Book of Night by Holly Black, a well written book that piqued my interest. Sadly this one ultimately failed to hold my interest. I do think others will enjoy it and thank you for giving me a chance with it.

This is a book that doesn’t let you go easily. I found myself so invested, wanting to know more about Charlie’s journey and what would happen next. I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here.

I don't know how I managed to sleep on Holly Black for so long. She curates the kind of fantasy worlds that I love and injects them with really powerful narratives and characters that it's impossible not to become emotionally attached to.

Book of Night sits somewhere along the vibe check of Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, with a more real and terrible darkness pressing into the story and its characters.

I devoured this book in one sitting, entranced by the new twist Black puts on fantasy tropes, and the sharper edges of this more adult narrative.

I will definitely be reading the next one!

Book of Night is my sixteenth Holly Black book. I've never considered myself a major fan of hers, but dang, I've read a ton of her books so I guess I am. I'd heard pretty conflicting reviews on Book of Night before I started it, so I'm very happy that I ended up among the group of people who really enjoyed the book. In fact, this is probably my favorite of all her books so far.

As a con artist, Charlie Hall is not a particularly good person, but I still found myself loving her as the morally grey protagonist that she is. She tries to distance herself from the dark dealings she's been involved with by hiding her past from her boyfriend, but she inevitably gets pulled back in. I also really liked Vince, Charlie's quiet and mysterious boyfriend who's hiding a few secrets of his own. I thought all the characters in this book were very well-written and fleshed out.

The concept of shadow magic was really cool to me. In this world, you can steal someone's shadow to gain more power, manipulate your own shadow to look different for aesthetic purposes, and even cause your shadow to come alive as its own entity.

On its surface, Book of Night is about Charlie getting wrapped up in the plot to steal a dark and powerful book that contains secrets about shadows, but it's also a story about power and dark magic and unexpected relationships.

The way this ended has looking forward to reading the sequel and following Charlie Hall on her next shadowy adventure.

Reminiscent of Ninth House and Peter Pan, this is a slow burn urban fantasy that will have you on the edge of your seat. I'm a sucker for any book with elements of thievery and magic, so this kind of grifter/con artist meets shadowy underworld vibe was perfect. The overall plot is fairly predictable, though I'm not sure what the ramifications of the ending will be for Book 2. What will even happen in Book 2?? Needless to say, I'm in.

"That’s what good con artists did. They didn’t need to convince you of anything, because you were too busy convincing yourself."

Charlie Hall remembers the way things were before magic was real. Her life would have taken a different course without shadow magic and the underground market it created for stolen shadows, arcane spells, and--most importantly for Charlie--hidden knowledge. She might have become a different woman if she didn't move so quickly from small cons to the much bigger cons of stealing long hidden, very dangerous spells.

But some bullets can't be dodged. You have to take the hit.

Which is why Charlie is more determined than ever to start fresh. No cons. No heists. And definitely no magic. She can't stop her younger sister Posey from searching online for traces of magic at all hours, can't stop Posey from splitting her own tongue so she'll be ready when her shadow wakes up. What Charlie can do is take a boring stable job tending bar, spend time with her boring stable boyfriend Vince, and make sure Posey's tuition is paid on time. Simple.

Except you don't get into the spell market without building a reputation, without meeting unsavory characters, without sometimes being the unsavory character. That makes it hard to start fresh.

When the worst parts of her past come back to haunt her, Charlie's boring stable life is thrown into chaos. Delving deeper into the world she thought she'd left behind, Charlie quickly learns that danger doesn't just lurk in the shadows--sometimes it's the shadows themselves in Book of Night (2022) by Holly Black.

Book of Night is Black's adult market debut.

Charlie is a pragmatic main character, having survived her share of hard knocks and dealt a few herself along the way. Even in world with magic, Charlie is aware that to be normal means fitting into a very narrow box--one that's hard to find when you're poor and have a past like hers. While this tense narrative centers on a job Charlie can't refuse, at its core Book of Night is a story about growing into yourself and learning to embrace every part of yourself--even the ones you've tried so hard to bury.

When magic can be bought and sold or stolen and hoarded, Charlie walks the shadow-thin line between going too far and not going far enough to protect everyone she loves. Book of Night delivers noir elements with world-weary heroine Charlie alongside the fantasy and wonder inherent to a world where magic is real but still new enough to not be fully understood. Book of Night is filled with satisfying twists and gasp-worthy reveals perfect for long-time Holly Black fans and new readers alike.

Possible Pairings: Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert, All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders, Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey, An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard, Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry, Gallant by V. E. Schwab

Book of Night does not fall neatly into my typical genres, but if Holly Black writes it, you know I'm going to read it. And I was not disappointed.

Book of Night is a dark and twisty exploration of what it means to be human - the traumas that shape us, the experiences that haunt us, and the relationships that tether us to our humanity.

This book is perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House and Alix Harrow's Starling House. It's for readers who love a protagonist who is both highly capable and incredibly messy - the definition of morally gray.

The beginning of this book was confusing; it felt like I was reading a sequel without having read the first book. The worldbuilding and magic was really interesting!

Thank you Netgalley for the digital copy of the. Book of Night. This story has a slow start but gets better and better as it goes along. I found it to be a detective story first and a dark fantasy second. Do not confuse this title with a YA fantasy. It contains a lot of adult topics and travels the seedy underbelly of the world in which Charlie lives. I found this to be a good story for those who enjoyed The Ninth House sequel, Hell Bent, by Leigh Bardugo. I am really looking forward to reading the sequel as the ending is unsatisfactory for a stand alone novel.

*SCREAMING ABOUT THAT ENDING*

Holly Black's first adult fantasy has everything you might hope for -- really cool worldbuilding, a compelling and morally grey protagonist, and a plot that keeps twisting all the way to the end. It also has one of the worst cliffhangers I've ever read, and now I'm going to have to wait who even knows how long to resolve it! But I really did have a blast reading this, and I'm looking forward to the next book, whenever it comes out.

The story started off strong and I was liking it a lot, but the pacing and plot fell off a little bit. I enjoyed the writing style and the unique ideas the author had. A solid 3 stars.

I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. I had only read YA by Holly Night but I was very happy with this adult novel. The story and characters drew me in and I will definitely be doing a refresher reread before the next book comes out.

Holly Black can do no wrong, a masterful storyteller, compelling plot and endearing characters, love love love! Cannot wait for the sequel!

Book of Night is a fantasy novel from Holly Black, although the tone and characters give it much more of an adult feel vs. her middle-grade and YA works.

Charlie Hall is a scrappy, self-sufficient underdog of a character who views the moral high ground as a luxury she doesn't have. Charlie has a crappy job, a crappy apartment, and a survivalist instinct fostered by her early exposure to criminal activity. Her only aspiration is to help her younger sister achieve some form of success. Her decision to go for one last grift that would expose the one magic everyone wants to keep a secret lands her in the cross-hairs of the most powerful of those that wield magic. The imperfections and low level/non-existent ambitions of the heroine make this fantasy unique in comparison to the others in the genre. Amazing world-building, salty heroine, and magic are the perfect combination in what is yet another Holly Black home run. I've read this book at least three times since it was first published, and I can't wait for the sequels!

Even after reading this a second time, this story still blows me away. Holly Black is a story-telling queen! Every book released by this author is always a knock out and this one is no exception. The characters, the plot, the twists and turns, all perfectly constructed and executed flawlessly. The shadow magic and world building is so unique and really showcases the talent of such a great author. I'll be impatiently waiting for book two!

It’s no surprise to say that I devoured this with the same hunger that overcomes me every time I pick up a book by Holly Black. There’s just something so addictive and all-consuming about her prose that makes her stories impossible to put down. I’ve loved everything of hers that I’ve previously read, and I loved Book of Night just as much. I’ve also said this a lot by now, but if you’re like me and also willing to die on the hill that Curse Workers is Black’s strongest YA offering? You want to read Book of Night. The vibes are similar and immaculate and just—YES.

I was instantly drawn into this dark world full of cons and twisted magic and things that go bump in the night. The world-building has Black’s signature stamp—it feels otherworldly and yet so incredibly possible. Which frankly, makes it all the more terrifying. The characters were fantastic and disastrous by equal measure, but still you want to root for them.

And that ending?! I’m sure it’s bound to be divisive among readers, but it’s absolutely going to leave you staring at the wall trying to figure out if what you just read—and what just happened—actually happened. Please tell me there is more to this world, because I need it.

I really enjoyed Book of Night. Here we have a morally gray woman MC, proving just because something is illegal doesn't mean it's wrong. There are flashback sequences that show what her childhood was like, making you understand why she lives a life of crime. I was really able to relate to her and wanted her to break ALL the rules. I found the romance subplot so sweet and the magic system extremely unique. I can't wait for the sequel!

This was an enjoyable realistic fantasy read, based in the real world with some fantastical elements. Included plenty of romance, drama, mystery, and thriller. Despite their short comings the characters were likeable and I wanted to read to the end to find out what happened to them.