Red Glove (Curse Workers, #2) by Holly Black

Red Glove by Holly Black

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


 

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.

Hardcover, 325 pages

Published April 5th 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry

ISBN

144240339X (ISBN13: 9781442403390)

edition language

English

original title

Red Glove

series

Curse Workers #2

characters

Cassel Sharpe, Sam Yu, Daneca Wasserman, Lila Zacharov, Barron Sharpe

literary awards

Cybils Award Nominee for Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult) (2011)

 

My Thoughts..........

 

 

This author is a first for me. Picked this book up for two reasons the cover drew me and also the interest plot. There was so much going on in this book that I and mixed feeling at first about whether I was going to like it or not.I think now that my mixed feeling came from the fact that perhaps I was a little lost. This was the second book in the series and a lot went on in the first book that overflowed into this book. The concept of the being all kinds of workers that messed with you mind to being able to kill you and turn you into an object was fascinating.Cassel has so much going on in his life you feel a bit sorry for him. His mother has him involved with a con. He ex-girlfriend comes back from the dead and has been spelled to love him. The beginning of a new school term has been difficult to juggle and among other things and his brother turns up dead putting pressure on him to find out who the killer is because, if he doesn't help mommie dearest is going to jail.The feds are black-mailing him.Having to deal with his mom and brother and other workers becomes a little bit overwhelming for him so he enlist a help of a friend to remove the curse from Lalia the ex so he has one less thing to deal with.Trying to put off the government as much as he can he hatches a plan to frame someone else for the murder of his brother until he can find the real killer. With the help of friends a plan is put in place and the adventure begins. But, when it was all said and done the ending was so surprising that I never even saw that ending coming.Tons of action going on from the beginning to the end of the book .The author took you on such a joy ride. The things that you learned that came to light were so surprising and others a little hard to take. But, what kills us makes us stronger ? Right?Cassell adventure is still not over....