Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Review: Red Glove by Holly Black

* Spoiler warning for White Cat, the previous book in The Curse Workers series *

Red Glove (The Curse Workers #2)
By Holly Black
Publisher:
Margaret K. McElderry Books

To Sum It Up: Still reeling from the discovery that he is a curse worker, and a powerful one at that, Cassel Sharpe’s problems have only gotten bigger. Both the Feds and the mob want him to work for them, and each side will resort to just about anything to recruit him. Cassel also has to deal with the fallout from his emotion worker mother’s “gift” to him: cursing Lila, the girl whom Cassel once transformed into a white cat, into loving him. Once again, Cassel doesn’t know whom he can trust (if he can trust anyone at all) and must rely on his cunning to unravel a murder mystery that has directly impacted his family.

Review: Although I liked White Cat, the first book in The Curse Workers series, it didn’t exactly leave me dying to read the sequel, Red Glove, either. The latter happened to be on the shelf at the library one day, and I figured, eh, why not borrow it? I did really enjoy the snarky narration by the main character, Cassel Sharpe. It was the world-building in White Cat that I found a bit lacking. I was very happy to discover that Red Glove filled in the gaps regarding the world of the curse workers, those who wield magical powers with a simple touch of their hand. With those details much better explained this time, I was able to sit back and become engrossed in the story.

In Red Glove, Cassel is still grappling with White Cat’s shocking revelation that he is a transformation worker who used his powers to literally disguise the body trail left behind by his older brothers’ misdeeds on behalf of the crime boss Zacharov. The fact that Cassel’s brother Barron used his memory worker powers to make Cassel forget everything, including the knowledge that he was a worker, doesn’t alleviate Cassel’s guilt over what he’s done. Despite how much his family has manipulated him, though, Cassel still feels a certain loyalty to them. This plays a huge role in his dealings with the Feds, who are not-so-gently trying to recruit him. Meanwhile, Zacharov is dropping equally not-so-subtle hints that he’d like to put Cassel on his payroll. Complicating that proposition is Cassel’s relationship with Zacharov’s daughter, Lila, Cassel’s onetime best friend whom he once transformed into a cat. Cassel’s emotion worker mother has used magic to make Lila love him. As much as he wants that to be true, he can’t love her in return because he’ll always harbor doubts about whether or not her feelings are real. If all of this seems like a lot for one teenage boy to deal with, it is, but Cassel handles whatever is thrown at him with impressive cunning and biting wit.

I liked Cassel’s friend, Sam Yu, in White Cat, and was glad to see their friendship strengthen even more in this book. We also get to see Cassel’s mother, Shandra, in person now that she’s been released from jail. The beginning of Red Glove finds her resuming her grifting ways in Atlantic City, with Cassel as her assistant. Highly questionable parenting skills aside, Shandra is undeniably an entertaining character to read about. I was disappointed that Cassel’s grandfather, Desi, made only a few brief appearances in the book. I really missed his gruff manner and bluntness; Cassel surely must have inherited his way with words from his grandfather.

I thought that Red Glove featured tighter pacing than its predecessor, and it was quite riveting in some parts. Overall, I found this novel to be a page-turner thanks to its magic-meets-The Sopranos (the books are even set in New Jersey!) world and morally ambiguous characters who constantly keep you guessing about where their allegiances lie. Black is very adept at surprising her readers with clever plot twists, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for Cassel and company in Black Heart.

All in All: I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this sequel, and I’m glad that I picked it up when I did. The characters, especially Cassel, are what make this series for me, and their continued development in Red Glove does not disappoint. This book really turned me into a fan of The Curse Workers, which I highly recommend reading if you’re looking for a fresh take on magic books.

10 comments:

  1. I love it when that happens.
    When you are at the library, just glancing around and happen to see a book that you think you might like... so you pick it up and end up really enjoying it.
    :)

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    1. I've had a fantastic year at the library so far with picking up books I think I might like and loving them in the end.

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  2. The Curse Workers is a great series. I was sad after I read the last book. Cassel is such a wonderful character.

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    1. Cassel is a great protagonist. I just love his narrative voice.

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  3. I've the audiobook of the first one & I have heard it and loved it. I still need to review it, but wow, loved it. :) Great review. I should def. pick the sequel up.

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    1. Everything just fell into place for me in the second book. I hope that you enjoy reading it, too!

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  4. I've still got to read White Cat, but it's definitely going up on my reading list. The series sounds so good. Great review.

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    1. At first this series wasn't a top priority on my TBR list, but I kept seeing such glowing reviews of it that I had to check it out. I'm really glad that I did because these characters are so much fun to read about.

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  5. Glad you liked it so much! I hadn't heard of these before but I'll check them out. :D

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    1. It's a great series, especially if you like flawed characters, which I do. :)

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