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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"Book of Night" follows Charlie, a young woman who was a low stakes con artist, just trying to get by as a bartender. She gets sucked back into the dark world of shadow trading when someone from her past reemerges. I really enjoyed that this fantasy novel was rooted in reality, with minor fantastical elements. I think it is so much easier to become quickly engrossed in stories that are written in this way. I also really loved seeing the flashbacks of a younger Charlie. It was a really interesting way to see how she learned her con artist abilities, and to see why she views the world how she does. She is rough around the edges, and a real underdog that you just cannot help but root for.
The ending had me at the edge of my seat, and I really hope we get to see a sequel soon!
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol
bookedandbusy's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Drug use, Vomit, and Murder
Moderate: Physical abuse and Self harm
looseleafellie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This book started off a bit slow for me. Charlie’s backstory was fun to read, but the scenes in the present dragged at first. However, the second half of the book picked up, and the ending was a full-on rollercoaster!
The magic system was cool, even though I didn’t quite understand it. The idea of people being able to do magic using their shadows was really interesting. The story is also set in the area where I go to college, so it was cool seeing familiar places!
Overall, while this story didn’t grip me as much as I hoped, the twists at the end were awesome enough that I’m excited for the sequel! I’m hoping that with the setup done, a second book will be more fast-paced.
Thanks to Tor Books for the advance review copy!
CWs: blood/gore, body horror, self-harm for magic purposes, depression, panic attacks, captivity, child abuse, gun violence, drug use, loss of autonomy, and mentions of incest and cancer.
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping
Minor: Cancer and Incest
sauvageloup's review against another edition
- 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
- 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
But overall, adored it and can't wait for book 2 :D
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Incest, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent
the self harm is only explicitly for finger pricks for blood, but there's a lot of bad, self-sabotaging decisionsroxy_reads_romance's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Incest
imogenlj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, and Murder
kayteslibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Once it clicked in, though, I was sold. Tonally, it lacks some of the macabre whimsy of Black's YA offerings but not the trifecta I've come to know and love: heroine with a traumatic background, (view spoiler), and a cast of characters you wouldn't ever want to hang out with but would be delighted to watch in a limited series (just saying).
An enjoyable, even if not amazing, read that left me curious to see if Black continues the storyline or universe in future books.
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Drug abuse and Physical abuse
nicoley3'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
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Sexual content, and Murder
vicktorea's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
In all seriousness it was good. Not amazing; not terrible - fine. Gave Ninth House vibes (idk why other than it was a YA author transitioning to adult fantasy?) except I could kinda grasp this more than Ninth House. May come back with a more in-depth review later & I’ll prob read book 2.
Graphic: Gore and Blood
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Death of parent
kabrahams's review against another edition
Graphic: Gore and Murder