White Cat by Holly Black (Audio Review)

Title: White Cat (Curse Workers #1)

Author: Holly Black

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Release Date: May 4, 2010
Received From: Library

Summary:  The first in a trilogy, this gritty, fast-paced fantasy is rife with the unexpected. Cassel comes from a shady, magical family of con artists and grifters. He doesn't fit in at home or at school, so he's used to feeling like an outsider. He's also used to feeling guilty--he killed his best friend, Lila, years ago. But when Cassel begins to have strange dreams about a white cat, and people around him are losing their memories, he starts to wonder what really happened to Lila. In his search for answers, he discovers a wicked plot for power that seems certain to succeed. But Cassel has other ideas-- and a plan to con the conmen.

Review:

I listened to this book on audio so this review will have two components; my review of the book and my review of the audio itself.

 

Book:

Ok, so I know I’m like one of the last people to read this book. But even though I saw it everywhere I just never picked it up. But boy am I glad I finally did!

 

I am a huge fan of fantasy and that word describes this book perfectly. White Cat had most of the elements that I look for in a book, a strong relatable main character, something that makes me feel for him, and a relatively fast moving plot.

 

Cassel was a great main character! Black made me feel bad for him, I mean, how could I not! The book starts with him waking up on a roof in the middle of the night!! But even though I felt for him, he was no pansy. Cassel was determined to not get pushed under the sofa when it came to his family. And even though he was not a Worker like the rest of them, he still attempted to make a place for himself through his minor cons.

 

There are numerous twists in White Cat and while I saw the major one coming knowing didn’t make it any less exciting to find it out. I think this was because Black made me feel like I was discovering it along with Cassel even though I had already guessed. But there were some more minor twists that I was totally not expecting.

 

Now with most series nowadays there was sort of a cliffhanger, but not really. I mean, I wanted to know what was going to happen next. But the overall storyline of White Cat was resolved for me, which I really appreciated.

 

Overall a great read, perfect for boys and girls!

 

Audio:

Now I normally am not a huge fan of single reader audiobooks. I love full cast audio books but I am always let down by single reader audiobooks. But I actually enjoyed this one. I think it might have something to do with the fact that the book had a male protagonist, because one of the things that bugs me is having a girl read the hot boy’s voice.

 

Besides that I thought Jessie Eisenburg did a good job. (Yes, the guy from The Social Network) I was engaged and his voices were good for the story.

 

I would recommend this audio to even reluctant audiobook listeners!