Book #26: Black Heart, by Holly Black

[grav_ity]

Rounding out the Curse Worker Trilogy, and quite well at that, is Black Heart. And I had an absolutely brilliant spoiler cut worked out, until I realized that it was ACTUALLY A SPOILER, so instead you get this.

I AM SO PLEASED BY THE ENDING OF THIS BOOK. It is a little bit ridiculous. Everything happened more or less the way I wanted it to, and most importantly, CASSEL IS FREE OF HIS AWFUL, AWFUL FAMILY. I am so relieved.

Usually I read books about girls who take ownership of their (often craptastic) powers, so reading a boy do it was kind of fun, especially since Lila did most of the saving, and everyone used their brain most of the time. I loved watching Cassel figure out who he was, not just who everyone else thought he was. I think my favourite moment was when he decided to make sure Barron and Daneca never got back together, because Barron is an AWFUL PERSON.

I'm kidding: my favourite part (that wasn't the end), was the bit with the gun. Actually, ALL the bits with the gun, and the way the gun held the two stories in this book. It was absolutely Chekov's Gun, and about 14 separate times at that, and then at the end, Cassel uses it to make someone do what he just did: make a choice about their own life. It was kind of great.

AND THE PEN! The brilliance of the pen was that you spent most of the book watching the GUN, and then the pen was EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT (if not more so, at least on a personal level). It was lovely.

I can't really say much else beyond how THRILLED I was at the ending. I was not expecting to love this series as much as I did (though why I have no idea, since it has pretty much everything I love about fiction in it), and I'm really glad I got my hands on Black Heart so soon.

9/10 for giving me something I hadn't seen before, for the hilarious evolution of the "no glove, no love" joke from the last book, and for the ending, which I loved.

Comments

[m-nivalis.livejournal.com]

AND THE PEN! The brilliance of the pen was that you spent most of the book watching the GUN, and then the pen was EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT (if not more so, at least on a personal level). It was lovely.
Yes, this! I was utterly blindsided by that reveal.

I loved the book too, but unfortunately as the end approached, I was looking out for the final twist (if the first two books has a character-driven twist at the end, I expect the third book to have one too) and I expect I would have "enjoyed" the story more if I had just let the text flow.

BTW,I just finished the Swedish fantasy book The circle, and I suggest you keep an eye out for the upcoming English translation.(review)

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Yes, I absolutely do not care when someone comes up with a bunch of twists. ;) I am notoriously easy when I'm in the mood.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

What was your cut-tag going to be?


CASSEL IS FREE OF HIS AWFUL, AWFUL FAMILY. I am so relieved.

SAME HERE.

I think my favourite moment was when he decided to make sure Barron and Daneca never got back together, because Barron is an AWFUL PERSON.

Agreed. And that scene ties into what I love about Cassel, which is how his own self-loathing makes him ascribe the worst motivations to himself. I love that he didn't give himself lofty motives for getting rid of the photos or think that he had some right to manipulate Daneca's life like that.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

"The pen is mightier than the sword". :)