Okay, so, here's the thing . . . 
 I love this world. I love the concept of people with special powers, or "curses", that make their living as con men. Love, love, love, love it. Seriously. It's so different and so interesting. I also love the different curses Ms. Black created and the consequences for using them. I also loved the main character, Cassel. I'm not sure why, I just did. I really liked how he was a con man, but he felt like a good guy--a good criminal? 
 But . . . 
 And there's always a but. 
 I think maybe Ms. Black's writing is just not for me. I've tried to read some of her other books and found myself unable to get past the first couple of chapters. I'm really not sure what it is about her writing style that doesn't capture me. It's not bad at all, it's just not . . . me? 
 Regardless, I stuck through the Curseworkers series because it *was* so original. However, I never really felt quite satisfied. I think, for me, the plots seemed too simplistic, or something. This was such a phenomenal idea, such an interesting and wonderful world, I really think more could have been done with it. It never really felt like there was a huge conflict, and with a book like this, I wanted more. 
 I know this is just my opinion, and not the one held by the majority of readers, but I guess that's okay. I definitely would recommend others pick this up and give it a try. Just because Ms. Black's writing is not my cup of tea doesn't mean someone else won't fall madly in love with it.