Review: White Cat by Holly Black

White Cat (The Curse Workers, #1)

by Holly Black

Published by Indigo

Paperback (purchased)

YA, urban fantasy, mystery

 



Cassel comes from a shady, magical family of con artists and grifters. He doesn't fit in at home or at school, so he's used to feeling like an outsider. He's also used to feeling guilty; he killed his best friend, Lila, years ago.

But when Cassel begins to have strange dreams about a white cat, and people around him are losing their memories, he starts to wonder what really happened to Lila. In his search for answers, he discovers a wicked plot for power that seems certain to succeed. But Cassel has other ideas and a plan to con the conmen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There may be some ranting in this review, so bear me. I'll start with the good parts and the things I liked

 

World-building was amazing. I mean, the curse workers? Absolutely brilliant idea, and I loved how it all worked: the criminal aspect, the criminal families, the different types of magic/talent... It was amazingly brilliant and I fell in love with the idea straight away. The world-building awesomeness was probably the main thing that got me hanging until the very end. Black's writing style was fast paced and it felt effordless, which I liked very much.

 

But then. The characters. Cassel was adorable. Maybe wrong word to descripe him but Cassel was smart, loyal and yeah, conman. His taste in girls might have been questionable but otherwise Cassel was great main character and he made the story worth to read. However, Cassel, his friends Sam and Daneca (who were awesome too, loyal, smart and yeah, adorable), and his Grandfather were only characters I liked. I'm big on characters and if they irritate me, it pretty much ruins the story. Was I even supposed to like or even feel for these characters? Honestly? Lila was bully and got forgiven everything because she was 'victim', Cassel's brothers and mother were abusive and pretty much everyone who got introduced were, well, abusive in one way or another. I get, this was book about criminals and hey, I'm all for that, but most of the characters were abusive towards Cassel and it wasn't even acknowledged during the story. It's like, his mother made them feel whatever she wanted and didn't care about her sons feelings, Cassel's brothers did some horrible things and Lila was practically bully, and Cassel still was their side? I don't get it. I don't even want to get it. Being loyal to those who aren't loyal to you and your feelings, I just don't get it.

 

So yeah. The world-building was brilliant, the writing was good and I loved Cassel even though his taste in girls and loaylty to family were quite questionable. I really wanted to like this story but I couldn't because of the characters and how the abuse wasn't even acknowledged properly. I won't be continuing this trilogy (because can we talk what happened in the end of White Cat? That's not right and nothing good could come from reading the sequel). I will give the two stars for the world-building, Cassel and because there was nothing structually wrong in the book. It could have been amazing if the characters and abuse didn't irk me so much.

 

2 of 5 stars.

 

White Cat on Goodreads.