Black Heart
Holly Black
Margaret K. McElderry
February 22nd 2011
Young Adult | Fantasy
Official Blurb -
Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy.
But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love.
Finally we get to see a solid glimpse of criminal lifestyle. Dangerous, seductive, and fragile. Cassel lives always on the edge of the knife. So far things haven't worked out really well for him. In this book we feel not only the ever present possibility of capture but the moments of triumph. Since every moment is fraught with danger the tender moments are all the sweeter. So tender they break your heart with absolute joy and terror that they won't last.
The best part of this book is watching Cassel finally grow into his own skin. No longer will he stand by and let himself be used and played by everyone. Great lengths are achieved and he finds value and confidence. He finds that life isn't black and white. We are complex and each choice we make sways our path. It was nice to see both sides tempting him. Yet it isn't a one or other situation more of a what it takes to gain my own future and success. He can be both cold and warm hearted.
There is such a wealth of stellar quotes and funny lines. Some very raw and deep emotional moments. The kind that leave you feeling that they were more dream or nightmare than reality.
Such a close call for Cassel in this book. It is made all the more intense by the sheer genius of the con and the remote possibility of happiness.
Good close to the trilogy. Definitely follow this trilogy to the very end and you won't regret it. We get action, intrigue, and the perfect spritz of happiness. Almost enough to convince one to join the life.
The best part of this book is watching Cassel finally grow into his own skin. No longer will he stand by and let himself be used and played by everyone. Great lengths are achieved and he finds value and confidence. He finds that life isn't black and white. We are complex and each choice we make sways our path. It was nice to see both sides tempting him. Yet it isn't a one or other situation more of a what it takes to gain my own future and success. He can be both cold and warm hearted.
There is such a wealth of stellar quotes and funny lines. Some very raw and deep emotional moments. The kind that leave you feeling that they were more dream or nightmare than reality.
Such a close call for Cassel in this book. It is made all the more intense by the sheer genius of the con and the remote possibility of happiness.
Good close to the trilogy. Definitely follow this trilogy to the very end and you won't regret it. We get action, intrigue, and the perfect spritz of happiness. Almost enough to convince one to join the life.
Content:
Language: Moderate
Language: Moderate
Sexual: Moderate
Violence: Moderate
Violence: Moderate
Moment Divine:
"How mad at me are you?", I ask. "I mean, exactly how mad--like on a scale of one to ten, where one is kicking my ass and ten is a shark tank?"
