Bambino and Mr. Twain

Cassel Sharpe’s world is filled with intrigue. Things are rarely what they seem, but not because of magic. The teenager can transform any object, or person, into something else. Cassel wants to finish his senior year at Wallingford Prep while trying to find way to leave his con artist legacy behind. Unfortunately, he discovers that there’s little difference between working for the Feds (with their “Licensed Minority Division,” the only legal way for curse workers to use their powers) and working for Zacharov’s mobsters. Cassel’s love for Lila Zacharov seems doomed when he signs up with the government and Lila with her crime family. Both organizations want him to use his rare power of transformation to get rid of a powerful politician. Cassel comes up with a way to resolve his problems, stay true to himself, and benefit his family as well as all curse workers. Jesse Eisenberg convincingly voices Cassel’s first person narrative in the final book (S&S/Margaret McElderry Bks., 2012) in Holly Black’s trilogy. There’s lots of violence, blood, angst, sexual tension, and political intrigue in Cassel’s familiar but alternate society. All loose ends and subplots are tied up in the satisfying, effectively paced conclusion.–Maria Salvadore, formerly Washington DC Public Library