White Cat (Curse Workers, #1) in Into the Forest

Jul 23, 2010 Cara rated it really liked it

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

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 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?
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Apr 06, 2025 Netanella rated it liked it

Shelves: 2025-sffbc-tbr-cleanup, sffbc, 2025-april-reading-challenges, fantasy, 2025-sffbc-read-all-the-books, 2025-horror-aficionados-mount-tbr, urban-fantasy

An easy audiobook listen on a Sunday, "White Cat" is a new adult urban fantasy about the teenaged son of a crime family of curse workers. I enjoyed the world building with the crime workers, and may read on in the series. Nicely done. ...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Danyelle Leafty rated it really liked it

Shelves: bookshelf-2011

The plot was interesting, and I especially like how the fairy tale aspect was turned into a completely different world. I also really enjoyed how everything the MC thought he knew at the beginning was turned on its head.

The Scene That Changes Everything felt a little unreal to me. People that take care of other people (as in disappearing them) would know what it looked like if they'd shot someone, and I think it would take longer than a few days to learn how to act this convincingly.

There was v ...more

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Apr 19, 2010 ¸.•*¨*•Gina *A Bookwyrm in Belgium*•*¨*•.¸ rated it really liked it

I was lucky enough to get a proof copy of this forthcoming book.
I must confess it took me nearly 100 pages to really click with this story, but this may be due to my disappointment at the lack of faeries. But once I did click I couldn't put it down!
In my opinion this could happily be shelved with Holly's teen novels, despite being sold as an adult title.
The idea of mobster magic users was fun, and the mystery was cleverly done, of course. ...more

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Jun 27, 2011 JS rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, ya

Interesting narrator, very interesting urban fantasy setting. Liked the combo of magic and con. Will read the rest of the series probably because I'm interested in how the character deals with his super-messed-up family/life.=

Rating: PG-13 probably, mostly for a couple brief sexual references, some swearing, and one scene at the end that heats up and ends (thankfully!). ...more

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Nov 13, 2011 Melissa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

So freakin' fun! I just love that this supernatural book has a male MC. Sexy intrigue and interesting subplots weave through this magic mob thriller. It's a bit predictable, but still, I didn't want to put it down. ...more

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Jan 02, 2011 Julia rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, urban-fantasy

When Cassel wakes up on the roof of his private boarding school in his pajamas, he and his school think he’s lost it. His dreams of a white cat aren’t helping. Cassel comes from a family of curse workers— people who use their power to change other’s emotions, memories, or luck by the slightest touch of their hands. Since curse work is illegal, they’re all criminals. But Cassel’s not a curse worker, so he’s an outsider – the straight kid in a crooked family. Except for one thing: three years ago ...more

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