ARC Review: Black Heart by Holly Black

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Publication Date:  April 3rd, 2012

Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy.

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

**Thanks to Kelsey, Amber, Shannon, and Lori over at Southern Book Bloggers/Southern ARC Tours for the opportunity to review this amazing book!**

I'm going to begin this review by publicly stating that I am absolutely CRUSHED that this is the final book in the Curse Workers trilogy.  I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute spent reading the three books in this trilogy, and I wish that Holly Black would consider writing more of the world it takes place in.  It's not that I'm unhappy with how she ended things.  Actually, quite the opposite is true, I just crave more.  I'm a huge fan of her writing, and when the first book, White Cat, was released, I was skeptical because it wasn't about fae; she is the MASTER to whom all other writers of fae should bow, and I was wondering if she could do supernatural mafioso.  Well, she can, and she has, and now that it's over, I can say, without pause, that she did it brilliantly!!  I loved White Cat (read my full review HERE),  I loved Red Glove even more (read my full review HERE), and this, the final book, was even better.  Now to my review of it...

It's going to be very difficult to review this book without spoilers for books one and two, but I will stick to my "Spoiler Free" policy, and try because I really want everyone who has not read this series yet to run right out and get started!  Because the only thing I didn't like about Black Heart is the fact that it was the last book, I am going to bullet point my love...

• Characters:  The characters are pretty much the same as those in the first two books.  There are a few that aren't part of the story anymore, and there are a couple of new ones, but the main characters are still Cassel, Lila, Sam, and Danica.  Barron makes more of an appearance in this one as well.  The characters are still awesomely flawed, and brilliantly written.  Holly does a fabulous job documenting the internal struggles that they face from Cassel's POV.  The new characters who were introduced definitely added elements of surprise to the story, shaking things up a bit.
• World:  Did I mention that I love this world she's built, and would love to read more books set it in?  A world where everyone wears gloves because you never know who might be a "worker", or what kind of "worker" they might be?   A world where one of the core platforms of every politician is "Worker Rights"?  This world is so smartly woven, with such a modern "what-if" spin.  I love it because it is relateable and plausible.
• Plot and Pacing:  Cassel's internal struggles, general mistrust of everyone, undying love for Lila, and dedication to his mother are all showcased in gigantic ways in this book.  Yes, they played huge roles in the first two, but a lot of things come to a head in this one.  There were some very unexpected twists in the story and everything moved along smoothly.  Cassel had to make a lot of decisions about questions that didn't necessarily have good choices for answers.  This was much more unputdownable than the first two books, and that is saying something!
• The Writing:  Did I mention I'm a HUGE fan of Holly Black's writing.  She manages to draw you in and then use her words like duct tape to bind you to the book until the final page.  I have never been able to a put one of her books down to read something else, and this was no exception.  Her writing truly casts a spell on me.

Overall, my reading of this book was bittersweet.  I loved it so much, but I got more and more sad, the closer I got to the end.  Yes, I loved the end.  It was an absolutely PERFECT ending to Cassel's story, and I could not have asked for more on that, but there are so many other rich characters who I would love to read more about.  Who knows, maybe she'll consider a spin-off series...  *drops to knees in ardent prayer*

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★++ 

Grade Level Recommendation:  I'm going to recommend this as a series, now that it's complete.  I would call this a "Supernatural The Sopranos Lite".  If a movie were made of these three books, it would definitely be PG-13.  There violence, sex, drugs, and crime.  That said, it is thought provoking  and I think the protagonist makes the right choices in the end.  There are lessons to be learned.   This series is suitable for ages 13 and up (8th grade+).

**Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY for a SIGNED hardcover copy of Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver.  Click HERE! **

Before the Blog (8): White Cat by Holly Black

Some of you already know this, but I've started a weekly meme called "Before the Blog". In short, it's a place to review books you read and loved before you began blogging about them. Basically, you choose a book each week, then answer the following three questions,and post your review.   Then you can add the name of your BtB book and author to the little Mr. Linky widget below, and voila!

Why did you choose this book? 

When did you read this book?
Who would you recommend this book to?

For more info, see my 1st BtB post by clicking this LINK.  The book I chose this week is...

White Cat by Holly Black

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Publication Date: May 4th, 2010

Why did you choose this book?  I am a big fan of Holly Black.  I can't honestly say that I have met a book of hers that I haven't liked.  I was intrigued by this because most of her books are centered around the fey, and this was such a departure.

When did you read this book?  January, 2011

Who would you recommend this book to? Anyone who likes Holly Black.  Middle School and High School boys who want a great YA book with a male protagonist.  Fans of organized crime dramas.

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.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

A lot of the earlier reviews of this book bashed the hell out of it, and I just don't get it.  I thought Holly Black did a superb job with this story.  I guess some people couldn't handle the departure from her usual subject matter (faery, paranormal), but I commend her for writing something so different from what she usually writes, and doing it so well.  That's difficult.  I was initially reluctant to read it because of all the bashing it got on Goodreads, and I know now that it would have been a mistake not to read it.  It is now my favorite series of Holly's.   It was so original, well thought out, well written, and suspenseful.  The story was wonderfully paced and I could not put it down.  Holly managed to keep the surprises coming and I never knew what to expect next; that rarely happens for me in books.  I loved that there was a male protagonist, and that he believed himself to be somewhat of an outcast.  I also liked the whole crime family element.  It was like The Godfather with magic.  I happen to like those kinds of books/films/TV shows (I was a religious The Sopranos watcher, and Goodfellas is one of my all-time favorite movies.), so this was right up my alley.  I think a combination of these facts (male protag/outcast, crime family, magic) would make this book very appealing to teen males, and that is important when so much popular YA is geared toward girls. (Not to say that girls would not love it to, because they would- and do!)  I also liked the subtle questions the story raised; family duty vs. ethics, love vs. what's right, etc.; I think anyone reading this would ponder these things.  I, personally, still haven't come to many conclusions on that end- everything is very gray, which makes this book all the more enticing.

My only gripe at the time of reading was the ending.  I don't want to spoil by saying what made me so mad, but I was pissed at how it was left dangling.  I know it was for the purposes of enticing me into reading book #2 (Red Glove), and it worked, but I was still pissy because I was SO invested in the story and had to wait three more months until its release.  After reading Red Glove, all is forgiven because I liked it even better, but at that time, Holly Black was not my favorite person.

Overall, I really adored this book, and it's successor (Red Glove) as well.  I actually listened to Red Glove on audio, and it was fantastically done by Jesse Eisenberg.  He also did this book, so if you like the audio format, do yourself a favor and give both books a listen rather than a read.  He really brings the character of Cassel Sharpe to life.  I very anxiously await Black Heart, which is set to release April 3rd, 2012.

My Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ½ 

Grade Level Recommendation:  The School Library Journal reviewer says grades 9 and up, but I disagree.  I would put this more like grades 7 and up.  There is some mild sexual content, language, crime, and a bunch of violence, but if it were a movie, I don't think it would get higher than a PG-13 rating.  I would let my 12 year old read this and know that he/she would enjoy it and have things to ponder while doing so. (ages 12+)

**Don't forget to enter my AWESOME giveaway of an audio copy of the AMAZING All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin HERE!**