Red Glove

Holly Black

Apr 2011 · The Curse Workers Book 2 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

The cons get twistier and the stakes get higher in this second book of The Curse Workers trilogy: “a sleek and stylish blend of urban fantasy and crime noir” (Booklist).

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.

After rescuing his brothers from Zacharov’s retribution and finding out that Lila will never be his, Cassel is trying to reestablish some kind of normalcy in his life. That was never going to be easy for someone from a worker family tied to one of the big crime families, and a mother whose cons get more reckless by the day. But Cassel is also coming to terms with what it means to be a transformation worker and figuring out how to have friends.

But normal doesn’t last very long—soon Cassel is being courted by both sides of the law and is forced to confront his past. A past he remembers only in scattered fragments and one that could destroy his family and his future. Cassel will have to decide whose side he wants to be on because neutrality is not an option. And then he will have to pull off his biggest con ever to survive. Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.

Ratings and reviews

Holly Black’s writing still continues to keep readers entertained with her sequel to White Cat. There’s still twists and turns to go through, and Cassel is such a great anti hero there’s nothing to not like about him. The reader can’t help but feel for Cassel, he’s gone through so much! and he’s goes through a lot more in Red Glove. The plot is just as good as it was with White Cat. Lots of guessing, plenty of revelations, and the cliffhanger ending made the book such a great read (although now I have to wait for a while for the third installment of this series). Cassel not only develops as a character, but his relationships with his other friends and Lila develop with him. Although Lila was ‘worked’ on, I couldn’t help but love how her and Cassel felt right for each other. Their chemistry was just right without being overdone and cheesy but you still had that nagging truth in the back of your head; Lila has been worked on, so this love can’t be real. But then you ask yourself, but the love sure feels real. I love this kind of writing! the author just initiates these doubts and thoughts to the reader which makes the reading experience all the more enjoyable. As mentioned before, the twists and turns are just as good as the first book, and the new things Cassel has to deal with add more to the story. You’d have to feel sorry for the guy, it’s as if he’s meant to deal with a lot of crap day after day, and his family doesn’t really help with that fact either (except for his Grandpa, which remains one of my quiet favorite characters in the novel). I loved how the revelations (both big and small) are revealed in this book, perhaps it was the way the author revealed them, or maybe because I was so engrossed in the book but each one was shocking as the previous one. With the ending the way it was for this one, it’s going to be hard to wait for the last book! Holly Black’s writing just keeps getting better and better with each book she writes.

About the author

Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of speculative and fantasy novels, short stories, and comics. She has been a finalist for an Eisner and a Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic and Nebula Awards and a Newbery Honor. She has sold over twenty-six million books worldwide, and her work has been translated into over thirty languages and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library. Visit her at BlackHolly.com.