This is book 3 of a trilogy. This review, and even the book summary, is likely to contain spoilers for previous books in the series. Skip this until you’re caught up.
This is book 3 of a trilogy. This review, and even the book summary, is likely to contain spoilers for previous books in the series. Skip this until you’re caught up.
In the third and final volume of Holly Black’s Curse Worker trilogy, Cassel has forced his older brother Barron into working for the Feds, and he’s loving every minute of it, as he’s able to use his memory working to get a whole load of cool fringe benefits. Cassel can’t be officially recruited by them yet, as he’s not 18, but the deal is that once he’s finished his final year of school, he’ll come work for them too. Now he’s mainly using his practise missions to spy on Lila, the girl he loves and who pretty much hates him after the emotion work his mother forced on her wore off. Lila Zacharov is following in her father’s footsteps, having quit school and become a gangster in training.
Having not seen or heard from his mother in a while, Cassel discovers that Lila’s father has her under house arrest for stealing and fencing his most prized possession, the resurrection diamond, a stone believed to have belonged to Rasputin, and whose owner can never be killed. He’s been wearing a fake for years, but would like the original returned, and Cassel has no choice but to agree to try to locate it. Anything to be nearer to Lila, who lives in the same flat where his mother is now imprisoned.
The Feds need Cassel’s help in neutralising a senator, who after emotion work was performed on him by a number of individuals, including Cassel’s mother, has become dangerously unstable.
A really satisfying end to an out of the ordinary YA trilogy.