Reviews provided by Syndetics
Publishers Weekly Review
In this beautifully realized dark fantasy, which launches Black's Curse Workers series, Cassel Sharpe is a talented con artist who works as a bookie at his snooty prep school. But skilled as Cassel is, it's nothing compared to the rest of his family, who are curse workers, able to control people's memories, luck, or emotions with the touch of a finger (curse work is illegal, and all citizens wear gloves to safeguard against being taken advantage of). Three years ago Cassel murdered a friend, the daughter of a crime lord, and now, not by coincidence, he's having nightmares about a white cat ("It leaned over me, inhaling sharply, as if it was going to suck the breath from my lungs") and sleepwalking on the roof of his dormitory. Complex plots unfold around Cassel, and he eventually realizes that he can't even rely on his own memory. With prose that moves from stark simplicity to almost surreal intensity in a moment, Black (Ironside) has created a believable alternate America where mobsters are magicians and no one is entirely trustworthy. Ages 14-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Cassel, 17, is an anomaly as the only untalented one in a family of curse workers. While his mother, grandfather, and brothers make their living by illegally performing death curses, manipulating memories, and casting emotion charms, Cassel relies on his quick wit and con-artist skills to convince his private-school classmates that he's normal, despite bouts of sleepwalking and patchy memories of standing over a murdered friend named Lila. Nightmares about a white cat that resembles Lila, his family's ties to organized crime, and evidence of a mysterious plot against him threaten to pull Cassel into the world he's fought hard to resist. Black has written a dark coming-of-age tale with a likable hero. Teens will empathize with Cassel's desire to fit in and his occasional clashes with his family while rooting for him to unravel the conspiracy. Though readers will enjoy the fast-paced plot, there are points, particularly in the last few chapters, where the action is confusing and clarity appears sacrificed for expediency. Some secondary characters, such as Cassel's grandfather and friend Sam, are three-dimensional, while others, including his brothers and Lila, are less well realized. Despite these minor flaws, White Cat will appeal to readers who grew up on Holly Black's "Spiderwick Chronicles" (S & S) and are ready for something edgier.-Leah J. Sparks, formerly at Bowie Public Library, MD (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Cassel remembers killing his best friend, Lila, three years ago. Now he finds himself on the edge of his dorm roof and doesn't know how he got there. As it turns out, nothing is what he thinks it is. Cassel knows his family are curse workers, a small minority around the world who can change luck, emotions, or even transform things and people into something entirely different. Because curse working is illegal, many are con men or mobsters, and members of Cassel's family happen to be both. He, however, is the one born without any powers. Or is he? The first book in the Curse Workers series starts out with spine-tingling terror, and information is initially dispensed so sparingly, readers will be hooked. But then things get muddled, especially which curse workers can do what . . . and why. Despite the confusions, Cassel is an appealing hero, and kids will read to the end just to sort out events. In the final chapter, Cassel's mother returns from prison. That should make the next book fun.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist
Horn Book Review
Cassel Sharpe's family of curse workers (people whose touch can control others) treat him as an outsider. Cassel confronts family secrets that reveal truths about himself--and a murder he can't fully remember committing. Out-conning the mob leads Cassel on an exciting journey that will have readers on the lookout for future series installments. Copyright 2010 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Book Review
Forget fairy tales. The first in Black's new series is a dark, complex Chinese puzzle box, full of cons, criminals and cursesa denigrating term for magic in a world where it's outlawed. Cassel is the only non-worker (magic user) in a family full of them, all tightly connected to the Zacharov crime family. He's also a murderer, although he can't recall some critical details of killing his best friendZacharov's daughterthree years ago. The world is casually revealed through Cassel's engaging, genuinely teenage voice, and what a world: Just like ours, except magic is common and conveyed through touch (everyone wears gloves), and instead of debating healthcare, there's a growing political movement to legalize "cursework" so that magic-based crime can be prosecuted more effectively. Cassel's discovery of his own talents and his realization that everyone he trusts has lied to or betrayed him propels the narrative; the larger machinations surrounding him and some unfinished romantic business mean the sequels should be equally compelling. Urban fantasy, con story, coming of agewhatever you call it, read it. (Urban fantasy. 14 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.