Reviews
This novel is eerie and dark, with terrifying secrets and evil plots. Black weaves a beautiful world where magic exists and is feared. You'll see how backstabbing your loved ones is just as easy as loving them. This starter to a sure-to-be-a-hit series shouldn't be missed. Summary: Curse working is illegal, and curse workers are branded as scoundrels and con artists. Cassel is the only one in his family who's not a curse worker. Although he's the "straight" kid in a cursed family, he killed his best friend, Lila, years ago. How he's having terrifying dreams of a white cat and suspects a secret plot between his brothers. He'll have to unravel his past to out-con the people he thought he knew best. - ROMANTIC TIMES BOOK REVIEWS , May 2010, Dreaming of a white cat, Cassel wakes up on the roof of his boarding school. Bad dreams are nothing new. His family is a wreck, his girlfriend dumped him, and a dark secret weighs on his mind. When he was fourteen, he murdered Lila Zacharov, the girl he loved. He does not remember the murder, only a sense of joy. But as the dreams continue, he begins to question the events of that terrible night as well as the role his two older brothers played in covering things up. He soon realizes that his brothers, both of whom have close ties to the Zacharov crime family, are hiding things from him. When a real white cat shows up, things get even stranger. In Cassel's world, magic exists, but it is forbidden by law. Magic workers offer their services on a black market dominated by mafia families. Cassel comes from a clan of talented curse workers. The only one without powers, he is a jaded outsider, accustomed to the graft but too sensitive to be a true con artist. With or without magic, he is trapped by his upbringing.This fresh urban fantasy offers an intriguing cast of characters and thoughtful world building. Cassel's relationships with his grandfather and school friends offer glimmers of light in an otherwise dark and gritty story. Readers who know their fairy tales will see threads of the traditionalWhite Cat. This is the first ofThe Curse Workersbooks, so expect sequels.---VOYA April 2010, This novel is eerie and dark, with terrifying secrets and evil plots. Black weaves a beautiful world where magic exists and is feared. You'll see how backstabbing your loved ones is just as easy as loving them. This starter to a sure-to-be-a-hit series shouldn't be missed. Summary: Curse working is illegal, and curse workers are branded as scoundrels and con artists. Cassel is the only one in his family who's not a curse worker. Although he's the "straight" kid in a cursed family, he killed his best friend, Lila, years ago. How he's having terrifying dreams of a white catand suspects a secret plot between his brothers. He'll have to unravel his past to out-con the people he thought he knew best. -- ROMANTIC TIMES BOOK REVIEWS , May 2010, * "Fans of the author will revel in the sophisticated and slightly-more-realistic-than-usual approach, . . . fascinating and carefully developed characters, and lush setting descriptions." - BCCB , starred review, This novel is eerie and dark, with terrifying secrets and evil plots. Black weaves a beautiful world where magic exists and is feared. You'll see how backstabbing your loved ones is just as easy as loving them. This starter to a sure-to-be-a-hit series shouldn't be missed. Summary: Curse working is illegal, and curse workers are branded as scoundrels and con artists. Cassel is the only one in his family who's not a curse worker. Although he's the "straight" kid in a cursed family, he killed his best friend, Lila, years ago. How he's having terrifying dreams of a white cat and suspects a secret plot between his brothers. He'll have to unravel his past to out-con the people he thought he knew best. -- ROMANTIC TIMES BOOK REVIEWS , May 2010, This novel is eerie and dark, with terrifying secrets and evil plots. Black weaves a beautiful world where magic exists and is feared. You'll see how backstabbing your loved ones is just as easy as loving them. This starter to a sure-to-be-a-hit series shouldn't be missed.Summary: Curse working is illegal, and curse workers are branded as scoundrels and con artists. Cassel is the only one in his family who's not a curse worker. Although he's the "straight" kid in a cursed family, he killed his best friend, Lila, years ago. How he's having terrifying dreams of a white cat and suspects a secret plot between his brothers. He'll have to unravel his past to out-con the people he thought he knew best. --ROMANTIC TIMES BOOK REVIEWS, May 2010, * "Urban fantasy, con story, coming of age--whatever you call it, read it." - Kirkus Reviews , starred review, * "Fans of the author will revel in the sophisticated and slightly-more-realistic-than-usual approach, . . . fascinating and carefully developed characters, and lush setting descriptions." -BCCB, starred review
