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kerrigor's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
3 Stars for Potential
(ARC provided by the publisher)
One Sentence Review:
This book has a very interesting premise, but it should either have been much longer or much shorter, and I’m not sure which would have been better.
Overall Review:
A good setup for a series, Charlie Hall and her family (chosen and unchosen) present a fascinating story that definitely has potential. The characterization is a bit too weak for a first book, so it often leaves the reader wondering if they missed whole chapters of the story, because so many characters are introduced and then either left behind entirely or they become extremely important but with no background as to their motives, powers, or relationship to Charlie, it is frustrating at times. The magic system and world-building are definitely different from traditional “magical worlds” and obviously provides the author and reader many different possible outcomes or story paths, but again, the reader is left feeling like they don’t have enough context to fully understand the limits, rules, or the world enough to fully connect with the suspense and danger. I will probably read the book next in the series, but if that one is just as mediocre, I probably won’t continue the series (if there’s more after that).
Characterization
Charlie Hall, the main character, is very well-developed. She’s certainly a frustrating character because you want her to make the right decisions but she doesn’t. There were times that I felt like her character was a bit too wishy-washy about herself, her family, and her situation, but it certainly wasn’t enough to detract entirely from the story. The characters of Vince and Posey were just as fascinating but less well-developed. I found myself wanting to spend more time with either or both of them as they dealt with Charlie and the world closing in on them. Also, there felt like there were an overwhelming amount of characters, it became difficult keeping straight who was who and why the reader should care about those characters, if at all.
World-Building
The world-building of Book of Night was probably the weakest point of the book. The magic system itself is an amazing concept and is certainly not overdone by authors. Even in this book world, the magic system is proposed to be relatively new (in the sense that people are collectively aware of it), which again could allow for some very interesting cultural growing pains within the plot. It is also an interesting look at how an “outsider” may come to see and learn about a magical system. However, it seems there is already an entire society/culture built around the magical system, and that society isn’t really mentioned until halfway through the book, and not really a plot point until near the very end, and at the end the reader is faced with suddenly a lot of different magical activities that they didn’t even know was possible. It also weakens the character of Charlie Hall, because for a thief as good as she is proclaimed to be, she sure doesn’t seem to know a lot about the magic around her and her clients. It is hard to really get into the suspense of the plot if the boundaries and rules of the magical system are not really provided.
Romance
The set up of the romance, like most other parts of the book, is very interesting. It definitely is not the same formula as other romances, and there are some particularly fantastic plot points within the romance that could make it one for the ages. But that’s something that will hopefully come in later books. In this book, the reader is left feeling like the romantic plotline is a certain percentage of importance, only to discover it is actually a completely different size of importance to the plot. I found myself wishing that the romance line either wasn’t there or was developed differently because it wasn’t clear how important it was to the plot.
Plot
The premise of this book, as I’ve said, is amazing. The possibilities are seemingly endless and the reader seemingly can’t rely on most previous magical systems as “background knowledge.” However, parts of the plot weren’t introduced until quite late in the book, and for a plot-driven book, the first section being spent almost entirely on characterization is certainly a choice that was made. I feel like the plot of this book could have been a novella prequel to whatever plot is next in the series. There is a line to walk between plot, world-building, and characterization and this book fell hard into characterization and left plot and world-building far behind.
Writing Style
(As a reminder, I read an ARC, so I’m not taking into account typos or other possible writing changes that could occur before official publication.) The style of Holly Black’s writing is a bit like the plot of the book: wishy-washy. The last 50 pages or so, I was sucked in. But the first 200 pages, I could have stopped reading the book entirely and not felt like I had missed out on something. While the book is definitely plot-driven, it didn’t really feel evenly done, and at times I felt like I either missed whole chapters, chapters were possibly out of order, or some chapters weren’t really necessary to the book, and considering I already felt like the book was either too long (if the point of this book was setting up just Charlie as a character) or too short (if the point of this book was to build a complete world/magical system). The way the book ended is questionable to me as well, it felt like a lot of the plot came undone on the last three pages, even though it felt like Charlie (possibly) grew as a character in that time as well.
(ARC provided by the publisher)
One Sentence Review:
This book has a very interesting premise, but it should either have been much longer or much shorter, and I’m not sure which would have been better.
Overall Review:
A good setup for a series, Charlie Hall and her family (chosen and unchosen) present a fascinating story that definitely has potential. The characterization is a bit too weak for a first book, so it often leaves the reader wondering if they missed whole chapters of the story, because so many characters are introduced and then either left behind entirely or they become extremely important but with no background as to their motives, powers, or relationship to Charlie, it is frustrating at times. The magic system and world-building are definitely different from traditional “magical worlds” and obviously provides the author and reader many different possible outcomes or story paths, but again, the reader is left feeling like they don’t have enough context to fully understand the limits, rules, or the world enough to fully connect with the suspense and danger. I will probably read the book next in the series, but if that one is just as mediocre, I probably won’t continue the series (if there’s more after that).
Characterization
Charlie Hall, the main character, is very well-developed. She’s certainly a frustrating character because you want her to make the right decisions but she doesn’t. There were times that I felt like her character was a bit too wishy-washy about herself, her family, and her situation, but it certainly wasn’t enough to detract entirely from the story. The characters of Vince and Posey were just as fascinating but less well-developed. I found myself wanting to spend more time with either or both of them as they dealt with Charlie and the world closing in on them. Also, there felt like there were an overwhelming amount of characters, it became difficult keeping straight who was who and why the reader should care about those characters, if at all.
World-Building
The world-building of Book of Night was probably the weakest point of the book. The magic system itself is an amazing concept and is certainly not overdone by authors. Even in this book world, the magic system is proposed to be relatively new (in the sense that people are collectively aware of it), which again could allow for some very interesting cultural growing pains within the plot. It is also an interesting look at how an “outsider” may come to see and learn about a magical system. However, it seems there is already an entire society/culture built around the magical system, and that society isn’t really mentioned until halfway through the book, and not really a plot point until near the very end, and at the end the reader is faced with suddenly a lot of different magical activities that they didn’t even know was possible. It also weakens the character of Charlie Hall, because for a thief as good as she is proclaimed to be, she sure doesn’t seem to know a lot about the magic around her and her clients. It is hard to really get into the suspense of the plot if the boundaries and rules of the magical system are not really provided.
Romance
The set up of the romance, like most other parts of the book, is very interesting. It definitely is not the same formula as other romances, and there are some particularly fantastic plot points within the romance that could make it one for the ages. But that’s something that will hopefully come in later books. In this book, the reader is left feeling like the romantic plotline is a certain percentage of importance, only to discover it is actually a completely different size of importance to the plot. I found myself wishing that the romance line either wasn’t there or was developed differently because it wasn’t clear how important it was to the plot.
Plot
The premise of this book, as I’ve said, is amazing. The possibilities are seemingly endless and the reader seemingly can’t rely on most previous magical systems as “background knowledge.” However, parts of the plot weren’t introduced until quite late in the book, and for a plot-driven book, the first section being spent almost entirely on characterization is certainly a choice that was made. I feel like the plot of this book could have been a novella prequel to whatever plot is next in the series. There is a line to walk between plot, world-building, and characterization and this book fell hard into characterization and left plot and world-building far behind.
Writing Style
(As a reminder, I read an ARC, so I’m not taking into account typos or other possible writing changes that could occur before official publication.) The style of Holly Black’s writing is a bit like the plot of the book: wishy-washy. The last 50 pages or so, I was sucked in. But the first 200 pages, I could have stopped reading the book entirely and not felt like I had missed out on something. While the book is definitely plot-driven, it didn’t really feel evenly done, and at times I felt like I either missed whole chapters, chapters were possibly out of order, or some chapters weren’t really necessary to the book, and considering I already felt like the book was either too long (if the point of this book was setting up just Charlie as a character) or too short (if the point of this book was to build a complete world/magical system). The way the book ended is questionable to me as well, it felt like a lot of the plot came undone on the last three pages, even though it felt like Charlie (possibly) grew as a character in that time as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Child abuse
Moderate: Drug use and Drug abuse
uranaishi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Car accident, Death, Gun violence, Child abuse, Blood, Classism, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Gore, Death of parent, Incest, Medical content, and Adult/minor relationship
notteson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Blood
Moderate: Gore, Self harm, and Sexual content
Minor: Addiction and Drug use
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