Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
I was excited to read Holly Black's first adult fantasy novel as I've enjoyed her YA in the past.

<i> Book of Night </i>reflects Black's fantastic writing, immersive world building and magic, and her complex storytelling perfectly. I have to say that I admire <i> Book of Night </i>, but that it wasn't necessarily my favorite simply because urban fantasy is just not my preferred fantasy setting.

<i> Book of Night </i> follows Charlie, a bartender who was a con artist in her youth, but is now trying to stay away from that life. Unfortunately, Charlie gets thrown into a dangerous situation with not so good people against her will and finds herself entangled in the exact life she was trying to stay away from. 

<i> Book of Night </i>'s fantastical element comes in the form of magical shadows that play into emotions and memories. Not everyone has this kind of magic, but some people want it for themselves and will do whatever is necessary to gain these powers. This is where Charlie finds herself, thrown into the underground world of shadows where she must figure out how to use her skills as a con artist to get away from the people who are after her and to keep her boyfriend and her sister safe.

Like I said, urban fantasy is just not my thing, so this didn't grip me like fantasy usually does. That being said, this world is immersive. You can tell how much work the author put into creating complex characters and a vibrant world of shadows and con artists. There's mystery, romance, and plenty of action.

If any of this sounds intriguing, I'd recommend picking this up. While I can't say this one of my new favorite fantasy books, I am not against continuing in this series and I would gladly read any other adult books Black publishes in the future.

I really struggled with this one, because I was so excited about it when I heard Holly Black was writing an Adult Fantasy book. I loved the Cruel Prince so much, I was hoping to love this too. I ended up struggling to finish it, mostly because I felt like the first half was dragging a lot. Once the plot picked up it got a little more interesting, and things moved much faster. I didn’t connect with Charlie very much, but by the end I did care about what happened to her, and I really want to see what happens to Vince. I heard that this will be a duology, so I will read the second one to see where this all goes.

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

I had hopes for Book of Night, but the writing style just did not work for me. I stopped 50 pages in.

This was such an original concept with a gritty, sardonic, dark-academia vibe. I absolutely loved this book and I'm desperate for the sequel.

I wasn’t able to get to this book before it was archived. But I love the author so I likely will love it. I purchased a copy when it hit shelves.

This is by no means my favorite Holly Black novel. But I would consider it a solid entry for this author into adult fantasy overall, as I wound up being sucked into the plot and finding the pretty simple set-up for the world and lore interesting. I wish I’d liked or connected with the characters more, particularly our heroine Charlie. But the plot was certainly enough to carry me through to the (in my opinion) satisfying wrap-up.

Holly Black's transition to an adult audience is seamless in this modern dark fantasy. Crime, betrayal, and power are woven together to create a story both immediate and timeless. An excellent addition to any library collection.

I enjoyed this book so much. I liked the idea of shadows existing on their own and the power to manipulate them. It made me think a bit of Peter Pan losing his shadow.. Highly recommend.

Holly Black is typically a hit or miss author for me, but I’m a huge urban fantasy fan so I couldn’t resist picking up her adult fantasy debut. This book hits a lot of the main tropes of the genre - main character who is more than she seems at first, a complex love interest who may or may not actually be on her side, and a murder mystery that only leads to more secrets. Add in some secret societies and con men, and you have everything you need for a great book. The first part of Book of Night is a bit slow, but it quickly picks up pace in the middle and keeps the momentum through the finale.

So while Book of Night isn’t quite as good as some of my favorite urban fantasy novels, it is still a solid urban fantasy novel. I’ll definitely be picking up the next books in the series, particularly after that ending.

*Disclaimer: I received an advance digital copy of this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Holly Black has written a unique magic system, imperfect characters, and a numerous amount of villains— both big, small, and lasting. Charlie grows and bends as a wonderful protagonist that’s thrown back into her world of thieving and gloamists. There was no way to predict what was going to happen on the next page, and will leave you wanting to see how each trap is set and pulled.

My only gripe was how slow it seemed to pace up until the mysteries were actually revealed.

I fell for all the positive press and thought this was going to be the Next Big One, read the book and am wondering what I missed. The pace is slow, the characters are flat and we don't understand their motivations, and the world-building is spotty. There's a fine balance between telling the reader everything and withholding explanations to let them figure things out, and this book withheld too much and left too much for the read to parse out. I could see the series getting better with installations as there are some interesting, yet underdeveloped characters to play with.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. The characters, worldbuilding, and story all fell flat. Everything lacked personality and came across as a generic urban fantasy read..

I'm new to reading Holly Black, and full disclosure, it took me a while to get into this one - I kept putting it down to read something else then hesitantly picking it back up again - but it won me over in the end. A major slow burn with a payoff!

Holly blacks transition from YA to adult was seamless. Taking what she already knows of different magics and adding a darker more sinister twist to it. The mystery aspect of the novel was great as it was a guessing game the entire time. I only wish it was longer. But I’m excited to see what else she can do in the adult genre

Holly Black is a longtime favorite author of mine, and even knowing that she has a wide range when it comes to subjects and fantasy settings, I was surprised by Book of Night. In a good way.

In a world where a person's shadow can be altered as a newfangled elitist plastic surgery or altered for better access to magic, the state of your shadow is a big deal. Charlie Hall, a perpetually down-on-her-luck, semi-reformed con girl turned bartender, has little interest in the shadow trade, despite her sister's obsession with them. At least until a run-in with a dangerous spectre from her past leads her back down that dark path she'd been avoiding--and her shadow starts having a mind of its own.

Charlie is gritty and fearless, and while not exactly a go-getter, she's got enough ambition to not let an opportunity pass her by. Her life kinda stinks, and her boyfriend is all but a faceless entity--or is he? Charlie's lack of engagement with her relationships and her home draws the reader straight into the heart of her avoidance of life in general, and it evinces both irritation and compassion. That that tactic is precisely what makes her path diverge is enlightening and jolting.

The mystery that Charlie gets sucked into is secondary to her life and processes, honestly. And that is not detrimental to the plotline in the slightest. I'm biased by years of fangirling, but Book of Night was an inspiring read, even with the godawful cliffhanger.

This is a book that as soon as I finished I was excited to start reading again! I loved everything about this one. The world, the characters, the writings, all of it was done so well. This is an author that I am excited to keep reading more books from!

Thank you so much for the gifted copy.

I have really enjoyed Holly Black's books in the past but this one was next level. Dark and moody, with such an interesting shadow magic system this one really drew me in. I loved all the characters who felt so raw and imperfect and realistic. I didn't love the ending but I think that was just because I wanted more. I will definitely be recommending this one and reading the sequel.

I was unexpectedly bored with this one. It just fell flat for me. but I think some people will enjoy it.

Not my 1st book by Black, I have read a couple of her YA books(more mature ones with out the BS love triangles)
I enjoyed the books that I read and this was an experiment to see if her talent translated to more mature themes(her books were pretty mature already. I guess there's more swears?)
In this clever new world peoples shadows can be manipulated or even temporally removed, by extremely severe magic.
But mostly our hero used her shadow magic to steal stuff.
She is trying to go straight and raise her younger sister. Getting away from the life that her scurrilous uncle brought her into as a child.
Her uncle reappears and drags her back in for one last, big score.
What she is dragged into could change her life, if she survives.

Perfectly average. It felt very YA and I honestly could not tell you a single thing that happened in this. And I read it barely 3 months ago. I wouldn't have been able to finish this if it weren't for the audio book.