Review: Black Heart by Holly Black

Black Heart is a book I've been DYING to read ever since I finished Red Glove!! That wait nearly drove me insane! The world Holly Black created is AWESOME and I couldn't wait to get back to it. Also! I love that cover, even if I had another Across the Universe moment where it wasn't until I finished the book that I realized there were faces hidden in the "abstract" design :)

(Oh, and please note

that this review is for the third book in a series, so there might be some spoilers for the first two--but not the third, I promise!)

Black Heart by Holly Black
Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy. 

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love. 

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One of the absolute coolest things about the world of Curse Workers is that it's the same as our world, yet so different. Usually, a supernatural/paranormal aspect in a book is hidden from the masses. For example, the Mortal Instruments world. The only people who know about Shadowhunters and Downworlders are Shadowhunters and Downworlders. Mundies are left in the dark.

But in this world, everyone knows about--and usually fears--the workers. They've known for a while, and everyone always wears gloves. It's almost a subtle difference, yet such a change!!

So, as the synopsis says, Cassel is working for the Feds now. That, paired with the fact that he's a conman at heart, not to mention that he's in love with the daughter of a mob boss, makes for a pretty big conflict of interest. Throughout the book Cassel is torn, being pulled all over the place, trying to figure out who's really on his side and who's just using him.

And besides all that, Cassel has to deal with his amnesiac sociopath brother, worry about his mother, help his friends with their problems, investigate a classmate's blackmailing, and go to SCHOOL. His life is not exactly great right now.

But through it all, there's still that question: Who is Cassel Sharpe, really?

A good guy?
A bad guy?
A conman?
An honest man?



A weapon?

Altogether, Black Heart gets <*><*><*><*><*>

(:D)
~Mag