Red Glove (Curse Workers) Paperback – Bargain Price, April 3, 2012

For a long time Cassel Sharpe was the black sheep of his family. Cassel's brothers, parents and grand-parents were all magic workers - `gifted' with the touch of luck, emotion memory and death. Each member of his family worked for the prestigious mob family, the Zacharovs. All except Cassel. As a child he was permitted to play with Zacharov's daughter, Lila, but it was a well known fact that Cassel would amount to nothing in the eyes of his family. He was a magical dead-end, thoroughly normal, unremarkable and . . . human.And then Lila was murdered, and everything changed.For a long time Cassel thought he was the murderer. He thought his family were protecting him from Zacharov's wrath . . . he didn't realize that his family had been working him. Stealing his memories, warping his past and his emotions. But the biggest secret of all that his family kept from him was that he was a worker. The most gifted worker of all, no less. Because Cassel works transformation. He can change any object into his liking. He can alter someone's physical appearance; turn a girl into a cat and a man into a chair. He is the perfect assassin, and his family used him as such.Now the truth is out. Lila lives, and Cassel knows he cannot trust his brothers, Barron and Phillip. And transformation is Cassel's coveted magic.For a long time Cassel thought he would amount to nothing. Now he is just starting to understand how valuable he has always been. And now he has a choice to make - will he use his powers for good, or follow in his family's footsteps?`Red Glove' is the second book in Holly Black's twistingly brilliant `Curseworkers' series.I loved the first book `White Cat' - it became an instant favourite and was proudly passed around to friends and family. I had extremely high expectations going into `Red Glove', and I am happy to say that Black met each and every one of them. . .When `Red Glove' begins, Cassel is living in the fall-out of his revelations. He knows that his family betrayed him for years, his brother's worst of all. His mother worked a love curse on Lila and now the only girl he has ever cared about has false emotions for him. His friends at the prestigious Wallingford academy, Sam and Daneca, know what he is but not what he can do . . . but the biggest discovery that Cassel is trying to contend with, is accepting his own villainy.His brother, Barron, kept Cassel blissfully ignorant of his transformation assassinations. In `Red Glove' Cassel is coming to terms with the fact that for years he has been involved in mob activities. And just because he can't remember what he has done, does not mean his hands are any less bloodied. Cassel's conscience suffers a crippling blow in the beginning of `Red Glove', when someone close to him is murdered . . . and Cassel must admit that he all but signed the death warrant.When Cassel is approached by the FBI to act as narc against the Zacharov family, he is somewhat tempted by the idea of a morally clean slate.Holly Black is weaving one twisted tale in her `Curseworkers' series. Even Tony Soprano's head would be spinning for all the double-dealings, double-talk and betraying. I absolutely love the sunken morals of this series. It's fascinating to read the inner-workings of mob relations and the myriad of ways that Cassel uses the bad guys against themselves. Because Cassel doesn't want to be bad. Sure, he does bad things - like act as his school's bookie, break girl's hearts and con the occasional sap. But for the most part Cassel is desperate to keep his head down and his hands clean. But as that classic quote goes; "Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in."Cassel is lost. This series is all about reading him find his way. Cassel doesn't have a lot of guidance on the path to redemption - his family are his biggest betrayers, the girl he loves is destined for mob royalty and even the Feds are using him for their own gains. But through all this murk, Cassel is guided by a self-imposed moral compass that will lead him true. He's a fantastic character and a great disrepute to the old nature vs nurture debate. I love Cassel, for all his faults he is a core good guy and I can't wait to read the ways in which he will find his way to right.I adore Cassel, and maybe that's why I despise the character of Lila so much. I didn't like her in `White Cat', but I half expected Cassel to realize she's not a very nice girl and get over her. But in `Red Glove' it seems Cassel is stuck in his romantic ways. He cannot see Lila for what she really is; a not very nice girl who will only drag Cassel away from his path to righteousness. She is his Lady Macbeth, and I cringe to think where she will lead him. I can't really tell at this point where Holly Black wants to take readers with regards to Lila. Are we meant to hate her? Are we supposed to begrudgingly like her, the same as Cassel? I can't tell, all I know is there is a car crash waiting to happen between Lila and Cassel . . .One of the things I love most about the `Curseworkers' series is how immersive it is. Holly Black has written a fantastic society and impending civil rights movement between workers and humans. In this world, workers are on the cusp of being ghettoized, named, shamed and tagged. The Government, and one zealous senator in particular, are keen to force citizens to sit physical testing which will determine if they can work magic or not. Presumably once people are `tagged' as workers (not dissimilar to having to wear a Star of David on your lapel) society could go into a freefall - implementing something close to apartheid to separate the humans from the workers. Now, Black hasn't made all these politics the main focus of Cassel's story. The politics are always playing out in the background, and the most they impact him and his friends is via school clubs and debate teams. But I love the intricate political backdrop that makes this world all the more substantial. I love the symbolism of wearing gloves and the power behind taking them off, it's not dissimilar to refusing to give up your seat on a bus.`Curseworkers' is a fantastic addition to the YA paranormal genre. Holly Black is drawing on classic mobster tales, from `The Godfather' to `The Sopranos'. But she's also writing a moral conundrum of Shakespearian proportions. Cassel Sharpe is in blood stepped in so far that should he wade no more returning were as tedious as going . . . and I can't wait to read which way he goes.

Definitely dark, but somehow not as twisted as "White Cat". Cassel is a likable bad/good guy and the book is fairly compelling. It just didn't have the air of mystery to it that the first book had. I wasn't overly concerned about this "Red Glove" killer nor was I really into the whole "rights for workers" thing. I did like the tidbits of information Cass found out along the way. But they were more interesting and not mind blowing.The story moved at a pretty good pace, but it never clicked with me. White Cat never clicked with me either, but it kept me wanting to know more. In both cases the world seems surreal, like it's made from plastic and is all shiny like glaze. Like I was watching from through a really hazy piece of glass. I also feel that Lila was... flat. She had some great aspects of her personality, like how wicked she was despite being worked from the last book, but I felt the other parts of her were left as a gaping hole. Like something was missing.I just felt too many things were stretched fairly thin to me. The characters a little too strained, the story just a bit too off. But it was a good read nonetheless. Just don't be too put out that you might not connect with the story.The cons were very well researched. Throughout the book, I wondered if Black herself was a con artist! It was great. I like con artists because they are so flawed and she really had that going for her. Kudos to you, Mrs. Black, for doing such thorough homework. If you have read White Cat, do pick this one up, even if it's just for the sake of knowing a little more. Just don't expect it to be the most real and awesome thing you've ever read, because it might not be.

(Review originally posted at ReadBreatheRelax.com)Red Glove chronicles the second installment of Cassel's life as a senior in high school, a secret transformation worker and an all-around con man. Only this time the feds have caught up with him....Along for the ride are this best friends Sam and Daneca- plus the girl he's loved his whole life, Lila.I think Red Glove does a great job of combining things that don't seem like they go together. Like youth and wisdom, crime and innocence and betrayal and trust. Black does a great job of pairing these ideas to create a truly engaging story. All these different pieces are scattered at the beginning of the novel, and by the end they fit a bit better- but a few pieces are still missing.That's the genius of this series- I often felt out of the loop of what was going on, but I loved every minute of it because of the deft writing and strong characters. Black leaves little gems like this in her stories:Life's full of opportunities to make crappy decisions that feel good. And after the first one, the rest get a whole lot easier.What makes Cassel great is that he is the one good streak in his family of mobsters. Yet, he's not without his flaws- like conning his classmates and lying to hide his working ability. I think the key is that Cassel's not a "fake" kind of hero. He tricks people, even his friends, but he protects them too. He betrays his family, but it's to prevent them from causing worse damage to themselves.He struggles just like everyone else to do the "right" thing even though he's unsure of what that is. The lines between good and bad are so blurred for curse workers (and everyone else too, for that matter).Aside from Cassel, the other characters in this book are also very strong. Especially Lila- that girl doesn't need a protector. She is cutting and brutal and wonderfully vulnerable.I'm dying to find out what happens between Cassel and Lila. Unfortunately, Red Glove doesn't tie up any loose ends in this department- it just adds more to the mix. But, honestly, stuff like that is what often compels me to race through novels. Sad but true.OVERALL:Red Glove is another stunning book in the Curse Workers series. It's a must-read!! If you have an interest in reading about secret criminal dealings, unsolved murders and bitter unrequited love, then this is the book for you!

Red Glove ist der erste Teil einer dreiteiligen Buchreihe von Holly Black. Der erste Band heißt White Cat.Sehr gutes und spannendes Buch. Cassel und Lila gehen nun zusammen aufs Internat und direkt zu Beginn überschlagen sich die Ereignisse, daher kann man wenig zur Geschichte erzählen ohne zu Spoilern. Also es folgen daher grobe Spoiler!Red Glove ist auf jeden Fall deutlich besser als der erste Teil der Serien. Cassels Mutter ist inzwischen aus dem Gefängnis frei, aber wie erwartet, ist sie nicht gerade ein stabiler Elternteil. Am besten gefiel es mir beim Lesen, die Wahrheit zu ergründen, denn offensichtlich hat hier nicht nur Cassel die Wahrheit oft sehr kreativ ausgelegt. Cassels Freunde hingegen haben nach und nach seine Lügen satt, was zu weiteren Konflikten führt. Cassel sucht zudem einen Serienmörder, aber bereits im ersten Teil wurde ja verraten, dass er selbst der Mörder ist. Dass er dies nicht sofort merkt, ist ähnlich nervig, wie das mit der Identität der Katze im ersten Teil. Aber ansonsten ist es wieder richtig, richtig, gut geschrieben und sehr spannend.Zudem steht Cassel jetzt zwischen den Stühlen, und die Regierung ist daran interessiert, dass er für die arbeitet und gegen den Mafia-Boss.

Love the series

I love the characters in this dystopic world. Cassell traumered life is well depicted inside a contemporary world where magic users are generally criminals. When I first read reviews of this series I did not expect to be drawn in so much to the world and did not read 'The White Cat' despite purchasing it until almost a year later. However in this sequel and the first, Holly Black weaves just the right amount of mystery into a slow reveal of 'who did it'. There are lots of little mysteries she creates throughout the read and satisfyingly answers them, eventually. Who wore the red glove was not so difficult to guess but what Cassell's decision would be, was, and how his relationship with the white cat develops also kept me guessing.

Einen Stern Abzug weil die Hauptperson zunehmend unsympathisch wirkt und genau dadurch immer zum gewünschten Ziel kommt. Ansonsten seeehr spannend - ich habe bis zum Schluss nicht gewusst wer der Mörder war...

I had a few problems with White Cat, namely the narrative technique and the somewhat vague world building. I also liked numerous things about it: the unreliable narrator and the characters. And I am pleased to report the issues I had are no longer and the good points are being built on.Firstly, the narrative. It's such a subtle shift away from first person present tense to a style that is more familiar. It's the reason I enjoyed this a lot more than I did White Cat even though I gave them both the same rating. I still find Cassel to be an unreliable narrator: just because it's written from Cassel's POV doesn't mean that he isn't keeping secrets from the reader. I liked that a lot.Secondly, the world building. Black has started to develop the world of the Curse Workers a bit more and I now get why it was so vague in book one. As Cassel himself wasn't aware that he was a Worker, he wasn't privy to certain pieces of information. Now that he knows who he is, he and therefore the reader learns more of the ins and outs of the Worker world. And what a world it's starting to become. Full of mafia-like organisations, headed by powerful families, and con artists galore. I also like how there are consequences to working someone, the `blowback', where the Worker gets a little of what they just dished out. It gives an added edge to the way the Worker uses their ability, sort of `with great power comes great responsibility', to be a tad geeky for a moment.And finally, the characters. I always like Holly Black's characters and here is no exception. Cassel has got to be my favourite as I like how he's neither good nor bad but somewhere in between, depending on the situation, just like the rest of us. I do feel he's a little easily manipulated, particularly by his family, but I have a feeling that will change. I also like Cassel's friends, Sam and Daneca and the dialogue between the three of them amused on a few occasions.This book definitely ups the ante from the first instalment, both in terms of plot and story development. I'm very much looking forward to reading the next, final?, part Black Heart.