Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Picking back up on Charlie and Vince/Reds story was exciting. I really enjoyed following along with how Charlie managed to have a relationship with the shadow tethered to her, that forgot about their past together. I was definitely shocked with some of the twist in this book. Overall loved the story and how it ended.
Charlie was a liar and a con artist. Red was a Shadow, her ex-boyfriend who wasn’t really, and bound to her. Oh, and he needs her blood to thrive.
I was never addicted or felt drawn to this book, but when I was reading it, it was a good time.
Holly Black knows how to write character development which is apparent even in this short duology. The biggest skill is fleshing out even the side characters so we see them grow too.
<b>No, Charlie wanted to insist. People only love you if you make it worth their while. No one loves you once they see your weaknesses. No one loves your flaws. No one loves your ugly, broken parts. No one loves you and expecte nothing more than your love in return.
</b>
This was perfectly wrapped up in terms of character arcs and I felt mostly satisfied by how the story ended.
I can’t say I completely understand how Blights work or the different aspects of ‘magic’, but I do love how Holly incorporated it all into our current reality.
There’s TikTok gurus, conspiracies, people trying to apply theology and philosophy to it.
I do wonder about the New Adult… it feels similar to The Cruel Prince in terms of content and tone except for the steamier scenes.
Physical arc gifted by Del Rey.
I was never addicted or felt drawn to this book, but when I was reading it, it was a good time.
Holly Black knows how to write character development which is apparent even in this short duology. The biggest skill is fleshing out even the side characters so we see them grow too.
<b>No, Charlie wanted to insist. People only love you if you make it worth their while. No one loves you once they see your weaknesses. No one loves your flaws. No one loves your ugly, broken parts. No one loves you and expecte nothing more than your love in return.
</b>
This was perfectly wrapped up in terms of character arcs and I felt mostly satisfied by how the story ended.
I can’t say I completely understand how Blights work or the different aspects of ‘magic’, but I do love how Holly incorporated it all into our current reality.
There’s TikTok gurus, conspiracies, people trying to apply theology and philosophy to it.
I do wonder about the New Adult… it feels similar to The Cruel Prince in terms of content and tone except for the steamier scenes.
Physical arc gifted by Del Rey.
fast-paced
I absolutely loved this book. It was everything I wanted and so much more, ever since I read Book of Night in 2022, I have been craving the sequel and to see what happened next and it didn't disappoint.
With the way the first book ended it's very hard to give a detailed review without spoilers so what I can say is from the very start it picks up where Book of Night ended and I knew that I wouldn't be able to put it down, it was fast paced and full of non stop action. The story had moments of sweet and dark and full of emotions throughout and it's a story that will stay with you long after you finish.
Charlie is still one of my favourite characters, she is vulnerable and insecure which just makes her so relatable to me and also just so funny.I was just wanting her to finally get her happy ending.
This was the perfect conclusion to what will always be one of my favourites.
With the way the first book ended it's very hard to give a detailed review without spoilers so what I can say is from the very start it picks up where Book of Night ended and I knew that I wouldn't be able to put it down, it was fast paced and full of non stop action. The story had moments of sweet and dark and full of emotions throughout and it's a story that will stay with you long after you finish.
Charlie is still one of my favourite characters, she is vulnerable and insecure which just makes her so relatable to me and also just so funny.I was just wanting her to finally get her happy ending.
This was the perfect conclusion to what will always be one of my favourites.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Yes
Charlotte is back again, and she is diving headfirst into self-destruction all in the name of saving the ones she loves. Her dangerous lifestyle has gotten too close to home and even closer to her past. When her world begins to fall, she must face the fact that she has been outplayed, backed into a corner, and now all that’s left to do is play into their hand. She is beaten down, but you would be a foul to think she doesn’t still have some fight in her.
Charlotte is flawed in the sense that for much of her life she has only been given attention when she was doing something most would consider to be wrong. Stealing, coning, lying, playing pretend, she can turn herself into whatever person you want her to be if it means getting what she wants. All she’d ever really wanted was to be seen, and to be loved. Which is something I think many of us can relate to. This book also captures perfectly how manipulative relationships feed into that desire to be wanted. And that love, and kindness can be used to aid in manipulation. It also captures perfectly how that very manipulation, fueled by that desire to be seen or loved, can make you do terrible things. Especially when you’re exposed to such things when you are young. It is so easy when you are younger to believe that there is good in everyone and everything. And monsters, real monsters, use that naivete to manipulate children.
Although this book does have aspects of magic and fantasy it all feels very real, the characters are relatable, the stakes feel realistic, and overall, the story feels very human. If I had to recommend a fantasy series to a person who doesn’t normally read fantasy it would be this one. It’s the perfect balance of realism and magic. Do not sleep on this series.
Thank you, TOR and Emily Honer, for the Physical ARC,
Sincerely Kristofer Parrott,
Bookseller and Manager at Book Hounds
I had such a great time reading this book, I didn't know where the story was going to go, but I had a heck of a time going along for the ride!
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I am 𝑜𝒷𝓈𝑒𝓈𝓈𝑒𝒹 with 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆 and 𝑹𝒆𝒅 and this whole duology. I loved 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 and I loved 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 even more.
This half of the duology picks up right from where book one left off and is a lot more fast-paced. You can just feel the slow burn tension between Charlie and Red developing throughout this part of the story. I loved how their relationship was built on who they are now that Red doesn't have his memories of Charlie from book one. They both have to figure out who Red is now, and whether or not they can be together.
I love Charlie so much -- she's so relatable. She is vulnerable and insecure, and sometimes doesn't know how or why someone would just 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆 to be with her. She's also really funny.
"𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰," 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺. "𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴."
She cares about other people, and she puts herself in harm's way to try to keep the people she cares about safe.
Red is such a fantastic character. His dry humour, the way he takes care of Charlie, the way he has to navigate who he is, and who Remy was. He's angry and frustrated, especially at the beginning, when he doesn't understand why Charlie isn't just forcing him to do what she wants. But as she continues not to command him, even when it causes her harm, Red starts to believe that maybe she really is different from all the other horrible people who have controlled him before.
Malhar (who is a character that I'm glad we got to know a bit better) sums up Red perfectly:
𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘩𝘢𝘳: 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺.
𝘙𝘦𝘥: 𝘖𝘩 𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘐 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.
Now, to go back to Charlie. I loved the way she thought about all the lying she's done. It gives us a lot of insight into her character and it's also an interesting way to think about why people lie.
𝘝𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘓𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺. 𝘜𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 -- 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴. 𝘓𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺.
I absolutely loved this duology and this is one that I will absolutely read again.
Thank you to Tor for this e-arc. I am so glad that I got the opportunity to read this duology and get to know Red and Charlie <3
This half of the duology picks up right from where book one left off and is a lot more fast-paced. You can just feel the slow burn tension between Charlie and Red developing throughout this part of the story. I loved how their relationship was built on who they are now that Red doesn't have his memories of Charlie from book one. They both have to figure out who Red is now, and whether or not they can be together.
I love Charlie so much -- she's so relatable. She is vulnerable and insecure, and sometimes doesn't know how or why someone would just 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆 to be with her. She's also really funny.
"𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰," 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺. "𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴."
She cares about other people, and she puts herself in harm's way to try to keep the people she cares about safe.
Red is such a fantastic character. His dry humour, the way he takes care of Charlie, the way he has to navigate who he is, and who Remy was. He's angry and frustrated, especially at the beginning, when he doesn't understand why Charlie isn't just forcing him to do what she wants. But as she continues not to command him, even when it causes her harm, Red starts to believe that maybe she really is different from all the other horrible people who have controlled him before.
Malhar (who is a character that I'm glad we got to know a bit better) sums up Red perfectly:
𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘩𝘢𝘳: 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺.
𝘙𝘦𝘥: 𝘖𝘩 𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘐 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.
Now, to go back to Charlie. I loved the way she thought about all the lying she's done. It gives us a lot of insight into her character and it's also an interesting way to think about why people lie.
𝘝𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘓𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺. 𝘜𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 -- 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴. 𝘓𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺.
I absolutely loved this duology and this is one that I will absolutely read again.
Thank you to Tor for this e-arc. I am so glad that I got the opportunity to read this duology and get to know Red and Charlie <3
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thief of Night the final book in the Charlatan Duology is here! We are back with Charlie Hall, Posey, and Vince. We pick up after the events of Book of Night. I do feel that these are pretty short books and for how short they are sometimes the pacing does get a little wonky. Even with that I still liked the story. I liked Red, Who is her new shadow. Holly’s writing still sucked me in and led me on a journey through her world that wouldn’t let go till the last page. If there is one thing that Charlie can find it is trouble.
Thank you to Tor for the complimentary copy all thoughts and opinions are my own..
Thank you to Tor for the complimentary copy all thoughts and opinions are my own..
A Dark, Gripping, and Satisfying Conclusion to the Book of Night Duology
This final installment is a powerful close to the Book of Night duology—equal to, if not better than, the first book. Picking up right where the story left off, it dives straight into the action, so if it’s been a while since you read Book 1, a re-read would be highly recommended for the best experience. That said, even readers who didn’t refresh their memory found the story compelling enough to piece things together and still enjoy it thoroughly.
The sequel brings even more action, deeper lore, and satisfying closure—especially after that intense cliffhanger. It’s a dark, gritty urban fantasy with heist vibes and a unique twist on familiar tropes. The love story is both twisted and sweet, and the emotional payoff is immense. Charlie, the flawed and fiercely relatable main character, truly shines in this book.
Fans of modern fantasy with an edge will find this duology unforgettable. The ending wraps things up neatly but leaves just enough room for the imagination to wander. Honestly, it’ll leave you wishing for a trilogy. If you haven’t started the Book of Night yet—consider this your sign.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC copy!
This final installment is a powerful close to the Book of Night duology—equal to, if not better than, the first book. Picking up right where the story left off, it dives straight into the action, so if it’s been a while since you read Book 1, a re-read would be highly recommended for the best experience. That said, even readers who didn’t refresh their memory found the story compelling enough to piece things together and still enjoy it thoroughly.
The sequel brings even more action, deeper lore, and satisfying closure—especially after that intense cliffhanger. It’s a dark, gritty urban fantasy with heist vibes and a unique twist on familiar tropes. The love story is both twisted and sweet, and the emotional payoff is immense. Charlie, the flawed and fiercely relatable main character, truly shines in this book.
Fans of modern fantasy with an edge will find this duology unforgettable. The ending wraps things up neatly but leaves just enough room for the imagination to wander. Honestly, it’ll leave you wishing for a trilogy. If you haven’t started the Book of Night yet—consider this your sign.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC copy!