Red Glove (The Curse Workers, #2), by Holly Black

Red Glove (The Curse Workers, #2), by Holly Black on Goodreads

Release Date: April 5th, 2011
Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 320

Overall: 5 Monkeys
Source: NetGalley
Interest: Series

Other Titles in the Series: White Cat (The Curse Workers #1), Black Heart (The Curse Workers, #3)
Read in March 2011

Summary from Goodreads:

After rescuing his brothers from Zacharov's retribution and finding out that Lila, the girl he has loved his whole life, will never, ever be his now that his mother has worked her, 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.

My Opinion:

Another great book by Holly Black! I can't get enough of this world of lies and cons. 

After learning that his mother had worked Lila, the girl he's ever loved, Cassel believes that she will never be his, not like he'd want her to. Because sure, she's dying to get into his arms, but is it all because of the magic?

Cassel's older brother, Philip, is killed, and now Cassel wants to know who did it and why. He'll get called by the Feds to help them figure it out.

In the meantime, his only friends, Daneca and Sam, are trying to help him, but having been brought up by a worker family, Cassel isn't sure if he should trust them. 

I love these books, and I love Cassel. I haven't read a book in a boy's perspective in a long time (the only other books I did read in a boy's POV are the Caster Chronicles) and I just love being inside his mind. And it's like he's actually talking to us sometimes, with little remarks like, "I told you I wasn't good at friendship, didn't I?" 

His friends really are his friends, you can feel it. Even if he doesn't let them in that much, you can see how they do care about him, and it's not just an act. That is some spectacular writing from Ms. Holly Black. 

I'll say it now, and I'll say it again, I truly love the worker world Holly created, because it's not just a fantasy world, it's one we could very well live in. There are laws and protests about worker rights, and mafia, and trust issues, and family you've got to stick up to. And there are kids actually studying. They don't just ditch school to go in pursue of their Great Destiny, they care about their education. And I think that's awesome.