While I only include the Annie Fuller credibility scale on installments of the Sandman franchise, I do have to give her credit on this awesome rec. This may be one of the most enjoyable books I've read this month, and maybe even this year. Yes, it's YA fiction, which has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, but readers young and old will have a blast reading Holly Black's first installment of what promises to be a very entertaining series: The Curse Workers.
White Cat tells the story of Cassel Sharpe, a 17 year old who comes from a family of talented Workers. What is a Worker, one might ask? Well, a worker is basically someone who has the inherent genetic ability to manipulate the world around them in a very particular way. Yes, they're sort of like magicians, but it's a little bit more complicated than that. A Worker's gift is specialized, so while one Worker may be able to modify a person's memories, another can cause physical harm with a single touch. Working is very intertwined with organized crime in America and was banned at the same time as alcohol during prohibition. Working isn't some secret like magic in Harry Potter, it's very mainstream, but still definitely illegal.
Cassel is the only member of his family who isn't a Worker, and it's well-known that Cassel's family has ties to a very powerful organized crime syndicate, but when Cassel wakes up from a strange dream on the roof of his school, events are put into place that will change Cassel's life forever as he embarks on a quest full of danger and intrigue.
Holly Black can tell the crap out of a story, and this one kept me begging for more (I finished this book in 1 day). She was very good at addressing mysteries and cliffhangers, and the end of the first book definitely has me wanting to start reading Red Glove, the series' second installment. This is a good one to pick up to act as a literary Methadone to help all you Harry Potter addicts wean off your magical addictions. Anyone who picks it up will definitely enjoy it.
PS--- the audiobook is read by Jesse Eisenberg of "The Social Network" and "Zombieland" fame. I understand that he's a good narrator to read the voice of a 17 year old Cassel Sharpe, but this guy has no business reading audiobooks. His voice is extremely offputting, and I found myself silently praying that Eisenberg would suffer brain damage and have to turn over the reading to someone more capable. This may be a better one to skip the audio on and read it yourself.
No comments:
Post a Comment