Black Heart Blog Tour: Holly Black Q and A!

 Black Heart Blog Tour! 5 Questions with Holly Black!

 1. I'm a big fan of the Curse Workers Trilogy, and I find the whole “worker” concept so unique, where did you get the idea for it?

Well, I started with two ideas and the character of Cassel. My first idea was that I wanted to retell my favorite French fairy tale, "The White Cat," and my second was that I wanted to tell a story about con artists. Putting those together, I realized that I needed a magic system that would fit into a world where I could do both.


From there, I started to think about the way magic systems are organized. I thought about schools of magic, and the medieval master/apprentice approach to magicians, and then I thought...what if I based the behavior of the magicians in my world on organized crime?

But I also had this character: I knew his name was Cassel and I knew he'd grown up in a family where everyone was proud of being outside of the law. Cassel's struggle is to figure out who he is, who he loves, and who he'd like to be. So the more I developed the world, the more I developed him and the more I developed him, the more I was able to develop the world.


2. If you were a worker, what kind do you think you’d be? And how would you use your ability?

I'd like to be a luck worker, because so long as I mostly worked people in positive ways, I would get good luck too. The blowback on the other types freak me out too much. Although I like to write about lunatic criminals, I don't have the nerves to be one.


3. Poor Barron has to leave himself post-it notes so that he doesn’t forget things. If you were in Barron’s position, what would you put on your post-its? Would you just put the basics, or do you think you’d craft an entirely different life for yourself?


That's a really interesting question, because we see much more about what Barron wants -- and the kinds of notes he leaves himself -- in BLACK HEART.

For me, I think I would write down what I remembered about the truth, because so much of the rest of my life would be fabrication. And each time I used my power, I would lose something without even knowing what was lost.

4. I just finished Black Heart a short while ago, and I absolutely loved it! It felt like it was the perfect way for the trilogy to end. :) How does it feel for the Curse Workers trilogy to be finished? Does it feel like the story is over for you, or do Cassel and co. still run rampant in your imagination?


I am so glad! It's bittersweet for me that the series is over, but I am glad to be giving Cassel and company a resolution. They do keep going on in my imagination, though, which is fun for me. Sometimes I even take notes.


5. Now that the Curse Workers Trilogy is finished, what do you plan to write next?

In 2013, I actually have TWO books coming out. Both are standalones.


The first is a middle grade called DOLL BONES, about three kids -- Zachary, Poppy and Alice -- who go on a journey, despite their own uncertain friendship, to bury a doll that may or may not be made from human bones. It's creepy and fun and it may be the most difficult thing I've ever written. I am really, really proud of it.


The second is a teen novel, called THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN. It's based on a short story I wrote a few years ago and it's set in a world where the sudden spread of vampirism caused the United States to wall off parts of cities, creating "Coldtowns" where humans and vampires live side by side in a lawless and decadent détente. Outside the quarantined zones, people watch videos uploaded from inside with fascination, making instant celebrities of monsters. When only Tana Bach and her ex-boyfriend, Aidan, survive a lockdown party massacre that leaves both of them infected, they have to travel with a half-mad vampire named Gavriel, into the heart of everything that Tana has always feared.


That's the first time I tried to summarize COLDTOWN -- it's hard because I'm not quite finished with it yet!

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Wow! I was thrilled when I got asked to participate in the blog tour for Black Heart...and that I got to ask Holly Black some questions!!! I had a total freak out fangirl moment when I got the email about it...and when I got the answers back I freaked out again! Her answers were awesome, and her new books sound amazing!!!! :D I'm definitely looking forward to them both! Plus, this is the first time she's tried to summarize COLDTOWN...how cool is it that it's on my blog?! :D *end of fangirling little gush moment* ;)

So, what did you guys think of Holly's answers?? 

Are you looking forward to Black Heart??? 

Any other thoughts??? :)

Review: Black Heart (Curse Workers #3) by Holly Black

 Source: Received an ARC from Simon and Schuster Canada for an honest review.

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Release Date: April 3, 2012
Number of Pages: 296 (Hardcover)

(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy.

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love.

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I still remember reading White Cat, and trust me I went fangirl over that book! I have always loved the concept behind this series, it's so unique, and it's so remarkably well done! I love Holly's Modern Faerie Tale books...but the Curse Workers, they blow my mind! I absolutely LOVE THEM! And this one...Black Heart is by far my favourite of the trilogy! The perfect ending to an incredible trilogy! :D

I absolutely love Cassel. He just gets better throughout the trilogy, and I always just want to give him lots of hugs. He's had some rough times, and I always feel bad when he's trying to deal with stuff that he's done or thinks he's done when it isn't really his fault. He was awesome in Black Heart though! Seriously clever, and probably at the most honest we've ever seen him...which, let's face it for Cassel is quite the feat! :P

Overall, Black Heart was amazing! There was a lot of relationship/friendship drama, and some extreme stuff (I'm being overly general here, but I don't want to spoil anything :P) that constantly keeps you reading. I barely put this book down, and I only stopped reading because it was late at night and I was falling asleep. If you start it early don't be surprised if you finish this book in one solid read, it's seriously addictive!

If you haven't started this trilogy yet...you need to! It's one of my favourites, and since I've just finished the final book in the trilogy, I can also tell you that this is one of those trilogies that will leave you satisified from the beginning to the end. The ending is a bit open-ended, but it settles everything that you feels NEEDS to be settled, which is always awesome...plus, the ending of Black Heart was perfect! I honestly don't think I could have thought of a better ending than what was there! Holly Black has definitely hit the perfect score with it! I'm seriously so happy that it ended the way that it did, and I hope that everyone else will love it as much as I did! :D

Have you read White Cat, or Red Glove, yet?
Are you anxiously awaiting Black Heart?!
Any thoughts on this series?

Also, I guess with this one you have to mention it...the covers?
What are your thoughts on the cover changes that this trilogy has had?

After the first book, White Cat, there were slight changes to the Red Glove cover, and with Black Heart the entire cover concept has changed. No people, no smoke, nothing that the others had.
I'm not really a fan of the new covers, and I'm still upset that my other two hardcovers will never match this one, but I will tell you that, the book is worth it. Even without the matching covers, it is one heck of a story!

Purchase Links:
Book Depository: UK / US
Amazon: UK / US / Canada
Barnes and Noble

Review: Red Glove by Holly Black

Source: eGalley from Simon and Schuster's GalleyGrab
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
 Release Date: April 5, 2011
(Click this link to go to Red Glove's Goodreads page.)

I absolutely loved White Cat, and when I saw that Red Glove was available through Simon and Schuster's GalleyGrab I jumped at the chance to read it! And even though I've already read Red Glove, I'm going to be sure to get myself a copy of it on April 5th when it comes out! :D

In White Cat, I totally became smitten with Cassel, and I just wanted to give him a hug the whole time, the poor guy just never seems to catch a break. I absolutely love his name too, and his brother Barron's...their names rule...anyways, after I finished White Cat, I was desperate to read more, Red Glove couldn't come fast enough!

The Curse Workers series is addictive, and it's an interesting mix of paranormal with mystery and action. I absolutely love the fact that it has a male narrator, I love Cassel and I love being inside of his head. He has such an interesting perspective in his world, he's an outsider, yet even amongst outsiders he doesn't really belong. The Curse Workers series is almost like a paranormal Sopranos, except with a little more focus on the younger generation instead of the mob bosses. My mom got me hooked on the Sopranos, and I love that these books have that whole crime family feel to them.

There are some amazing characters in this series, from Cassel's grandfather, to his brothers, to his friends at school, some are workers and some aren't. Cassel already knows when most people are workers, so as a reader you're pretty informed. You feel like you have insider knowledge, and it's like you're within the inner workings of the crime system yourself. 

Red Glove, was just as addictive as White Cat...I don't want to give anything away though, but if you loved White Cat, you definitely want to read Red Glove. It had some romance, it had some actions, some stake-outs, some make-outs (yes, that rhyme was cheesy, yet also on purpose haha), and it had some crazy twists! Red Glove had me hooked from the first page, and I couldn't stop reading! Now I can't wait until Black Heart...it's gonna be a long wait :P

Here are a few other links:
Short Story From Lila's Perspective
Website to get help if you've been worked
(It's pretty informative if you haven't already read White Cat too :D )
Holly Black's Twitter
Holly Black's Livejournal

Goodreads links to other books in the Curse Workers Series:

White Cat ---The First book in the series.

Black Heart --- The next book in the series, the cover hasn't been released yet, but you can be sure that I'll post it once it has. :)

Have you read White Cat? Are you excited for Red Glove?
If you haven't read either yet, I definitely recommend them, Holly has a way with words and I hope that you'll love this series as much as I do! :D

Happy Reading!!!

♪♫ Ambur