White Cat by Holly Black

Holly Black has crafted an intricate and terrifying world that I wouldn't want to live in but I sure love reading about. The character of Cassel is clever, and self-deprecating; you can't help but root for him (even when you think he is a killer). The plot was truly suspenseful and surprising. I was on the edge of my seat as Cassel discovers the truth about his life and the people around him.
Incredibly well written! 
This book is a perfect example of why I need to wait until a series is finished before reading. I so desperately want the next book in the series but will have to wait until Red Glove is published in April 2011. I listened to this book on audio and loved the reader. Jesse Eisenberg did a great job.

You can find North Shelby's copy of White Cat in the Young Adult Department on the 2nd Floor.

From the product description:

"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 mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, 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.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts 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, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen. 

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love -- or death -- and your dreams might be more real than your memories."