White Cat, by Holly Black

White Cat is the first of Holly Black's new Curseworkers series, following a family of supernatural mafiosa.  I love the worlds that Holly Black creates.  Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside are some of my favourite teen novels, and some of the best examples of the Urban Fantasy genre.  They feature strong protagonists, surreal worldviews, and strange mysteries.

White Cat's male protagonist may garner this book a broader readership than Black's faerie novels, especially with the focus on grifting and underworld life.  This is good for the library where there seem to be so many more stereotypically "girl" than "boy" books in the teen section.  I'm always glad to have books like this that are likely to have wide appeal.

I enjoyed White Cat a great deal.  I could not put it down once I began reading.  Initially, I thought the story was predictable, and that I knew exactly where the narrative was going. Then Black threw me an unexpected loop and I was so happy to be surprised.  I can't wait until the next novel.