Review: White Cat by Holly Black

Series: Curse Workers #1

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Publishing Date: Jan 1st, 2010
Pages: 310

Summary: The first in a trilogy, this gritty, fast-paced fantasy is rife with the unexpected. Cassel comes from a shady, magical family of con artists and grifters. He doesn’t fit in at home or at school, so he’s used to feeling like an outsider. He’s also used to feeling guilty—he killed his best friend, Lila, years ago.

But when Cassel begins to have strange dreams about a white cat, and people around him are losing their memories, he starts to wonder what really happened to Lila. In his search for answers, he discovers a wicked plot for power that seems certain to succeed. But Cassel has other ideas—and a plan to con the conmen.

Rating: 4 stars

My first impression upon finishing this was "Well. That was interesting."

Some rambling thoughts:

I liked the writing. It fits the genre and the story and is, for me, a welcome change in Black's usual writing style. So if you didn't like her previous novels and are thinking of skipping this one because of it, think again. You'll be surprised.

I also now get why everyone cites this series as an example of well-written male POV. It is good. That's probably why I didn't completely identify with the narrator on an emotional level. I never do when it's a well-written male POV. And I guess I'm not supposed to, because why would I think the way he does? He's a guy. Duh.

Plot-wise, the novel is solid. It's intriguing, it's exciting, it makes sense and I want to find out more. It's basically everything you can ask from a book, to be honest. And it flows really well, too. Like sometimes you'll see Cassel noticing random things and it doesn't really serve any purpose in the story, but I find that refreshing because when everything is relevant in a narration, the plots gets way too predictable.

Something interesting happened, though, despite my lack of falling in love with Cassel: I started to "adopt" his way of thinking. When confronted to a situation that would have been perfectly normal for a regular person, I was screaming in my head "nooooo Cassel don't do the normal thing! It's baaad! You should never trust anyone, ever, trusting is wrong!"... Which is not how I feel in real life. And for me, that's proof of a consistent, immersive and well-done characterization, one that pulls you in despite yourself.

If you still need a reason to open this book, I'll give you one: Black does subtle but in-depth world building. Example: She mentions the odds of being a curse worker is one in a thousand. BUT then how is Cassel's entire family gifted? WELL SHE EXPLAINS IT. You heard that right. I know I'm way too excited about this, but so many authors leave gaping plot holes that have to be later explained in an interview. And she didn't! Yay world building!

I still feel like there was a little something missing, though, but I'm not sure what. It might just be the male POV messing with my brain.

Oh, and after reading book 2 and 3, I can definitely tell you that if you feel hesitant about Cassel after book 1, you definitely won't after book 2. Promise.

Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Series: Unearthly #1

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publishing date: Jan 4th, 2011

Pages: 435

Buy it: Amazon

Summary: In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.
Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.
As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?
Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

Rating: 4 stars

This is my first Angel Book, and after hearing so much about Hush, Hush, Fallen and the likes, I wasn't expecting much. And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this story. It was well-written, with likeable, engaging characters, an intriguing (if not very original) plot and a good mythology to back it up.

I found the pacing perfect. The plot was revealed pretty quickly and I didn't have any problem getting into the book, which hasn't happened in quite some time. The heroin, Clara, is a strong, funny narrator and I really enjoyed getting to know her. I love her relationship with Tucker, the push and pull, the teasing, everything. The unravelling of the romance between them was sweet, believable, very well-done and I adored reading about their summer adventures. It was like I was there with Clara, feeling the summer heat on my skin, the freedom of being a teenager newly in love, and this, combined with the supernatural elements make for a very interesting story.

I also liked seeing Clara trying to find her purpose and figure out what she could and could not do as an angel blood. Her mother, Maggie, acts as a guide and for once, I didn't dislike the parental figure. Actually, Maggie is quite awesome, and seems to have a very intriguing back story that I can't wait to find out more about.

One thing I didn't like was the love triangle. It felt forced. There is no competition between Tucker and Christian, and I felt like the attraction between Christian and Clara was poorly handled. It's not a problem or fridge-magnet attraction (actually, Clara handled that really well. Like I said, I love that girl), it's just that I didn't see the point of introducing Christian as a potential love interest. It wasn't exploited fully, neither in one way nor the other, and even if it's obvious we'll know more about it in book 2, I'm left feeling confused and wanting more.

Also, while I liked the fact that Clara met other angel bloods in Jackson Hole (I'm being very vague here to avoid spoiling), at the end of the book, I wondered: what are the odds of finding several angelic creatures in a town that small (about 20,000 inhabitants, if I remember correctly)? Are angel bloods that common, or is there a particular reason they all seem to gravitate there? I would have liked the author to at least elude to an answer, because right now, it looks like it's all a big happy coincidence.

Despite that, I really enjoyed Unearthly. It was a quick, compelling read and I couldn't put it down. I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel.