White Cat (Curse Workers, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Apr 06, 2025 Netanella rated it liked it

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

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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Apr 19, 2010 Samantha rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2010

In these pages you will find a world where the simple act of shaking ungloved hands is unheard of and the very idea would make people cringe. Where a bare hand can become risque and the simple act of brushing up accidentally against another person can be seen as a hostile act. This idea alone is enough to interest me, but Black takes it farther yet. She's developed a world where such powers are just as dangerous to possess as they are awesome. Where crime lords have spawned in order to take adva ...more

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Jun 03, 2010 Kristen rated it liked it

This is an interesting little book. It reminded me a little of the Casters series (Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness). It was similar since it is told from the boys perspective. It's also about magic workers. It also feels a little disjointed at times. The similarities end there though. It's not really the love story that the Casters series is. And there doesn't seem to be as much to the story - or the story telling. Holly Black hooked me on her stuff with the Tithe series but this didn This is an interesting little book. It reminded me a little of the Casters series (Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness). It was similar since it is told from the boys perspective. It's also about magic workers. It also feels a little disjointed at times. The similarities end there though. It's not really the love story that the Casters series is. And there doesn't seem to be as much to the story - or the story telling. Holly Black hooked me on her stuff with the Tithe series but this didn't feel like it lived up to the standard set but that series.

The descriptions of the world were mediocre. It was interesting to see our world with the twist that "workers" being known to all is. The idea that everyone runs around with gloves was funny to me - why would the ability be limited to the skin on your hands? That was the biggest issue that I had with the plot. That and the identity of the cat was really very obvious from the start. So, it wasn't a surprise to see that revealed so early in the book (I admit, that was actually a nice change - to not have to wait until the end to get that piece of information). Where I think the book was lacking was how it was told from Cassel's perspective but he fills in holes without sharing the thought process with the reader. He also has no problem believing who the cat is, after all his stress earlier on. I guess that could be explained by his experience in the world that was built, but as the reader, I wanted that same information.

There is plenty going on here to continue the story. And despite my desire to have gotten more background, more descriptions, more... well, more, that is a good sign. Since I wanted more. There was enough to keep me interested, and I managed to plug in many of the holes myself. I just have to hope that the way I plugged in the holes won't come back to haunt me later in this series. It was interesting to see a world of something supernatural and have the main characters be not the best people. Part of my disappointment came from how accepting Cassel was of all that he had done and of all that Lila will do when she takes over her father's crime family. The moral repercussions, the guilt, the feelings of betrayal, the anger, they are all missing and I think that would make Cassel much more likable. So that the last page would have made me feel more outrage.

The twists and turns and secrets all come unravelled. I liked that. I know that there is more in the series - especially given the very end - but I loved that the little story here was solved. I love serials that are linked and related but give me some closure at the end of each installment, like this one did.

Ms. Black's writing wasn't as elegant as with Tithe. But maybe that's what happens when you get something from the boys perspective. It wasn't terrible, just not as pretty and easy. I saw a review which called it gritty - but I don't think it was that either. It was more... juvenile. Or maybe my expectations are just higher since there seem to be so much wonderful in the YA genre lately.

The plot here goes like this: in this world, there are workers who can do magic with a touch of their finger or hand. So everyone wears gloves. Cassel murdered a girl a few years ago and has trouble staying in any particular school. His family is filled with workers and mom is in jail for working and working a con on someone. But he is the only non-worker in his family. He almost gets kicked out of school and ends up back home with his grandfather and brother while the school decides what to do. Meanwhile, he ends up with a cat. Without major spoiling, there is more to the cat. And his memory has been worked. As he pieces it all together, events having to do with the major crime family (of workers), who happen to be the family of the girl he killed, unfold.

It was a quick little read - read it in about 5 hours. And I liked it enough I will read what comes next. But it wasn't so great that I to cause me to rush out to get it the day it's published. ...more

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Jan 16, 2011 Charlotte (Buried in Books) rated it it was ok

Shelves: urban-fantasy

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

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Dec 25, 2010 Thenia rated it liked it

Shelves: 2013, reviewed, r-ab, paranormal, series

Mysterious and imaginative, this is the story of Cassel, a non-Worker in a family of Curse Workers, people whose touch can manipulate emotions, affect luck or cause death, among other things.

Cassel may not be a Worker but following in his family's footsteps, he is a con artist and enjoys it. His past is haunting him and his relationship with his family is strained, making him reserved and cautious in his everyday life.

A series of events make him start questioning his reality and the motives of t ...more

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May 24, 2011 Mark rated it really liked it

Fresh reboot of the old "gypsy curse" standby with memorable characters. ...more

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Apr 09, 2011 Deyara rated it really liked it

Stayed up late reading it, great characters and interesting world. Liked the family aspect of the book, and the blend of magic and "the family". Also loved the male POV, so many kick-ass female protags, this was a refreshing change. ...more

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