Red Glove (Curse Workers, #2) by Holly Black

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Slight Spoilers for the previous book

After reading the first in this series, White Cat I was really impressed with the surprise ending (for me, anyway). Cassel was a character I could sympathize with in his endeavors to do the right thing in a family where cons are the norm. Red Glove continues right where we left off. Cassel's mom is out of prison and doing what she does best. The school year is about to start again and it's senior year so things are a little more serious in the academic arena. At the beginning we discover Phillip has been shot and killed by a mysterious person in red gloves and Cassel has been "recruited" to help figure out who was behind it.

The struggles in this book for Cassel are much more about trust and making the right decisions. We know just how much he's been manipulated in the past and now that he knows too, he has to find a way to avoid going back to the person he was. Lila is also going to the same school and the curse Cassel's mother put on her only makes things worse, because now he can't trust his own feelings, must less Lila's.

I was happy with some of the developments for Cassel. I hope he can find more to trust in the world, but still keep clever and realistic about the people in his life. Family has always meant the most to him, but the reasons are starting to become a little more blurry in the face of the truth. Cassel's got a lot to work out and I'm looking forward to seeing what he decides.

Copy Source: Library