Though I've fallen for Folk of the Air's Cardan through fan art and bought a handful of sets of the books, I've yet to read them. So, when author Holly Black announced her debut into adult fiction with 'Book of Night,' I was really excited to experience her writing for the first time.. uninfluenced by any perceptions or spoilers I may have acquired along the way.

All I can say is.. if this is a good representation of her creative work, I definitely need to go back and read everything else. Consider me a fan.

I genuinely like Charlie, the main character which the story follows. She has a very natural texture to her that's uncommon, especially in modern fantasy. She's a girl with intentions to be sure, some good.. some bad.. but she owns them all. If she has any regrets, they're relatively few. She has a self-awareness that avoids the step into self-pity. Though she admittedly has faults, she seems satisfied for the most part with what she's chosen to use them for.

This story.. not unlike real life.. certainly has a darkness to it that leaves no one completely untouched. While that darkness simply tromps through some characters lives briefly, others are veritably mired in it.

While I hesitate to call this story a retelling, as it hasn't been billed as such.. it's at the very least.. heavily inspired by a folktale referenced throughout. But what wonderful things Black has done with those inspirations!

The magical system is unique, speaking both to the vanity and power obsessed traits within humanity. She creates what could be a very realistic direction followed by those with magic, those who want it, and those in-between.. who might profit from acquiring it for others.

As for the rest of the cast of characters, they are well-rounded and interesting. Even those mentioned only for a moment, feel solid, like beyond the scene they have full lives and stories of their own. I love that, as so often a glimpse of a character ends up feeling like nothing more than the few lines representing them.

Among the cast, Vince is certainly my favorite besides Charlie, but Balthazar, Odette, Posey, Adam.. good or bad.. they're all richly fleshed-out.

Black managed to surprise me more than once, a feat which is not easy. Each surprise was a pleasure, expertly crafted, rather than the random nonsensical twists thrown haphazardly throughout a story that I've become accustomed to from modern writers. This author is not just a writer, she's one of those rare storytellers.. that has you hanging on every word. And between you and I.. the ending left me with the proverbial urge to.. 'kick puppies'.. as they say. Or something of that nature.

Nonetheless, the ending was perfect. Do I hope there will be a follow-up book? Yes and no. Either way, I'm glad I pre-ordered a few copies of this book and I couldn't recommend it more highly.

Having never read her Folk of the Air series (or any other book by her) the Book of Night is my introduction to Holly Black and let me tell you it was quite the introduction. I am a sucker for a good morally gray character and Charlie ticks all of the boxes for me. She was such a fun character and I loved her and Vince together. The story was told in alternating timelines (past vs present) as well as multiple perspectives (mostly Charlie but there are a few glimpses from Vince and/or Remy). Put all of these together and we, the reader, can get a more complete picture of what is really going on in this world. The magic system fascinated me. I won't lie though, I may have looked at my shadow once or twice just to make sure it wasn't moving on its own. And that twist....I wasn't expecting that at all!!

Overall a solid introduction to a new world and characters and I can't wait to see where Black takes these characters next. The ending alone has me here eagerly waiting another book so that I can spend more time with these characters.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advanced digital copy.

Holly Black's first foray into the world of adult fiction is very competent, but feels less confident than her previous work (particularly the two shining jewels of her bibliography, the Folk of the Air trilogy and the deliciously creepy middle-grade Doll Bones).

The good? The magic system that she has created, focused on the manipulation and feeding of shadows, is incredibly original and well-thought-out; the ramifications are delicious for future volumes. The worldbuilding, a darker shade of our own world (pun intended), riddled with the same issues that risk plunging the US into darkness, is excellent. The setting and pacing feel like Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries at their best, and the secondary cast of characters is, generally, very compelling. The complexity of family is spot-on, and grounds a novel that could have felt really out there (even for an author who writes about fairies).

The so-so... (and this is not Black's fault, as Charlie is very well written), the protagonist is very similar to other heroines of authors who have jumped from Young Adult to Adult fiction, or who have tried to dabble into an edgier set of fiction than they use to. I'm thinking Alex Stern from Leigh Bardugo's recent Ninth House, or Galadriel from Naomi Novik's The Last Graduate. The edginess of the protagonists feels as a bit of a crutch to present topics that were, somehow, much better explored in her previous work (like, for instance, Valiant, which is clearly The Book of Night's little cousin).

A subjective issue, to me, was that I kept picturing the villain as Bob's Burger's Mr. Fischoeder and that kind of took away a bit of the dramatic impact of his actions. But Lionel even sounds like Mr. Fischoeder -- who, himself, is a parody of those East Coast American villains.

The bad...? Anyone can see the plot twist coming from the second Charlie's boyfriend pops into the page. It was so blatant that I kept wondering "even if this is it, there must be SOMETHING ELSE, Holly Black's other plot twists within plot twists are always SO GOOD" but no, that was it.

I will read the rest of the trilogy because Holly Black could write an Ikea knockoff manual and I would still inhale it, she's one of the literary beasts of modern fantasy. All in all, congratulations on a first adult novel.

In a world where shadows can be manipulated to do your bidding, Charlie finds herself deep in the criminal underworld. A place where peoples shadows are stolen, sold and fed on blood and bad feelings.
Having read some of Holly Blacks YA work I found this book surprisingly different. This book is more in the genre of Urban fantasy, and really reads more like a mystery. That being said she builds intriguing world built around the original idea of shadow manipulation, and I loved the characters, particularly the main one. It was a little on the dense and lengthy side.

I will extend this review soon, but for now let's just say this is a solid adult fantasy debut from an author who is already one of the masters of YA fantasy. It's darker and more grown up than Black's YA works, but it is still very much a Holly Black book.

I went into Holly Black’s first adult fantasy expecting a complex world with magic at every turn. After her previous works being some of my favorite books ever, I had high hopes. With Book of Night, the pacing is a bit slow for my liking and the characters are not too engaging. I found myself trying to like them more than I actually did and ended up not feeling much towards them. The writing is undoubtedly magical and a world that only the mind of Holly Black could create. If the characters had been on par with the shadow magic, I think this book would be great.

I think I prefer Holly Blacks YA over this? It felt very slow at times and the character is not exactly someone you root for.

I’ve never read a book by this author because I’m not a huge fan of YA, but I’ve heard such good things about her that I requested to read this book. I started this book, and I thought the universe was unique with the shadows being a huge part of magic. After finishing it, I’m seriously conflicted. It was very well-written and interesting, but I really didn’t feel for the characters for quite a while, and it seemed to take a while to get the action going. However, it flowed very well, it did improve, and I did eventually get really invested in the book. I think fans of this author will enjoy this. 3 ½ stars rounded up. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

I think this is an ok follow up to fans of the crescent city series. It was a satisfying read, but definitely not an OMG amazing one

I was very excited to read this book as I have been a Holly Black fan for years. My favorite books of hers are her Curseworkers trilogy and The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, and this book sounded like it had more in common with those than her faerie books, so that also sparked my interest. While I did not love Book of Night the way I love those, it was not a bad read either. I would say it was a solid first attempt at writing a book geared towards adults.

The premise of the book and the magic system is what I loved the most. Twenty years before our story begins, the existence of magic is dramatically revealed to the world. The specific type of magic is the "quickening" of one's shadow, which will, if properly cultivated and fed a regular diet of blood, be able to preform amazing feats for the bearer and can even be specialized to do things such as fly. But there is danger in feeding your shadow too much of yourself, that the shadow will become its own creature, even potentially living on after the death of its human as a Blight.

Our protagonist Charlie Hall has a regular non-magic shadow, but she used to be a thief of magical books and references for the gloamist (people with magic shadows) community. She's keeping on the straight and narrow now with a steady job as a bartender and a solid boyfriend named Vince, who is shadowless. Because in this world, people who want quickened shadows can buy them from dealers, who illegally steal them right off of people. Charlie is drawn back into the game when rumor of a book that can make shadows into Blights that can live just like people comes about. There are twists and turns and we get to see a lot of Charlie's childhood and training as a thief and conartist, and the trauma that shaped her and her family.

As I said, I loved the shadow magic, and we get to see flashbacks of a side character quickening their shadow and developing its powers which are really intriguing. Unfortunately I did not love Charlie herself, and the book spends a lot of time in her head. It takes a long time for the plot to get moving, and that time is mostly spent with Charlie thinking about her difficult life and how she was just born to be bad and so on. It felt like it was trying a bit too hard to be a gritty urban fantasy. But despite that, I still enjoyed the book, and once the plot picked up I was much more invested. There are well developed side characters (Vince the enigmatic boyfriend is my favorite) and hints to the ultimate twist which were satisfying to watch build.

All in all, a solid first foray into adult fiction for Holly Black, and I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel (there better be one!)

I'm DNFing this book at 50%.
I really tried to push through this book after a couple of days of feeling meh about it but I have to put it down and admit that I do not care about what is happening in this book. There are too many books in the world and I'd rather read something that interests me. I think I may just not be the right reader for Holly Black because I felt the same about the Folk of the Air series despite everyone else seeming to love The Cruel Prince. I found myself completely uninterested in this book. There isn't a single part of me that cares about what happens to the main character or where the plot will end up by the ending so I'm not going to keep wasting my time. I'm sure tons of her previous fans will also love this book. I think it could easily have YA/Adult crossover appeal. The shadow magic was an interesting concept, I just wish I was more interested in the plot.

I waited a while to write this review because I'm not sure how to put this book into words. I really enjoyed the premise and the main character. I like the idea of being born under a bad luck omen and making the best of it. I do feel like there are some serious trigger warnings in here particularly for anyone with childhood exploitation trauma so proceed with caution. I have read A LOT of fantasy fiction and this felt refreshingly like original content. Yes, some is not new but the combination felt new. My recommendation: give it a try is you like snarky female heroines, magic, and cliffhangers.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Charlie Hall is a "retired" con artist. She lives in a world that is familiar but with an added dose of magic -- shadows. Those with magic are constantly trying to get more powerful at any cost, and Charlie used to make some cash off of it all. But now she's trying to chill out, working at a dive bar and wondering if her shadowless boyfriend is who he says. But all that turns on its head when she gets back in the game for a secret more dangerous than she can possibly imagine. Will she lose everything?

I, like many people who devour both fantasy and romance and YA, LOVED the "Folk of the Air" series. So I was so excited for Black's adult debut. However, I think maybe it bit off more than it could chew and didn't totally work for me. The writing is not as charged as I had wanted it to be and the character work didn't stick -- I found myself not really caring until the final arc of the book, which is far too late since I really wanted to give up before that. The world-building is almost tight enough to slide by easily but I think it's just on the wrong side of complicated where I couldn't get all of the details to stick in my brain.

What I did love is how Black continues to pack sucker punches. Surprises in the narrative, gory scenes of violence, and an ending that did knock the breath out of me and made me laugh in disbelief. I will say that I missed the romance and the tension that I loved so much in the "Folk of the Air" series. In some ways, that series read more adult than this did. All this had was real-world violence and a 28-year-old getting beat up a lot.

So, I have to say 3.5 stars.

Received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review:

I went into this book expecting a dark fantasy about evil shadows, and I got an oddly paced mystery about a girl who makes a ton of obvious mistakes and serves at a bar for a solid portion of the book.

Book of Night by Holly Black is a dark fantasy mystery that takes place in our world, where shadows can come to life and be controlled by feeding them your own blood. This book follows our main character, Charlie, who is a con artist tasked with the responsibility of finding stolen secrets about shadow magic. I was so excited for this book whenI heard it was being released, especially a book about dark shadow magic from the author that wrote The Cruel Prince. However, this did not live up to my expectations like I hoped it would.

This book would be a good book for fans of mystery that want to get more into fantasy, but as someone who has read my fair share of mystery novels, this felt a lot like many others that I have read in the past. I felt like I was still waiting for it to really pick up 80% into the book. The pacing was off and the writing was flat. I also used to work in the food industry for about 10 years, so reading about a main character who works at a bar for about 50 pages of the book isn’t what I would consider something I want to read about. Charlie is a con artist, so you’d think she’d make smart decisions, but she is constantly messing up dramatically and overlooking obvious clues intentionally. I didn’t feel much of a connection to any of the characters, and I felt they were all very underdeveloped. Maybe I wasn’t enjoying this book as much as I was hoping I would because I wasn’t expecting a mystery, but I still didn’t feel the suspense and tension most other mysteries give.

Although I was not entirely blown away for the majority of this book, the ending was better than I was expecting and somewhat redeemed this book for me. It left me interested in seeing how the rest of the series will play out, but at the same time, I don’t necessarily feel excited to continue it. I was curious about how it would end throughout—enough so that I was still drawn into continuing the book. I thought the magic and setting of this book was unique and interesting, but even still, it wasn’t done as well as I hoped.

This was a fantastic and engaging read with a unique premise. This fantasy novel takes place in the "real world," which helped to make it even more immersive. The protagonist is a strong, gritty woman lead with a dark past, reminiscent of Lisbeth Salander. Looking forward to hand selling this book.

Holly Black makes an effortless transition to adult urban fantasy. Like seriously. This author was MADE FOR adult urban fantasy. My favorite part of Holly Black's body of work is just how much attitude and grunge aesthetic oozes from every sentence, and Book of Night fits into this mold flawlessly.

The characters are flawed, but easy to root for. The romance is *chef's kiss* everything I ever wanted ever. The mystery plot is twisty and interesting and fun. The shadow magic is so dark and cool and screams this-is-a-Holly-Black-book. And the twist at the end has me chomping at the bit for book two.

I adore Holly Black and her adult debut was everything I wanted from her brilliant brain! Book of Night has a fascinating new magical system that feels unlike anything else I've ever read with a whole new lore on shadow arcana. The world she has created is complicated and original and downright frightening. I plowed through Book of Night in less than a week and my shadow is hungry for more! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I was excited to recognize Holly Black's name since I was a huge fan of the Wicked series when I was younger, and I was not disappointed. I loved the pacing, the characters, and the story as it progressed. I thought Charlie's past was well fleshed out and intriguing, and I liked how it intertwined with the present. There's a plot twist in this book that I was totally shocked by, though better detectives might catch it; I am not one of those. The only places it fell flat for me were in the magic and the ending. I'm conflicted whether or not I like a part of the ending; I immediately didn't, but as I'm thinking about other options for how it could have gone, I'm not sure I'd like those better. I do feel like the magic system and the shadows could have been more thoroughly fleshed out, as I do feel like there are gaps in how it all works, but I enjoyed it enough to not knock off a star. I might just be easily impressed, but I enjoyed this read.

And the biggest disappointment of the year goes to….

Guys honestly I wish with every part of my being that I loved this. This was my most anticipated book of 2022 and I thought about DNFing it every 5 minutes. If you asked me to list the major plot points in the book I genuinely couldn’t!!’ I’m not going to say this was outwardly bad just not what I expected from an auto-buy author ): I was just let down.

This is oh so very reminiscent of when Ninth House came out. All the hype from beloved YA authors just for the book to fall flat. I think it wasn’t the usual Holly Black tripes that I love: angst and tension, action packed scenes and unforgettable drama. However, the drama was indeed forgettable … maybe even skip able.

Jude and Cardin WOULD NEVER.

The writing style of this book wasn't for me, but I did really like the characters and plotline. I think many fans of Holly's works will be very happy with this book. I am excited to see where else this series goes, and what else could happen.