I have always been a Holly Black fan and this one was no exception. It’s delicious, dark and the writing is phenomenal.

I have not read anything by Holly Black before, but I was looking forward to Book of Night when I first saw it online. I have to admit that I had a really hard time getting into this book and didn't really want to finish it. I guess the storyline just didn't pull me in like I had hoped. I'm sure others will like it though and I might try a book by her again in the future.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Published 3 May 2022.

I love Holly Black. I grew up with her Modern Faerie Tales series and I was so excited when I saw she was publishing for an adult audience. Unfortunately, Book of Night missed the mark completely. Charlie Hall was not particularly interesting or compelling as a character and her relationship with Vince fell flat. Much of the world building, which Black has so excelled at in her YA novels, felt superficial. I felt like I was reading a Holly Black inspired book instead of a book by a master of fantasy craft, herself. Perhaps its because I feel like Holly Black's YA novels already hold so much crossover appeal, that by the end, I was left wondering what the point of changing the audience was.

This wasn't my favorite but I did enjoy the atmosphere. I really liked the characters but I found the world building to be difficult to follow and the magic system was strange,

While I have loved every book Holly Black has written, this one unfortunately fell short for me. It felt too much like it was trying to be Ninth House but only managed to be a sad imitation. The characters and the world-building were never really flushed out, so I never really figured out Charlie. If I couldn't figure out the main character after reading the entire book something is wrong.

I have never read Holly Black before but I absolutely loved this magical, spooky thrilling story. I have heard people compare her writing and this book especially to Leigh Bardugo Ninth House but I would say this was absolutely in a class by itself

I was delighted to see a new title from Holly Black. Last summer I went on a binge of all of her works so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this title. Black does not disappoint in her transition to new adult from young adult.

Pretty slow to get into but by the end I was recently hooked. Fun idea for the story though maybe was tough to wrap my brain around at times.

The time ran out for me to finish this book. I thought I would be able to download it to finish it but unfortunately i could not. I was enjoying it. WIll buy it in the future to finish it!

I'm a longtime Holly Black fan, and I read Book of Night based solely on my love for the author's other books. That said, it was entirely different than what I was expecting--I'm not usually into urban fantasy--but I found myself completely ensnared in Charlie's story and read it in one sitting (oops!), and am eager to read the next book!
I'd recommend Book of Night to fans of Sarah J. Maas' Crescent City series, those who enjoy JennIfer L Armentrout but don't want a lot of smut, or for those who have recently graduated from the YA section and are looking for fantasy with a side of mystery. Overall, a solid read.

As a long time fan of Holly Black, this foray into adult fiction does not disappoint! With more teeth and a rich complex plot, this book will leave you wanting more.

This was unfortunately not for me. It took a long time to get into things, and I really hoped I would love this - but the pace of the world building was too slow for me and I didn’t feel like I got to know the main character in the first quarter of the book.

I honestly wasn’t a huge fan of Holly Black but the description of this book made me want to give her a try again. It was better for me than her past books but I still found it more slow and I wasn’t as invested as I wanted to be. It’s still a great book that I can see a lot of people really enjoying.

BY: ARCHITA MITTRA
ISSUE: 18 JULY 2022

Book of Night coverLike the legendary Scheherazade of the Arabian Nights, bestselling fantasy writer Holly Black has long enchanted children and young adults with her darkly fantastical tales about the Faerie realm. Now, with the sinister and shadowy Book of Night, she makes her adult debut, weaving an enthralling story about a con artist, ancient grimoires, and silhouettes having a life of their own, set against a seedy urban backdrop that is rife with treachery, blackmail, and crime.

http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/book-of-night-by-holly-black/

I've previously read some of Black's earlier YA books, so was interested in her first foray into adult fiction and it did not disappoint! I've read almost every fantasy book out there and have never encountered a world as unique as this. I am now so obsessed with shadow magic and I have to be honest that I've been hyper-fixed on my own shadow since reading this book. No spoilers, but there is a twist in the last 4 pages of this book that made me audibly GASP, I was so shocked. The sequel cannot come soon enough!!

Stars: 3.5 out of 5

This is an interesting first book in an exciting new urban fantasy series. I will definitely follow this author for updates. I especially loved the magic system and the magic world. It is different from the common werewolves/vampires/witches or fairies, etc. fare. Here we have normal humans all around, only some of them have quickened shadows that allow them to perform feats that can be considered magic. The system has limitations and the magical abilities of the shadows are specialized. And the shadow quickening requires life energy, mostly in the form of blood. Usually, the practitioner feeds the shadow with small amounts of his/her own blood, but more unscrupulous ones have been known to resort to blood sacrifices.

I also liked our protagonist. She is flawed and, in some ways, a total screw-up. But considering her upbringing, I am surprised she manages to be a more or less functioning human being at all. Yes, Charlie is a screw-up that is known for notoriously bad choice, especially when it comes to men she dates. But she is also very good at her chosen profession, even if this profession is a thief and con artist. Charlie is at her best when she is the Charlatan. Her life might be in shambles, but when she is working a job, she possesses magic of her own, which consists of good instincts and a visceral knowledge of people's behavior. 

I am definitely interested in sticking around for a bit and explore this world more in the next books, but the story itself was a little underwhelming, once we got past the awesome worldbuilding and into the meat of the intrigue. 

Fist of all, it's confusing and the motivation behind some of the things the different characters do is thin to non-existent. For example, why did the Hierophant kill that guy in the alley in the beginning of the book? If the main villain knew that the book of shadows wasn't lost at all, why send the Hierophant after the guy who claimed to have it? 

And speaking of the villain, what was his end game exactly? Yes, he is evil. Yes, he is depraved. Yes, he is power-hungry. But what is it that he was trying to accomplish here? It's never fully explained. Besides, as far as moustache-swirling villains go, he is so evil it's bordering on ridiculous. 

Another problem here is that apart from Charlie, the characterizations of all the other people in this book are thin at best, even cliched. There isn't a single memorable character. Even the cat was blah, which is a big let down for a cat lover. 

All in all however, I enjoyed this book while I was reading it, so I will definitely be willing to give book 2 a try as well. Hopefully now that the setup and worldbuilding is out of the way, the story and characterization can take the front seat. 

PS: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was a bit disappointed in Book of Night by Holly Black. I have read her Cruel Prince Series and loved those books, so I was very excited to read this one. I just could not get into the characters and I did not like the way the story would jump from the past to the present.

I have always love Holly Black and her writing. It was wonderful to see her switch to Adult fiction so seamlessly.

Charlie is a seemingly normal girl in a world of magic. With shadows that can come to life and do the bidding of their master Charlie has to navigate the world as a con artist and a thief. She has earned herself countless enemies over her time, and her attempt to lay low is foiled when Lionel Salt gives her a job she can't refuse. Living with her sister Posey and her boyfriend Vince she enters into dangerous situations.

Charlie is a great heroine, she is slightly unlikable and that's why I liked her so much. Posey on the other hand is a little annoying, and I didn't feel any attachment to her throughout the story. Vince is someone I would die for, he was a great love interest despite his slight dis-attachment to Charlie, which is later explained. I am curious to see where this series goes next after the cliffhanger you were left with.

This book was advertised as similar to Ninth House, and it delivered! Similar to Leigh Bardugo's adult fantasy debut, Holly Black has created a dark, interesting world that still has young adult pacing and character development. I would describe this book as new adult.

Great characters, great plot, another win from Holly Black!

Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed in this book. I've read Holly Black's Tithe, Curseworkers, and Cruel Prince series and could not have been more stoked to find out she was writing an adult novel. However, other than the fact that the characters in this novel are adults, I found no major difference between this material and her YA works.

I also found the characters to be underdeveloped and poorly realized, especially the protagonist. The morning after a particularly traumatic night, covered in cuts and scrapes, the first thing she decides to do is shave her legs, reopening some of her wounds? Why? It is not explained at all, but rather a clumsy way of adding a moment to further explain some of the logistics of magic in this universe. A lot of her actions and motivations are justified by the fact that she likes to do bad, dangerous things. I need more motivation than that.

The magic and worldbuilding were also a bit confusing and sloppily done, to the point where I didn't always understand what was going on or why, how exactly the magic worked. At first I thought the issue was me and my understanding the story, but no, it's definitely the writing.

I wish this book had been an adult take on the fae rather than whatever this was. I just never felt invested or cared about the characters. I didn't hate it, but I don't recommend it.