Waiting on Wednesday: Black Heart

Title: Black Heart (Curse Workers series)
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster)
Release Date: April 3, 2012

Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy. 

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love.—Goodreads


I. Love. This. Series.

When the lovely and wholly fantastic Miss Holly Black posted the first teaser from Black Heart on Monday, you best believe that I sort of . . . freaked out. It's not even a long quote. It's a blip, really. But it's a lovely, gorgeous, effing incredible blip that will make you want to devour the other two books, White Cat and Red Glove. (And, really, you probably should. Well, not literally devour. Whatever, y'all know what I mean.) Anyhow, the takeaway is this: I want to read this book real bad. And not in April. Which seems hella-far away, since it's, you know, currently August. *le sigh*

What books are you waiting on this week? Lemme know in comments!

Waiting on Wednesday is weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Holly Black's White Cat: It'll Sneak Up on You

About a week ago, I found myself in a reading lurch--I was having a hard time finding books I could just get lost in. Reading had become a chore, and even though I actually enjoyed the books I was reading, they weren't books I was excited to hunker down with and just read until there was no more to read.

After telling a friend of mine about my situation, she suggested that I read Holly Black's White Cat. With no reason not to, I went to my local library and checked it out. Once I was home, I proceeded to sit on my couch and read the entire book cover to cover. Here's why: 

White Cat, about a seemingly normal boy with a not-so-normal name (Cassel) and a seedy family history, is a creative mixture of the fantasy, gangster, and con-artist genres. The story takes place in the United States, in a sort of alternate time (I equate with the "sideways world" in LOST) where everyone is required to wear gloves due to the presence of "curse workers"-- a subset of preternaturally gifted people who can affect things from dreams to luck to emotions to appearance with just the slightest touch of their hand. Cassel comes from a family of curse workers, but unlike them, has never shown the signs of possessing an ability.

After Cassel wakes up standing on the roof of his boarding school's dormitory, swearing that he was lead there by a white cat, he starts to second-guess everything he knows, and comes to find that his family knows more than they'll say.

I found myself swept up by this story, but didn't realize I was at the time. When I finished the last page, and closed the back cover, I sat there digesting what I had just read and realized that it was a work of brilliant storytelling. Ms. Black allows the reader to go on a well-paced journey with Cassel, and by the time you realize just how enamored you are with the book, it's almost over. It's sneaky that way.

Lucky for us, this sneaky book is part of a series!

Have you read White Cat? Tell me what you thought of it in comments!