Review: White Cat by Holly Black

Title: White Cat 

Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Date: January 1st 2010
Pages: 310
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal, Mystery/Crime Thriller
Series: Curse Workers #1
Source: Hardcover

Summary Goodreads

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love — or death — and your dreams might be more real than your memories.

Review:

I am one of the first to say, there really is very few really good YA mysteries. Well here is one of the few. This is a good mystery! Holly black does a wonderful job with the twist and turns. There were so many things in this book, that I just didn’t see coming. There were a few things I figured out before hand, but only a few.

The story is original, I love the idea of a world full of curse workers. It had my mind going. How easy it would be to be something bad when it would be so easy to get what you wanted when you wanted. 

Cassel is the main character and I really like him.  He comes from a family of curse workers that are con artist. He is trying not become like the rest of his family and stay away from cons.  There is really only one thing that seems to be getting in his way. He thinks he killed his best friend.  

I really can’t say too much without giving anything away, so find yourself a copy and get comfortable!

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