Book Review: Red Glove by Holly Black

Red Glove (Curse Workers #2)

Holly Black

Review of White Cat (Curse Workers #1)

Publication Date: April 5th 2011

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Pages: 325

Genre:  Contemporary, Alternate Universe, Thriller, Young Adult

Curses and cons.
Magic and the mob.

In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth — he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything — or anyone — into something else.

That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she’s human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila’s been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion-worker mom. And if Lila’s love is as phony as Cassel’s made-up memories, then he can’t believe anything she says or does.

When Cassel’s oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help make sense of the only clue — crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too — they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can’t trust anyone — least of all, himself?

Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.

Holly Black returns, making me want to read the Spiderwick Chronicles and finish her Faerie books due to her strong ability to tell a story that just sucks you right in. The Curse Worker books continues with the next chapter in Cassel's life, now that he knows what he is and what he did, his mom is out and about, and his love is cursed to love him not out of her own free will, it is obvious things are far from over.

Add to this the sudden death of one of his brothers and the FBI taking Cassel out of class to ask him to help figure out what's going on.

Black's characters are once again amazing to read. I adore Cassel so much, usually I am a bit overly critical of authors who write from the point of view of the opposite gender, this comes from years of being friends with people obsessed with yaoi (boy + boy smut manga for those who don't know) which I never got since one of the boys was always written like a girl (pretty much all yaoi is written by women for women). Since then, however, I became hyper aware of when people attempt to write the opposite gender, but it's very obvious that they don't quite understand the opposite gender as well as they thought they did (though of course that's always up for debate by people).

Pretty much this thought doesn't even cross my mind with Cassel, he just seems so natural.

I love the whole mystery part of this series, this time Cassel needs to figure out what exactly happened when he was young and see if he can fix things to keep himself safe, if nothing else. He also has to come to terms with these abilities which most of the time it seems he doesn't even want due to their nature.

Dude! I totally hadn't guessed that Maura had been behind Phillip's death at all, even though it made complete sense. He had screwed with her so bad and she was about to be made to make up with him because of his deal with the FBI. The way Cassel helps to protect her as well, warms my heart. What's fun and interesting about Cassel is that he's a conman with a heart (even if he likes to pretend that he doesn't)  and it's that part of him that doesn't fit in with the rest of his family.

Also, I have a theory! I have no idea if it's right or not, but I wonder if Lila was really ever cursed to like Cassel, I wonder if she liked him, but wanted an excuse so when she saw that his mother was going to curse her to like Cassel, she somehow avoided it and was pretending so that she could get her hands on him. JUST her luck, Cassel is too noble for that and I think it's pissing her off, and by  the end of the book, whether or not she was cursed, I don't think she is anymore, but I think it's obvious that she still likes him.

This series continues to be good, so keep reading. There's only one book left and I really wonder where it's going (I just gotta get through all these debut books that have suddenly fallen into my lap first).

4 Bookmarks

ARC Book Review: League of Strays by L.B. Schulman

League of Strays

L.B. Schulman

ARC Disclaimer: I was not paid in any way by the publishers to review this book favourably. The review is my own honest opinion (Whether or not it is agreed with). 

Publication Date: October 1st 2012

Publisher: Amulet

Pages: 288

Genre:  Contemporary, Thriller, Young Adult

When Charlotte Brody, a lonely 17-year-old student at a new school, receives an invitation to join The League of Strays, she's intrigued by the group's promise of "instant friendship." The League does provide companionship--and even a love interest--but Charlotte grows increasingly uncomfortable with its sinister mission to seek revenge against the bullies of Kennedy High. When escalating acts of vengeance threaten to hurl her down a path of remorse, Charlotte must choose between her new friends and the direction of a future she's never fully considered.

I loved this book. I can't say that too much about many Contemporary YA Novels, but I really liked the idea behind it and how it all played out. It is also like the other half of the idea of Circle of Silence. Instead of there being a group of prankster kid outcasts with an outside person trying to figure it out, we are shown a similar story from the inside.

Charlotte is the new girl, in fact the only person she knows in her school so far is a bully from her old school that had transferred to the same area. When she is given the promise of instant friendship and understanding from a very charming, suave fellow, she really could not help but fall face first into it all.

The characters in League of Strays are all very unique, dealing with their situations differently and striving to be different people. There is the valedictorian, the good girl, the rebel, the victim and the controller. They have all been hurt by someone, but except for Kade, none of them do anything about it. He, of course, sees things differently.

There is a feeling throughout the book of seduction by ideals and a snowball rolling down a mountain, gaining momentum and becoming so much more than anyone expected.

It is a tale of control and revenge and things getting out of hand.

About a third of the way through the book I began to realize that Kade was a sociopath and this scared me, but I truly love that the author went that route. He was so classic sociopath/future serial killer with his charming personality, good looks and need to control everything. His careful seduction of Charlotte, Nora and even Richie showed his manipulation ability to the max. He knew that he was larger than life to all of them, and wanted the attention and love. He picked the people he did, because he thought he could beguile them all to his cause. He was like a miniature Charles Manson

I was so proud of Charlotte in the end when she cut him off, when she showed him that she was stronger than his charisma. Richie was also someone I became very proud of since he had been entangled with Kade for so long.

It was good to see Nora as well, however, because it really hits home that all these characters are different and all of them grew, maybe not in the best way from the reader's standpoint, but other than Kade, they all did.

I recommend this book to people who enjoy books about outcasts, contemporary YA of the thriller variety and tales where characters truly grow up.

4 Bookmarks

ARC Book Review: Circle of Silence by Carol M. Tanzman

Circle of Silence (WiHi #2)

Carol M. Tanzman

No Prequel Review, can stand on own
ARC Disclaimer: I was not paid in any way by the publishers to review this book favourably. The review is my own honest opinion (Whether or not it is agreed with). 

Publication Date: July 24th 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 302

Genre:  Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult

THE BIGGEST STORY OF MY LIFE COULD BE HOW IT ENDS It's my turn to run a "Campus News" crew, and I've put together a team that can break stories wide open. And Washington Irving High has a truly great one to cover, if only we can find a lead.

A secret society has formed in our school. It announced its presence with pranks: underwear on the flagpole, a toilet in the hallway, cryptic notes. A circle of silence keeps the society a mystery. No one knows its members, agenda or initiation secrets-until a student lands in the hospital under "strange" circumstances.

I "will" blow this story wide open and stop others from being hurt...or worse. And while my ex, Jagger, might want to help, I don't trust him yet. (And, no, not because of our past together. That is "not" important to this story.)

But whether you find me, Valerie Gaines, reporting in front of the camera, or a victim in the top story of the newscast...be sure to watch "Campus News" at 9:00 a.m. this Friday.

What I didn't realize until about halfway through the book, is that Circle of Silence is actually a sequel… So… What I can tell you is that you don't have to read the first book, dancergirl, before reading this one at all to understand it. Circle of Silence is an excellent standalone book.

So, for me, I'm not much of a Contemporary YA reader, in fact I've never been much of a Contemporary book reader, preferring things out of the ordinary, but what books like Circle of Silence have is a horror and mystery element that pulls me in and holds me prisoner. The book is fast paced, with thoughts from the mysterious pranking group's leader scattered here and there. Those parts actually amps up the feeling of horror as you see into a mind of a kid who might just be a sociopath. You also see some of the plans before they happen and you start to worry about others more and more.

As for the characters, I really liked them, especially the main character. There's something about high school hardcore journalists that really intrigue me. They have a stubbornness to them that gets them into all sorts of trouble and love it.

The love story is done all right, though personally I don't think the book needed it. I guess it did place the heroine off her game when Jagger was around, but even if he had just been a friend I think it would have worked fine. At the same time, people expect YA to have romance, and the publisher is a part of Harlequin, it's also just a personal preference.

I knew her sister was one of the group! I knew it, knew it! Considering how the group was so obviously a group of loners who felt ignored by the world, Val's sister fit that bill. I didn't think she was the one who was sending the e-mails though, until the point where it was learned they were being sent from the same location.

On the other hand, I adored the fact that the Skeletor was a kid no one ever noticed. It fit so perfectly, yet he was a complete sociopath, what had started out as a fun bunch of pranks had turned into life and death, initiations leaving kids in the hospital.

I also really like the fact that Val did not win the prize, yet at the same time didn't mind. It really showed how much she grew up as a person throughout the book.

I recommend this book to people who love the author Laurie Faria Stolarz, or any other YA Contemporary author that tends to dab a little bit in horror. If you love mystery, that's also a huge driving point for the novel. Overall I did enjoy it quite a lot.

4 Bookmarks

Book Review: White is for Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz

White is for Magic (Blue is for Nightmares #2)

Laurie Faria Stolarz

Review of Blue is for Nightmares

Publication Date: May 8th 2004

Publisher: Llewellyn

Pages: 301

Genre:  Contemporary, Thriller, Young Adult

"I'm watching you . . ."

A year has passed since Stacey Brown saved her best friend from a horrible death. Now she's having nightmares again, haunted by ghosts of the brutally murdered . . . and by a crazed stalker. As she desperately casts healing spells, a new student named Jacob enters her world. Beautiful and mysterious, he reveals that he is also having dreams. To stop a killer, they must join together. But can Jacob be trusted? Or will this new love cause her darkest dreams to come true?

Here I am continuing on my Stolarz journey with book two in her Wiccan/Witchcraft Series and I already know that I am enjoying this series more than her Deadly Little Series. It could be the wiccan influences, or it could be the way all the characters. As I've mentioned before, Stolarz's characters are one of her strongest points, and what I really enjoy in this series is the very realistic way all the characters interact with each other.

Stacey's new relationship starts floundering as soon as reality hits and they realize how awkward it is that Drea has returned, that he does't quite support Stacey's nightmares and finally, maybe just maybe, it was just lust and puppy love and it's faded, as happens in High School. They both try hard to make it work, but it's falling apart.

White is for Magic also is an excellent sequel for the fact that it builds and expands on the first book. New characters are introduced, old stories explored more, and we continue to learn about Stacey's world of magic.

I really enjoyed the use of Maura to push this book through while everything else is happening. The bad guy is both old and new at the same time and completely unexpected for me. In general, however, we didn't have to explore new reasons for why someone would be after Stacey, and instead we can explore the aftermath of the first book and the introduction of Jacob who gets Stacey a lot more than Chad, for obvious reasons.

Also it becomes quite apparent that Drea and Chad will forever be attracted towards each other, because after his "run" with Stacey it seems that's the direction he's returning.

This is a series I for sure plan on continuing till the end as of now. I really wonder what direction Stolarz will go now as the nightmare avenue is the theme of the series, but it's also been kind of stretched as far as it will go. Though for all I know, Stolarz may come up with some way to make it work.

4 Bookmarks