Waiting On Wednesday (23)

 Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine. It is an opportunity for us to show books we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week, I'm waiting for:

Title: Black Heart
Author: Holly Black
Release Date: April 3rd, 2012
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy. 

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love.

What are you guys waiting for? 

Review: Red Glove

Title: Red Glove

Author: Holly Black

Release Date: April 5th

Series: Curse Workers #2

Number of Pages: 325

Publisher: McElderry Books

Source: Bought

-

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.

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 too dangerous to lose.

-

Holly Black, may I say I completely love you… Okay, honestly, I devoured this book. It was simply too good. I read White Cat last week, and simply couldn’t wait to read this one. Now I’m dying for the third book, Black Heart, which won’t come out until 2012 *Cry*

The story is just so captivating. Cassel is back to school, after everything that happened to him, but life isn’t ready to give him a break. Seriously, poor guy, he doesn’t even have a chance to enjoy life. There is always something happening to him, he doesn’t really have an easy life. The ending got me so excited for what would come next. It isn’t a mean cliffhanger, but it still makes you want to read the next book right away. Now I’ll have to wait…. That sucks.

The characters just keep on getting better. I adore Cassel. He is just so nice, and so amazingly good. Okay, he may not always do the right thing, but I’m really impressed with his control over the situation with Lila. I don’t why, but I don’t think most guys would have act the way he did. (Not all, but I know a couple who would have done the opposite. Cassel’s mother annoys me. I’m happy that she’s not my mother. I ended up being disappointed with Barron, but I won’t say why! I adore Sam, because he acts like a really great friend. Still, I ended up being surprise about Daneca; I didn’t think she would be hiding something like that.

Holly Black writes some crazy stories. She got me addicted to her writing, and I now really need to go to my local bookstore to get her other books. Now I will go back to wonder what will happen next, as I still have to wait a year for Black Heart.

I’m giving it a really great 5/5! Holly Black, you got me addicted!

Review: Zombies Vs Unicorns

Title: Zombies vs Unicorns

Editors: Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier

Release Date: September 1^st 2010

Number of Pages: 415

Publisher: Margareth K. Elderry

Source: Bought

-

It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths—for good and evil—of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?

-

Okay, first thing first: TEAM ZOMBIES!!!!

Now, I can tell you about it!

Honestly, I knew maybe half of the authors of this book, but those I knew made me want to buy it. I really don’t regret doing so. Did I like all the stories? Yeah. Loved them? No. That’s why I chose team Zombies, I loved most of them! (Sorry Holly Black, I wish I was team Unicorn, but Zombies really rock my world =P)

I won’t say much about the stories, because I don’t want to spoil them, but it is really worth reading. It was the perfect book for me this week. I could read one story, do some of my work, than read another one, and go back to my homework.

If you like these authors, go get it. I really enjoyed it, and I really have to check out some of these authors’ books.

Really enjoyed it: 4/5!

*I’m really excited right now, because I just finished my really big essay, the essay that have been killing me for months! Now I feel so much better, but I still have a lot to do. Only 3 weeks left of school!*

Review: White Cat

 Title: White Cat

Author: Holly Black

Release Date: May 4^th, 2010

Series: The Curse Workes #1

Number of Pages: 310

Publisher: McElderry Books

Source: Bought

-

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love — or death — and your dreams might be more real than your memories.

-

Again, it this one series I still don’t understand why I didn’t pick up sooner. With all the talking about this series, I decided to finally read the first one. It had been in my TBR pile for a while. Everyone was raving about it, and as the sequel came out last week, why not give it a shot?

I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Sometimes, I buy books simply because everyone is talking about it, and I have to see for myself what it is about. All I knew was that it was supposed to be good. And it was.

The story was didn’t captivate me right away. There were a couple of What The Heck moments, but after a while, I really got into it. Once I was addicted, I just couldn’t put it down. Supernatural powers meet Mafia and organized criminal gang. Wow, not something I would have expected. Black created a world for this series, and I still completely surprised by how crazy it is (in a good way). The ending leaves me begging for more. I’ve already ordered Red Glove. Still, even if she leaves you waiting for the sequel, it is not a painful one. It is one that makes me excited for the sequel, but it won’t make me lose sleep, like some other books did (yes, CoFA, I’m definitely talking about you!).

The characters were great. My favorite is Cassel, there is just something about him that makes me want to go and hug him (strange…). The two brothers got on my nervers from the beginning, but in a good way. The annoyed me like they were my own brothers.  I adore the grandfather, even if I wasn’t sure at first. There’s something about him that makes him likable to me. The mother annoys me, and I can’t really explain why, but she does. Finally, I really like Sam and Denace. They are really great friends to Cassel. After all, they do some crazy stuff for him.

White Cat was the first book I read by Holly Black. I can honestly say that it won’t be the last.

Overall, I would give it a good 4.5/5, simply because of the ending that left me unsure for a while.