Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.
Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.
Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love — or death — and your dreams might be more real than your memories.
This was the 2nd book of Holly Black's I've read (aside from The Spiderwick Chronicles) and to be honest, I didn't know what I'd think of it before I read it. Tithe was confusing and weird (to me) at the beginning so much that I though about returning the book, but then as I read further in, it started making more sense. White Cat was different.
The first paragraphs grab your attention as it starts with some action...even though it's only Cassel sleepwalking. I just then got a bit confused with the concept of workers and Cassel's family etc. Things started shaping up when Cassel left the school. Then I got a clearer image of who was who and what was going on. The book also seemed not only paranormal, but also in a sense kinda like something from the future, as people wearing gloves are recognized as workers and etc. So I couldn't really classify this book under one genre. But lemme tell you this, White Cat is a mix of romance and horror, dreams and nightmares, paranormal and supernatural stuff. And Holly Black's writing makes it an AMAZING blend. You will NOT be disappointed with this book.
It seems so different once the pieces have been put together. Memories, Dreams and People from the past just keep the readers waiting for the answer, true suspense. I certainly didn't see the main transformation of the cat coming. I didn't even see the true identity of the cat coming. So therefore, in all my not seeing I definitely didn't see the twist in the story coming. I was surprised. I was like, "OMG! How could I NOT see this?" and it made me feel stupefied.
Like most books I read, *sigh* I start liking this one character, my fictional crush. Cassel is definitely somewhere pretty high on that long list. He just seems so much like a...bad boy. Definitely what girls find so attractive in fictional characters. I think real-life guys should read these books, just for the sake to please a girl. Which brings me to the next point: it doesn't seem as this should be a "girls book". Actually, when I think about it, it kinda seems more for guys, which makes it even better. It's amazing how many books today including paranormal or supernatural stuff is mainly aimed for girls, but yes finally the clouds have parted and a book which a boy can read is here!
This is a series I would definitely continue on with. I just need to wait for the next book, Red Glove to come out!
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❘Goodreads)!
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