Black Heart (Curse Workers 3) by Holly Black: Book Review

Black Heart
by Holly Black
Series: Curse Workers #3
Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (April 3, 2012)
Buy the books: White Cat, Red Glove, Black Heart

Love is dangerous and trust is priceless in Holly Black’s “powerful, edgy dark” fantasy series (Publishers Weekly).

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.

At a Glance:

Holly Black has blown me away with this series.  It's like The Godfather mixed with X-Men but with a storyline and mystery all its own.  Black Heart was full of non-stop thrills, constant twists, endless turmoil, and heart-wrenching awesomeness.  Cassel Sharpe has led me on an emotional roller-coaster, and I'm not sure I'm ready to get off.

My reviews of White Cat and Red Glove.

*If you have not read White Cat, do not read the following*

So how does it compare?

I swear this series just gets better and better with every book!  This was by far my favorite of the three, and that hardly EVER happens!!  It was slow going for me, when I first started reading White Cat, but Black Heart was just pure excitement and tension and hilarity and wittiness.  There was no down-time, there was no filler, there was no series syndrome.  Let me just tell you, if you want to know how to successfully write a trilogy, you need to read this series and take some serious notes.  

And the romance?

Break my heart, tear it into little pieces, sew it back together, then stomp on it, and make me love every minute of it!  There's something about reading from the "tough-but-vulnerable guy" point of view that makes the emotions even more intense.  I love the way he loves Lila!  But it's like a train wreck!  And even when the train is laying there mangled in a thousand different pieces, you still think, "Maybe it'll all be ok."  Maybe I'm crazy, but I loved it.  I don't want to give anything away, so I won't say any more.

The Story:

There were multiple stories happening at the same time in Black Heart, which meant that there was always something happening.  Whether it was Cassel's involvement with the Feds, the strange mystery he's trying to solve at school, his ups and downs with Lila, or the sketchiness of his brother, Cassel seems to never be able to catch a break, or a breath.....and neither do you!  The whole thing was just intense!  I seriously can not recommend this book enough!

Cover Thoughts:

Ok, I really do like this cover. But I don't, for the life of me, understand why they would change the cover on the 3rd book.  I mean, change the paperbacks if you want, but I want my hardcovers to all match!  I really think they should have kept the theme for the hard covers, then changed them for the paperbacks.  GRRRR....

Book Doppelgangers:

Honestly, I can't think of a book this reminds me of.  It's seriously so different and original.  I know there's a mobsterish book called Strings Attached by Judy Blindell.  I did think the feel and the writing was similar to the feel of Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments Series.

P.S.

In case I didn't get my point across:  This book was awesome!

Content:

• Profanity:  Small amt. of heavy language
• Sexual Content:  Heavy
• Violence:  Very Heavy
• Other Notables:  Underage drinking

For more details, check out Black Heart on ParentalBookReviews.com