Reviews

Book of Night by Holly Black

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thevillainesswildcard's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

cissa12's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

lyakimov's review against another edition

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3.0

this is a lot to unpack…

i was excited to read this book because I love Holly Black but, damn, this book was hard to get through. It was entertaining but still I was mostly confused.

My issues with the book:
- The pacing: THIS WAS SOOOO SLOW!!! I felt like there was big stretches of the story where nothing really relevant happened.
- The characters: Charlie was okay as a main character but I feel like the “I make bad decisions and have terrible taste in men” was dug in a little too deep. Like WE GET IT!!! You don’t have to say it a million times over and over. Honestly I don’t really understand what the point of Posey was because she was just THERE, and Vince was an interesting character but I feel like we needed more stuff in Vince’s point of view so we can see his thoughts and more of his characterization.
- The magic system: Sorry but what is even going on. I’m still so confused about the magic system and what even is a Hierophant, etc. All the magical terminology went right over my head.
- What the fuck: okay, so Adeline is Lionel Salt’s daughter, while Remy is his grandson, which means that Adeline is Remy’s aunt. They are similar ages though. And then we find out that they were…..together? Sorry but WHAT????? Did I just read this wrong? Are they actually related or is Holly pulling a Cassandra Clare and throwing some casual incest into this story???? And it was totally brushed aside!! There was no talk about it so i spent the whole book feeling gaslighted and trying to figure out if they were related or not. The hell????
- The romance: I didn’t really gravitate toward the romance, but I did root for them to stay together. The romance was clearly more of a plot device than anything.

Things I liked:
- The plot was entertaining and interesting near the end. I liked the fact that Vincent was actually Red.
- I liked the writing, it was in great Holly Black fashion but I just wish it was shorter!
- The characters have their faults but I was rooting for Charlie and Vince the entire time!
- I liked the cliffhanger and I am excited to read the second book!

I felt like I was dredging through this book, but overall it was interesting & Holly always is able to deliver with a good plot!

ravenslanding's review against another edition

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5.0

Holly Black writes these books that immerse you in a world that is inventive, feels real, but also just a bit sideways.
Morally gray is the color of the year.
But also you root for Charlie.
This story is contained, but I definitely want more.

rebecaa_20's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

julesh21's review against another edition

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4.0

I enjoyed this book. The whole concept of a shadow being an entity of its own, taking Peter Pan's shadow to a whole new (and sometimes gruesome) level. I loved the twists, and the end left me wanting more. I was a bit upset about the ending (what a cliffhanger!) until I learned that there will be a sequel. Yay! I will definitely read it and am interested in reading other works from Holly Black.

misszoe's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I really, really wanted to like this book - I've adored Holly Black's book since I was a child. The whole concept of the book was great but the execution.. I wasn't a fan of. Charlie's character felt flat and the whole emphasis was on how she's so unlucky and makes bad decisions and all and it's just. Why does it have to be brought up constantly? It felt like trying too hard and robbed her character of seriousness - mostly she felt whiny to me. I will say that I liked the twist at the very end though because it fit right back into the theme. Good move but didn't save the book for me, sadly.