Sunday, April 3, 2011

Red Glove: By Holly Black

RED GLOVE

SUMMARY

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.


REVIEW

I’ve been a fan of Holly Black for years but when she came out with White Cat last year I was stunned with how good it was. Needless to say I've been eagerly anticipating the release of its sequel Red Glove.

Now that I’ve read it I can honestly say that while different from White Cat, it was just as fantastic. Red Glove takes place a few months after the events of White Cat, opening with Cassel with his mother in Atlantic City trying to forget Lila. Unlike White Cat which had multiple mystery elements that felt fast paced and adrenaline filled (especially at the end), Red Glove focused on one mystery element and more importantly the blowback from the events of White Cat.

Of course getting down to the breakdown of the novel, the characters, like White Cat, are terrific. They are engaging and, while I personally have not been involved with the mob or have been a curse worker (obviously), are highly relatable. We really get to see more of Lila and Daneca, but who I found most intriguing as a fuller character in Red Glove was Cassel’s mother. She really is fascinating and through the sub-story she sets the stage for what I think will be one of the main issues in the next books in the series.

Besides this, the plot s fantastic and unique, the story fast paced, and the book as a whole purely engrossing. While fans may be a little disappointed that it doesn’t have as much of the adrenaline pounding action and intricate mysteries that White Cat did, it is still a fantastic book, and I personally can’t wait to read the last in the series and see where Holly Black takes us.

RATING
9 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Published: April 5, 2011

Price: $17.99

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