Thank you to Macmillan/Tor for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. In the spirit of full transparency, I did not finish this book. I don't blame the book, it was just that I picked it up during a time when things in my life were a bit difficult, and I just had a really hard time getting into it. However, I did find the whole concept super interesting, and I will definitely be giving this book another try when I am in a better place for it.

#netgalley #ARC
Sex is mentioned but happens off-page. A little foul language, but not excessive. The reading level seemed low to me. Would recommend for ages 13-16.

This new fantasy series by Holly Black plays on her best qualities as a writer, which is leaning into the darker side of fairytales. An urban fantasy novel, set in either modern-day, near-future, or similar-but-alternate universe and explores shadow magic. In this stylistically drab world, gloamist are magicians who use shadow magic, that is a shadow that has been "quickened", a shadow that is full of magic... a shadow who feeds off the blood of its person and is made up of everything that person wants to be rid of... all the things they hate about themselves.

Enter Charlie Hall, our slightly damaged heroine. She has a past that has led her to a life that she's not proud of, but is ok with. It's her life. She's a thief and part-time bartender. But being a thief is dangerous, especially when you work for gloamists who are especially territorial with their secrets. Slowly Charlie is pulled into a plot that involves murder, secrets, mayhem, and the man who put Charlie on the path that she's on today. Will she discover what ties everything together before it buries her?

Holly Black's new book is ambitious and a little rough around the edges. I think that she had a clear idea of this new world that she wanted to share with readers, but failed to bring that world to life. It's disappointing given the vibrant world-building she's done in her other books. I found myself often confused about the nature of the magic, the world, and ultimately the characters. She also side-lined the best character for a big chunk of the book. Combine that with chapters that randomly happened in the past, and not the main character it all felt a little mish-mashed. I was frustrated because the whole book is working toward this big reveal/twist that happens at the end of the book, but it was very apparent early on in the book what the twist was going to be.

I am probably being unfair as I am unable to separate this book from her other writing. She does some really great things with this book and its concept, but for me, she was unable to really draw me into it as a reader.

I love Holly Black and all of her YA novels, and I was so excited for her first adult foray.

Admittedly, I'm still reeling from this book. I tried to explain the premise of this book to someone else and struggled with how to explain almost every part of it. That's not a great omen if I can't make an elevator pitch for a book.

I really struggled to get into it and the flashbacks to Charlie and Vince's past were not engaging until the present day came into greater focus. I really think I would have DNFed this if it had been any other author. I glazed over the explanation of the shadow magic and felt that the actual fantasy was a weak link in the novel.

That being said, once I hit the halfway mark, the book did become more interesting and engaging. I did enjoy the plot around the missing book and the search for it. The twist at the end was entirely predictable and I'm not sure I would read another book in this world.

I really, really wanted to like it. I'm not even sure how to rate this book because of the unevenness of the pace and difficulty I have engaging with the world. I'm so disappointed.

I went back and forth on my feelings for this book for a few days after finishing it. I still haven't made a full decision.

At first I wasn't into the main character, and the pacing felt off. My interest didn't really peak in this book until we got a closer look at Vince and his secrets (oh Vince, I will give you all the hugs). I was really intrigued after that, even with a few plot things bothering me. A world where you can control your shadow and gain powers through? Okay Peter Pan!

I didn't connect with the MC, but I do think Posey is the real MVP. Can I have her story now?

I was intrigued by this world Holly created. If this is a stand alone, I feel the world building itself needed more. You can't tell me about all these cool things and not give me more! Also, that ending.. no. Just no. If this is the beginning to a series, then I'll happily read the next book and re-evaluate my rating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing the ARC.

As a huge fan of Holly Black's Folk of the Air books, I was both excited and skeptical about her foray into adult fiction. Now all I have to ask is how can she keep writing books like Book of Night forever.

This book is something else. Charlie is a fantastic character. She's super flawed and kind of a bad person, but you can't help but love her. Vince is an enigma. For as many secrets as Charlie has, Vince has twice as many and as the story unfurled, I was taken on Charlie's journey as she not only pieces together the mystery in the book, but also who her boyfriend was before she met him.

What a story, though. As someone who prides themselves on figuring things out way ahead of time, there are a lot of twists and turns that I did not expect. The way that Black carefully lays out the clues so as to set the tone and leave a trail for the reader to follow, they're not obvious until the very end where everything is pieced together. It is full of intrigue and mystery, and even though the first 25-30% kind of dragged a bit, the story really picks up and you can't help but get sucked in.

Excellent, excellent book.

I desperately wish I could rate this higher, as I absolutely ADORE the Folk of the Air series. Admittedly the book is by no means bad, but its pacing is a bit inscrutable. It feels as though over half the book is told in interwoven childhood flashbacks. Holly Black is a good enough writer that these flashbacks remain engaging long after other books might have made me throw in the towel, but even I have a threshold. I don’t know how long a series she plans on this being, if it is larger than a trilogy it would make the pacing seem a bit more excusable. I am still engaged enough that I will likely still pick up a sequel, just not enough to truly love this book in its own right.

Book of Night felt like a tribute to Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo with a magical twist.
This is my first Holly Black book ever and consider me impressed.

This is dark, gritty and Charlie Hall is the kick ass unapologetic anti-hero of my dreams.

You absolutely need to pick this up asap

Did not finish, got about half way through and just couldn't. I wanted to like Charlie so much because she was crafty and smart but her generalized bad attitude just ate at me. Also, the plot twists felt a little predictable.

I have to be honest-- this was a little difficult to get through. Though I appreciated our scrappy heroine Charlie, the story was slow to build up. It also tackles difficult issues such as child abuse and depression, and it does not shy away from depictions of violence. However, this is Ms Black's first foray into writing an adult fantasy, and there are definitely aspects that were well done. Though I personally didn't enjoy it, I still think it's a worthy addition to our library.

This is a story about shadows.

I was uncertain what I was going to rate this through most of this book… and having finished it, I took a couple days to let it set in before deciding. I think it was a beautifully written story, with a compelling protagonist & a solid ending… but the detached writing style left me feeling disconnected from the events. I thought the magic system was interesting, but didn’t feel like I have enough of a grasp on it to understand the limitations- so I’m curious to see how the next one dives more into it!

Thank you so much Netgalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Books for the eArc!!

Holly Black’s stand-alone entry into adult fiction is an excellent addition to the Dark Academia subgenre! Part whodunit, part heist book, and part web shadow politics (in both senses of the word), Book of Night rips along right from the start. Black’s gritty realism, which has one her so many fans in the realms of young adult fantasy, brings her improbable world of shadow magic and thievery to sweaty, booze-scented, broken down car rattling life. One of the things I’ve always admired about Black since I first started reading her books fifteen years ago are her working class leads. Charlie worries about bills, works multiple jobs, and does her own dishes (sometimes), even while dodging hell from wealthy, malevolent gloamists looking to exploit her skills. She’s scrappy and fierce and messy, and I was sucked into her inner world as much as I was sucked into the fast-paced plot. I would happily read another adult novel (or ten!) from Holly Black.

I am a huge fan of Holly Black and was through the moon excited to see a new book coming from her. It was such a pleasant surprise to read. Once I started reading, I was immediately caught up in this amazing new grungy and mysterious world with all these wonderful new characters. Holly Black is a master of her craft, no doubts there.
Full review to come on YouTube.

I have never read a Holly Black book and I'm not really one for fantasy, so I went into this book with low expectations of it working for me. I loved every second of it. Do I think I fully understood the magic system (something about shadows? and blood? and trauma?)? No. Did I have a great time? Yes.

There are aspects of this story that don't really feel - ahem - fleshed out to me, which makes me feel like this is the start of a series even if there's nothing to really confirm that. If it is, it's a 5 star read for sure. If it's a standalone, it's a 3.5 I'm rounding up to 4.

I started this book completely blind. I was sure I would absolutely love whatever Holly has written. I can say, I loved most. There were definitely times I was lost, or honestly just not into it. But then something would happen and I could not stop reading. But then, I would get bored again. All in all, it was a good read and I loved the unexpected ending.

I really enjoy her other books, so I was excited for this book. I liked the world building and characters she created here. I will recommend this book to others and I hope she writes more adult books.

I wasnt sure what to expect when I first picked it up. The only thing that I cared about was that Holly Black wrote it. and even though it was not at all what I expected, I was not disappointed.
This book does get a little dark and it does travel down paths of child abuse, violence and depression, among others. But in my opinion it was all handled very well. The characters and their struggles are believable, the monsters are monstrous and the mystery is excellent.

Book of Night reads like an urban fantasy-mystery noir. It was very good. The story was so fascinating. I was hooked from the first chapter. It keep me on my toes the entire time. All of the characters were super fascinating and such gray area characters. You're not sure if you should root them or condemn them. It only adds to mystery aspect of this story. The magic...the magic is not super in your face, but it is grimy, dark, and always just lurking under the surface. This books gives off Ninth House and V.E. Schwab vibes. What a magnificent roller coaster of seedy shadow magic.

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 can't wait for the sequels!

I love the uptick of y/a authors crossing into adult fantasy, ESPECIALLY when they go dark (Leigh Bardugo for example). Not only does Holly Black give you a magically creepy world to dig into but she also gives a heroine who isn't just a copy of every other leading woman. I absolutely fell in love with Charlie and her entire vibe along with everyone else. The world building of this shadow conscious reality was incredibly intriguing, I almost wish there had been more background and depth on everything. As I neared the end of the book my leg was bouncing and by the time I finished I had to get up and do laps around my living room I was so amped and DYING for more. Please give us more, Holly. I am whole heartedly obsessed with these characters and find myself considering the shadows I see much more than before. And to me, that's the mark of a great story.

Loved this first adult book from Holly Black! The magic system was unique, the depictions of life on the edge of poverty visceral and real, and the dark and twisty plot kept me guessing all the way through.