Signed City of Fallen Angels :
Erica East
Signed Red Glove :
ferretvamp14
Both of these winners have been sent e-mails by me (from arshdeep.27@gmail.com) and have 48 hours to respond and claim their prizes, or a new winner will be chosen.
Showing posts with label Holly Black. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holly Black. Show all posts
26 May 2011
Winners of City of Fallen Angels and Red Glove!
Thank you so much to everyone who entered the giveaways, and congratulations to the winners below! Enjoy your books.
08 May 2011
Giveaway of SIGNED Red Glove by Holly Black!
So, back in April, I had the amazing experience of attending a signing by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black! Both ladies were incredibly funny and sweet, and I honestly was awed to be in their presence. It was a fantastic event - readings from the authors' books, a great question-answer session, and of course, getting books signed. However, I know that most people didn't have the opportunity to go to one of the signings, so I am giving away a signed copy of Red Glove! You can read my review of the book here.
Giveaway Info:
- You must be 13 years or older to enter.
- The giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. (sorry to international residents!).
- The winner will be chosen using random.org.
- The giveaway is open until 11:59 p.m. PST on May 25, 2011.
- The winner will be contacted by me through their e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond.
07 May 2011
Holly Black Would So Be an Emotion Worker.
Red Glove
Holly Black
5 Stars
This book is absolute, concrete proof that if Holly Black was a curse worker, she would work emotions. She already has the part about wreaking total havoc on people's minds and feelings down - Red Glove left me not knowing whether to laugh, gasp, or cry (all three of which happened frequently throughout the entire novel). The plot has so many intricate twists and turns; you think you know what's going to happen, you are absolutely sure that you're correct, and then Holly Black springs something new on you and you're left reeling, utterly shocked - and then the process starts all over again.
The mystery is complex, and it clearly has personal consequences for Cassel. I honestly admit that my own guess for the killer turned out to be way off, and that's really what makes the mystery so good - you spend most of the book guessing different people and being stymied by obstacles and distractions, and then when you get to the part where you discover the identity of the murderer, you feel like you should have known the whole time, like "Why didn't I suspect that person? Seems like such a natural candidate now!" The last chapter - well, all but the last few pages - left me feeling satisfied and rather proud of Cassel, which is why I really shouldn't be so shocked that those final four pages were totally heartwrenching. I mean, did I really expect that Holly Black - Holly Black - was just going to leave me feeling all content and relaxed? The last few pages are just as torturous as the end of White Cat. However, I actually really liked it, because I have a feeling that the revelation at the end is going to make for some very, very interesting events in Black Heart.
The world that's created in the Curse Workers series is definitely one of my favorites. It's very complex and realistic, and I honestly have never encountered such a unique system of magic. The curse workers can do different things to people with a single touch, depending on what type of worker they are - luck, dream, physical, emotion, memory, death, or transformation. However, the awesome part is that they don't just get to go around cursing people with no consequences. There's something called blowback, which is kind of like karma - what goes around comes around, and when you work someone, you're affected too (for example, a memory worker works someone and then loses some of their own memories). I love how there are real issues presented; it's not like all the magic and cons are taking place and there's no retaliation from the government or the 'normal' people. In fact, a big part of the novel is about the protests taking place for curse worker rights, and the legal and social repercussions of forcibly testing people to see if they are workers are not. There are people like Governor Patton, who is completely against rights for workers, and people like Mrs.Wasserman, who is a leader in the fight against Proposition 2 (which proposes that everyone be tested). A teacher at Cassel's school is fired for assisting the kids in attending a protest for worker rights. Reality is definitely taken into account here, and I really admire Holly Black for addressing things like political issues and the morality of certain rights for people.
Cassel had to make a lot of decisions in Red Glove, and while not all of them were good ones, they were all incredibly tough to make. There's just so much bearing down on him - the Feds, Zacharov, and Lila, not to mention his own family - that it would be unrealistic if he made the 'good' decision all the time and stayed on high moral ground. Honestly, he's a pretty screwed-up person - I mean, with his upbringing and what his family put him through, how could he not be? However, it's impossible not to sympathize with him, even if he is scamming people left and right. And so when he does something that isn't 'good', I support him, because he shows that it's not always easy to distinguish between good and bad, and he's just a kid trying to figure it all out. You root for him every step of the way, emotionally messed-up con artist or not.
The characters in the Curse Worker series are fantastic. They seem very real, as if they could be your closest friends and your worst enemies. They're all well-constructed and have depth; you understand their conflicts and the motivations behind their decisions. You love them and hate them and yell at them for doing stupid things, but you never feel like they're unnatural or unrealistic. I adore Cassel. He's tortured and having a pretty rough time - he faces all of these crazy problems that most people will never have to deal with (like being coerced into becoming a murderer by his family), and yet he also has to figure out high school and friendships. There's this dark, bad-boy demeanor to him, this dangerous aura, that scares some people and makes others fall for him, but that's not the reason the reader is on his side - it's the fact that he's just as confused as the rest of us, just trying to figure things out. It's hard not to root for him, no matter what kind of murky moral future he faces. Then, there's Lila. Lila is possibly my favorite mobster ever. She's the daughter of crime boss Zacharov, and she knows she's got power. However, she does love Cassel (or does she?) and that means we also get to see a more vulnerable side of her. She's adventurous and beautiful and smart and conflicted and has serious problems, but there's no doubt that I love her anyway. Sam and Daneca were fairly minor characters in White Cat, but they're more important in Red Glove, and I really liked getting to know them better. I found myself anticipating seeing more of Sam's humor and Daneca's passion about her beliefs, and watching their relationship grow was sweet and later, heartwrenching. I also really like how Holly Black's cast of characters is diverse (and the Jace shoutout was great).
I love how the themes in Red Glove are so well-addressed. There are definitely some really powerful ideas in there, including messages about consent, family loyalties, and the thin line between right and wrong. While all of those ideas were really fascinating, the family issues are something I really enjoy discussing, because after all, these people are your family, your flesh and blood. They're supposed to be the ones you trust and love, and no matter what, they're supposed to be there for you. But what about when your family is completely crazy, in the illegal sense, and they've done so many things to you - forced you to become a murderer, stolen your memories, cursed the girl you love to love you back - what happens then? They're still your family, right? Or do you refuse to stand by them? Do you even have a choice when it comes to your family? These are all prickly issues, and they have only served to strengthen my insane love for families in YA (see: my obsession with Sarah Rees Brennan's The Demon's Lexicon series).
The crime in this series...well, I'm a sucker for the mob and for con artists, and when this awesome magic system comes into the picture, there's no way I can resist. The scams are very realistically done - I was actually rather tempted to try some of them, just to see if they would work. Cassel uses his smarts just as much as he uses his working ability to get away with things and con people, as do all the other workers, his mom especially. It's obvious that working people is an art, as is conning them, and it takes time and practice to develop it. It's not just about magic, it's also about influencing people and using sleight of hand.
The phrase 'emotional roller coaster' is used a lot, but I truly think that this book embodies it. I was deeply invested in the characters and in the story; I found myself gasping at each new twist in the plot and sighing at emotional encounters and bad turns for characters. I laughed at the witty banter, and towards the end, when Cassel had a rather difficult talk with Daneca concerning Lila, I realized that there were tears sliding down my face as I came to fully understand the decision that was being made. I was truly drawn into the dark, dangerous world from the very beginning, and the novel kept me in its grip until the very last page. There was amusement and shock and anguish and pain, all written so artfully that you felt these things just as strongly as Cassel himself.
Holly Black
5 Stars
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.
First Sentence:
I don't know whether it's day or night when the girl gets up to leave.
The mystery is complex, and it clearly has personal consequences for Cassel. I honestly admit that my own guess for the killer turned out to be way off, and that's really what makes the mystery so good - you spend most of the book guessing different people and being stymied by obstacles and distractions, and then when you get to the part where you discover the identity of the murderer, you feel like you should have known the whole time, like "Why didn't I suspect that person? Seems like such a natural candidate now!" The last chapter - well, all but the last few pages - left me feeling satisfied and rather proud of Cassel, which is why I really shouldn't be so shocked that those final four pages were totally heartwrenching. I mean, did I really expect that Holly Black - Holly Black - was just going to leave me feeling all content and relaxed? The last few pages are just as torturous as the end of White Cat. However, I actually really liked it, because I have a feeling that the revelation at the end is going to make for some very, very interesting events in Black Heart.
The world that's created in the Curse Workers series is definitely one of my favorites. It's very complex and realistic, and I honestly have never encountered such a unique system of magic. The curse workers can do different things to people with a single touch, depending on what type of worker they are - luck, dream, physical, emotion, memory, death, or transformation. However, the awesome part is that they don't just get to go around cursing people with no consequences. There's something called blowback, which is kind of like karma - what goes around comes around, and when you work someone, you're affected too (for example, a memory worker works someone and then loses some of their own memories). I love how there are real issues presented; it's not like all the magic and cons are taking place and there's no retaliation from the government or the 'normal' people. In fact, a big part of the novel is about the protests taking place for curse worker rights, and the legal and social repercussions of forcibly testing people to see if they are workers are not. There are people like Governor Patton, who is completely against rights for workers, and people like Mrs.Wasserman, who is a leader in the fight against Proposition 2 (which proposes that everyone be tested). A teacher at Cassel's school is fired for assisting the kids in attending a protest for worker rights. Reality is definitely taken into account here, and I really admire Holly Black for addressing things like political issues and the morality of certain rights for people.
Cassel had to make a lot of decisions in Red Glove, and while not all of them were good ones, they were all incredibly tough to make. There's just so much bearing down on him - the Feds, Zacharov, and Lila, not to mention his own family - that it would be unrealistic if he made the 'good' decision all the time and stayed on high moral ground. Honestly, he's a pretty screwed-up person - I mean, with his upbringing and what his family put him through, how could he not be? However, it's impossible not to sympathize with him, even if he is scamming people left and right. And so when he does something that isn't 'good', I support him, because he shows that it's not always easy to distinguish between good and bad, and he's just a kid trying to figure it all out. You root for him every step of the way, emotionally messed-up con artist or not.
The characters in the Curse Worker series are fantastic. They seem very real, as if they could be your closest friends and your worst enemies. They're all well-constructed and have depth; you understand their conflicts and the motivations behind their decisions. You love them and hate them and yell at them for doing stupid things, but you never feel like they're unnatural or unrealistic. I adore Cassel. He's tortured and having a pretty rough time - he faces all of these crazy problems that most people will never have to deal with (like being coerced into becoming a murderer by his family), and yet he also has to figure out high school and friendships. There's this dark, bad-boy demeanor to him, this dangerous aura, that scares some people and makes others fall for him, but that's not the reason the reader is on his side - it's the fact that he's just as confused as the rest of us, just trying to figure things out. It's hard not to root for him, no matter what kind of murky moral future he faces. Then, there's Lila. Lila is possibly my favorite mobster ever. She's the daughter of crime boss Zacharov, and she knows she's got power. However, she does love Cassel (or does she?) and that means we also get to see a more vulnerable side of her. She's adventurous and beautiful and smart and conflicted and has serious problems, but there's no doubt that I love her anyway. Sam and Daneca were fairly minor characters in White Cat, but they're more important in Red Glove, and I really liked getting to know them better. I found myself anticipating seeing more of Sam's humor and Daneca's passion about her beliefs, and watching their relationship grow was sweet and later, heartwrenching. I also really like how Holly Black's cast of characters is diverse (and the Jace shoutout was great).
I love how the themes in Red Glove are so well-addressed. There are definitely some really powerful ideas in there, including messages about consent, family loyalties, and the thin line between right and wrong. While all of those ideas were really fascinating, the family issues are something I really enjoy discussing, because after all, these people are your family, your flesh and blood. They're supposed to be the ones you trust and love, and no matter what, they're supposed to be there for you. But what about when your family is completely crazy, in the illegal sense, and they've done so many things to you - forced you to become a murderer, stolen your memories, cursed the girl you love to love you back - what happens then? They're still your family, right? Or do you refuse to stand by them? Do you even have a choice when it comes to your family? These are all prickly issues, and they have only served to strengthen my insane love for families in YA (see: my obsession with Sarah Rees Brennan's The Demon's Lexicon series).
The crime in this series...well, I'm a sucker for the mob and for con artists, and when this awesome magic system comes into the picture, there's no way I can resist. The scams are very realistically done - I was actually rather tempted to try some of them, just to see if they would work. Cassel uses his smarts just as much as he uses his working ability to get away with things and con people, as do all the other workers, his mom especially. It's obvious that working people is an art, as is conning them, and it takes time and practice to develop it. It's not just about magic, it's also about influencing people and using sleight of hand.
The phrase 'emotional roller coaster' is used a lot, but I truly think that this book embodies it. I was deeply invested in the characters and in the story; I found myself gasping at each new twist in the plot and sighing at emotional encounters and bad turns for characters. I laughed at the witty banter, and towards the end, when Cassel had a rather difficult talk with Daneca concerning Lila, I realized that there were tears sliding down my face as I came to fully understand the decision that was being made. I was truly drawn into the dark, dangerous world from the very beginning, and the novel kept me in its grip until the very last page. There was amusement and shock and anguish and pain, all written so artfully that you felt these things just as strongly as Cassel himself.
There is no doubt that Red Glove was amazing. After finishing White Cat, I seriously doubted that Holly Black could outdo herself with the sequel, but here, she definitely has. If you haven't picked up this series yet, do yourself a favor and read it now - you won't regret it!
22 December 2010
Most Unique Story World
This category has a clear winner - White Cat, by Holly Black. The world in this story is just something I've never heard of before - curse workers, who can subject you to bad dreams or broken bones with just a single touch. But they suffer 'blowback' every time they work, and what's more, curse working is illegal, so they're all criminals and the world wears gloves to guard against them. It's just such an intriguing, unique premise. Fantasy is meshed with the real world, and while this has been done many times before, the results here are gorgeous and dark and definitely unique.
Have you read White Cat? What do you think of the story world?
Have you read White Cat? What do you think of the story world?
02 December 2010
Mobs & Curses & Cons, Oh My!
White Cat
Holly Black
5 Stars
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.(quoted from goodreads)
This book is evidence that Holly Black is a master of the con. Seriously. I cannot count how many times this book tricked, shocked, and twisted. It is a thing of beauty to read a book so suspenseful and mysterious that you get to the end of it and go, "I cannot believe what just happened. I must reread it now!" and then promptly be conned again by the beautiful writing and subtle intricacies and lifelike characters. Obviously, I loved this book! First of all, it was the unique world that drew me in. It was like nothing I'd ever heard of before - curse workers, people who could force us to love someone we hated or break our leg instantly, just with a single touch. But these workers aren't all-powerful because a) curse-working is illegal and b) they suffer 'blowback' every time they work somebody. Hooked yet? But once I got past my fascination with the world, it was the characters that I really loved. Each and every one of them was realistic and relatable. Cassel felt like someone who I could perfectly understand, despite his many conflicts and struggles. I really appreciated how difficult it must be for him - having a criminal family but trying to stay normal, hating the working but being enticed by the beauty of a perfect heist or the exhilarating success of a con, despising himself for killing Lila but not being able to move on. The smaller characters were also well-developed and made me feel like I knew them, too. Then, there was the plot itself. Beautifully done. Truly a complex story that gives all sorts of twists and turns, while managing to never be confusing or muddled. It definitely plays some intricate tricks on both your mind and Cassel's. The quality of Holly Black's writing is such that it just draws you into her dark, humorous, and unexpected world to such an extent that you feel it could be your world, that you live and dream in it yourself. And finally, after raving about the premise and characters and plot and gorgeous writing, I have one more thing to gush about - the real-world issues. I adored the way this book didn't just take off on a high-fantasy roller coaster ride, ignoring the laws and ideas of the real world. No, this book faced those issues head-on; one of the important points of the novel is how the government is trying to get curse workers identified (remember, curse working is illegal) and new tests that scientists have developed to determine if you are a worker or not. Another thing that comes up is students banding together and protesting for equal rights for curse workers. Holly Black also doesn't shy away from using the mild racial humor that all real teens use, like having an Asian character say that he'll understand the complicated betting ring Cassel has set up because " 'we Asians are all math geniuses' ". The feel of this book is so real and gritty and has a sort of dark, tongue-in-cheek humor about it - it's absolutely heartwrenching (especially the end!) and mysterious and gorgeous. Definitely one you should pick up! The second book, Red Glove, comes out on April 5, 2011 - cover here.
Holly Black
5 Stars
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.(quoted from goodreads)
First Sentence:
"I wake up barefoot, standing on cold slate tiles."
This book is evidence that Holly Black is a master of the con. Seriously. I cannot count how many times this book tricked, shocked, and twisted. It is a thing of beauty to read a book so suspenseful and mysterious that you get to the end of it and go, "I cannot believe what just happened. I must reread it now!" and then promptly be conned again by the beautiful writing and subtle intricacies and lifelike characters. Obviously, I loved this book! First of all, it was the unique world that drew me in. It was like nothing I'd ever heard of before - curse workers, people who could force us to love someone we hated or break our leg instantly, just with a single touch. But these workers aren't all-powerful because a) curse-working is illegal and b) they suffer 'blowback' every time they work somebody. Hooked yet? But once I got past my fascination with the world, it was the characters that I really loved. Each and every one of them was realistic and relatable. Cassel felt like someone who I could perfectly understand, despite his many conflicts and struggles. I really appreciated how difficult it must be for him - having a criminal family but trying to stay normal, hating the working but being enticed by the beauty of a perfect heist or the exhilarating success of a con, despising himself for killing Lila but not being able to move on. The smaller characters were also well-developed and made me feel like I knew them, too. Then, there was the plot itself. Beautifully done. Truly a complex story that gives all sorts of twists and turns, while managing to never be confusing or muddled. It definitely plays some intricate tricks on both your mind and Cassel's. The quality of Holly Black's writing is such that it just draws you into her dark, humorous, and unexpected world to such an extent that you feel it could be your world, that you live and dream in it yourself. And finally, after raving about the premise and characters and plot and gorgeous writing, I have one more thing to gush about - the real-world issues. I adored the way this book didn't just take off on a high-fantasy roller coaster ride, ignoring the laws and ideas of the real world. No, this book faced those issues head-on; one of the important points of the novel is how the government is trying to get curse workers identified (remember, curse working is illegal) and new tests that scientists have developed to determine if you are a worker or not. Another thing that comes up is students banding together and protesting for equal rights for curse workers. Holly Black also doesn't shy away from using the mild racial humor that all real teens use, like having an Asian character say that he'll understand the complicated betting ring Cassel has set up because " 'we Asians are all math geniuses' ". The feel of this book is so real and gritty and has a sort of dark, tongue-in-cheek humor about it - it's absolutely heartwrenching (especially the end!) and mysterious and gorgeous. Definitely one you should pick up! The second book, Red Glove, comes out on April 5, 2011 - cover here.
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