From Goodreads:"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."
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."
What a fun read! I did not expect this book to be what it is.... basically a paranormal gangster novel! Totally interesting and unexpected concept, and it works really well. The con-artist aspect of the novel is very original.
Cassel is an intriguing character, likeable and yet sarcastic and just a bit dark. He feels like an outsider, and yet has a few very good, and very trustworthy friends. Although he doesn't really fit in with the rest of his family, he still does what he can to help them out, and to be close with them - even when they do things that are less-than-desirable. You can feel him reaching out to his family, especially his older brothers, for acceptance. It's easy to see how confused he is by his failing memories and how the way his family keeps things from him causes that confusion. He's surprisingly self-aware.
While the novel isn't overly dark, I can see how it might be headed that way for the follow-up, Red Glove. I'm excited to see where the story goes, and will definitely pick up the next one!
My rating is 4/5 stars.
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