White Cat (1) (The Curse Workers)

While I appreciate the time and work that has gone into creating the premise of the story, I couldn't help but be thrown out of the story and back into reality every time I read the word "Wallingford" in reference to school and dorm. Holly Black writes that "Wallingford isn't exactly Choate or Deerfield Academy...", but her reliance on these two very real preparatory schools denotes at the very least a lack of imagination in naming academic institutions and locations.

You see, Choate Rosemary Hall IS in Wallingford, Connecticut. Having actually attended the school and lived in the town while boarding, the close link to my own reality caused me to be endlessly searching for more references to familiarity.

Of course in fiction, settings and locations are often based on and in reality. My irritation lies with the specific nature in which the author references this exact town in conjunction with the particular setting of boarding school, thus creating a microcosm of locational specificity that is difficult to overcome. This is not similar to setting a fantasy series in New York City or Seattle or Los Angeles. This situation is more like setting the series in a town named Harvard and the school named Cambridge Preparatory; or a town named Yale and the school named New Haven Preparatory.

While my particular problem is unlikely to afflict many others, I can only wish that Ms. Black's publishers and editors can in future offer her better aid in choosing what to name locations.

by Sydnee Thompson

"I am not a good person."

This is a statement that Cassel Sharpe, seventeen-year-old protagonist of Holly Black's White Cat, repeats throughout the book. I'm inclined to disagree - I think if I were Cassel, I would've ended up a whole lot worse.

Trying desperately to fit into normal society at the Wallingford Boarding School in New York, he lives each day with the guilt of knowing he killed his best friend, Lila, only years earlier. He doesn't know how or why, but the memories of Lila's cold body and the blood on his hands is something he believes he will never forget.

This isn't your standard tale of youth gone bad, though. Cass is one of a family of curse workers, a small segment of the population that can use powerful magic to manipulate others with a mere touch of the hand. Understandably, most people are terrified of curse workers and wearing gloves is a required practice in the world. Cass, however, is the unlucky youngest brother born without any curse working abilities, which makes his blurry memories surrounding the death of Lila even more mind boggling. And when Cass begins to sleepwalk, the same white cat haunting him both awake and asleep, it becomes clear that his whole family is embroiled in a conspiracy that once brought to light, will change his life forever.

Despite the intriguing concept, there are two things that irritated me about this book. First, slugging through the beginning is pretty brutal. Holly Black seems to have a love of describing furniture, architecture, and dreams, and I found myself skimming often. The dream aspect of the story proves to be vital by the conclusion, but I still feel like there was too much idling and not enough substance. Second, the entire cast of characters is utterly unlikeable. Nothing really pulls me to any of them. Cass, while not unlikeable per se, isn't exactly likeable either. He's not particularly charismatic, funny, or relatable, which makes me believe that he could've been switched out for any other character type without the book losing much. The only strong emotion I have for him is overwhelming pity for his awful lot in life. That strikes me as a really bad sign. Every other character, from his mother to his brothers to his grandfather and even his best friend, Lila, are all jerks. The only redeemable character, Sam, doesn't get nearly enough exposure or development. Sadly, it wasn't a matter of whether I disliked a character, but a matter of which character I disliked the least.

It wasn't until the 180 page mark, which is well past halfway, that I was really entertained. Still, when the ball finally got rolling, I was hooked on the plot. Black slips the readers bits and pieces of important information in such a way that they don't even know she's doing it, so when the conclusion arrives they're banging their heads into the wall wondering why they didn't see it sooner. I think that makes the experience even more fun. So no, this isn't a flawless read, but it is unique and the climax is satisfying. I don't see myself reading the sequel that comes out later this year, however, because it seems like way more melodrama than I can take.

It was a little hard to get into the story at first. It took a while for me to figure out what was actually going on. Cassel was a pretty boring, undeveloped character. The story itself had so much potential but Black seemed to dropped the ball with the development of the story. It does seem like this book was written for young teens. This is the first Holly Black book that I’ve ever read so I’m going to give another one a try before giving my full opinion of her as an author.

All I have to say is that the Sharpe family is one messed up crew!

Cassel grew up in a world where everyone has to wear gloves unless they want to run the risk of being worked. Curse workers can take control of almost everything. Some bring death, some manipulate emotions, some manipulate luck, and the rarest of all is the type of worker that can transform anything. But despite growing up in a family of workers, Cassel Sharpe is not one. He's the only non-worker in his family, so instead, he focuses on the con, running a gambling ring in his boarding school before he got kicked out for sleeping walking through dreams evolving around a mysterious white cat. But, damn, does this boy have a lot of juicy secrets!

As the tale unfolds, we learn about the true identity of the white cat and lies unravel by the bucketful. Buckle yourself in because this story is surely one fantastic ride!

I really enjoyed reading from a boys perspective. Cassel always worried about things, but went with his gut instinct in every situation. He was smart, always thinking two steps ahead of everyone else, and he could take a punch or two. He is an amazing schemer and conman and as we learn more about him, you can't help but feel sorry for his lack of working ability and lack of a loving family. His mother's in jail, his father's dead, his eldest brother Philip may or may not be working his poor wife and baby, his grandfather is an openly feared death worker, his other brother Barron is away at law school, he recently broke up with his girlfriend, and the love of his life, Lila, is no longer with us. But even with all of this going on, Cassel never pitied himself or looked for sympathy. I loved his character for that. He's certainly strong.

What I really love about this book is that it kept me on my toes. Some of the plot twists in this story were completely twisted, some had my mouth hanging open in shock for hours as I sat back and thought about the bombshell that Black threw at me, and some were just executed way too quickly. I had trouble keeping track of things at times because there was so much secrets being kept and different versions of the same scheme being carried out by different parties involved. It was all so confusing, yet so amazing at the same time. Some portions weren't as drawn out or detailed as others, though, which is why I docked a star. And I wish the intentions of some characters or Cassel's initial thought processes were a bit clearer at times. For example, his visit to the sleeping specialist could have gone a bit more smoothly.

Either way, with different rules about following your mark and how to properly con an individual, I could not put this book down. I was completely enraptured and it is definitely one of my favorite male perspective books. I recommend this book to any fantasy lover who wants something truly unique and twisted that'll keep you on your toes!

White Cat was a little bit of a slow starter for me, like so many first-in-a-series books. I've always heard good things about Holly Black, and when Natalie came back from the Smart Chicks Kick It signing with White Cat, she had me read it first (to make sure she'd like it). That's how we operate---she finds new books and I'm her gateway to four and five star reads.

About halfway through the book, the story got so intense I couldn't put White Cat down. The combination of Cassel running cons, the back-stabbing family members, Cassel's guilt over Lila, and the truth behind Lila's death made for a unique, surprisingly intense story. I also really enjoyed the hoarder aspect. There were a lot of really well-fleshed out details in this book, which made the book feel much smarter than many YA reads.

It's rare that I enjoy a first-person narration from a male perspective as much as I enjoyed White Cat. I loved the curse-worker basis of the story. Curse workers are both feared and revered by the rest of the world and everyone in Black's world wears gloves to protect themselves from curse workers who work curses through touch. The addition of the illicit photographs featuring bare-handed women was a nice touch.

The ending left me wanting more, and I'm really looking forward to Red Glove, book two in the series. I think I'll read Holly Black's other books in the meantime--her writing style is smart and intriguing and I need more!

Just One Gripe:
The slow start. I kept putting the book down waiting for more to happen.

The Best Thing About This Book:
All of the intricate details were pulled together to make an excellent plot, pacing, and unique elements.

What makes this book so amazing is the world that Holly Black creates. It is a world exactly like ours, with the same leaders and cities, but for one difference: people can curse you with their hands. Curses can bring you good luck, bad luck, love, and they can also injure or even kill you. Curse work is illegal, so everyone wears gloves. Showing your bare hands is seen as a sign of aggression or a threat. People all over the population can "work" you, but most try to hide or abstain from using their abilities because of its criminal penalties. Cassel's family is essentially a mob family, with his mom, brothers and grandfather working people illegally and always looking for the next mark.

Cassel wants so desperately to be normal, but he finds himself helpless against the small amount of power he feels when he pulls off small-time crimes. It's in his blood and is all he's ever really known. His deep sense of being different and not really belonging in the two worlds he inhabits is heartbreaking and makes him a very sympathetic character. Who hasn't felt like an outsider? Who hasn't wished they could just feel normal? He doesn't know where he belongs or who he can really trust.

When I read this book I recalled the feelings I had when I watched The Sopranos; you know you shouldn't feel too much sympathy for some of the characters, but they were written in such a humanizing way that it was impossible not to be sucked in. Cassel's family is flawed and criminal, but he can't find the heart to totally desert them and the secrets he uncovers leave him with more questions than answers.

This book goes on my five star list, with honors.

White Cat is a little disappointing in that it is a stereotypical story about the mafia with a little supernatural sci-fi mixed in. The supernatural world Black creates is very different from the typical paranormal fiction out right now. She parallels the fictional curse work abilities (without getting into witch craft or wiccan ideals) with historical timeline references. And the types of curses vary enough to be intriguing and interesting.

However, the underlying story involving various mafia worker families is mediocre and lackluster. Black writes a scene where the main character Cassel is supposed to sneak a gun into a restaurant to assassinate the mob boss. The set up was such that it seemed like it was going to play out almost exactly like Michael Corleone's assassination job in The Godfather. The scene does end differently, but the point is the mafia plot was not very original.

The characters are so-so in likeability with Cassel being the most likeable. This, however, is a contradiction because he's really not a "good" guy. He's a con artist, but the way Black describes his skills and the fact that he doesn't seem to disassociate himself that well from some of his marks makes him appear redeemable. Granddad also grows on the reader throughout the book, but Cassel's brothers Phillip and Barron only become more despicable as the plot unfurls.

Overall, Black has a very enjoyable writing style and there are a lot of twists and turns to the plot, but the mafia storyline is overdone. The curse work is really original and intriguing, but the rest of the book is mundane.

This is yet another foray into the world of paranormal YA (I am, after all, doing research for my own writing). Holly Black is a but best selling YA and MG author. This book, unusually, has a male protagonist, and he's part of a family of "curse workers," although he himself doesn't do any magic. He lives in an alternative reality where a small minority of people are able to "lay on hands" in a bad way and curse people. They are known to society, it's even illegal, and formed into criminal gangs in the 1930s just like the Mafia.

The premise is decent, although I'm not a fan versions of our reality with outed paranormal groups. I didn't really buy the changes at a social level. The whole existance of this kind of power in volume would throw everything off, and here the only real social change is that everyone wears gloves (because it's through bare skin that the magic works). We are reminded often of the glove factor.

The writing is very solid and straightforward, in first person present. So straightforward it took me awhile to even notice the tense. Or maybe writing it myself is acclimating me to it. The protagonist is likable and felt fairly real, although maybe not all of his decisions did. And I didn't really feel the proper weight of his emotions. Big things happen, but without big feelings. By page three or thereabouts we discover he murdered his girlfriend. We're supposed to still like him. And we do, but mostly because it's totally obvious that he didn't REALLY murder her, he only thinks he did. Oh and we quickly hear about the one flavor of curse worker that's REALLY rare. And guess who's from a magical family and doesn't have any power...

But I enjoyed the book -- quite a bit -- I read it in half a day after all. Another book I attempted to read that same morning was so execrable that I only made it to fifty pages, so this was a vast improvement.

A couple other beefs. At times the writing was so lean that I felt like I missed something in the action and had to page back to find it -- but it wasn't even there. Now, it was then obvious moving forward what had happened, it just seemed that the attempt at leanness and/or agressive editing had taken the edge off the clarity. Then as we moved into the second half we hit the "after the big reveal" syndrome which many books with reveals often suffer from. I've mentioned this before (like HERE or HERE), but basically this is where after the big shocker no one really seems to act with appropriate emotional gravitas. I'm used to it, and it's a tough problem to solve, so I moved on to the ending.

Which was the weakest part. Everything juggled into place such that the people were served the plot rather than their character. The plot wasn't bad, it's just that I didn't really see some of the characters acting like they did.

Overall, the story was fast and fun. As I said Ms Black is a skilled writer, and the prose zipped along, with nice quick descriptions, and she isn't afraid to be a bit dark or sexy (considering it's YA). The gratuitous twist on the last two pages bugged me, but I ordered the sequel (which the Twitter/FB buzz says is very good) and another of the author's books.

How different these neat little package YA books are from a meaty tome like The Wise Man's Fear (which I finished the same day). There are subplots in that book about the size of this entire story.

I liked that the book starts with action and humor right away, with Cassel waking up on the roof in his underwear while the rest of the students at his boarding school are watching from the courtyard, egging him on to jump. Immediately, the reader gets this bond with Cassel: he may be conning the rest of the world, but he lets the reader know how and why he's doing it. For me, character likability is a major factor in how I form an opinion about a book. As those who read my review of Megan Whalen Turner's Thief will know, I ended up having really mixed feelings about that book, primarily because I felt that Gen, the narrator, had tricked me. Cassel I trust... well, at least to the extent that he trusts himself.

I would like to take a moment just to pause and give my two cents about plot, suspense, and unreliable narrators. As a writer, I am currently struggling with how to set up fabulous intrigue and plot twists that seem logical, but will surprise the reader. I really feel that J.K. Rowling has this down. Not everyone can be JK though (not even her-- end of Deathly Hallows anyone?) and sometimes we have to accept that. In fact, I think even Rowling was only able to pull that off because she had a good 800 pages a book in which to hide clues, and her world-building and relationships were so strong that I didn't care how many pages were in the book or how long it took us to get to the big fight at the end. But back to my point: if you are writing a book, please do not try to "suspense it up" just for the sake of suspense. Don't make your narrators ambiguous just to later say "Ha HA! I fooled you, Silly Reader!!" Because really if you're using first person narration and still trying to hide things from your reader, that's just LAZY WRITING. And really, Alex Day helps define lazy writing for me better than I could ever do on my own, and I encourage everyone to watch his videos. Right now he's up to chapter 15.

But I suppose that's enough SMeyer-bashing for right now, though really it does become something of my favorite sport on occasion. Especially on days like today, when I am already a smidge grumpy and my shoulder is screaming at me from sitting in this desk chair all day, pouring over my manuscripts as I hack and edit to bits.

Holly Black stays on the correct side of the ambiguity line. For her, Cassel's unreliability as a character is pretty much voided by the fact that he talks to the reader as he would to his closest confidant, and his unreliability as a narrator is a well-executed exploration of the definitions of truth, memory, and trust in general. There is a real plot! With risks! (Oh, right. No more bashing...) And yes, the foreshadowing does kind of enable the reader to guess where the book is going. But that's not the point. The point isn't that I saw where the book was headed. The point is that I thoroughly enjoyed watching how Cassel was going to get out of his scrapes. This is honestly the first page-turning, highly entertaining book I've read all summer!

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.