I was really excited for this book because of the author and the concept. Unfortunately, I found that I struggled to get through the book.

First, some positives. The world building and the way the author wrote shadow magic was really interesting and I do think this element was well done. I also found the main characters very intriguing and would have loved to explore them a bit further (note the characters do deal with a lot of trauma, make sure to check trigger warnings for this book).

Where the book didn't succeed for me was with the plot. I found it hard to follow at many points. I would have a hard time remembering back to previous plot points and the author did not help the reader at all by reminding them a detail of it. I also found that there were too many side characters to whom little things happened, which were then referenced with little context. I do admit, I am a forgetful reader, but I think that the book did not help this at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and McMillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC.

This was my first Holly Black novel, and I wasn't disappointed! I'll admit, the novel started off slow for me -- I was immediately invested in Charlie as a character and enjoyed the world Black created, but the pacing was surprisingly slow for a heist-heavy, mysterious urban fantasy. Once I got a grip on the world, though, I couldn't put this beauty down. I absolutely loved Charlie, who is an accomplished con artist without being an unbelievable badass (I laughed out loud when she asks her sister to see if a car is following them, then admits she doesn't know how to do that but people do it in movies all the time). Vince is a mysterious but swoony love interest, and the shadowy cast of characters (pun intended) paint a rich world. That ending, too! WHEW BOY. I almost hope that there isn't a sequel, as I'm a sucker for an ambiguous ending, but I suspect this isn't the last we've seen of the Charlatan.

When Holly Black released the Modern Faerie Tales series back in the early 2000s, they sort of changed my life -- as a reader, as a writer, and (unknowingly) as a future bookseller. That's part of why it pains me to say I haven't liked anything she's written since, and Book of Night is no exception.

I was willing to let the pure banality of the Cruel Prince series pass; Black was capturing the YA market that's desperate for this (frankly abusive) relationship dynamic. We've all gotta eat! I get it. I was so excited to see Black coming out with an adult fiction book, hoping for a return to her earlier glory. Markets have changed; what once passed as gritty YA is better suited for adult fiction. Here's to hoping!

Book of Night is a mess. The magic system could be positively riveting, but it falls flat and Black allows herself to lean on the all-too-common info-dumping right away in a bar/club/theatre/etc we see time and time again in fantasy. Characters are flat, boring and eye-roll inducing. The main character is too edgy and "badass," the antagonist is too blatantly evil, the other characters fade into the background as props for the plot. Settings are dull and lifeless, despite the fact I'm fairly sure this book takes place in an area Black personally knows very well.

The entire book has the feel of a standalone -- good! we need more in adult fantasy -- until the very last bit, where Black drops us in a place with no resolution that makes me think there must be a sequel. This isn't a Kelly Link-esque slip out the back door, but instead a complete drop-off of the plot and momentum.

Book of Night could've been such a dark, interesting take on urban fantasy, as well as the theme of trauma and survival, but it falls completely flat for me. I'm giving it two stars because nothing outright offended me, but I don't know the last time I struggled this much to get through an adult urban fantasy book.

I'm off to comfort read Tithe.

The Book of Night is a quick read that is perfect for when you just want to run away and hide in a hermit hole. Which is what I did last night. I crawled into bed and read and read and read until I reached the end of the story. The novel grabs you immediately in the prologue, where we are thrown into an eerie scene of a young boy being chased by his shadow. We abruptly leave the child, and in chapter one, we meet Charlie, a young woman who is a bartender, pickpocket, and a “go-to” person for gloamists people who can control their shadows to do their bidding. We not only follow Charlie through her creepy escapades but also through flashbacks of childhood experiences whose consequences are beginning to be felt in her present-day life.
I liked this book! It was a fun read and definitely something to be put on your summer reading list.

Awesome YA book! I love Holly Black for her folk of the air trilogy, as well as her other accompanying faerie titles. I love the fantasy and romance in those books. It is lovely to see a YA novel that has a touch of romance but also a great plot and a fast paced story. I think anyone who has read the authors other novels would not be disappointed. Twist and turns romance, beautiful sister relationship, and all the fantastic elements you want!

I'll start by saying that the twist of this book took me by complete surprise. Holly, ma'am, I had to reread a few times just to make sure I had it right. Wow. I will say that it took me a good bit to really get into a groove with this book. I didn't know where it was headed and "girl working in a bar maybe magic" didn't connect with me. However once we meet Gabby and get a little background on Charlie our MC, things really started to pick up for me. I loved learning about the world we were in and it was done in a very exciting way where I still had questions that ended up being answered by the end. I read it twice before reviewing and the 2nd time through is really great to see all the foreshadowing. The twist as mentioned threw me completely and the end had me looking up to see if this was a standalone. Very fun!

I really enjoyed Holly Black's foray into writing for adults. I liked the world she created and the magic system is really unique. Hopefully there will be more books in this world.

I've always been a Holly Black fan, so I was excited to see what her first adult book would be. I quite enjoyed it. Charlie is a fun character that I enjoyed getting to know. There is definitely the possibility of a long series here. I don't know if it is intended to be that or will wrap up in a trilogy like most of her other stuff. Either way, I'm excited to see what comes next for these characters. I liked how the backstory for various characters slowly unfolded in chapters interspersed with the present day. The interwoven stories played of each other as time unfolded. This was a good introduction to a new world of urban fantasy/horror. Can't wait for book 2.

This book was so different to anything I've read from Holly Black and I am HERE for it!! Definitely much darker and the stakes are so HIGH! I was on the edge of my seat the entire last 20%.
In this dark world where your shadow can be altered and there are people known as gloamists who can control their shadows as a separate being, Charlie Hall is a a clever con artist. You want a sketchy job done? Charlie is your girl. I loved her as a main character- she is so intelligent and brave and has not had the best childhood which made her very relatable. Charlie is a character you will be rooting for.
Then there is her super mysterious boyfriend who keeps to himself and doesn't have a shadow... dun dun dun
we are thrown into this dark and mysterious past and present narrative as Charlie has to figure out the truth while keeping herself and her family safe.

This book was not what I was expecting- it was definitely darker than I imaged but also very clever. I do wish we had more background info. because I still am not sure I fully understand the world building and shadow magic but overall the ending was WILD.

Holly Black's first adult novel, Book of Night, is sure to please fans of her previous work, and fantasy fans alike. I think many fans of Black's The Cruel Prince series will find the romance here lacking, but I actually found the love story portion of this book quite balanced.

Charlie Hall is an adept thief whose exploits started when she was just a teenager, under pressure from her stepfather to help him in a scam. She is trying her best to stay on the straight and narrow after a near death experience at the hands of one of her ill-fated love interested that she took revenge on. She lives with her sister, Posey, a tarot card reader who is envious of Charlie's borderline magical abilities, and her boyfriend Vincent, who is obviously keeping a big secret from her. When the man who killed the aforementioned step=father forces Charlie to help him locate a book and his grandson who he believes has it, Charlie's desire to keep out of her old haunts is pushed to the wayside and she is thrust back into the world of shadows and blights.

The fantasy element of this book is a bit confusing to me. I keep seeing comparisons to The Night Circus, which I think are unfounded. I don't particularly care for the Night Circus but this book is not similar in content or feel. The Night Circus is tame, and this book is gory. The Night Circus is happy magic transformed into bad things in certain circumstances and The Book of Night is dark, murderous disembodied souls. If anything, the only redeeming thing in the Night Circus is the beautiful description of magic, like how the circus comes in and out of existence, and if there was something I'd want less of in the Book of Night, it's definitely the shadows and the blights.

Charlie was a slightly unbelievable character, but I found her likeable and I rooted for her. The family dynamics here felt ever-present but somehow still underdeveloped.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and sure to be enjoyed by fans of darker fantasy.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Book of Night by Holly Black is the author’s adult debut novel. It has a lot of the darkness and questionably likable characters that I love about the author’s work.
Charlie Hall is three bad decisions stacked on each other wearing a trench coat, disguised as a human being. Charlie sees a bad decision, recognizes it as a bad decision, and basically double dog dares herself to make the bad decision anyway. I loved Charlie.
Charlie is a thief, retired or so she says but she seems to find herself drawn back into that world pretty easily so… ya know.
When Charlie’s past comes calling, the life she’s built with her secretive but shadowless boyfriend comes into question and Charlie needs to decide what she wants to do, and how to do it. Quickly. Because in her world, where shadows can be manipulated and stolen and sometimes come alive on their own and cause mass chaos and damage, everything is suspect and dangerous. Charlie may not have magic but she’s got quick fingers, a brain that looks for the quickest way to solve a problem, and a lot of anger built up inside her just looking for a way out.

For her debut adult novel, Holly Black pivots from the fae tales she's so well known for, and leans into something darker. Shadow magic.
Like any novel with distinct fantasy vocabulary, I felt a little behind when learning about gloamists, those who deal in *literal* shadow magic. But once I caught on, it was easy to follow the story.
Chapters skip between the past, detailing young Charlie Hall's life of crime, and the present, where she's desperately trying to go straight. But when a powerful gloamist text is stolen and Charlie is attacked, it's easy for her to fall right back into old patterns.
It's been a long time since I've read a Holly Black title, so I can't speak to how much or little the style differs in Book of Night. But this was an engaging and exciting read with an intense and unique magic system.

Holly Black is a goddess of words. I anticipate her novels with immense joy and Book of Night was my most anticipated book this year. Also, anyone who can create anything during a global pandemic is a hero. All of that said, this one didn't resonate for me. I found myself reluctant to pick it up and continue reading. I wasn't invested in the characters or the story. I can't really describe why except I just didn't connect with Charlie, her motivations, the world she inhabits or the choices she makes. The magic system was, excuse the pun, shadowy and confusing? I don't know, this could just be a case of the wrong book for me at the moment. I will definitely recommend it to fans of her work because I think it really will just vary person to person. I hope to pick it up again later and see if it's a better read for me.

Holly Black is back (tomorrow, May 3rd) with her first ADULT novel.

Cruel Prince fans, where you at?
(note -- this book is nothing like Cruel Prince. There are no tails to be seen)

Thank you so much @torbooks for my eARC

QUICK SYNOPSIS -- welcome to a world where shadows can be altered to increase power and influence. Shadows are a second self, a keeper of their owners secrets. Shadows can be your best friend or your worst enemy. And they say to lose your shadow is to lose part of your soul.

WHAT TO EXPECT --

A badass female MC
Lots of secrets
Shocking plot twists
Unique magic
Secret societies
Hidden identities

Have you preordered this?? You have one more day to if you wanted to 😉

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚: Contemporary fiction/fantasy
𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩: eARC
𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: 3.79

𝙁𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:

"There'd always been something wrong with Charlie Hall. Crooked from the day l she was born. Never met a bad decision she wasn't willing to double down on.”

"There are lots of different kinds of lies. Fibs to lubricate society. Deceptions, to avoid consequences. Misrepresentations to hide behind, because you're worried another person won't understand, or won't like you, or because what you've done is bad and you're ashamed of it. And
then there are the lies you tell because everything about you is a lie.”

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙:
Mystery, lies, and deception
Morally gray MC
Past and present POVs
Romance and love were important, but not the focal point of the whole book
Really interesting shadow magic system
Ending was sooo good!

𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:
I am the first person to say, I was not a huge fan of The Cruel Prince (Cardan has always been so meh to me)… but I REALLY enjoyed Book of Night! This book took me a little bit to get into, but after the first 1/3 I was hooked. I love the mysterious, haunting vibe combined with lies, deception, and a whole lot of morally gray characters. Charlie Hall, the FMC, is so flawed, but I just absolutely loved her! She has real and relatable emotions, and it made it easy to root for her. While we don’t get much of Vince’s POV, he was just so broken and mysterious and kept me feeling very curious about his true past.

One of my favorite things about this book are the changes between past and present POVs. It weaves together the story of Charlie and Vince so perfectly. When you finally reach the AHA! moments (and there are several(, it ties together beautifully and kept me turning pages so quickly. This book gave me a lot of Ninth House vibes (although I have to say, I enjoyed Book of Night more). Overall, I REALLY enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy/dark academia/mystery.

I gave this a 3.5 (again we really need quarter star increments). I'm no stranger to Black's writing and her first attempt at an adult fantasy novel went very well. I loved her shadow world she created and the idea was very original. It took me a moment to catch on to all the lingo, rules and tricks of the shadow world but once you're in you can keep up. Charlie Hall, seriously you can't help but root for her. I've heard this is the beginning of a series and I'm ready for the next one and see how the shadow sage continues.

Loved this fantasy filled with lies, shadows and secrets. This has a dual timeline. When one got a little slower, the other one was more exciting so it helped the flow. The ending made me want to reread it again! The world building was a little confusing at first, but I’m sure a reread will help! Please write more adult fantasy!!

Unpopular Opinion time and Sadly this one fell flat for me. I couldnt keep my interest in it very well and just wanted to keep putting it down and would not keep my attention or focus on this book.. The writing felt flat and dull, there wasnt much excitement in this one and just felt like I needed more, I needed more action and entertainment. I needed the characters to jump out to me more and make me like them better. It definitely was a slow burn for me. At least the cover is beautiful!

Charlie Hall has never met an idea or impulse she didn't like. Skating through life as a low level grifter, she works her way up from a small time pickpocket/ thief to the dangerous world of shadow trading. Moving from job to job as a bartender, she tries to extract herself from the world of shadow thievery only to be drawn back by circumstances outside her control. When she meets Vince, a mysterious stranger, she becomes romantically involved but knows little of his backstory. Meanwhile her life spirals out of control when someone from her past reenters her life with sinister intentions. Plotting revenge, she does anything she can to bring about the downfall of this childhood boogeyman, not realizing that Vince is key to her ultimate triumph. Holly Black has made the leap from young adult to adult fiction. Well Done !

I tried so incredibly hard to get into this book, but at about 60% I'm going to have to put it down. I even waited until release day, so I could buy an audiobook and see if the story was easier to get into that way, but no such luck. The plot just feels really uncompelling to me, and the characters feel wooden. I was so happy to receive this review copy, and I won't be saying anything negative about this on my platform because I'm sure others will love it, but it just unfortunately wasn't for me :/