I found a new favorite fantasy story only to find out it is being labeled a duology - it can’t be true, but if it is, and you enjoy contemporary urban fantasy, you need to pick up 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 (Out Now!) by @blackholly so that you can read 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙛 𝙤𝙛 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 as soon as it’s published on September 23rd. The Charlatan duology features fierce ne’er do well Charlie Hall - her backstory is featured in book 1, and book 2 amps up the action.

Perhaps this was a planned duology, but it has me interested in reading more, please.

Maybe we can increase the readership and make it happen? Please?

Charlie Hall has never found a lock she couldn’t pick, a book she couldn’t steal, or a bad decision she wouldn’t make.

She’s spent half her life working for gloamists, magicians who manipulate shadows to peer into locked rooms, strangle people in their beds, or worse. Gloamists guard their secrets greedily, creating an underground economy of grimoires. And to rob their fellow magicians, they need Charlie Hall.

Now, she’s trying to distance herself from past mistakes, but getting out isn’t easy. Bartending at a dive, she’s still entirely too close to the corrupt underbelly of the Berkshires. Not to mention that her sister Posey is desperate for magic, and that Charlie’s shadowless, and possibly soulless, boyfriend has been hiding things from her. When a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie descends into a maelstrom of murder and lies.

Determined to survive, she’s up against a cast of doppelgangers, mercurial billionaires, gloamists, and the people she loves best in the world—all trying to steal a secret that will give them vast and terrible power.

I also enjoyed The Curseworkers series by this author, and this had the same vibes as my favorite Bone Season series - please read this if you like dark, delicious, contemporary urban fantasy.

QOTD: What book did you read that made you long for one more chapter or story with its characters?
#newbooks #bookofnight #currentlyreading #urbanfantasy #darkfantasy #duology #series #fantasyseries

3.5 ⭐️
1 🌶️

Firstly, I would like to thank NetGalley, Holly Black, and Tor Publishing Group for allowing me a chance to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this ARC, since I really enjoyed Book of Night. I went right back to re-read Book of Night, before hopping into the conclusion. I have to say, while I enjoyed the book overall, I am a little disappointed in the ending.

The book picks up a little bit after Charlie and Red are tethered together for the Hierophant role at the end of book one. They’re starting to find a new rhythm and beginning to understand one another. A new puppeteer master joins the scene and sets Charlie on a task to hopefully free Red/Vincent from servitude. A LOT happens on that journey and I don’t want to spoil anything.

Adeline is just as detestable in this book as the first. Maybe even more so. Some questionable family dynamics transpire between both Red’s “family” and Char’s. Several odd factors do not get real resolution.

The ending where you are long hoping for a neat conclusion felt REALLY rushed and not as deep or heartfelt as you would expect. It is almost, unintentionally (I think) left really open ended but implied. Idk. It was a lot of book for not a big enough pay off in my opinion. Plus, I hated how they handled the Vince vs. Red issue, ultimately.

For how long it took for this book to get published, following book one, I’m disappointed. If you liked book one, I would still recommend finishing this duology out. That being said, I think it could have been better, ultimately. So in conclusion, decent read but not the amazing conclusion I had hoped for.

Charlie Hall belongs in the pantheon of Holly Black's difficult, violent protagonists. She's a joy and Red fills an emotional place that was empty (at least for me) in the prior book. I love the magic here, the way it interacts with more mundane forms of power, the visuals of it, everything. Which makes it hard that for me there's still something missing that keeps this from being an absolute favorite like I wish it was. I'll happily read more if there's more to be had, especially since some of the emotional beats felt wrapped up too quickly for my taste, but this also works as a conclusion if it has to.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Books for the advance reader digital copy of Thief of Night!!!
Holly Black keeps on impressing me! I enjoyed the first book in the duology, Book of Night, but the unlikable main character had so few redeeming qualities that it took me a while to become invested in her story. This follow-up, Thief of Night, has the advantage of a previously established world and main characters. It is a wonderful completion of the tale.
Caution: Do NOT read Thief of Night if you haven't read Book of Night. Thief of Night is dependent on the reader's knowledge of the back story.

I've been waiting SO LONG for this book, and it did not disappoint. What I loved about Book of Night was how the ending shredded me emotionally. Thief of Night did that x10. I just love Red so much. Every time he and Charlie had a disconnect moment, I was devastated. Also, I cannot put into words how much I HAAAATE Adeline. Every story needs a villain and honestly she's more hate-able than Mark and Mr. Punch.

I loved getting back into this world, though it did take a while to remember all the little bits and pieces I've forgotten in the time between this one and Book of Night. In those last couple chapters, I had a mild panic that this would not be getting a happy ending, but I'm glad that wasn't the case. I hate all that Red had to go through with Salt and Adeline. They'll forever be the worst. I do love that we were able to see how Charlie loved Red for who he was, and that the parts of Vince she loved were actually the parts of Red he was trying to hide. And we got to see that Red and Vince are (of course) the same person, she just met him from "the inside out" this time instead of the other way around. Red didn't have anything to hide from her the way Vince did.

I wish there'd been a bit higher stakes? Yeah, all the murder and everything was bad, but that was so separated from what was happening with Red. It was like two different plots, to the point where I didn't really care about the mystery. It felt more disconnected, like this was all thrown at us to fill in the gaps. That said, I liked the connection between Rose and Mark because that helped pull both plotlines (Red and the murderer) together.

I wish it was longer, but only because I love it so much (it was perfectly paced). And I wish there were going to be more, but I guess I'll just have to survive with rereads.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I couldn't get into this! I think the main character was just too edgy for me in terms of personality, like it was too focused on her quirks and not focused enough on the plot or actions of the book. Not for me!

A great close to the duology of the book of night. What I absolutely recommend is if you read book 1 a while ago (2-3 years) then definitely do a re read before starting book two as it immediately jumps in to where things left off and if book 1 isn’t fresh in your memory you may regret not going back to have the best reading experience possible.

Book two is an equal match to book 1, if not better. Especially after the cliff hanger book 2 definitely satisfied all of my cravings for closure

A modern fantasy more to the darker side with urban vibes, the series definitely offers a different vibe to the usual tropes.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

Publish date September 23rd

Excellent sequel to Book of Night, it picks up right where the first story leaves off. If you, like me, read Book of Night back in 2022 I suggest you re-read. I tried to go right into Thief and had to put it down to re-read the first book. I really enjoyed reading this, didn't want to put it down until it was done!

My favorite antihero, Charlie, is back in this sequel to Book of Night. In a sea of Mary Sues, Charlie is a standout as a scrappy, shameless grifter who is great at solving problems, unless they require emotional intelligence, because she doesn't actually possess the stoicism she projects. She has been forced to be a good problem solver because her risky behavior creates so many problems with high-stakes consequences. She has no special skills, besides occasionally being exceptional at thinking on her feet and her tenacity, but she's still the hero of the story. She's like a human hammer.

Fantastic worldbuilding, fantastic characters, and unputdownable. The only bad thing about this book is that it is clearly the end of this duology based on the absence of a cliffhanger. I was legitimately sad when I reached the end and I cannot wait for Holly Black's next book.

This was a great ending to the duology. It makes me wish it was a trilogy though. This one had even more action than the first and dug more into the lore of this world. I love Charlie so much. She is the perfect flawed MC who you root for anyway.

Once again Holly Black (the wonderous woman who brought us The Folk of the Air) has come back with a sequel that is even better than it's predecessor. Full of adventure, this is certainly a difficult book to talk about without spoilers, but what a wonderful story Black has woven for us this time around.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
I had so much fun reading this, and would happily continue reading any more books set in this universe if it were offered. There’s a specific chapter in this where the characters are talking about how “love is ugly” that really stuck with me, and I know I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. I did notice a lot of continuity errors, but I imagine that’s just due to this being an ARC and will be fixed before publication.

My most anticipated sequel of the year!!!

Holly Black decides to take on Shadow Daddies and I’m SAT. I’m here for it. I’m FERAL. I remember finishing Book of Night and absolutely losing my mind at the cliffhanger and now here we are 2 years later and it’s everything I ever wanted it to be.

Holly is the queen of yearning, magic, and badass female characters, and she proves that time and again with each new story. At this point I’ll read her grocery list, her to-do list, anything at all.

I loved every minute of Thief of Night and I’d read a dozen more in this series. Holly, you absolute QUEEN, you’ve done it again. 10/10!

A worthy sequel to Book of Night, which I loved! I honestly couldn’t remember the plot to the first book, I read it so long ago, but I managed to piece it all together from context and like the first book it’s a VERY satisfying grimy urban fantasy with excellent heist elements. Wraps up neatly but with room for further adventures.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Tor Publishing. (Thank you!)

I have been anxiously awaiting this sequel and diving back into this world of shadows. Charlie Hall was again a fun character full of misadventures. I won't post any spoilers but I will say that I absolutely loved how the book ended! As always, Holly Black creates a world that you want to return to time and again.

Thief of Night by Holly Black was phenomenal -- well worth the 2 years of suffering I spent waiting to read it.