Black Heart

I listened to the audio book, as I've done with the previous two titles because I adore Jessie Eisenberg as Cassel Sharpe. To me, he IS Cassel. I've loved the previous two books, flawed characters, bad decisions and all. And, much to my delight, Black Heart follows up quite strongly. In Black Heart , we get to spend more time with Cassel as he uses his curse (for good and for evil). But we also learn more about his family, his mother and all the drama that's only been hinted at in the two other books. There are also a couple of interesting confrontations (of a sort) with people from the previous books (I really, really don't want to give anything away). And, of course, there's some fantastic Lila and Cassel interaction.

I love this show more series so much and I was really happy with this third (and sadly final) book. But what made me happy was that Black managed to wrap everything up and give me the most satisfying ending possible. show less

Fan-bloody-tastic. (I finished this book and grinned like a loon at my cat for long enough for her to get disconcerted and leave.) This is a marvellous conclusion to a trilogy that was just all sorts of sharp-edged, unflinching delightful. Cassel's arc is hard and entertaining and rewarding. But what I like most about this series is the way in which magic doesn't solve anything. The privileged still have the power, and they still buy and sell the lives and futures of the young. Being the rarest of flowers doesn't mean you can't be crushed under foot. (I can see, perhaps, how that isn't a message that will make the books wildly popular, but I appreciate its reality.)

I hate to say I was pushed into reading this series, but well, you know who you are – and you know you do some pushing. Thank you for the push.

This is more of a review of this series. So this series is a unique, but a growing subset, in the young adult paranormal genre. The uniqueness being female authored with a male protagonist as the hero and a dark dark world. The lead in each of these books is the same teenaged boy - -Cass. I would compare it to Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride, or Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. There seems to be a desire on the part of the paranormal reading crowd to read about male protagonists, so these books are definitely finding their niche readers.

Cass was born into a crime family, show more not a powerful one but the world in this series is divided into two parts: those with magical abilities and those without. People fear those with magical powers and due to unfair legislation, fear of people without magic, internments and round ups those with magical abilities are segregated in lifestyle from those without powers. Everyone wears gloves. All the time. Why? The abilities people have (just one – the magic workers have just one power each) are not fun and nor are the powers nice but instead, the powers are such that kill, powers to alter memories, powers to make people feel things that they would not feel on their own and the power to transform someone from one object into another. But in order to work their curse, the magic workers need to use their bare fingers and touch bare skin on their target - - thus the gloves that everyone (even non magical workers) wear at all times.

I have trouble with stories and series where people with powers can just do whatever they want with no cost. Holly Black created a world where magic exists but it isn’t easy. Everytime a magic worker puts a curse on someone there is a “blow back”. Memory workers lose parts of their own memories. Emotion workers suffer through emotional ups and downs. Death workers have parts of their bodies die off … and on and on …

There is an undercurrent of politics driven by fear throughout the series. It is not overwhelming and the politics do not dominate the plot. A question that I kept thinking is – shouldn’t the non magical people be afraid? What is a fair solution to protect the non magical people but not overly limit the ability of the magical people to live their lives? I am not sure there is a solution and Holly Black shows that tension of what it would be like to live with real threats like death workers and memory workers.

So Curse Workers has some recycled cliché young adult themes: hero doesn’t know the extent of his powers, family is really out there, boarding school, boy kills off his girlfriend there is lots of blood, painful memories …. screeeeeeech …okay maybe that is not an overused cliché.

What I think Holly Black did really well is set up this story in a very familiar setting but then took it somewhere most young adult books do not go. There is sex, there is drinking, there is death and sociopathic behavior and the ending of the series is not storybook at all. So the ending is anti-everything we want for our kids or our parents dream about for us but you know what? It is perfect for this series and I loved that Holly Black ended it the way she did.

Now I listened to this series in audio, despite also owning it in ebook. I think I should have read it. The narration was done well, I guess ... but it didn’t grab me. I need to say thought, that the narration does not detract or take away from the story at all. Despite that, I would suggest reading this series. I recommend this book to people who enjoy darker urban fantasy stories and who are okay with a slow build in the beginning of a story.

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Cassel Sharpe was raised in the Curse Workers's world, where everyone is a con artist and every choice is a potential trap. His mother can emotionally control him, his brother can manipulate his memories, his ex-girlfriend is now part of the mob and he himself has a power so rare that its nearly mythical. He wants to get a high class education and win himself free of all the plots, but instead he keeps getting pulled deeper.

The world building remains awesome. There are workers and non-workers. Workers can enact magic with a touch, but experience blowback if they do. For example, emotion workers can manipulate other people's feelings, but in return their own emotions become unstable. Or there are death workers, who can kill someone with show more a touch, but in return a part of their body dies--a tooth if they're lucky, their heart if they're not. Even healing has blowback of its own: by healing others, one becomes sick oneself. Working magic is dangerous and not to be done lightly. But for all that, it's so powerful that it's still used. And because all the magic is touch-based, everyone wears gloves constantly, and seeing someone's ungloved hand is both incredibly intimate and a little scary.

Cassel, and all the supporting characters, are equally well-thought out, well-rounded creations. And the plot is as twisty as ever, though not quite so mind-blowing as the first two books. I really loved this series, but I think Black was smart to end (or at least pause) it here. Cassel quitting school, the FBI, and all pretences of normality in order to have a little time with Lila was an incredibly gutsy plot twist, the equivalent of having Harry Potter quit Hogwarts in, say, the fifth book. It was smart, it was unexpected, and it completely shook up the books' loose formula. In all three books, Cassel has to juggle school, curse working, and the law--after the last chapter, the juggling act is over. show less

Holly Black is a Curse Worker!

There is absolutely nothing that I dislike about Black Heart or the rest of the Curse Workers series! Holly Black is one of my favorite authors. She hooked me with the Tithe series and gave me no room to wiggle off the line with her current film-noir-mixed-with-some-paranormal crime drama.

****Alert: Since this a review for book three of a series, it contains spoilers for anyone who hasn't read White Cat and Red Glove. If you find yourself in that unenviable position, you need to immediately step away from your computer, use the fastest means of transportation available to you, and get yourself to a bookstore so you can begin reading what is sure to become one of your favorite series. (If you're new to Holly show more Black, then you've got even more catching up to do. Don't miss out on Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside!)

Now back to the review. Cassel Sharpe is an eminently sympathetic character. He's a loyal friend/brother/son. He has a surprisingly strong sense of right and wrong, considering he was raised in a family of supernatural thieves and con artists. A family which lied to him and made him believe he was the black sheep without the power to alter people's memories, make them fall in love, or kill them with a single touch. He was the outcast since he wasn't a "Curse Worker". Just one problem: He is a curse worker. And not just any curse worker, but a transformation worker. He has the ability to turn you into anyone or anything he wants. So they used him to commit murders and to transform his best friend and only girl he ever loved into a cat, then erased his memory of it (White Cat). In attempt to set things straight his mom, the emotion worker, curses the girl to fall in love with him. So now he can't be with her because he knows it's not real and refuses to take advantage of the situation (Red Glove). It's amazing that he doesn't go on a psychopathic rampage transforming everyone into beanbag chairs!

In Black Heart he's got the Feds hounding him to join their Licensed Minority Division so they can have the rarest and most feared type of curse worker as their own weapon. Then there's the crime boss (and father of the girl of his dreams) who's holding his mother hostage until he can retrieve a diamond she once stole from him. And just for fun, let's throw in a terrified girl from school who begs him to help her deal with a blackmailer, while clearly holding back some vital information. There's just so much being thrown at this kid from every angle. But he just takes it all in stride and stays one step ahead while everyone thinks they're playing him.

Black Heart is a fast paced, fun, and extremely well written novel. The characters and situations are completely believable. The setting is beautifully constructed. The plot is well thought out and perfectly executed. Exactly what I've come to expect from Holly Black, who clearly works her magic by touching her fingers to a keyboard. For writing this solid, the blowback must be crazy! show less

Holly Black has done it again! I swear, this woman is incapable of writing a bad book. Black Heart is just as darkly humorous and exciting as the last two books in the Curse Worker trilogy! I would argue that the stakes are even higher this time around—there are three major issues that Cassel needs to deal with, all involving different groups of people: his family, his friends, and the Feds. Holly Black does a great job of balancing all three storylines and ending the book with all problems resolved. The manner of resolution, however, isn’t easy—each of the conflicts Cassel is facing have their own twists, and you’ll find yourself surprised at every single one. But Holly Black proved that she’s stellar at plot twists in the show more first two Curse Worker books; I shouldn’t be surprised by her skill, but I always am.

Aside from the complexity of the story and cons, Black Heart continues to excel in terms of characters. Cassel has slowly grown over the course of the series, and in Black Heart he evolves the most. His signature snark is still intact, but he’s not so much of a self-loathing moper anymore. I can’t get enough of Cassel’s narration—he’s just a funny, quirky guy. The side characters are just as wonderful as always—I love Sam, Cassel’s roommate, Lila, and even Zacharov has his moments.

As a finale, Black Heart is perfect. We get answers to some questions that have followed Cassel through all three books, we’re given time with each of the characters (we’ll remember them fondly!), and we get to read through a really good con. What more could a reader ask for?

If you’ve read the previous two Curse Worker books, you absolutely must pick up Black Heart. It doesn’t disappoint! But whatever your expectations are, prepare to be completely surprised—the ending to this fabulous series is unpredictable! show less

I was so happy to dive into this series again to see what the Sharpe brothers were up to. As we learned at the end of Red Glove, the Feds made an offer to Barron and Cassel, and they accepted, although Barron likes to think he's playing both sides (no surprise there). As Cassel navigates the very treacherous path of political intrigue, tortures himself over his love for Lila and tries to find his mom, he continues to deal with school. I loved some of the story lines that blended school life and personal life. His school friends and mobster family are the crazy and dysfunctional pieces that make up his life. In fact, I was drawn into the story so much that I actually felt sorry for Barron in one situation. Can you believe it? Cassel is show more as heartbreakingly vulnerable as always, dredging up all kinds of confusing feelings. The beauty of Cassel is that you don't know whether you want to make out with him or make him a hot meal because his mom is such a disaster. Maybe both. (I'm sure a therapist would have a heyday with that little statement.) However you categorize your feelings, he is the ultimate anti-hero with a desire to perhaps do some good, but mostly avoid trouble.

There is a lot of fast paced action in this book, but it's the characters that make it amazing. With Cassel, there is a deep sense, although he tried so hard to live a "normal" life, that he doesn't feel he deserves to be treated as anything more than a worthless criminal. These feelings are confronted in a wonderful scene with Lila, but even before that, his actions tell you that somewhere in there is a kid who really wants things to work, who still has hope that maybe things really will work out for him. That contrast between what Cassel wants and the reality of his world is what makes this series so appealing. He can literally transform himself into anything, but he can't ever really change who he is and where he comes from. Fans of these books will love this final installment. The character development is seamless from one book to the next and up until the last scene there are surprises waiting to be discovered.

I am so sad that this series is over, but I loved the ending. These books were perfect from beginning to end and this series will forever be on my all time favorites list. Thank you, Holly Black. show less