Book Review: Red Glove by Holly Black

Title: Red Glove

Author: Holly Black

Series:  The Curse Workers (Book #2)

Pages: 325

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Year Published: 2011

First Line: “I don’t know whether it’s day or night when the girl gets up to leave.”

“Curse 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.

 That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she’s human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila’s been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion-worker mom. And if Lila’s love is as phony as Cassel’s made-up memories, then he can’t believe anything she says or does.

 When Cassel’s oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help make sense of the only clue- crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too- they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive But where can he turn when he can’t trust anyone- least of all, himself?

 Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game to dangerous to lose.”

My Rating:  5/5

This book really stepped up from the first one. I feel like I could relate to the characters a lot more, and there was enough suspense that I didn’t know quite what was gonna happen next. That’s always a good thing for me to find in a book. And lately I haven’t  read a whole lot of it, so this was a pleasant surprise. I also feel that Holly Black really dived into the details of the way society works in this scenario. I felt like I actually knew what was going on, and what it was like to be a worker. That’s a really important factor. I loved that the diction had changed from simple to more complex. Using all simple words makes a book boring, not to mention makes me feel slightly stupid. I can understand why she did that, but I’m happy she changed it for the second book. Finally, I loved the twist at the end of the book. I hope to go pick up the third book sometime this week, or at least order it. Can’t wait.

THANK YOU HOLLY BLACK FOR SHOWING THAT STEREOTYPES CAN REALLY HURT, MORE THAN WE’D THINK!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo