My Thoughts: Red Glove by Holly Black

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?

Red Glove is the second book in the Curse Workers series by Holly Black. I read the first installment, White Cat a few months ago and I didn't really like it. Therefore I was not all that interested in reading the sequel. However when the audio book became available I decided to give it a try. Jesse Eisenberg is the narrator and I like him so...

I got about a third of the way in the audio book before giving up to read it (I could read it faster then Jesse could).  I liked Red Glove WAY better then I liked White Cat. What I didn't really like about White Cat was Cassel's family. I did not like his brothers and how they treated him, they lacked family loyalty. I also did not like Lila very much in White Cat. I found her to be annoying and self centered. Having to prove herself as this tough heir to the criminal thrown. There was less of this in Red Glove.

What I did like about White Cat were Cassel's friends. They played a bigger part in Red Glove, and we got to see their characters evolve. That was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed seeing Sam get excited about being an accomplice, and Daneca and Cassel becoming better friends.  Lila's character was also different in this novel as well. Because of what happened at the end of White Cat her demeanor was a bit more docile, and I appreciated that. I got to see her as a fairly normal teenager, she made friends with Cassel's friends and it was also fun to see the relationship between Cassel and Lila change. Cassel's brothers played a limited role in Red Glove, which I also liked (one of them dies at the beginning so..), also his mother frequents this story more. I really like Cassel's mother, I find most of her scenes funny.

What I really liked about Red Glove compared to White Cat is how we get to see Cassel change. In White Cat, he's a little whiny, and fairly passive. In Red Glove he matures more, and becomes more assertive. I loved that, I loved seeing him do his little con jobs. He was meticulous in his planning and organising. Cassel is my favourite character and I really enjoy seeing his life play out. 

If you were like me and did not really like White Cat I could suggest giving Red Glove a try. It was better.  I am looking forward to Black Heart and discovering how this story ends.

Happy Reading Everyone!