Audiobook Review – Black Heart (Curse Workers, Book 3) by Holly Black (4/5 stars)

Reading Level:Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 304 pages
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release Date: April 3, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1442403468
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Curse Workers trilogy
Source: Audiobook through Audible.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the third, and final, book in the Curse Workers series by Black. I think readers who really love this series will enjoy how the series is tied up. Things are tied up in a hopeful, yet realistic way, which I really enjoyed. I personally haven’t been a huge fan of this series, I am not bit on organized crime fantasy, but that being said I think this was the best book in the series.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was very well done. The narrator sounds exactly like I imagined Cassel would.

Cassel is trying to turn his life around and do the right thing. Sure his ex-girlfriend is forever tied to a life of crime, but Cassel is trying hard to not follow where she is going. Cassel is thinking about working for the Feds because at least they are on the good side right? But when the Feds ask him to do something with his Transformation that he swore never to do, Cassel is forced to question everything. Who is being conned and who is doing the conning? The future of his mother, his brother, and the love of his life, Lila, all depend on him sorting out what’s true and what’s a con.

Cassel just breaks your heart in this book. He is just trying so hard to do what’s right but at points what is right is incredibly hard to figure out. That’s not to say he ever gets stupid; he knows a con when he sees one and is all about conning the person pulling a con.

Lila isn’t in the beginning of the book a ton, but she does feature later on. A lot happens between her and Cassel in this book, and that is all I am going to say about that. Lila is an interesting character; her path to a life of crime doesn’t seem to bother her a ton…it’s just her life and she makes the best of it.

Cassel’s brother Barron and his mother are also in the story quite a bit. Barron is, well, he’s Barron. He’s working for the Feds but still loosing memories. Cassel’s mother is the same; she loves her sons but never seems to struggle with her morals over the decisions she makes.

This whole book is really about the struggle between being good and being bad and how there are no clear answers…everything is just too complicated.

The books ends absolutely perfectly. There are some things left unresolved, just like real life. I love how things are left between Cassel and Lila; the ending just fits the tone of the story perfectly.

Overall a great conclusion to this series. This was my favorite book of the trilogy. It ties things up nicely, has a great tangle of mysteries to engage the reader, and is just absolutely realistic in the way it ends. Fans of the series should be pleased.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
– 150+ Books Reading Challenge