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White Cat
(Curse Workers #1)
by
The extraordinary new adult fantasy of magic in our world and the price we pay for it by the author of THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES.
Cassel is cursed. Cursed by the memory of the fourteen year old girl he murdered. Life at school is a constant trial. Life at home even worse. No-one at home is ever going to forget that Cassel is a killer. No-one at home is ever going to forge ...more
Cassel is cursed. Cursed by the memory of the fourteen year old girl he murdered. Life at school is a constant trial. Life at home even worse. No-one at home is ever going to forget that Cassel is a killer. No-one at home is ever going to forge ...more
Hardcover, First Edition, 310 pages
Published
May 4th 2010
by Margaret K. McElderry Books
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May 12, 2013
C.G. Drews
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
best-of-2014,
read-2014,
audio-books,
paranormal,
5-star,
read-2020,
young-adult,
thriller-crime,
ya-male-narrators,
reread
[read 2 | May 2020]
Rereading this made me so happy I don't even know how to properly explain the satisfied warmth covering my whole soul right now. It had been six years! SIX years!! I freaking love Holly Black; I love her style that's both simple but worked with raw depth, with characters who leap off the page in just a few lines, and protagonists you honestly would die for despite them being pretty as the devil and twice as clever. Honestly love that. Keep it up Cassel, sweetie, you're doing y ...more
Rereading this made me so happy I don't even know how to properly explain the satisfied warmth covering my whole soul right now. It had been six years! SIX years!! I freaking love Holly Black; I love her style that's both simple but worked with raw depth, with characters who leap off the page in just a few lines, and protagonists you honestly would die for despite them being pretty as the devil and twice as clever. Honestly love that. Keep it up Cassel, sweetie, you're doing y ...more
May 23, 2011
Maja (The Nocturnal Library)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult,
reviewed-in-2011,
all-the-right-choices,
favorites,
male-pov,
readalong,
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
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
Curse workers - hated, feared, beloved.
Some can make you forget your own name. Others can kill you with a single touch. Rarest of all - some can even transform you into something entirely different.
But don't forget, their powers are a curse.
They experience a backlash with every use of their powers. If a luck worker gives you good fortune, they will experience a pleasant kickback. If they give too much luck, they may spend forever in a blissed out state.
The backlash can be unpredictable: if ...more
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 ...more
Dec 25, 2014
Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ by:
Chelsea ❤Peril Please❤
Reread 10/30 : Cassel is still the sarcastic little shit I remembered. I have no other option than loving him even more.
"I hate that I love this. I hate that the adrenaline pumping through the roots of my body is filling me with giddy glee. I'm not a good person."
This book was full of charms ← See what I did there?
▧ Charm ⁂1 : I do love me some liar ⁂
Beware of Cassel Sharpe, professional liar and Master of the game of make-believe. You're going to love him.
"Being a con artist means thin...more
I don't even know why I liked this so much.
I kind of guessed most of the twists, but it still so damn delicious that I immediately downloaded BOTH of the next two audiobooks as soon as I finished this one.
And it was read by Jesse Eisenberg who did a really good job of it. I was sort of surprised that I liked his reading of this thing, but I did. ...more
I kind of guessed most of the twists, but it still so damn delicious that I immediately downloaded BOTH of the next two audiobooks as soon as I finished this one.
And it was read by Jesse Eisenberg who did a really good job of it. I was sort of surprised that I liked his reading of this thing, but I did. ...more
Nov 06, 2011
Tatiana
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Tatiana by:
Emily May
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
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
Buddy read with Angela and JennyJen
Seeing as how everyone and their mother has pretty much already read and reviewed this book you don’t need a long rehash from me as to what happened. Instead, I think I’ll talk about my reading experience.
This story for me was like being in a fistfight.
First it opens with a scene so intriguing I dub it an insta-hook. It hit me more like a right hook.
Just when I began to really feel bad for the main character it sucker punched me.
Dirty move, I know.
It was o ...more
Seeing as how everyone and their mother has pretty much already read and reviewed this book you don’t need a long rehash from me as to what happened. Instead, I think I’ll talk about my reading experience.
This story for me was like being in a fistfight.
First it opens with a scene so intriguing I dub it an insta-hook. It hit me more like a right hook.
Just when I began to really feel bad for the main character it sucker punched me.
Dirty move, I know.
It was o ...more
At first when I read the blurb I saw mobsters and con artists and was like, I don't know man, that doesn't sound good. I've loved everything else so far by Holly Black, so I was like, well, let me go ahead and take a chance on this. Plus, what a weirdly cool title. And I LOVE weird things!
Cassel was so awesome, and it felt nice to read a whole book from a guy's perspective. Also, he seemed like a real teen boy. And the magic system? Very interesting with the whole we-have-to-wear-gloves-thing. I ...more
Cassel was so awesome, and it felt nice to read a whole book from a guy's perspective. Also, he seemed like a real teen boy. And the magic system? Very interesting with the whole we-have-to-wear-gloves-thing. I ...more
Final rating: 2/5 stars
“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...more
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 hospital
3.5 stars
Your average 2010 YA but with some modern perks. Holly Black was ahead of the game even back then 🤧
This book was surprisingly dark and twisty. I really enjoyed following Cassel around in his search for clues. I didn’t find the world building mindblowing, but it was fun to read about some kind of parallel reality in which everyone wears gloves to protect themselves and others from magic.
My main issue with this book is that for a good 60% not a lot happens. I was almost halfway through an ...more
Your average 2010 YA but with some modern perks. Holly Black was ahead of the game even back then 🤧
This book was surprisingly dark and twisty. I really enjoyed following Cassel around in his search for clues. I didn’t find the world building mindblowing, but it was fun to read about some kind of parallel reality in which everyone wears gloves to protect themselves and others from magic.
My main issue with this book is that for a good 60% not a lot happens. I was almost halfway through an ...more
Oh my god. It was so good. So so good.
Cassel is a character I'll never forget.
The whole book was perfect. And I finally broke my reading slump! I feel so good right now.
And the end was absolutely amazing. Love it.
I need the 2nd book. ...more
Cassel is a character I'll never forget.
The whole book was perfect. And I finally broke my reading slump! I feel so good right now.
And the end was absolutely amazing. Love it.
I need the 2nd book. ...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 ...more
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
Jun 07, 2013
Chelsea ❤Peril Please❤
rated it
really liked it
Recommended to Chelsea ❤Peril Please❤ by:
Maythavee
*4.5 Stars*
Lie until even you believe it-that's the real secret of lying. The only way to have absolutely no tells.
Too bad I'm not quite there yet.
When I try to think of a word that reminds me of this book, the most forthcoming is just this: Weird. This book was all kinds of weird. But, when I take the time to really delve deeper and actually peel back the layers of this intricate story-line, I begin to 'see' so many more words pop into my mind: Haunting, clever, mesmerizing, addicting...swe ...more
Lie until even you believe it-that's the real secret of lying. The only way to have absolutely no tells.
Too bad I'm not quite there yet.
When I try to think of a word that reminds me of this book, the most forthcoming is just this: Weird. This book was all kinds of weird. But, when I take the time to really delve deeper and actually peel back the layers of this intricate story-line, I begin to 'see' so many more words pop into my mind: Haunting, clever, mesmerizing, addicting...swe ...more
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
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
Jan 08, 2019
Fares
rated it
really liked it
Recommended to Fares by:
Helena of Eretz ✰
Shelves:
3-and-a-half-stars
Absolutely loved it! I’ve read a few Holly Black novels recently and love her take on the fae world. This novel was not about the fae but a whole new magical setting. The first third was pretty good and then it really took off. An original world of magic and workers, where everyone wears gloves so their skin never touches, a family of con artists. Casserole was a really believable character. Really looking forward to the rest of the series. Recommended.
Holly Black is the anti-Cassandra Clare. While Black’s series has been using cover quotes from Ms Clare (a good friend of Ms Black) to promote the series, Black’s writing stands leaps and bounds beyond anything Clare has ever written and “White Cat” is a brilliant read on pretty much every level.
It’s not often these days that I’m surprised by a YA book. Maybe it’s the market itself, maybe it’s my own YA oversaturation, but whatever the case may be, when a YA comes along that I find entertaining ...more
It’s not often these days that I’m surprised by a YA book. Maybe it’s the market itself, maybe it’s my own YA oversaturation, but whatever the case may be, when a YA comes along that I find entertaining ...more
2* dnf: idk because I skipped ahead, but around 18% I think
Lame and boring. I thought the main character was going to be schemey and smart, but no he's just a stupid kid. Cassel sucks. ...more
Lame and boring. I thought the main character was going to be schemey and smart, but no he's just a stupid kid. Cassel sucks. ...more
I had low expectation about this book because urban fantasy could be hard for me to get into. Besides, it’s not encouraging that the book is in a male voice by a female author. Therefore, I had only intended to take a look at the first page. However, first page turned into second page and so forth. I couldn’t put it down. All the while I was reading, I kept trying to stop and switch to the book I had in mind. Well, I never did. And here I am, eager to finish the whole series.
It's surprising how ...more
It's surprising how ...more
I expected to like this book the same way you like to watch baking shows or cat videos on Youtube. That said, I didn't expect to love it as much as I did.
White Cat was absolutely mind-blowing. 5 stars was the only possible way I could rate it because honestly?, I have nothing to complain about (which I know, is so unlike me, but here we are). It took me literally five hours to finish the book, because it was completely impossible for me to put it down. Everything about it was exactly as I wante ...more
White Cat was absolutely mind-blowing. 5 stars was the only possible way I could rate it because honestly?, I have nothing to complain about (which I know, is so unlike me, but here we are). It took me literally five hours to finish the book, because it was completely impossible for me to put it down. Everything about it was exactly as I wante ...more
2.5 stars
It's fine.
A nice and enterteining enough story, but nothing special.
It didn't reach me, it didn't make me feel.
Just fine
Red Glove (Curse Workers, #2) ...more
It's fine.
A nice and enterteining enough story, but nothing special.
It didn't reach me, it didn't make me feel.
Just fine
Red Glove (Curse Workers, #2) ...more
I don’t have a quote because by the time he said something I liked I got myself into a faff trying to get my notebook and then find my pen and then it wouldn't work and… it was just too much hassle.
Oh and also, I don’t really know how Ms Black is spelling all her character names so apologies if they’re wrong.
High Points.
Curses + Mob Families + Secret Underground World = Um, YES. The whole idea behind this series is absolutely genius and the world that Black creates is just spectacular. I reall ...more
Oh and also, I don’t really know how Ms Black is spelling all her character names so apologies if they’re wrong.
High Points.
Curses + Mob Families + Secret Underground World = Um, YES. The whole idea behind this series is absolutely genius and the world that Black creates is just spectacular. I reall ...more
I have no idea why I set this one aside last year or maybe the year before after reading maybe a 1/3 of it. But I have been in SUCH a slump after reading The Coldest Girl in Town (easily 5 stars!) that I knew I just needed more Holly Black. And this time I was unable to put this one down!
And I LOVE me some male YA pov too! Also enjoyed the boarding school atmosphere so A+ for that as well as the exciting and mostly unpredictable plot that held my interest throughout.
And I LOVE me some male YA pov too! Also enjoyed the boarding school atmosphere so A+ for that as well as the exciting and mostly unpredictable plot that held my interest throughout.
Helena, I love you for making me read this. RTC!
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
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
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
Anyways onto what's beyond the cover. Cassel at the moment is attending a private school, trying to forget some horrendous memories t ...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 m
...more
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
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
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YA Buddy Readers'...: White Cat (Curse Workers #1) by Holly Black - Starting June 1st, 2020 | 13 | 11 | Jun 03, 2020 06:17PM | |
YA Buddy Readers'...:
Curse Workers Series by Holly Black - Reading from 'White Cat (Curse Workers #1)' from December 7th 2018
|
83 | 197 | Dec 11, 2018 06:19PM | |
| Crazy for Young A...: ✖️Pair J: Ley and Hannah (December 2017) | 16 | 22 | Dec 21, 2017 06:58PM | |
|
YA Fiction Books,...:
August BOTM WHITE CAT by Holly Black
|
7 | 12 | Aug 25, 2016 07:51PM | |
| Young Adult Book ...: Initial Thoughts White Cat | 8 | 103 | Jul 22, 2016 02:57AM | |
| Addicted to YA: Cassel Sharpe (Curse Workers) | 5 | 231 | Jul 21, 2016 03:36AM |
Readers also enjoyed
Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over thirty fantasy novels for kids and teens. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house
...more
Other books in the series
Curse Workers
(3 books)
Articles featuring this book
Holly Black is one of the YA world's premier experts on faeries (she also has the pointy ears to prove it). Her enchanting books include The...
187 likes · 34 comments
11 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“Clever as the Devil and twice as pretty.”
—
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“The easiest lies to tell are the ones you want to be true.”
—
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