White Cat by Holly Black

Cassel comes from a long line of curse workers—people born with the power to change your memories, emotions, luck, or shape with a single touch from a bare hand. Since curse work is frowned upon, most curse workers are mobsters and con artists. Cassel’s family is no different, and even though Cassel isn’t a curse worker like the rest of his family, he was raised with the con. It’s almost a way of life. But everything changes when Cassel starts to have sleepwalking nightmares of a strange white cat intent on telling him something. Suddenly, things start to make less and less sense, like the memories of killing his best friend Lila three years earlier, the strange and secretive behavior of his brothers, and why Cassel has always been told he isn’t a curse worker. Is Cassel just a pawn in another wicked con game? And how can he outcon the real conmen to find out the truth?

White Cat is another fantastic and unique story from skilled author Black. The many selling points of this novel, curse work, conmen and mobsters, and the promise of a larger scandal, all work superbly well together. Black’s imagined world where magic or curse work is real is so fascinating. On one hand, there is the wonder that such power is possible, and on the other, there is the fear of the different held by normal people. I just love how Black develops the sociopolitical scene here and how that, in turn, influences the rest of this tale. The story itself is enthralling; only a few details are predictable, and all the secrets and cons will keep most readers guessing until the end. The characters as well as realistic within their circumstances, but I have to say that the plot is really what kept the story going. I thoroughly enjoyed White Cat and look forward to more installments in the Curse Workers series.

White Cat will be enjoyed by fans of Tithe, also by Holly Black, Revealers by Amanda Marrone, and Firespell by Chloe Neill.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from Amazon Vine