Black Heart: Curse Workers, Book 3
By Karen Wirsing,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Entertaining but predictable final installment.
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What's the Story?
Seventeen-year-old Cassel Sharpe comes from a family of curse workers (people capable of magic who have the ability to con anyone with just one touch of their hand). Curse workers can make others lose their memories, fall in love, die, or, in Cassel's case, transform into any other object. The federal government offers Cassel a bargain for immunity from all of his past crimes if he agrees to work for them (the \"good\" guys). The offer seems pretty good, considering that Cassel's corrupt brothers had conned him into murdering people, then erased all memory of his criminal offenses. While Cassel is torn between protecting his family and the girl he loves, he learns that sometimes working for the \"good\" guys is no different from working for the \"bad\" ones.
Is It Any Good?
BLACK HEART, the final installment in the CURSE WORKERS trilogy, doesn't offer much surpise or suspense, unlike the first two books, which left readers hanging on every word. The major characters, initially complex and impulsive, are a little dull and predictable in the finale. True, they've grown into more confident, self-aware young adults than they were in their younger years, but they lack the enjoyable witty banter and playful language that originally pulled readers in.
But Black Heart is an entertaining book nonetheless, and fans will enjoy its small details: descriptions of mob mansions, fancy clothes, and extravagant cars. Fans will also be happy with the ending and appeased by the one small shocker that Black has in store.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether Black Heart is a satisfying conclusion to the Curse Workers triology. How do you think this book compares to the previous two installments?
Do you notice any differences between the violence that takes place in Black Heart and that in the other books?
Talk about authority figures' abuse of power. Who in Black Heart is the villian? Or are there multiple villians?
How does the book depict teen drinking? Are the consequences realistic?
Book Details
- Author: Holly Black
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Brothers and Sisters, Friendship
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
- Publication date: April 3, 2012
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 17
- Number of pages: 304
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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