My Ramblings on Black Heart by Holly Black

Black Heart
By: Holly Black
Release Date: April 3, 2012
Author Website

Summary:
Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy.

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love. (from goodreads.com)


My Ramblings:
This is one of those series that I put off for a long time. I have no idea why. Once I picked it up however, I was sucked right in. This series follows Cassel as he discovers that he has powers he only dreamed of having. Powers that other people, on both sides of the law, will want to use for their own gain. From the start we've seen Cassel come to grips with who and what he is, and what that means for him. 


This book wraps the entire story up very nicely. We finally get to see Cassel really come into his own. He is still a con-man, and still makes some royally f'ed up choices, but by and large, he is just a kid trying to figure out who he wants to be and what kind of life he wants to live, and his choices, good and bad, are at least moving him forward. Many of the relationships in this book are continuations of the characters as we've seen then in the last two books. Cassel is still trying to figure out his relationship with Lila and what about it was real and what about it was fabricated, but in the end the two end up exactly where they should be, and that was refreshing. 


My favorite character in this book is a bit of an odd choice. Barron, Cassel's brother. He's a memory worker and in the previous books he's been something of an asshole. We see his as a bad guy who used and abused Cassel, who altered his sister-in-law's memories and who will basically take whatever deal works best for him, regardless of how it affects those around him. In this book we get a more sympathetic glimpse of Barron. Of the guy who on the surface is all bravado, but underneath is using post-it notes and reminders on photos to keep his life together. He even has to remind himself who his girlfriend is and that he loves her. If he loses those reminders then he loses himself to the blow back from years of cursing others. It was a bit heartbreaking to read about. 


Overall this was an excellent final chapter in the series and I'm really going to miss these characters!