Wow. Just... wow.

This was a bit slow to get started, but it ramped up and just kept doing so through to the end! It's set in an urban, modern-day world (especially hammered home by several brand references, like Dunkin and Sonos), but one where there is a dark magic everyone has become aware of. The way you find yourself falling headfirst into it all, especially after that initial slower introduction, is like cresting the initial peak of a rollercoaster to all the thrilling twists that come after.

Charlie is our FMC, and she is a con artist turned bartender, working for the kind of bar that has burlesque entertainment, a backroom for the boss to use whips and chains for high-paying clients, and another area for shadow work. She is plucky, cynical, and acts like she has it all figured out while doubting she's deserving of much. I liked her immediately!

The shadow magic system in this world is really interesting, where some people are able to alter shadows - resulting in wild shadows that appear as animals or wearing hats or horns - or use their shadows like extensions of themselves. There are even shadows that have been given enough energy and blood that they become blights after their humans die and the shadow gets released, allowing it to roam around unattached. There is an entire occult study dedicated to figuring out the science behind it all, especially since not everyone has a "quickened" shadow.

The secondary characters, the mystery that Charlie finds herself sucked into, and honestly the entire story are as well-developed as you would expect from Holly Black. I know some have made the mistake of assuming this will be anything like her Folk of the Air series, but this is definitely very different in some really fantastic ways. The overall vibe is pretty gritty and dark, in a film noir way. It is adult, but not gratuitous even when describing gore.

I absolutely loved this, and can't wait for the next book, especially after that ending!!

4.5 Stars

This one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Like many others, I felt the first half dragged—it seemed longer than it was, with a confusing lack of exposition around the shadow magic and a rush of character introductions that didn’t feel meaningful.

But I’m glad I stuck with it, because the second half really delivered. Once the twists started unfolding, it felt like peak Holly Black. Her ability to craft dark, intricate fantasy worlds with morally gray characters is still unmatched. I’ve loved her work and this book echoes that gritty urban fantasy vibe I first fell in love with.

The concept of shadow manipulation is fascinating, even if I still have questions about how and why it works. There’s definitely a “power for power’s sake” theme, maybe a commentary on privilege—but I wish that had been clearer earlier on.

Still, Holly’s writing is atmospheric and compelling, and by the end I was hooked. I’m intrigued enough to pick up the second book (it’s a duology, thankfully) and see where she takes the story. Probably not the one I’d hand to a first-time reader of hers, but for longtime fans, there’s a lot to love here.

From start to finish I throughly enjoyed this read. Part murder-mystery, part Clue, part adventure, all interwoven in a world of wholly unique magic. Holly Black manages to create universes so incredibly unique from anything else in print. The FMC was a breath of fresh air in the sense that she was the exact opposite. I loved the full circle moment at the end where she finds herself capable. The detail from ugly Crocs to burnt orange shag rugs made me smile. As for being a first adult novel, this books gives so much without falling into graphic detail. Sometimes spun sugar & unlaced boots is enough. By far my favorite part of this read had to be the dark commentary, the jaded outlooks, the jokes that actually made me giggle, and the real takes on how cruel life can be for anyone not living in a fairytale…truly contrasting all that conspires between these pages.

Anyway, excellent read! Highly recommend for lovers of fantasy, mischief, aspiring writers, etc.

‘He liked her. He liked that she was mean and funny and willing to make a scene.’

⭐️ 3.5

This one was hard for me to get into, but by the time I did, I was hooked. That being said, it still fell kind of flat for me. 😭 I was waiting for a big crescendo that made my jaw drop, and while that did sort of happen, it left me saying "...that's it?" I just wanted more!

Charlie was unlikeable at times, especially when it came to her relationship with Vince, but I still found myself rooting for her. On the topic of characters, there were also a lot of side characters, which made it hard to keep track of who was who.

Would I recommend this book? If you're into darker fantasies, I'd say give it a shot. Will I read the second book in the duology? TBD. 😅 It did leave on a pretty big cliff hanger, so I am eager to find out what happens next, but I'm just not sure if I want to tackle it or not.

The Folk of the Air series is on my TBR, and even though Book of Night was a mixed bag for me, I'm still excited to read more of Holly's books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for Book of Night.

I heard so many good things about the Cruel Prince series and was very excited to read an adult novel by a highly recommended author. Unfortunately, this was seriously NOT good. The plot, the dialogue, the character work, no. The concept sounded super cool, but it was never fully explained. You can't have magic in an urban fantasy book without explaining it. It just becomes jarring. Talking about NFT's and shadows with powers in the same paragraph is actually insane.

I just don't think I had a single emotion while reading this besides total apathy. It was predictable and yet the way the plot moved didn't make sense. The MC would just guess about huge vital things and be right. Like she made a million horrible decisions but somehow just knew these key elements without any realistic reasons.

I didn't care for Charlie or Vince or their relationship. Vince's relationship with his family was weird asf (incest for literally no reason, like you could make a codependent relationship without making it romantic). The entire mother and sister character's felt unnecessary. The only interesting plot point was the history between Charlie and Rand.

I don't think I will be revisiting this author's work. 2 Stars.

I was left a little disappointed by this not going to lie. I love Holly Black but this book seemed to slow for me to get into. The plot was a great idea, but execution wasn't the best.

I absolutely LOVED this dark urban fantasy. I am getting ready to start on Thief of Night within the next week or so and am so very excited.

This book was gritty, dark, mysterious, and tense. And I just ate it up. This is my first ever book by Holly Black and I will definitely be going back to read her other releases soon.

I wanted to like this so much better than I did. I am generally a big fan of Holly's works but this one just didn't do it for me which was disappointing because I thought the magic system was really interesting. Unfortunately I just found the main character so unlikable, in fact, most of the characters were unlikable. Vince was the only passable one. It also felt like the book dragged on forever and then finally picked up in the last 20%.

This story started off a little rough, but then made up for it in a big way! It's just a little slow and doesn't grab you as much as it could right out of the gate, but then drops a twist or two that keep you going! The world building gets there and the magic is interesting. Your shadow can become their own being apart from you? Like please, keep telling me more about this and what else can happen in this world! I also loved Charlie and Vince and their stories, apart and together. Can't wait to hear more about the conflicts that happen in the sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! Can't wait to read Book #2!

I liked the dark, twisty vibe of this book. The shadow magic was a cool idea and different from stuff I’ve read before. The main character, Charlie, was rough around the edges but interesting. It took a little while to get into, but by the end I was hooked. If you like fantasy with a gritty, modern edge, give it a try.

4.25 - 4.5 🌟
Okay I didn’t really know what to expect going into this, but I loved how different it was from The Folk of the Air! I loved Charlie right away. She has bad luck, she’s witty and smart, and she’s a thief.

At times in the beginning, the story was a bit slow but I really didn’t mind. I could’ve used a bit more detailed world-building to help me understand all the terms that she was using but overall I could still figure out what most of the terms meant in context. Then the book started picking up, then really picked up and I was so hooked.

I’m always a sucker for pets, and Charlie has a cat named Lucipurrr. Yes. I need more Lucipurrr in book two.

I also really enjoyed getting to read Charlie’s internal monologue—her thoughts about whether or not she’s good enough, why her parents treated her the ways that they each did. And thinking about other characters and how their behaviour is patterned to sacrifice for others. It really made me feel for the characters.

I really enjoyed this book and I hope more people read it! I’m also **very much** looking forward to see how Charlie gets herself out of her current predicament in book 2!

Thank you to Tor for the gifted e-book for review!

DNF @27%

I just could not get into this. I wanted to give Holly Black another try because it’s been a very long time since I’ve read one of her books. This one really did nothing for me and out of respect for myself and the book I had to DNF.

It started slow but we really get a feel for how Charlie thinks and acts. I love that this is SO different than Holly Black's Cruel Prince. Can't wait for book 2.

Quick read. Great character development and moody, vulnerability tones. I really like the world the author introduced us too.

A REVIEW UPON REREADING! Thanks NetGalley for an eARC, lol, I own this book but I requested it when I was feverish and a little delirious and thought it was the sequel.

I loved it.

I know that this is controversial, maybe, in some circles. However, I am not a new Holly Black fan, one who has only read The Folk of Air. I have been reading Holly Black for over twenty years (god, I feel old now). I was a teenager who would unabashedly say that The Curseworker's Trilogy is my favourite, and I am an adult who would say the The Curseworker's trilogy is possibly one of the best trilogies I have ever read.

This is a book for the Curseworker's girlies who grew up. This is for the girls who loved the dark and grungy atmosphere of Coldest Girl in Coldtown. This is for the ones who had Kaye and Roiben before Jude and Cardan.

Charlie Hall is a fantastic character to exemplifies all my favourite things about Holly Black's characterizations- complicated and layered and dangerous. She's sly and quick, one of her best attributes, and she's sly and quick, which is also her worst attributes. She loves her sister more than anything (which, as an oldest sister, yeah, who doesn't). She's got a mysterious, brick house of a boyfriend who doesn't have a soul, but she doesn't mind that, because her's isn't good or much anyways. She's knows dangerous people, and sticks up for the little guy, but only because she's guilty of worse.

Charlie Hall isn't a fantasy character. She's all noir.

Okay, and a little bit of a fantasy girl.

But the noir part is the most important. She's the gumshoe detective and the femme fatale all rolled into one. She's dark and brooding, and she's down on her luck and trying to make a better life for herself. Only, she gets called back into the world to do one last job.

If you examine this book through the noir lens, this is a perfect genre-defying novel. It's the perfect doorway for Holly Black to venture into the Adult sphere. It takes a lot of the themes and ideas presented in Curseworker's, and ratchets them up a few notches. It's not terrribly different, but the full horror of Holly Black's world building is finally given the space to be exactly as unsettling as it truly is. The dark side of her worlds isn't glossed over, and god, is it exhilarating to see.

To me, this is a book that gets better with time. The longer it sits with you, the more you revisit it, the more impressive it is. I cannot wait for the second book, and I'm so pleased that it is only a matter of mere months until I can get my hands on it.

I went into Book of Night completely blind—and I’m so glad I did. No spoilers here, because this is one of those rare mysterious reads where the discovery is half the magic. Holly Black's adult debut is everything I didn’t know I was craving.

In this modern dark fantasy world, shadows have power and magic is messy. Our main character, Charlie Hall, is an ex-thief turned bartender with a knack for surviving, lying, and getting tangled in problems that should’ve stayed buried. She's sharp-tongued, scrappy, clever, and absolutely unforgettable.

Book hangover: activated. 5 stars. Would sell my soul for the sequel.

Everyone who knows me knows that I passionately hate crocs. They are the most hideous shoes of all time and no comfort is worth their disgusting appearance. I was worried I would not like the main character because her signature look includes crocs however come to find out, she’s trying to look as ugly as possible so she made an excellent choice! So yes, I like Charlie, and I like this book.
But in all seriousness….I liked this book much more than I thought I would. There was lots of work building so kind of confusing at first, however, the magic system is really cool and the characters are well developed. In Book of Night, the key to magic is through your shadow. Shadows take on a life of their own.
Mystery whodunnit meets magical realism. Book 2 is out soon and I will be all over it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for a honest review

A really great premise and plot but I found the story slow to the point I almost wanted to give up. Very one dimensional, in my opinion, and I wish there was more world building and character development. There were a few surprising twists that I enjoyed and the ending truly saved the book.

I didn't really like the book. The writing felt flat and the main character didn't really seem to do much other than get into situations that she probably could've avoided. There were so many side characters that I couldn't keep track of who was who. I also didn't really understand some of the worldbuilding. Though, I will say that I thought the magic system was interesting; it still left me confused.

I've discovered that Holly Black likely isn't for me, but that's okay. I'll still suggest her if I think that other people may like her.

Amazing book! Sped through it in like a day or two, I could not put it down! Love love love this author as well! The writing style was so easy to understand!