I loved the Folk of the Air series and was excited to read an adult dark fantasy from Holly Black. I did really like this, but it is dark dark dark. Content warning for murder, gore, child endangerment, torture... just all the dark stuff. The premise here is that magic exists, and it's all connected with peoples' shadows. Shadows can "quicken" or basically take on their own life, and they can then be altered and modified and all kinds of stuff. I'm not going to be able to do a good job explaining this, but it all makes total sense in the book. Charlie (Charlotte), the main character, is a semi-reformed thief of magical artifacts turned bartender who accidentally gets wrapped up with a mystery revolving around a missing magic book, The Book of Night, which allegedly contains instructions for bringing a person-less shadow (they're called Blights) fully to life (again, I'm doing a terrible job explaining this). Charlie learns that her boyfriend Vince is also involved in this mystery in a way she never expected. I really found the story very compelling, but it was INTENSE so I didn't read it as quickly as I typically would a book of this length. The ending leaves things open for a possible next book, so I'm curious if that's going to happen. I'm definitely in it for any future Holly Black books, especially for an adult audience.

Trigger Warnings: abuse, death, torture, drug use

Charlie Hall is a low-level con artist who lives in a world where shadows can be altered, for entertainment and cosmetic preferences and also to increase power and influence - shadows can hold all the parts of you that you want to keep hidden. Charlie is an overnight bartender who is trying to distance herself from her past life, especially after a night she was nearly killed. But when a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie has no choice but to be thrown back into the chaos.

So I actually haven’t read anything by Holly Black before, but I kept hearing good praise for this book and wanted to give it a go. It didn’t disappoint! What a crazy, fast paced story about a crazy world where your shadows can be manipulated and used for power.

I would kind of forget this was a fantasy book while reading it. It felt like a murder mystery type of thing - until someone’s shadow was used to try and kill someone else…

<spoiler> The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars is because I wish Charlie had a bit more of a happier ending! She’s had such a tough life and I thought maybe it would be the start of something better for her, but it’s not exactly the direction I wanted for her… Though it does leave it open for all kinds of possibilities </spoiler>

Overall, I really enjoyed this dark, clever, unpredictable shadow bending universe that Holly Black has created. Will there be another book following this? I don’t know - the ending left you questioning but at the same time, it would go either way. If there is one, I will be sure to be grabbing it up for sure!

*Thank you Tor and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

It’s a pretty dark book so it might not be for a more sensitive reader. There’s child abuse, violent deaths and all the grimness of the rough side of life. However Charlie is a sympathetic character who didn’t have good choices to make so she’s rolled with the bad choices she’s had and survived. Enjoyable book!

Charlie Hall is a great character. Down on her luck, working as a bartender with a boyfriend who isnt a sharerer, and rying to get her younger sister in school, and trying to stay on the straight and narrow. She is drawn into danger and the long con again as she faces glomist who can control shadows. With twists and turns she must use every skill to try and survive. Fun and hard to put down.

I was looking forward to reading this book. It was not what I was expecting as a fan of Holly Black.

First off, thank you so much for this early access e-ARC!
4.5 ⭐️!

Miss Holly Black you did it again!! I absolutely loved this adult debut, and reading this book has solidified that I need to start on Black's backlist IMMEDIATELY.

I have seen a lot of mixed reviews on this book, and I want to be clear on some things. First off, this is not The Cruel Prince. If you're thinking it's gonna be like that, then you're gonna be disappointed.

Second, this is more of a mystery than a fantasy book. Sure, there are fantasy elements (which I looooved and thought were brilliant), but this first book focuses on setting up the world, the characters and how it all ties togeether.

Third, if you're expecting spice, you need to pick up another book. Yes, there is more spice than TCP, and plenty of pinning in this book, BUT this is exactly what I would expect from HB's first adult novel. More tension, a few spice scenes but mostly fade to black.

That being said, if you go in with the right expectations, and you love Holly Black's writing style I.e. the way she develops a plot and ties it all together in the end, while also writing these bad-ass characters that you are obsessed with by the last page... then this is the book for you.

It is not like her other YA books, and I believe that's the point. This is new, fresh and different. I can't wait to see where she goes in continuation of this series.

I think this would be the perfect book for fans of Vicious because of the magic system & back and forth time jumps in the writing.

Full thoughts are in our Netgalley vlog.

xx
-Christine

2.5
Quick thoughts - mentioned TikTok, Instagram, and using ring lights. Didn’t like where the boyfriend’s storyline was going. The ending was atrocious, disappointing, and felt like a complete waste of time. I audibly gasped and said wtf. Next page was acknowledgements.

ARC provided by netgalley. Thank you for giving me this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review

Okay look. I enjoyed The Curel Prince series. Was it my favorite? No. But did I still think it had the basis of a good story and overall enjoyed the three books? Yes... I don't know what this book was but it wasn't it. This was flat, boring, and dragged until the last 20% of the book. I enjoyed the fight scene as things were finally happening.
I was a little turned off at the revelation with the boyfriend in the story. If felt icky and odd but I accepted and moved on. What I cannot accept is that ending. I have never been so disappointed in a books ending before. I truly felt like I wasted my time and this whole book was for NOTHING. This novel makes the cruel prince look amazing ... This at the end of the day was just bad. The characters were two dimensional. Everyone is depressed. I didn't have fun reading this. It wasn't a page turner.

I truly was excited for this arc and wanted to love it. I went in thinking I'd like it more than the cruel prince since it is an adult novel. I was sorely mistaken...

I received an uncorrected proof ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review. Huge fan of Holly Black's The Folk of the Air series and have read, reread, and have a couple of podcast episodes discussing them, so was excited to see what would come with this new venture with adult fiction. It took me a while to get into this initially, but once I was in, I was flying through it.

I kept referring to the summary of the book to try to get me in the right frame of mind, but it didn't help. Reflecting on this (discussed with a follow ARC recipient and we recorded for our initial thoughts for our podcast), curious to see if this will be continue to be a stand-alone book or if it will continue, because if it does continue - where would it go? There is a TON of info-dumping/world-building and sometimes what feels like unnecessary details. However, i feel like if we have all these details, is it for nothing and not setting up for future books? Or is perhaps all the details are necessary to establish that this is different from her previous work and really just setting everything up and visually make us feel like we are with the FMC, Charlie.

The last 20% of the book I really enjoyed and really picked up and it felt like we FINALLY were not dragging and got to what we wanted. Somethings were predictable, but a plot twist that I didn't see coming and thoroughly enjoyed!

Will come back here and update accordingly with proper links too.

I am a huge fan of Holly Black and when I heard she was making the switch to adult fiction, I was excited. I’m not sure why adult fiction seems to be more complicated though…. Because this is not the first author that I felt missed the mark when making the switch. The fantasy shadow world is fun… at times, but I really struggled just getting sucked into it. I wanted to love this book and the main character but I just found myself getting distracted until about half way through. The twist at the end definitely helped make the novel but it was a tough journey getting to that point.

I’ve never read holly black before, but now I’ll have to. I really enjoyed this book! I typically am not a fantasy reader, but this novel was really good. Great pacing, great characters, and lots of twists and turns! Def recommend

Book of Night follows low-level con artist Charlie Hall, as she’s thrown into a world far more dangerous than the one she knows, as a means for survival. In her world, shadows can be altered for a number of reasons: cosmetics, influence, power — but with a cost. Shadows are a second self, the not so shiny bits of you, and sometimes can even take on a life of its own.

. I’m not sure if it was my own built up expectations based on everyone’s love for Holly Black and the comparison titles, but I was a little disappointed by Book of Night. I felt like the concept and the potential was so high, but it fell flat for me. Perhaps, if I had gone in with lower expectations, I would’ve found myself enjoying this book more.

The worldbuilding in Book of Night is truly fascinating; I was really intrigued by the concept of “shadows” as they exist in that world, and how one can be separated by their shadow. In a way, it reminded me a little bit of Peter Pan, when Peter is looking for his shadow. That being said, it was hard for me to get invested in the world of Book of Night. Again, this is my first Holly Black novel, and so I’m not sure if this is just how she writes, but there was a lot of product placement. Every pop culture reference — and I mean every; there were copious amounts of them — took me out of the story. I really think that this book could’ve done without every mention of Crocs, Sephora, etc. etc. etc. A few mentions here and there would’ve been fine, but there were just so many. I was already having a hard time getting a grasp of the world and how shadows work, I didn’t need the distractions of product placement too. I don’t think I fully understood worldbuilding until I was well over halfway done with the book, and even now, I can’t explain what the shadows do, or their roles.

I didn’t particularly enjoy the characters either; I found Charlie to be very reminiscent of 2014-era YA girlboss heroines — although this time, Book of Night is an adult novel, not YA. I didn’t find her particularly likable, nor did I particularly dislike her, which really just sums up my feelings about this book — I was left feeling pretty indifferent about it. I admired her desire to keep those she loved safe, and her drive, but that was pretty much it. There were a lot of side characters introduced, and after a while, I struggled to differentiate between all of them.

Book of Night really just seemed to drag on; I was tempted to DNF it several times, but I was intrigued by the plot and desperately wanted to finish it just to see what happened. While I don’t think Black’s writing worked with me in many ways, I will say that the imagery in Book of Night is spectacular. I could so easily visualize the events of Book of Night, and would love to see it adapted as a film. I think it’d do spectacularly! There were many quotes that I did highlight, and something that I said was “I think the tumblrinas will eat this book up”.

Regardless of my complaints and disappointments, I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns that Book of Night contained. I’m unsure if Book of Night is a standalone, or a sequel, because the way Book of Night ends seems to set it up for a sequel. If there is a sequel, I’ll probably pick it up and reassess my opinions on Book of Night. I don’t doubt that many readers will love Book of Night, but it simply was a miss for me.

I adore Holly Black - she's one of my favorite authors, ever - but I was left a bit wanting with this title. I had high hopes for her first foray into adult fiction, but, to be honest, it didn't really *feel* like adult fiction. Sure, it was violent and bloody with some sexual content, but honestly not much more than her YA novels.

Beyond that, "Book of Night" takes place in an interesting, intriguing, and thoroughly confusing world. Perhaps I read too quickly, but I still don't think I completely understand how the shadows work, and what their purpose is. This most of all prevented me from really connecting with the story and the characters.

Overall, I"m glad I read it and will continue to buy and read anything Holly Black writes... but I think I'll go reread "The Cruel Prince" now.

Charlie is a con artist. This wasn’t a choice she consciously made; it was thrust upon her through a series of events outside her control. She lives her life as a bartender and tries to stay away from the not-so-secret world of shadow trading. That is until someone from her past returns and Charlie’s life begins to crumble around her. Charlie needs to unravel the secrets she has been ignoring, but who can she trust? Will Charlie lose a part of herself along the way?

Book of Night is a stand-alone fantasy series that was interesting yet familiar. Black has created a brand new world of shadows and the people who can control them, yet the concept was not hard to understand and the events flowed smoothly. This is Black’s first adult fantasy book and thankfully it was not full of sex and violence. That isn’t saying there wasn’t anything risqué, but I can easily recommend this to my high school students and not worry about the content. Book of Night is a must-read for all fantasy fans.

I’ve been a Holly Black fan for almost 20 years, and I was so excited to learn that she planned to write a book for adult audiences. Going into The Book of Night feels very reminiscent of Black’s YA fantasy work, but with a darker, grittier edge. Black has substituted faeries with shadows and fanciful teen heroines with their older and more unscrupulous sister. Charlie Hall is a simultaneously reprehensible and relatable protagonist, and it was fun to watch her develop through the mystery of the story. I was genuinely surprised by many of the twists and turns of this book; Black did a great job with the pace of the story and the gradual unraveling of the mystery. At the same time, the larger world-building and magic structure for this book universe felt a little shaky and uneven to me. In comparison to something like Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House, there is something about the magic in The Book of Night that doesn’t feel wholly coherent to me. Without revealing any spoilers, the ending was also unsatisfying to me. This is a stand-alone to the best of my knowledge, but I would definitely read a sequel if there were one, if for nothing else but to get more clarity about the shadow world and where the characters in it wind up.

Initially, I was so incredibly excited when I saw Holly Black was releasing an adult novel. While I haven't read everything by her, I was very entertained by the Folk of the Air series (Book One is The Cruel Prince ). I wasn't expecting Book of Night to be the same, but I think I was expecting a little of that intrigue and spice to it.

I struggled with this book so much. The narrative was excruciatingly flat. It came off as monotone in writing. There was very little personality with any of the characters and I had a terrible time trying to connect with anyone. That disconnect made me less than eager to continue reading the book. I found myself making excuses to do other things (like chores!) instead of picking this up to read.

The shadow magic was interesting but it still felt vague and I had a hard time fully understanding what was going on with it.

I think if this book had a little more editing time, and maybe if the editor pushed the author a little harder, this could have been an engrossing novel. Unfortunately, it hit the mark as is and a twist ending just isn't enough to make up for what it was lacking. (I will say, if there is an especially vibrant narrator for the audiobook, I might try it again that way if there's a book two. Maybe)

I have been a long time fan of Hollys. From the Spiderwick Chronicles to her Folk of the Air trilogy and a few in between..it's safe to say I have been anxiously anticipating her debut into adult fantasy!

Book of Night is a dark urban fantasy full of shadowy places, strange magic and lost people. I was really excited by the concept of shadows as a magic system and how they can be manipulated, transformed and take on a life of their own. It almost comes off as a twisted Peter Pan....a shadow that follows you around but is more sinister than you thought it to be. Charlie is a con artist who isn't easy to love at first because she's pretty self loathing, self medicating and not really happy with how life has turned out.

I feel like this is either going to be a book you love or one you just don't connect with. And I just have a lot of mixed feelings about it. I think was was tricky for me is that as a reader right at the start you're kind of just thrown into the world...so it can come off as quite choppy and confusing at first and it felt like it took me too long to figure out where it was going. There was just a disconnect between me and the characters as well...I wanted to care, and by the end I did more...but I just wanted to feel that so much earlier on.

I will say the ending had a twist that I did not see coming (to those who did, congrats to your IQ) but I think that made a lot more things make sense and was a smart choice on Blacks part. It is open ended and i'm having a hard time thinking this is not a first book in a series.

3.5 stars (i'm curious enough to read a second book)

*mentions for strong language, violence, drug use (though all of these are not graphic in nature besides the violence), closed door romance but sex is implied.

✨ Book of Night ARC Review ✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Shadows, magic, modern day, dark, slight mystery, TW ‼️
Release May 3rd!!

This was such an interesting book. I had to pick it up and put it down a few times over this last month so it didn’t read as smoothly as I would have liked. However, overall I really enjoyed the story.

This story focuses on shadow magic. Some people have shadows that can posses magic. You can feed your shadow and do crazy things that can also turn into something terribly wrong & give your shadow too much power. This was my first book with this kind of magic system so it’s still something I’m fully trying to understand.

This is NOT like The Cruel Prince. So don’t read it thinking that’s what you’ll get. This book is DARK. Never did I feel necessarily “happy” during this book, however, I was constantly intrigued. I think about half way it picks up and starts to unravel the mystery that the book literally starts out with.

I will say, I did predict one of the big twists but it wasn’t as disappointing as I thought it would be! BUT THE ENDING. Ugh @blackholly you’re KILLING me with the ending and not do a book two 🥲 I totally get it and can appreciate it in a sense but dang I’d love more I won’t lie!

I felt Charlie was likable in the sense of how she constantly feels like a failure. Not good enough. Bound to mess up eventually. I can understand that. It took a while for me to understand any of the characters at a deeper level but once I got to the end I will say I felt it served.

Really grateful for @netgalley for letting me read this ARC prior to launch!!

This is two stars for me - just okay. I see the potential but it did not grab me. Holly Black is one of my favorite OG authors back from her Tithe days, but this book didn’t click with me. I liked the new magic world but it was confusing to follow. I’m not a big fan of alternating chapters from the past and present, but I appreciated learning about the main characters background and what made her tick. I think the foreshadowing (pun intended) was a bit heavy handed. I’m not one of those people who likes to guess what’s going to happen or try to figure it out. I like the ride, I like being surprised. So for me to be able to guess the big twist was a bit disappointing. Also, it took me awhile to finish this book - it felt more like a chore to finish. I didn’t really care about the characters. If there is a second book I will give it a try because I love Ms. Black, but this one was a miss for me.

Wow. Holly Black created a whole new, dark world for me, and I was sucked right in. I am absolutely fascinated by the shadow magic described here, and I'm so glad this book will be out soon. It's sure to be a huge hit for fantasy lovers! I'm so glad Holly Black has decided to venture into books for adults. I'll be first in line for her next.

What a fascinatingly unique world Black has built in “Book of Night”.
The start of the book was slow and a bit lacking in information, so I kept having to go back and reread passages to make sense of what was transpiring or how the information fit into the world that was being built. That said, the characters really drove the story from the beginning. Charlie, a con-artist trying to do better in life and her boyfriend Vince, who is a bit of an enigma without a shadow, both draw you in, wanting to know more and understand them and the world around them better.

This book is full of intrigue and thrill as you get into the thick of it with Charlie racing against time. The pace really picks up about 1/3 of the way in and I couldn’t put it down. I loved all the twists and turns and really enjoyed Black’s writing style.

This books is absolutely worth a read!