Item: Book of Night
Rating: 3.00
Author: pamela

by Holly Black

'Dark, strange, thick with mystery and twists Book of Night is everything delicious and frightening I've come to expect from Holly Black.' Leigh Bardugo, Sunday Times bestselling author of Ninth House

'If Neil Gaiman channelled Stephen King, the result might be this book . . . scintillating prose, whiplash twists, and a voice of character that demands to be heard from again.' James Rollins, New York Times bestseller of The Starless Crown
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black makes her stunning adult debut with Book of Night, a modern dark fantasy of shadowy thieves and secret societies.

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.

Now, she's trying to distance herself from past mistakes, but going straight 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 her shadowless and possibly soulless boyfriend has been keeping secrets from her. When a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie descends back into a maelstrom of murder and lies. Determined to survive, she's up against a cast of doppelgängers, mercurial billionaires, gloamists, and the people she loves best in the world - all trying to steal a secret that will allow them control of the shadow world and more.

'Holly Black is a master of fantasy with the Midas touch -- there is no story she cannot turn to gold.' V.E. Schwab, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

'Superb, entangling magic and mystery around the gritty horrors of human nature, neglectful parenting and the scourge of severe income inequalities . . . Will have you frantically turning pages and finishing in less time than you thought possible. Everything you could want from a modern fantasy.' SFX

'A gripping ride from start to finish. Book of Night invites you to reckon with the shadows of your past.' Olivie Blake, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six

'A delicious, dark, adrenaline rush of a book. I'm already dying to see Charlie Hall's next con.' Alix E. Harrow, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Once and Future Witches

'Heart, soul, and a bit of kink -- Book of Night is smart, decadent fun.' Kelly Link, Pulitzer Prize Finalist

'A dark romp full of danger and shadows with a razor-sharp heroine and vivid magic.' Zoraida Córdova, bestselling author of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina

'A deliciously clever page-turner.' Paolo Bacigalupi, New York Times Bestselling author of The Water Knife

'Book of Night delivers hot sex, a breathless plot, perfect characters, and some of the most gorgeous writing I've read in years, sharp as a razor blade, clear as a one-way glass.' Ellen Kushner, award-winning author of Swordspoint

'Black is a master at world-building.' The New York Times

Book of Night was my first Holly Black book, and I wish it wasn't. I've heard great things about her YA novels, but this book just left me incredibly underwhelmed.

I loved the concept, and the urban fantasy/dark academia vibe, but the world-building, and character development were, unfortunately, pretty much non-existent. It made for a rather boring read overall. Book of Night is only 300 pages long, but it felt much longer.

The plot doesn't really get going until 100 pages in, at which point, I must admit it did pique my interest a little bit. But the ramped-up pacing didn't make up for the fact that the characters were two-dimensional, with a romance plot at the heart of the novel that never felt real. I barely got the feeling that Vince and Charlie were even friends, let alone in love, and without that central premise to anchor my belief in the plot, the whole thing just felt a little flat.

With a more developed magic system, any character development at all, and a deeper attempt at world-building, I could have seen Book of Night being a brilliant read. But ultimately, the experience just left me a little cold. There was no life, no soul to the novel which ultimately meant that, while it kept me interested enough to finish reading it, it is ultimately quite forgettable.

Reading updates

3 October, 2022: Started reading

3 October, 2022: on page 0 out of 320 0%

31 October, 2022: Finished reading

31 October, 2022: Reviewed