was named "white cat" Its like naming a book "purple peppershaker", but still having a great idea to back up the name.
But I do have...more

like 2 likes · see review

Jan 22, 2013 Kathryn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-in-a-serie, books-i-own, read-2013, male-pov

Rating Clarification: 4.5

I am thoroughly surprised with this book. Scratch that, I am appalled that a bond between family members can be this twisted, shocked that there was a plausible explanation for all the crap that I strongly denied and pleasantly thrilled that I have stumbled upon this series.

(view spoiler)...more Rating Clarification: 4.5

I am thoroughly surprised with this book. Scratch that, I am appalled that a bond between family members can be this twisted, shocked that there was a plausible explanation for all the crap that I strongly denied and pleasantly thrilled that I have stumbled upon this series.

(view spoiler)

Favorite Quote
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.(less)

like 2 likes · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
♥calling all fang...: December 2012- White Cat	9	13	Dec 07, 2012 11:12am
Addicted to YA: White Cat	37	147	Dec 04, 2012 01:34pm
Addicted to YA: Cassel Sharpe (Curse Workers)	4	60	Oct 30, 2012 08:46am
Erudite Readers: White Cat (June 2012)	21	27	Jul 17, 2012 08:35am
Vampire replacement?	7	94	Jun 08, 2012 11:39am
Addicted to YA: Curse Workers Quotes	1	8	Mar 26, 2012 05:47pm

combine
Other Editions (23)

More editions...

Videos About This Book

2 comments

Add a comment

Genres

Young Adult

950 users

Fantasy

834 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

356 users

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

336 users

Fantasy > Magic

215 users

Mystery

141 users

Fantasy > Supernatural

98 users

Young Adult > Teen

92 users

Romance

80 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Fantasy

47 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

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) The Poison Eaters and Other Stories, a collection of short fiction, and The Curse Worker series (White Cat, Red Gl...more

More about Holly Black...

Books by Holly Black

The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #1)

The Wrath of Mulgarath (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #5)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About White Cat

11 trivia questions
1 quiz

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from White Cat

“The easiest lies to tell are the ones you want to be true.” — 504 people liked it

“Clever as the Devil and twice as pretty.” — 399 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: White Cat
avg rating	preview: White Cat Goodreads rating: 3.89 (15665 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6087756-white-cat?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358274572l/6087756.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6087756-white-cat?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]White Cat by Holly Black[/url]

White Cat (Curse Workers #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website