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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thief of Night -The Charlatan Duology #2 by Holly Black
Audiobook narrated by Sara Amini, Jonathan Davis, and Vikas Adam
Pub Date: September 23rd 2025
Continued from Holly's first adult debut, Book of Night, this is a contemporary dark fantasy set in Massachusetts, following several shady thieves, secret societies, upper-class entitlement, and what people are willing to do to gain more power.
A little recap of the premise in this story, as it's been a few years since book one was published. Charlie Hall is a talented grifter, a known master thief, a con artist, and an accomplished liar. She lives in a world where your shadows aren't just a dark cast in certain light. They move on their own, you can command them to do things for you, and if you increase their power, they can do unspeakable things for you. The cost to increase their power and better connect to their host (you) is that they need to be fed—your blood. If you are not careful, it can drain your life. You can use your shadow to hold your pain, fear, and sadness, leaving you with fewer burdens on your shoulders. But what if your shadow can be disconnected from you and live its own life?
She continues to get by doing odd jobs for her patrons and taking advantage of the rich people living nearby, but now she has a big problem. Vince, the young man she fell in love with, not only lied about his identity, but he also lied about what he was, and now the organization that oversees the coming and going of shadows forced her hand to make a desperate move in order to keep him safe. Tie him to her and do their bidding. The issue is that when they do it, it removes all his memories of their time together, and she is a complete stranger to him, and he does not like his new human connection. Charlie is desperate to free Vince from the shackles put on him that turned him into Red, the shadow who only remembers Remi and that life, and nothing of his time with Charlie as Vince. She is also trying to keep Remi's cousin from taking advantage of him like she did when he was connected to her cousin, as she used him as her personal plaything, and he despised her and what she did to him and made him do with her. She dives headfirst into a world of devious billionaires, untrustworthy shadow thieves, and deals with her own sister, who is also desperate to control the magic of the shadows and become the most powerful.
Ring around the gloom
Pockets full of moons
Shadows, shadows
We all fall into doom
What to expect from this concluded story:
Strong and skilled FMC
Memory Loss
Manipulation
Back stabbing
Secrets revealed
Rich elite power plays
Dangerous jobs
Return of an abusive ex
Touch her and die
I will do anything for you
Entitled heiress
Murder
Some descriptive Spice, but not excessive
I loved the conclusion of this story and how the FMC and MMC worked together, and the gradual trust they got back from each other. The conclusion was satisfying, and I'm sure they will have an interesting future ahead. I am curious if Holly will revisit that world because there are still shady people afoot, and I think Charlie and Red would still have some wild adventures together.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audi,o for the advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
(No spoilers for this book, but I assume anyone reading this has read Book of Night first.)
Such a fantastic finish to Charlie's story!! I loved the expansion of shadow magic and shadow theory, and the crazy ups and downs.
As many do, I really enjoy watching (fictional) con artists who are skilled in their craft work. Charlie's skilled in ways, but also finds herself in so many situations that even the best con would struggle to deal with. Her resilience and "Oh, f me, not again... Fine, okay!" really was incredibly endearing. She's so very relatable -- a fairly regular person, stumbling and smooth talking, rolling with the (sometimes literal) punches, and just getting sh!t done.
Red is also a great morally gray character, and a really interesting character, fleshing out more of who he is and isn't, no longer having to pretend to be human. Is he a monster? How human is a shadow, or how human CAN they be? Especially as a blight (a sentient shadow disconnected from their original human). We figure it out alongside him and Charlie, as they both navigate a new, but vaguely familiar, chapter. There are a few glances into his POV, which really rounded him out even more as a character.
The dynamic shifting once again between Vince (now Red) and Charlie, really kept the story engaging. The heartbreak of the end of Book of Night shifting into a kind of acceptance at the beginning of this book felt natural (especially for poor Charlie), and the two having to reconcile the fact that there is history but Red doesn't remember any of it (and how much of "Vince" was actually real?).
The motley crew of supporting characters is as lively as ever. Balthazar, Odette, Posey, Malhar, Adeline, Fiona... Distinct characters who really work to flesh out the world. Nobody is entirely "good" here. The world is modern, but has a very film noir vibe, mixing poor and insanely wealthy together, with greed now having an extra layer when it comes to shadow magic. I just love the grit and darkness.
🙏🏼 <I>Thank you so much to Tor Books and Holly Black for the advanced copy. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is my own. </I>
Such a fantastic finish to Charlie's story!! I loved the expansion of shadow magic and shadow theory, and the crazy ups and downs.
As many do, I really enjoy watching (fictional) con artists who are skilled in their craft work. Charlie's skilled in ways, but also finds herself in so many situations that even the best con would struggle to deal with. Her resilience and "Oh, f me, not again... Fine, okay!" really was incredibly endearing. She's so very relatable -- a fairly regular person, stumbling and smooth talking, rolling with the (sometimes literal) punches, and just getting sh!t done.
Red is also a great morally gray character, and a really interesting character, fleshing out more of who he is and isn't, no longer having to pretend to be human. Is he a monster? How human is a shadow, or how human CAN they be? Especially as a blight (a sentient shadow disconnected from their original human). We figure it out alongside him and Charlie, as they both navigate a new, but vaguely familiar, chapter. There are a few glances into his POV, which really rounded him out even more as a character.
The dynamic shifting once again between Vince (now Red) and Charlie, really kept the story engaging. The heartbreak of the end of Book of Night shifting into a kind of acceptance at the beginning of this book felt natural (especially for poor Charlie), and the two having to reconcile the fact that there is history but Red doesn't remember any of it (and how much of "Vince" was actually real?).
The motley crew of supporting characters is as lively as ever. Balthazar, Odette, Posey, Malhar, Adeline, Fiona... Distinct characters who really work to flesh out the world. Nobody is entirely "good" here. The world is modern, but has a very film noir vibe, mixing poor and insanely wealthy together, with greed now having an extra layer when it comes to shadow magic. I just love the grit and darkness.
🙏🏼 <I>Thank you so much to Tor Books and Holly Black for the advanced copy. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is my own. </I>
5 ⭐ 1 🌶️ 5 🎧
I'm such a goner for these characters. The romance really ramped up in this story and it had me swooning so hard. It was twisted, but sweet and I loved them to pieces.
This was quite the adventure as Charlie works to free Red and find peace for them both. We had a couple surprises along the way that I really enjoyed. This second and final installment wasn't quite as creepy as the first, but it still had horror vibes I loved.
The ending was absolutely perfect. I definitely need more New Adult Holly Black in my life!!
The audio was great. I really loved Jonathan Davis, Sara Amini and Vikas Adam. They all did a wonderful job with the narration and I loved that they brought in the two guys for the interview POVs. Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the advanced listen, I loved it!
I'm such a goner for these characters. The romance really ramped up in this story and it had me swooning so hard. It was twisted, but sweet and I loved them to pieces.
This was quite the adventure as Charlie works to free Red and find peace for them both. We had a couple surprises along the way that I really enjoyed. This second and final installment wasn't quite as creepy as the first, but it still had horror vibes I loved.
The ending was absolutely perfect. I definitely need more New Adult Holly Black in my life!!
The audio was great. I really loved Jonathan Davis, Sara Amini and Vikas Adam. They all did a wonderful job with the narration and I loved that they brought in the two guys for the interview POVs. Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the advanced listen, I loved it!
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Charlie Hall is such a fascinating character. FRTK
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
Holly Black is brilliant. This book was fantastic and kept me anxious and guessing the whole way through. I found the ending very satisfying. Charlie's dynamic with Red is delightful and fascinating. I loved getting to see their relationship grow as Charlie came to terms with who and what Red really is. It was all just so so good. I basically didn't interact with anyone the entire time I was reading it because I could not put it down or look away. I really appreciated the attention the story pays to Charlie's relationship with her sister and mom. There was so much resentment there, so it was rewarding to see the family finally acknowledge and begin to heal from their past traumas.
Also, Adeline is the freaking worst and you cannot tell me she does not remind you of Rebekah from the Vampire Diaries/the Originals. She's exactly who I picture, down to every mannerism.
My below synopsis has some spoilers from Book of Night, so please be wary if you haven't read it yet.
Charlie and Red take on their new role as the Hierophant on very rocky ground. Red has no memories of Charlie and his time as Vince and wants nothing to do with Charlie. Charlie is completely untrained to be killing blights and is finally realizing just how much trouble she's gotten herself into. Salt may be dead, but Adeline is relentless in her pursuit of Red. Posey is embracing her new reality with her awakened shadow (or, rather, Charlie's shadow) and Charlie's abusive ex-boyfriend is out of prison. The whole dynamic is stressful and Charlie is kind of folding into herself, breaking under the pressures. To add to it all, the cabal has a new head of the puppeteers, a creepy asshole who threatens Charlie and forces her to accept a new mission: find out who massacred a group of people at a church and make sure it doesn't hurt the reputation of the cabal, If she succeeds, he promises to get Red released from under the thumb of the cabal. If she fails, he promises to make her life worse than hell. In order to solve the mystery, Charlie needs to find herself again. She's full of fears, doubts, and mistrust as she and Red learn to work together and dance around the tension between them. They uncover dark secrets about cabal leadership and work to stop the next possible massacre while also being targeted by the murderer. In order to save herself and the people she loves, Charlie has to re-embrace her inner conwoman and learn that she doesn't have to do everything alone all the time. It goes against her every instinct; trusting others can be scary, but sometimes it is the only way to make it out alive.
Holly Black is brilliant. This book was fantastic and kept me anxious and guessing the whole way through. I found the ending very satisfying. Charlie's dynamic with Red is delightful and fascinating. I loved getting to see their relationship grow as Charlie came to terms with who and what Red really is. It was all just so so good. I basically didn't interact with anyone the entire time I was reading it because I could not put it down or look away. I really appreciated the attention the story pays to Charlie's relationship with her sister and mom. There was so much resentment there, so it was rewarding to see the family finally acknowledge and begin to heal from their past traumas.
Also, Adeline is the freaking worst and you cannot tell me she does not remind you of Rebekah from the Vampire Diaries/the Originals. She's exactly who I picture, down to every mannerism.
My below synopsis has some spoilers from Book of Night, so please be wary if you haven't read it yet.
Charlie and Red take on their new role as the Hierophant on very rocky ground. Red has no memories of Charlie and his time as Vince and wants nothing to do with Charlie. Charlie is completely untrained to be killing blights and is finally realizing just how much trouble she's gotten herself into. Salt may be dead, but Adeline is relentless in her pursuit of Red. Posey is embracing her new reality with her awakened shadow (or, rather, Charlie's shadow) and Charlie's abusive ex-boyfriend is out of prison. The whole dynamic is stressful and Charlie is kind of folding into herself, breaking under the pressures. To add to it all, the cabal has a new head of the puppeteers, a creepy asshole who threatens Charlie and forces her to accept a new mission: find out who massacred a group of people at a church and make sure it doesn't hurt the reputation of the cabal, If she succeeds, he promises to get Red released from under the thumb of the cabal. If she fails, he promises to make her life worse than hell. In order to solve the mystery, Charlie needs to find herself again. She's full of fears, doubts, and mistrust as she and Red learn to work together and dance around the tension between them. They uncover dark secrets about cabal leadership and work to stop the next possible massacre while also being targeted by the murderer. In order to save herself and the people she loves, Charlie has to re-embrace her inner conwoman and learn that she doesn't have to do everything alone all the time. It goes against her every instinct; trusting others can be scary, but sometimes it is the only way to make it out alive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Classism
medium-paced
I will say upfront, I am a sucker for a FMC with backbone and spunk and I almost always fawn over the books I read that have these characters because unfortunately we don't see them often enough. And Charlie is the epitome of a character with spunk and a whole lot of fight. She will destroy everything around her with the same things you try to destroy her with. Blackmail, pfft hold my cup I'll do it for you. Charlie and Red are facing their new lives and trying to find balance with Red/notVince while solving murders being caused by the newest plight. All the while super secret society people are being shady and trying to threaten her and Red's dynamic. When a blast from the past appears Charlie knows something even more is amiss. I love this story, I love her personality, I love a character who couldn't see the good in anything because of their history realizing there actually is still some genuine people its just not who you expected it to come from. I'm thankful for Netgalley allowing me to ARC read this because I have been stalking this authors page waiting for this book to get released and I wasn't disappointed at all. Even the narrator did a fantastic job with displaying the emotions the characters felt internally and giving them life.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's impossible to review this book without spoilers for Book of Night.
For those who thought the pacing of the first book was slower, I think you'll enjoy that this one moves a little more briskly. It provides a satisfying conclusion to the mystery of the shadows, and dives deeper into the worldbuilding established in the first book.
Like Book of Night, this has the feeling of Dark Academia without actually taking place on a college campus. The academic nature of inquiry around the magic system and the Pioneer Valley/Five Colleges setting fuels that.
I listened to the audiobook, which has three narrators which enhances the structural changes Holly Black made to this book from the first. I recommend the audio for pacing reasons for both books 1 and 2.
Thank you to MacMillan Audio for an ALC and Tor for an eARC. Thief of Night is out 9/23/25.
For those who thought the pacing of the first book was slower, I think you'll enjoy that this one moves a little more briskly. It provides a satisfying conclusion to the mystery of the shadows, and dives deeper into the worldbuilding established in the first book.
Like Book of Night, this has the feeling of Dark Academia without actually taking place on a college campus. The academic nature of inquiry around the magic system and the Pioneer Valley/Five Colleges setting fuels that.
I listened to the audiobook, which has three narrators which enhances the structural changes Holly Black made to this book from the first. I recommend the audio for pacing reasons for both books 1 and 2.
Thank you to MacMillan Audio for an ALC and Tor for an eARC. Thief of Night is out 9/23/25.
Jumped in without refreshing my memory on Book of Night (which I read back in 2022, so it had been a while) but I felt like I was dropped immediately back into the story. I loved so many aspects of this – just the right blend of bittersweet, all-consuming yearning for a situation that wasn't real, but felt real to you, and action that kept me turning the page (figuratively, this was an audiobook). I'm thinking I need a reread of the two books together because I don't feel ready to leave Charlie and Red behind.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
I love Charlie and her dark-ass shadow hijinks. She’s got a shadow boyfriend and she’s fighting a shadowy mob boss and listen I don’t even remember how the last one ended but I don’t care, this book was great and I’ll read the next one too.
This one starts right where Book of Night leaves off. I can't give away too much since this is the sequel but Charlie and Vince still can't be together due to their circumstances, but they are still bound together in a way. There are still blights to fight and Charlie is always in trouble making deals with devils. She is still wanting to save Vince not matter the cost. Once I made it halfway I did not want to put it down but overall it was fine. I like more romance in my books which is not this one. I wanted a little more from the ending with Vince and Charlie's relationship, but I was surprised by the very last page. That was great!
-Vince had been the kind of person you were supposed to grow old and comfortable with. Red was a monster. You didn't grow old with a monster. You set the world on fire together and burned up in the blaze.
-Your ex-boyfriend is planning your murder with an accomplice, she admitted to herself. Really, you're the only person this could happen to twice.
-"The best thing about not being a child is that no one can make you do anything you don't want to do."
-Vince had been the kind of person you were supposed to grow old and comfortable with. Red was a monster. You didn't grow old with a monster. You set the world on fire together and burned up in the blaze.
-Your ex-boyfriend is planning your murder with an accomplice, she admitted to herself. Really, you're the only person this could happen to twice.
-"The best thing about not being a child is that no one can make you do anything you don't want to do."