White Cat by Holly Black

This is the first book that I’ve read from Holly Black, but I have to say I was happily surprised when I read it. The writing is engaging,  yet fast to read, it took me 3 days to read it, but in full honesty is not the only thing I have been reading and I have the lab (soon, vacations!!!). Anyway, even though the main character is a teenage boy, the author doesn’t fall in the “trend” of using as many terms as “kids these days” use to appeal this public, unlike what happens in the House of Night series (don’t get me wrong, I still read those books, but is getting less and less enjoyable). Back to White Cat.

The story is mainly about Cassel, a teenage boy born in a family of “workers” or people with magic powers. This is neither fairy magic, nor Harry Potter without wands. Basically, people can do things to other people ranging from giving them good luck to killing them just buy touching their skin your bare hands. Ironically he is the only one in his family to not be a worker. Also, he killed his childhood friend Lila. He is trying to forget about this, and trying to blend in his school, acting as normal as possible, until one night he wakes up in the roof of his school, no idea how he got there, and what is worst, no idea on how to get down. All he remembers is a white cat.

With this, Cassel is send out of the dorms on probation, and while staying with his family he starts realizing that his memories are not quite what he thought, and that maybe, just maybe he is not such a bad person after all.

The main character is easily lovable, he is nice, without being naive, and he is pretty “human” in his emotions, again, without falling in overreacting as most teenage heroes tend to do. One thing about this book though, is that a lot of critics I read kept saying that every time you thought something was going to happen, the story totally changed…not true for me. I don’t know if it is because I have read a couple of this type of series, but up to the end there weren’t a lot of surprises. Don’t get me wrong, you do get things that you didn’t except, and so far (keep in mind is the first book) everything that happens makes sense according to the own book mythology. 

I would say is a pretty good book, to disconnect from every day basis. The settings are well described, although they could be more embracing. I really enjoy a book that virtually transports you. This one is ¾ there.