thayet's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Murder and Violence
Minor: Addiction and Death
craftykind's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Body horror and Blood
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Self harm, Addiction, Sexual content, and Gun violence
maregred's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Body horror, Injury/injury detail, Death, Murder, Blood, Alcohol, Gore, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Addiction, and Drug use
Minor: Incest, Sexual content, and Abandonment
mitrosec's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I am excited to see where she takes this character in future novels. I was genuinely shocked by the twist at the end. Another one of Holly’s strong suits is giving her readers little truths so that they think they have it all figured out, but at the right moment… she pulls the rug out and you are left speechless.
The new world Holly created in this book was hard to get used to at first. After a while I got used to it. This book got a 3.5 from me because I felt as though it was missing so much. Her relationship with her sister felt underdeveloped along with several other things i cannot place.
Graphic: Vomit
Moderate: Murder, Incest, Addiction, and Gore
Minor: Pedophilia and Torture
sauvageloup's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
pros:
- the magic!!! i haven't read a book (that i remember) with shadow magic in it and i loved the whole thing. the alterationists, quickened shadows, the way the magic became known to the general public through the internet, etc. all of it :D
- Charlie. She's such a mess but she never really means badly by it and I loved how there's the reveal at the end how's she's been holding herself back because she's been afraid of what happens when she really tries. Her nickname of the Charlatan, her past with Rand, her really grey morality but still being loyal and good at heart, as well as her proud sexuality and her relationship with Vince - she doesn't realise how much she likes him and they've kept so many secrets, and yet they're both totally dedicated to the other and i loved that :)
- all the other characters!! Vince was amazing
Spoiler
and I didn't guess at all that he was Edmund's shadow, which i should've really, but i'm so glad Charlie wasn't that fussed about itSpoiler
- the ending was bittersweet but in kind of a perfect way. I liked the possibility of Vince/Red getting his memory back and that Charlie wasn't gonna quit on him.- Salt was such a good villain too, and Charlie's horror story past of meeting him first was so well done and creepy, because she was so young and relatively defenseless then, but still managed to keep her wits. she's such a survivor :)
- i definitely felt the similarity between BoN and Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. There's no dark academia, but the main characters are both 'not on their first mistake, but maybe their last' (as Black put it), a bit older, survivors and smart but jaded and making bad mistakes. there were strong resonances in the magic too, even though it's entirely different, there's the same wild danger of it and not quite knowing how it actually works or how the magic arises/the shadow is quickened. And there was a similar complex, mystery-based plot where both had too many names and was a bit confusing. but i loved both books all the same, and that type of tired-but-fierce female MC who is holding onto life with her teeth is the best :))
cons:
- there's a lot of names. i definitely got lost. Malik and Mahir i muddled up, i forgot who Paul Ecco and Adam and a bunch of the others, as well as small clues like the magnet Charlie found. i did rush through a bit, but it was still pretty complicated
- i did also find that Charlie's chaos kind of spilled into the plot? so i got lost a bit about how much time this was all taking, and the clues/plots/twists and turns felt very haphazard, according to just when the thought showed up in Charlie's mind. it definitely felt organic, but maybe a bit too much so
Spoiler
- also i'm not quite sure what was hinted at with Vince and Adelaine? did she have a relationship with Red? or Vince? or did she hurt Red when Vince wasn't there? idkBut overall, adored it and can't wait for book 2 :D
Graphic: Vomit, Violence, Self harm, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Body horror, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death, and Cursing
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Drug abuse, Addiction, Death of parent, Incest, and Forced institutionalization
the self harm is only explicitly for finger pricks for blood, but there's a lot of bad, self-sabotaging decisionsnatashaleighton_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Alcohol, and Drug use
Minor: Addiction and Incest
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
------
Graphic: Blood, Alcohol, and Death
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, and Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Addiction
notteson's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Another excellent story by Holly Black! I really loved this book. The worldbuilding was wonderfully done, and the shadow-based magic is a refreshing twist on the fantasy genre, as I feel not many authors are not using this type as the basis of their magic.
For all of Charlie flaws (of which there are MANY), I couldn't help but like her. She made a lot of poor, impulsive decisions, but they were absolutely all in line with her character. The decision at the end being certainly one of them, and it was definitely one I did not see coming. It was unexpected and surprising, yet oddly satisfying because it's so different from the endings that we typically get from fantasy stories like this. It firmly concludes the story, but it leaves a small window of opportunity open for Black to potentially revisit this world, should she decide to write any sequels.
Graphic: Alcohol and Blood
Moderate: Gore, Self harm, and Sexual content
Minor: Addiction and Drug use