- Hardcover: 296 pages
- Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (3 April 2012)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1442403462
- ISBN-13: 978-1442403468
- Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 14.6 x 3.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 938,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Black Heart: The Curse Workers Book 3 (Curse Workers 3)
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Review
"The smashing ending to Holly Black's Curse Workers trilogy will keep readers guessing to the final page."--"Shelf Awareness"
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
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.
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
It's several months after RED GLOVE. Lila's started work for the Zaharov family as a foot soldier. Cass's mother's on the run after working Governor Patton to stop him from supporting a proposed law that would restrict Workers' rights. His brother Barron is a junior agent for the FBI and Cass himself is working with a secret FBI teen Worker unit run by Agent Yulikova, despite the fact that Lila's dad is pressuring him to work for the Zaharov family.
When Governor Patton resurrects plans to restrict Worker freedoms, Yukilova reveals that the curse worked by Cass's mother has made Patton emotionally unstable. The only way to stop him is for Cass to use his transformation powers, but having been used previously by his brothers to kill, Cass has sworn never to murder again.
With the line between good and evil blurred, the only way out is for Cass to pull the biggest con of his life ...
Holly Black's bestselling Curse Worker Trilogy concludes with a peculiar mix of con tricks and obsessive love but despite some great world building it didn't quite gel together for me.
Obsessed with Lila, guilt-riddled over the murders he committed while under his brothers' control and uncertain whether his deal with the FBI was a good thing, I really enjoyed the personal journey that Black gives Cass in this book. The scenes between him and Yukilova are well executed as are his scenes with Barron, who remains amoral and self-serving but who calls Cass on his creepy behaviour.
Unfortunately the book centres on Cass's relationship with Lila and I never quite understood what she sees in him given what he did to her (albeit against his will) and so much of their relationship is based on not talking to each other. Similarly disappointing is the Governor Patton storyline, which turns on Cass simply not telling the reader key things, which feels artificial. The civil rights story is underdeveloped, which is a shame given the richness of Black's world building and so too is a plot line involving Daneca, Sam and Daneca's new boyfriend, which could have really fleshed out those characters.
Ultimately I wished this book was twice its length because what's there is fine but feels under baked and could have done with more room to breathe. Although romance fans will be satisfied, the trilogy had promised so much more.
When Governor Patton resurrects plans to restrict Worker freedoms, Yukilova reveals that the curse worked by Cass's mother has made Patton emotionally unstable. The only way to stop him is for Cass to use his transformation powers, but having been used previously by his brothers to kill, Cass has sworn never to murder again.
With the line between good and evil blurred, the only way out is for Cass to pull the biggest con of his life ...
Holly Black's bestselling Curse Worker Trilogy concludes with a peculiar mix of con tricks and obsessive love but despite some great world building it didn't quite gel together for me.
Obsessed with Lila, guilt-riddled over the murders he committed while under his brothers' control and uncertain whether his deal with the FBI was a good thing, I really enjoyed the personal journey that Black gives Cass in this book. The scenes between him and Yukilova are well executed as are his scenes with Barron, who remains amoral and self-serving but who calls Cass on his creepy behaviour.
Unfortunately the book centres on Cass's relationship with Lila and I never quite understood what she sees in him given what he did to her (albeit against his will) and so much of their relationship is based on not talking to each other. Similarly disappointing is the Governor Patton storyline, which turns on Cass simply not telling the reader key things, which feels artificial. The civil rights story is underdeveloped, which is a shame given the richness of Black's world building and so too is a plot line involving Daneca, Sam and Daneca's new boyfriend, which could have really fleshed out those characters.
Ultimately I wished this book was twice its length because what's there is fine but feels under baked and could have done with more room to breathe. Although romance fans will be satisfied, the trilogy had promised so much more.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Black Heart is the third and final instalment of The Curse Worker Trilogy by Holly Black. We follow Cassel Sharpe, as he decides what do with his life and who he can trust. Cassel has come a long way from The White Cat (Curse Workers, Book 1).
If you have been reading The Curse Worker Trilogy then you will absolutely fall in love with this book. I certainly did. This is Holly Black at her best, and Cassel Sharpe at his best. It was a joy to read. I don't really want to go into any detail in this review, because I don't want to spoil this book for you. It doesn't deserve it.
First off, I just wanted to say that I absolutely adore the cover. It is positively gorgeous. The picture with this review does not do it justice at all. I think this is my absolute favourite cover of The Curse Worker Trilogy.
Black Heart wraps up The Curse Worker Trilogy with all the style and pizzazz I have come to expect from Holly Black. All my questions were answered, and boy was I led on a merry chase to discover the answers! This, like the rest of the trilogy, was a really fun book to read. We are reunited with Cassel, Sam, Dancea, Lila, Barron, and Cassel's mother and grandfather. And what a reunion it is. I did not see the events of this book coming at all. To start with the plot seems pretty simple - Cassel is learning how to be `straight' - but then the plot seems to twist and it's not that simple any more. In this book Holly Black really pushes Cassel to his limits.
This is one of the best endings of a series that I have read. First books and last books are hard, and I think Holly Black pulls this book off brilliantly. I'm kinda sad to see the back of all the characters that I have fallen in love and in like with over the series, but I'm not disappointed things have come to an end either. I think that this was exactly the right place to end. Thanks Holly Black for taking me on this journey.
Originally posted on TheFlutterbyRoom.com
If you have been reading The Curse Worker Trilogy then you will absolutely fall in love with this book. I certainly did. This is Holly Black at her best, and Cassel Sharpe at his best. It was a joy to read. I don't really want to go into any detail in this review, because I don't want to spoil this book for you. It doesn't deserve it.
First off, I just wanted to say that I absolutely adore the cover. It is positively gorgeous. The picture with this review does not do it justice at all. I think this is my absolute favourite cover of The Curse Worker Trilogy.
Black Heart wraps up The Curse Worker Trilogy with all the style and pizzazz I have come to expect from Holly Black. All my questions were answered, and boy was I led on a merry chase to discover the answers! This, like the rest of the trilogy, was a really fun book to read. We are reunited with Cassel, Sam, Dancea, Lila, Barron, and Cassel's mother and grandfather. And what a reunion it is. I did not see the events of this book coming at all. To start with the plot seems pretty simple - Cassel is learning how to be `straight' - but then the plot seems to twist and it's not that simple any more. In this book Holly Black really pushes Cassel to his limits.
This is one of the best endings of a series that I have read. First books and last books are hard, and I think Holly Black pulls this book off brilliantly. I'm kinda sad to see the back of all the characters that I have fallen in love and in like with over the series, but I'm not disappointed things have come to an end either. I think that this was exactly the right place to end. Thanks Holly Black for taking me on this journey.
Originally posted on TheFlutterbyRoom.com
Format:Hardcover
Cassel Sharpe's world is a place of light and dark -- he was raised in a world of mobs and con-men, but he wishes he could live among the law-abiding people.
But he finds that those places are not as different as some people think in "Black Heart," which throws even more snarls into the teen transformation worker's life. Holly Black wraps up her Curse Workers trilogy with gritty, witty writing and intertwining subplots -- but the real draw here is the tumultuous relationship between Cassel and Lila, and what will happen to them.
Cass has never been further from Lila Zacharov -- not only is she furious at him, but he's working for the FBI and she for her father's mob. But he finds himself being drawn back in when he learns that his mom is in trouble -- she stole the legendary Resurrection Diamond from Zacharov years ago, and if Cass wants to ensure his mother's safety, he'll have to get it back.
He also gets sucked into a bizarre scheme at his upper-crust school, where a student claims she's being blackmailed. But it turns out to be something very different, pulling Cass and Sam into a clash with the faculty.
Finally, Agent Yulikova enlists Cass for a special mission to transform the bigoted Governor Patton. Suddenly he realizes that he's doing the same thing for the government that he would be doing for a mob family -- and the government's motives become increasingly suspect as the day approaches. The only way out of this situation is to make his own solution..
The Curse Workers trilogy is one of the most original urban fantasies in years, and "Black Heart" is a thoroughly satisfying end -- we've got moral greyness, impossible choices, corrupt government agents and even shadier mobsters. And Holly Black manages to wrap things up in a plausible way, without making anything (whether it's proposition two or Cass/Lila) seem too pat and tidy.
Her writing here is like a dirty obsidian blade -- dark, gritty and sharp enough to cut ("Lucifer Morningstar himself could learn a thing or two from the conviction with which Barron lies"), and she slowly builds up the tension until something has to explode. And somehow, Holly Black manages to still insert some very non-cliche teen romance angst (especially when Daneca starts dating someone... unsuitable).
The only problem is that the whole subplot about Mina Lange feels... well, interesting, but not connected to anything else in the story. It's like a short story was inserted into the novel.
But hey, Cass seems to have finally reconciled himself to the life he's destined for -- being a transformation worker means he will always have people trying to use him, and that neither the mobs nor the government can be depended on. And his tempestuous relationship with Lila finally reaches the point where both of them realize what they want, and how they feel.
The ending isn't tidy, but neither is Cass's life. Instead, "Black Heart" is a strong, intense finale for a beautifully dark little trilogy -- and it confirms Holly Black as a truly brilliant writer.
But he finds that those places are not as different as some people think in "Black Heart," which throws even more snarls into the teen transformation worker's life. Holly Black wraps up her Curse Workers trilogy with gritty, witty writing and intertwining subplots -- but the real draw here is the tumultuous relationship between Cassel and Lila, and what will happen to them.
Cass has never been further from Lila Zacharov -- not only is she furious at him, but he's working for the FBI and she for her father's mob. But he finds himself being drawn back in when he learns that his mom is in trouble -- she stole the legendary Resurrection Diamond from Zacharov years ago, and if Cass wants to ensure his mother's safety, he'll have to get it back.
He also gets sucked into a bizarre scheme at his upper-crust school, where a student claims she's being blackmailed. But it turns out to be something very different, pulling Cass and Sam into a clash with the faculty.
Finally, Agent Yulikova enlists Cass for a special mission to transform the bigoted Governor Patton. Suddenly he realizes that he's doing the same thing for the government that he would be doing for a mob family -- and the government's motives become increasingly suspect as the day approaches. The only way out of this situation is to make his own solution..
The Curse Workers trilogy is one of the most original urban fantasies in years, and "Black Heart" is a thoroughly satisfying end -- we've got moral greyness, impossible choices, corrupt government agents and even shadier mobsters. And Holly Black manages to wrap things up in a plausible way, without making anything (whether it's proposition two or Cass/Lila) seem too pat and tidy.
Her writing here is like a dirty obsidian blade -- dark, gritty and sharp enough to cut ("Lucifer Morningstar himself could learn a thing or two from the conviction with which Barron lies"), and she slowly builds up the tension until something has to explode. And somehow, Holly Black manages to still insert some very non-cliche teen romance angst (especially when Daneca starts dating someone... unsuitable).
The only problem is that the whole subplot about Mina Lange feels... well, interesting, but not connected to anything else in the story. It's like a short story was inserted into the novel.
But hey, Cass seems to have finally reconciled himself to the life he's destined for -- being a transformation worker means he will always have people trying to use him, and that neither the mobs nor the government can be depended on. And his tempestuous relationship with Lila finally reaches the point where both of them realize what they want, and how they feel.
The ending isn't tidy, but neither is Cass's life. Instead, "Black Heart" is a strong, intense finale for a beautifully dark little trilogy -- and it confirms Holly Black as a truly brilliant writer.
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