White Cat (Curse Workers, #1) in Crazy Challenge Connection

Jan 05, 2013 Darlene rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 2013-ya-audiobook-challenge, read-in-2013, 2013-literary-exploration-challenge, 2013-dusty-bookshelf-challenge

This book has won a number of literary awards, including:
Kirkus Reviews Best Books List for Teens (2010), ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults 2011 List, ALA Amazing Audiobooks List, and Andre Norton 2010 Award Nominee for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Black has created an alternate reality where people called "curse workers" exist. A curse worker is someone who has the ability to make things happen by touch with a bare hand. Some workers can manipulate emotions, while others can transfig This book has won a number of literary awards, including:
Kirkus Reviews Best Books List for Teens (2010), ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults 2011 List, ALA Amazing Audiobooks List, and Andre Norton 2010 Award Nominee for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Black has created an alternate reality where people called "curse workers" exist. A curse worker is someone who has the ability to make things happen by touch with a bare hand. Some workers can manipulate emotions, while others can transfigure objects and even cause death. A worker will experience something called "blowback" after using their skills, which is a reaction that affects the worker. For example, a memory worker's own memories might become compromised. Curse work has been banned, and everyone wears gloves. Some people are not even aware that they have the ability to do curse work. Because of the nature of their abilities, curse workers are often employed by the mob.

At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to a 17 year-old boy named Cassel Sharpe. He attends Wallingford Preparatory School in New Jersey. He has had a dream of a white cat and awakens to discover that he is on the roof of the school. Students and teachers assume that he is contemplating suicide, and he tries to explain that he must have been sleepwalking. The headmaster bans him from the dormitory and, to protect the school from a liability, insists that Cassel provide a clean bill of health from a doctor before he is permitted to return to the dorms. Cassel has to return to his childhood home, which has been vacant a long time since his mother is in prison. His grandfather stays there with them.

Cassel is the only member of the family who is not a curse worker, so he feels a bit like the odd man out. His mother is an emotion worker, and she can make anyone trust her. She can convince people they are in love with a stroke of her hand. His brother, Phillip, is a body worker and can break someone's leg with a touch of his finger. His grandfather is a death worker, and the blowback has caused some of his fingers to blacken and fall off. He discovers that his family is hiding something, and Cassel must use his wits to survive.

Cassel is fantastic male protagonist! He is smart as a whip, and he runs a gambling ring in the school and takes bets from students on silly things, such as whether the dormitory mouse will get stuck in the glue trap or survive another day. He is witty, sarcastic, and has a snarky sense of humour that I really enjoyed! The addition of paranormal abilities and the danger of the mafia made this a thrilling read!

Black is a new-to-me author, and I really enjoyed this book. The premise of the story was unique, and I can't wait to read the next one in the series, Red Glove.

Narrator Jesse Eisenberg did a bang-up job of capturing the attitude of Cassel. He was a pleasure to listen to, and I hope he narrates the rest of the series. ...more

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Aug 17, 2013 Michelle rated it liked it

I DNF. I couldn't, I tried, I really wanted to because I have heard excellent things about Holly Black. She does seem to be a wonderful writer, but sadly I couldn't get into The Curse Workers. I'm not really a fan or the regular mafia/crime books. I knew this going into the book, but the magical mafia bored me just as the regular one does. Normally if I can't finish a book I just give it one star, but in good conscience I couldn't with this. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the writing. So ...more

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Apr 03, 2019 Chaitra rated it really liked it

Shelves: magic, young-adult, urban-fantasy, dysfunctional-family, first-of-a-series

I wasn’t expecting much of anything to be honest, given how I don’t like urban fantasy, don’t care much for YA, and absolutely loathe the first person narrative. But White Cat was cool. It was different, the main character is a definite dark gray, and I thought it did things that YA mostly doesn’t. More importantly, I liked Cassel. This is the deciding factor, because it was all his first person POV, and it’s very easy for authors to slip from misunderstood to whiny, and Holly Black doesn’t do t ...more

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