Title: Red Glove (Curse Workers #2)Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Publishing Date: April 5th 2011
Length: 336 pages
Genre: YA, fantasy
Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab
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 realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else.
That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila's been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila's love is as phony 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 make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can't trust anyone—least of all, himself?
Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.
That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila's been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila's love is as phony 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 make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can't trust anyone—least of all, himself?
Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.
Summary by Goodreads
RED GLOVE continues the story around Cassel and his con worker family with finesse and even more bottomless feelings.Where WHITE CAT helped us to establish ourselves to the strange-in a positive way- world of gloves and magic, RED GLOVE dives deeper into the bonds of family, foes and friends around Cassel Sharpe.
Cassel is an outcast, talking about himself as dangerous while I love his torn character. He’s torn between lie and honesty, the criminal and the right thought, always circling around the same girl, Lila.
Their relationship is complex, difficult because it is built up by many different layers of time and action. While we get, thanks to the first person narrator, an insight into Cassel’s thoughts and feelings we never know how Lila really feels. And it's especially that mysterious bond between the two I love.
I wasn’t extremely interested in or fond of secondary characters like Cassel’s friends Sam and Daneca or his family members, probably because with Cassel we already got a protagonist that devours a lot of attention.
You shouldn’t think of RED GLOVE as a bright and all easy read. It’s a book displaying a corrupt and criminal society with shady characters and events. I wouldn’t describe RED GLOVE as a dystopian novel, still I sometimes registered the same gloomy atmosphere that is characteristic for a good read about an imperfect world.
Holly Black’s writing is not main-stream. Her speciality are short but concise sentences, her novel is made up of a wide vocabulary foundation and complex characters. Black is not just a con artist when it comes to playing with her characters, but with readers, too. I can’t believe it’s a years wait for BLACK HEART!
1) where there's a white cat, there's a black one2) we love to believe in fading curses
3) substituting lies by truth takes a lot of courage
4) of a hilarious Wallingford student with a famous namesake
5) friendship doesn’t need to be tested to persist
3) substituting lies by truth takes a lot of courage
4) of a hilarious Wallingford student with a famous namesake
5) friendship doesn’t need to be tested to persist
Once again a conjuring mix of a magical world made up of shady figures and stirring emotions, written by the gloved-cat-lady in a fantastic non-mainstream style!
* For those of you who haven't already started it, check out WHITE CAT, the first novel in this series!
* Thanks to Simon & Schuster and their Galley Grab programme for giving me access to an e-galley of RED GLOVE!
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