Book #14: Red Glove, by Holly Black
Feb. 15th, 2012 04:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
grav_ityIt came up in my review of "White Cat" that I don't particularly love any of these people. I mean, I'm cheering for Cassel and curious about Lila and...but nothing really CONNECTED.
That wasn't so much the case with "Red Glove".
SPOILERS!!!
I have to admit, I was pretty sure I figured out who killed Phillip before Cassel realized that he was the person who killed all the other people in Phillip's file. What made it interesting was how much Cassel wanted it to not be his mother (which I didn't believe for a second), and then how much he wanted to be sure Maura got away with it after he figured it out. For my part, I was mostly so impressed with Maura that I just wanted to know how she did it...and that was very, very cool.
Also, I kind of love Daneca. This should probably not surprise you. I love that they book didn't try to villainize her, and that Sam was mad at her for exactly the right reason.
I also kind of love Lila, for entirely opposite reasons. I'm pretty sure that Lila and Daneca could take over the world. And it would be awesome.
I liked how Cassel got to step up in this book more than in the first one. Plus, he basically played That Guy for the ENTIRE BOOK and he didn't even whinge about it too much, which certainly won me over. "Black Heart" looks like it's going to be even better, and I'm excited for April 3 (or whenever I get my hands on it).
Cassel's mother DRIVES ME NUTS, but she is supposed to (that sort of character: the alcoholic, the emotional manipulator who plays with her kids (even WITHOUT powers), the unapologetic user that the main character can't just cut off at the knees makes me profoundly uncomfortable, and I don't know why, but UGH, I really can't stand her). The only weird thing was that I wasn't sure how she managed to get that close to the Governor.
Cassel's grandfather is kind of awesome, and I liked seeing more of Zukarov this time around. I was glad to see Barron get some comeuppance (and Phillip, if we're honest). We'll see if it takes, I guess!
I'm still not super-committed to the series, but I definitely liked this one better. No "middle book" syndrome here. I did love the random side-plot the most...but I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Magic is, after all, always about misdirection.
8.5/10 for being an excellent "middle", for giving me more girl time, for Cassel being That Guy, and for the most hilarious appropriation of "No glove, no love" I've ever seen in my whole life.
That wasn't so much the case with "Red Glove".
SPOILERS!!!
I have to admit, I was pretty sure I figured out who killed Phillip before Cassel realized that he was the person who killed all the other people in Phillip's file. What made it interesting was how much Cassel wanted it to not be his mother (which I didn't believe for a second), and then how much he wanted to be sure Maura got away with it after he figured it out. For my part, I was mostly so impressed with Maura that I just wanted to know how she did it...and that was very, very cool.
Also, I kind of love Daneca. This should probably not surprise you. I love that they book didn't try to villainize her, and that Sam was mad at her for exactly the right reason.
I also kind of love Lila, for entirely opposite reasons. I'm pretty sure that Lila and Daneca could take over the world. And it would be awesome.
I liked how Cassel got to step up in this book more than in the first one. Plus, he basically played That Guy for the ENTIRE BOOK and he didn't even whinge about it too much, which certainly won me over. "Black Heart" looks like it's going to be even better, and I'm excited for April 3 (or whenever I get my hands on it).
Cassel's mother DRIVES ME NUTS, but she is supposed to (that sort of character: the alcoholic, the emotional manipulator who plays with her kids (even WITHOUT powers), the unapologetic user that the main character can't just cut off at the knees makes me profoundly uncomfortable, and I don't know why, but UGH, I really can't stand her). The only weird thing was that I wasn't sure how she managed to get that close to the Governor.
Cassel's grandfather is kind of awesome, and I liked seeing more of Zukarov this time around. I was glad to see Barron get some comeuppance (and Phillip, if we're honest). We'll see if it takes, I guess!
I'm still not super-committed to the series, but I definitely liked this one better. No "middle book" syndrome here. I did love the random side-plot the most...but I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Magic is, after all, always about misdirection.
8.5/10 for being an excellent "middle", for giving me more girl time, for Cassel being That Guy, and for the most hilarious appropriation of "No glove, no love" I've ever seen in my whole life.
