Review: Red Glove by Holly Black

Red Glove (Curse Workers #2) by Holly Black
Synopsis (Goodreads):

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.

My Thoughts: That sound you just heard? Yeah, that was me falling out of my chair. Because, OMG!, the hijinks never end with Cassel and his crew. I knew I was going to be all flaily and WHOA when I hit the halfway mark and I was bug eyed and on the edge of my seat.

White Cat ended on a bit of a OMGWTFBBQ! note and I was a little nervous coming into this book. I shouldn't have been. Holly Black can pen a good tale and she did just that here. Cassel is still a little messed up, Lilia is still a little messed up, Cassel's family is ... kinda a lot of messed up, and Cassel's friends are pretty darn cool. The emotion work that was done on Lila is a hurdle that both Lila and Cassel have to work around. It sucks and it's a drain on both of them that they don't need, especially when Cassel's brother winds up dead and he has to deal with his sticky family issues.

I like that Cassel is so... Cassel. He's a good guy in a lot of ways and yet he's grown up steeped in the criminal world and he has a tendency to think like a criminal. He protects his family (even though half the time they don't deserve it), he protects his friends and he tries to protect Lila from himself. I *like* Cassel. I want things to somehow work out for him. I mean, after what his brothers did to him, you'd think he deserves a break or five. But Cassel is Cassel and he's at his best when his odds are at the worst.

A fabulously fun, twisty story where you don't know who to trust - and that includes Cassel. How he'll get out of the tangle he finds himself in, I don't know, but I'm ready to find out.

Books in this series
1. White Cat
2. Red Glove - Paperback | Kindle
3. Black Heart

Author Links
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