Red Glove by Holly Black
May. 15th, 2012 10:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Curses and cons.
Magic and the mob.
In Cassel Sharpe’s world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realised his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth – he’s the most powerful curse worker around. He can transform anything – or anyone – into something else.
That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Now she’s back, but she’s been cursed to love him. If Lila’s love is as false as Cassel’s made-up memories, then he can’t believe anything she says or does.
When Cassel’s oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help find his brother’s killer. But the mob wants Cassel too – they know how valuable he could be to them. He will have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. Where can he turn when he can’t trust anyone – least of all, himself?
Having spent his summer working cons on rich old men in Atlantic City with his mum, Cass is relieved to get back to school right up until he discovers that Lila’s enrolled there. She’s still suffering from the curse that Cass’s mum put on her and although she knows about it, she’s finding it almost as hard to stay away from him as he is in staying away from her. But Cass has bigger problems when his elder brother Phillip is murdered.
The FBI reveal that Phillip had offered them inside information on Zacharov’s crime operation and, more importantly, the identity of a rare and powerful transformation worker. At the same time, Zacharov wants Cass to work for him, and he’s willing to pay anything to secure his transformation abilities.
Uncertain who to trust, Cass must identify his brother’s killer while keeping ahead of the FBI and Zacharov. But doing so will mean delving into the memories stolen from him, and Cass might not like what he finds …
Holly Black’s sequel to the hugely enjoyable WHITE CAT is a well constructed but ultimately less satisfying YA fantasy read, mainly because of the way in which Black repeats an unreliable narrator device used in the first novel.
I still loved Cass’s first person voice but he’s an angstier character here due to the curse on Lila and his guilt over what Barron and Phillip made him do for them. For me, the angst was a little overblown and I was less interested in his love life than in his investigation into his brother’s murder (which is disappointingly cursory). I’m not a romance fan anyway and Cass’s idolisation of Lila means that their relationship always feels unreal while the curse means that Lila has no reason to question it.
I liked the development of Daneca and Sam in this book, although Daneca’s secret was easy to guess. I also liked Barron’s relationship with Cass, which is more complex due to what Cass did to Barron’s memories and because Barron is naturally an untrustworthy character.
The focus on Lila and Cass’s romance meant that this book didn’t engage me as much as WHITE CAT, which is a shame because I love the world building and the moves to subject Curseworkers to compulsory tests. I’ll check out the conclusion although it seems that Black is moving the trilogy into straight paranormal romance territory.
The Verdict:
Holly Black’s sequel to the hugely enjoyable WHITE CAT is a well constructed but ultimately less satisfying YA fantasy read, mainly because of the way in which Black repeats an unreliable narrator device used in the first novel but also because I’m not a romance fan but Black seems to be moving this trilogy firmly into paranormal romance territory. Saying that, I do enjoy the world building and the civil rights plot line has a strong contemporary feel. For this reason I will be reading the final book in the trilogy, BLACK HEART.
Magic and the mob.
In Cassel Sharpe’s world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realised his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth – he’s the most powerful curse worker around. He can transform anything – or anyone – into something else.
That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Now she’s back, but she’s been cursed to love him. If Lila’s love is as false as Cassel’s made-up memories, then he can’t believe anything she says or does.
When Cassel’s oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help find his brother’s killer. But the mob wants Cassel too – they know how valuable he could be to them. He will have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. Where can he turn when he can’t trust anyone – least of all, himself?
Having spent his summer working cons on rich old men in Atlantic City with his mum, Cass is relieved to get back to school right up until he discovers that Lila’s enrolled there. She’s still suffering from the curse that Cass’s mum put on her and although she knows about it, she’s finding it almost as hard to stay away from him as he is in staying away from her. But Cass has bigger problems when his elder brother Phillip is murdered.
The FBI reveal that Phillip had offered them inside information on Zacharov’s crime operation and, more importantly, the identity of a rare and powerful transformation worker. At the same time, Zacharov wants Cass to work for him, and he’s willing to pay anything to secure his transformation abilities.
Uncertain who to trust, Cass must identify his brother’s killer while keeping ahead of the FBI and Zacharov. But doing so will mean delving into the memories stolen from him, and Cass might not like what he finds …
Holly Black’s sequel to the hugely enjoyable WHITE CAT is a well constructed but ultimately less satisfying YA fantasy read, mainly because of the way in which Black repeats an unreliable narrator device used in the first novel.
I still loved Cass’s first person voice but he’s an angstier character here due to the curse on Lila and his guilt over what Barron and Phillip made him do for them. For me, the angst was a little overblown and I was less interested in his love life than in his investigation into his brother’s murder (which is disappointingly cursory). I’m not a romance fan anyway and Cass’s idolisation of Lila means that their relationship always feels unreal while the curse means that Lila has no reason to question it.
I liked the development of Daneca and Sam in this book, although Daneca’s secret was easy to guess. I also liked Barron’s relationship with Cass, which is more complex due to what Cass did to Barron’s memories and because Barron is naturally an untrustworthy character.
The focus on Lila and Cass’s romance meant that this book didn’t engage me as much as WHITE CAT, which is a shame because I love the world building and the moves to subject Curseworkers to compulsory tests. I’ll check out the conclusion although it seems that Black is moving the trilogy into straight paranormal romance territory.
The Verdict:
Holly Black’s sequel to the hugely enjoyable WHITE CAT is a well constructed but ultimately less satisfying YA fantasy read, mainly because of the way in which Black repeats an unreliable narrator device used in the first novel but also because I’m not a romance fan but Black seems to be moving this trilogy firmly into paranormal romance territory. Saying that, I do enjoy the world building and the civil rights plot line has a strong contemporary feel. For this reason I will be reading the final book in the trilogy, BLACK HEART.
