Audiobook Review: White Cat (Curseworkers #1) By: Holly Black

Title:  White Cat (Curseworkers #1)

Author: Holly Black

Narrator: Jesse Eisenberg

Published:  May 4th, 2010 

Source:  Bought

Buy The Book: Amazon/Barnes and Noble

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Narrator Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary :

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 criminals. Many become mobsters and con artists. But not Cassel. He hasn't got magic, 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.

Cassel has carefully built up a facade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his facade starts to crumble when he finds himself 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. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

My Thoughts:

I was so excited to finally start this book I  had heard so many good things about Holly Black and her curseworker's series. Now I honestly wish I would have read the book instead of listening to the audio book. Jesse Eisenberg is an actor, the only movie I really know him for is The Social Network based on the facebook story, I thought he did a great job as an actor but, as a narrator not so much. His voice just didn't lend well to the story.  He didn't really change the inflection in his voice for how Cassel was feeling and after a while he voice just started to annoy me a bit and I think I would have gotten a different feel for Cassel if I hadn't listened to his voice  be his character. But, the actual story I really liked, Holly Black created an interesting world full of magic but, not your typical  wizards and warlocks story no but, a bit darker with mob families and con artists, I loved it. 

Cassel is the only one in his family who isn't a curseworker, curseworkers have the power to change so many different things, to make you lucky, erase your memories, or even kill you. He has never really felt like he was a part of this family because he wasn't a worker like the rest of them. Curseworking is illegal and you can go to  jail for it, just ask Cassel's mother because that is where she is right now. Cassel has always just wanted to be like by his classmates and fit in with everyone else but, it's hard to do that when you wake up on the roof of your dorm and you have no idea how you got there. As Cassel has to spend some time at home and away from his school because of his sleepwalking he begins to realize that his two brothers are hiding something from him he doesn't know what but, he definitely wants to find out. He may not be a curseworker like the rest of his family but, he has learned from a young age how to be a great con artist and he may just have to pull out all of his stops to find out what they are hiding from him. 

I honestly feel like listening to the audio book hindered me from getting into Cassel's character, I couldn't tell if it was the narrators voice that at times made him seem weak and his inner monologue at times just felt like him  pitying himself but, he was very smart and creative when it came to conning people and that was what I really enjoyed about his character  and at times it seemed like he even surprised himself with what he could do. He was used to being alone and when he enlists the help of some of his new friends he is even surprised that anyone would want to be his friend it was hard not to find his character endearing.

Overall, Holly Black did a great job of setting up this world full of curseworkers that I can't wait to continue with  the series although I don't think I will be listening to the audio books  because I know that Jesse Eisenberg is the narrator for the second one and  I am not sure if he narrates them all but, I will definitely be reading them!

Want some more thoughts on White Cat? Check out the links below!

Lady With Books

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