White Cat

White Cat
By Holly Black
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010. 310 pgs. Young Adult

Holly Black creates an intriguing world where magic exists and is feared. For in this world a mere brush of the fingers is enough to curse someone. Seventeen-year-old Cassel comes from a family of curse workers with ties to organized crime, but he is the only family member without a power. Cassel attends an elite boarding school where he uses his con-artist skills to pretend to be just like any other kid, but Cassel is hiding something from his classmates. He may have killed his best friend, Lila. He has a vivid memory of standing over her body with a bloody knife in his hand. Now Cassel’s carefully crafted life is starting to unravel. He dreams of a white cat that reminds him of Lila, and something is definitely up with his two older brothers.

I was a bit nervous to pick this book up after reading Black’s dark fantasy novel, Tithe, because of some of the content of the book. While this book is still a bit edgy, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Cassel is a great character. His dry humor made me laugh out loud at times.

AJ