White Cat by Holly Black

White Cat by Holly Black

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Gist

Cassel wakes up to find himself on the roof, about to plummet to his death. He's wearing nothing but boxers, and the cat in his dream that had lured him there is gone.

What's worse is that once he gets down, the principal decides that he is a safety hazard at the boarding school he attends. The last thing Cassel wants is to go back home to his brothers, but once he's there, he discovers that his life isn't quite what it seems. His brothers and grandfather are keeping secrets, and holes in his memories send him looking for answers.



What I liked

The alternate history was well detailed. The integration of magic was laced believably throughout the story--from the custom of wearing gloves to protect yourself from curse workers to the inclusion of politicians trying to regulate curse workers. I enjoyed the alternate timeline very much.

Better yet, I loved, loved the references to an obscure fairy tale called White Cat. It was my favorite fairy tale when I was a kid, but I had only heard the story once. When the white cat in Cassel's dream says, "If you love me, you'll cut off my head," my jaw dropped. Author Holly Black had cleverly laced the fairy tale through this story. Nice.



What I didn't like

Nothing. I liked it so much, I think I'll even get my husband to read this one.



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